In a world that can get a little overwhelming and busy at times, moments spent with family can bring great joy and relief to both parent and child. It is important to remember in the midst of work, school, and other things life may throw your way, spending good quality time together as a family should never be neglected. It fosters positive relationships between parent and child and creates memories and stories that can be passed down from generation to generation. One fun and simple thing that you can do together as a family are board and card games. It’s fun, engaging, and offers up a little friendly competition that can really make things fun if handled properly. Here is a list of some of the games that I really enjoy:

• Monopoly
• The Game of Life
• Chutes and Ladders
• Apples to Apples
• Pictionary
• Settlers of Catan: Family Addition 
• Clue
• Operation
• Uno
• Blink
• Yahtzee 
• Phase 13

Picking a game isn’t as simple as plucking one off the shelf and diving in. It often requires a lot of compromise and patience. You first must pick an age appropriate game. If you are playing with younger children, the game can’t be overly complicated. If you are playing with older children, it can’t be overly simple or they may get bored. You want to pick something that they will understand but also find a bit challenging. For those children with a big disparity in age, there are plenty of games that the whole family can still enjoy together. There are plenty of games that require just a tad bit more luck and a lot more comedic skills. For example, Apples to Apples is a fun game where you get points for giving an answer to the prompt card that brings the most laughs! Whatever game you decide to play, have fun! Enjoy some competition but don’t let it become the main focus! Becoming overly competitive is an easy way to ruin the mood. Just be yourselves and your next family game night will certainly be a time to remember!