It’s hard to believe that the days of November are flying by so quickly! Before we know it, Thanksgiving will be upon us and we’ll be caught up in the turkey and the recounting of our blessings. I love the pause that Thanksgiving brings to the rhythm of our lives. It’s like a deep breath after we’ve settled into the routine of school and before we dive into the Christmas season. On Thanksgiving and the days of holiday break that our girls have off from school, we LOVE to play board games.
While we were paying off $127K in debt, board games provided us an affordable way to connect with one another. We have a few favorites and today, I’m pulling them out of our messy game closet (seriously, right now it looks like all of the boxes threw up on the floor in there). Don’t believe me? Photo proof (a.k.a. a plea for help. Anyone know a professional organizer who works for hugs?):
Anywho, in no particular order, here are four of our favorite family games to play (to not just pass the time but truly enjoy it).
Who What Where Jr. Drawing Game
(psst it’s $8.95 on Amazon right now! Also, you can play it in French. Who knew?!)
If you grew up in the 1980s, you probably played Win, Lose, or Draw and squealed with delight when they turned it into an actual Game Show on TV. My dad (being the awesomest of all dads of the 1980s), brought giant flip charts home from work so that we could draw huge pictures. Who What Where takes a new spin on the WLoD or Pictionary style of game. Each player draws a Who, What, and a Where card and then has to draw all three elements in one picture. So you might end up with Shaquille O’Neal in a job interview in an elevator or The President taking pictures on Mt. Everest. There’s an “adult” version of the game but honestly the Jr. version is perfect for families with kids of all ages. You score points based upon how many people can guess your drawings correctly and how many you guess. We don’t really keep score though and just have a great time for an undetermined number of rounds giggling at our lack of artistic ability and the funny situations of the pictures. I love that you can play and then quit whenever instead of having to invest hours worth of time (you’ll see this is as a pattern for almost every game I love).
Spot It
($11.17 for the original but there are a number of varieties of this game including Spot it! Disney Frozen – Alphabet
This is a fast paced card game that really comes down to your ability to quickly match. There are five different games that you can play with the same deck of cards and if you have younger children, they don’t need to be able to read (although they may get frustrated because adults might be a little quicker at matching the symbols). We have the original deck but I’d love to add one for our younger daughter this Christmas ala Frozen or Disney Princess. Hours of fun, small so you can take it to Grandma’s house without dragging a huge board game (or on a road trip). You can play for as long or as short of a time frame as you’d like.
Whoonu
(Way too expensive on Amazon. You need to look for a yard sale or Salvation Army Thrift Store buy because NO ONE should pay that much for a board game.).
I have a feeling this game must be out of print or manufacturing because WOW it was way expensive online. However, borrow one from a friend or look at a second hand store because it’s incredibly fun and accessible for for family members of all ages. It’s best played when you have at least four players. Basically, everyone has a handful of cards with nouns on them and each has to guess what the Whoonu-er would think is their favorite. That person then ranks each card and you gain points based upon how close to their favorite you come. It’s super simple even for the most basic of reader and you learn a little bit more about whoever you’re playing with. Again, you can play several rounds fairly quickly.
Phase 10
This is our family classic. It’s probably the one game that requires much more time. The King of Free and I played round after round after round of Phase 10 while we were paying off debt because we didn’t have any TV for a period of time and staring at each other got old. I believe I am still the reigning champ (but don’t tell him). We have the dice version of the game and I’ll be honest that I might upgrade our cards this year because they’re getting a little worn down. The box bit the dust long ago and now I am storing them inside a travel soap box.
Looking for more Thanksgiving Money Saving Tips? Check out these posts:
- Thanksgiving Shopping Strategies
- Slow Cooker Southwest Sweet Potatoes
- An Affordable Thanksgiving Dinner
- Thanksgiving Budget Busters to Avoid
What family games do you look forward to playing each year? Chime in the comments!
Gain inspiration to pay off debt! Check out Inspiration to Pay Off Debt: 30 Days of Encouragement from the Queen of Free
This post contains an affiliate link. That means when you get a great deal or maybe even something for free, you also help our family pay off our mortgage early. And for that, we royally thank you!
[…] Family time just isn’t the same without a round of Phase 10 or a Monopoly marathon. If your tribe enjoys a good board game, begin watching the deals for these classic holiday pastimes. Again, the best prices pop up around Black Friday but throughout the holiday season coupons abound for board and card games, well paired with deep discounts. For some of my favorite board games, check out Four Family Games to Play over the Holidays. […]