It’s no secret that kids love board games. This fun, family-orientated activity has been around for thousands of years. There’s nothing quite like crowing around the dining room table on a Friday night to engage in some quality family time with a classic board game.

In any department store, the game section usually sports a wide range of new and old board games. While we are certainly spoilt for choice, some classic games that have been around for decades remain among the best-sellers.

Best classic board games

Here are 9 popular family board games that have stood the test of time and are perfect for your next family game night.

1. Monopoly

Perhaps one of the most popular games across the globe, Monopoly is now available in Junior editions and with expansion packs. There’s also many versions based on your children’s favorite video games and movies.

Since this is a real estate game, your child will learn all about property, budgeting, rent, and taxes while trying to avoid bankruptcy and jail time. What’s not to like about fighting your family over property and money? It’s no wonder this game has remained incredibly popular and is now available in a wide range of limited-edition collector sets.

2. Connect 4

Complicated board games with dice, cards, and spinners can be a lot of fun, but games that are simple and easy to understand can be just as enjoyable.

Connect 4 is a popular 2-player game that can keep the kids busy for hours. Each player takes turns to drop their colored disks into the 7-column, 6-row frame with the intent of achieving a row of 4. Part of the excitement comes with blocking your opponent’s disks, and nothing is as much fun as getting to shout “connect 4” when you have successfully lined up 4 tokens to be crowned the winner.

Just 1 game of Connect 4 will rarely be enough—in our house, it’s always a “best of 3” scenario before declaring the official winner.

3. Candy Land Kingdom of Sweet Adventures

One of the challenges of family game night can be finding a game suitable for older children as well as younger ones. Fortunately, Candy Land is a great classic board game for those wanting to play with younger children who might not yet be able to read or count.

In this game, players will embark on an adventure to find King Kandy, winding their way around a track of 134 spaces by taking turns to draw a card. Each colorful card will guide the player to move their piece along the rainbow path.

This game is bright, colorful, simple, and sweet. Your whole family will enjoy racing each other to King Kandy’s castle, with the one who arrives first being the celebrated winner.

4. Scrabble

Who doesn’t love a game of Scrabble? This board and tile game has been designed for 2-4 players to compete by forming words with the lettered tiles on the game board. The words become interlocked and form like a crossword puzzle. The players are scored based on the value of the letter tile and their spacing on the board.

Aiming to place a letter on board spaces such as the “double letter” or “triple word score” will improve a player’s chance of winning by increasing their overall score. To avoid the risk of competitors creating and making up words, there are online dictionaries available to make sure you stick to the rules.

5. Battleship

This game has been around since World War 1 and is now available in electronic versions and on smart device apps.

Battleship is a strategy game for 2 players and involves using ruled grids to mark the location of a set of fleet ships. Each player keeps their ships concealed from their opponent, and the pair take turns guessing the location of the other’s ships. If a guess is correct, then that ship is sunk. Once all of the opposing player’s fleet has been destroyed, the winner can be determined.

If you’re looking for a way to keep a couple of kids entertained, Battleship looks like a good option.

6. Sequence

In this exciting board game, each player uses a card from their hand to determine where they will place a chip on the board. When a player gets 5 chips in a row, it is called a “sequence.” This is a game of thinking and strategy, and players can learn to block and remove the chips of their opponents. The winner is the 1st person or team to score a sequence of 2 before their opponents do.

While this game is probably too complex for children under the age of 7, young ones can team up with adults to make it fun for the whole family.

7. The Game of Life

The Game of Life, which was created in 1860 by Milton Bradley, simulates a person’s life as they deal with challenges from college until retirement. Players will draw action cards that determine the direction their life will take, often involving jobs, marriage, and children.

The Game of Life is a fun classic board game for 2-6 players and is best suited to children aged over 8. The winner is the person with the most money left at the end of the game. In this exciting and engaging game, your kids will be stunned to learn just how much money it will cost to live their life.

8. Guess Who?

Guess Who? is a 2-player board game where each player chooses a character unknown to their opponent. Then they take turns asking yes/no questions to try and figure out who the other player’s character is. The winner is the one who correctly identifies the other’s character.

Guess Who? even comes in a travel version that is perfect for those long trips in the car with kids.

9. Twister

Another popular classic game from the Milton Bradley Company is Twister. It guarantees laughs and fun, and parents should be mindful of playing this game after a few glasses of wine. Twister can definitely get competitive!

A large plastic mat is spread on the floor, and the players use a spinner that determines where they are to place their hands and feet on the mat. As the game progresses, they are often required to put themselves in difficult positions until one finally falls, leaving the winner still standing.

Twister is a hilarious game of epic proportions, so it’s no wonder that it remains a best-seller in stores today.

Why do we love board games so much?

There are many benefits to playing board games, including bringing people together to strengthen relationships. Through playing board games, children will learn to take turns, think strategically, and lose gracefully. If it’s been a while since you played one of these classic board games, it might be time to dust them off and have some family fun.