Family Board Games

Family board games are fun and entertaining.
The rules can be complex or very simple,
depending on the game. Board games include
strategy games (e.g. chess)
or race games (e.g. snakes and ladders).

Family board games are fun and entertaining. The rules can be quite complex or can be very simple, depending on the game. Board games include strategy games, where you try to outwit your opposition (e.g. chess) or race games, where you try to beat other players around a course and get 'home' first (e.g. snakes and ladders).

While there are many excellent games you can buy commercially (such as Monopoly™, Scrabble™, Pictionary™ and Trivial Pursuit™), you can make many simple games at home or purchase them cheaply.

Here are some entertaining board games you can play together to while away those lazy Sunday afternoons or those wonderful holiday breaks. They are very easy to make yourself with just a minimal amount of equipment, such as cardboard and coloured pencils or felt tip pens. You will find diagrams for many games to help make it even easier for you. We have even included some simple board games for you to print at home and play.

Race games are the easiest to play and are suitable for children and adults. Race games suitable for children include:

Centennial - a simple race game for all ages

Everest - similar to Everest but slightly harder to play

Snakes and Ladders - a perennial favourite for kids of all ages

Adults and older children may enjoy some strategy games, like:

Nine Holes - a simple board game that is very difficult to win against an experienced opponent

Gobang - similar to Nine Holes, but with more counters and more squares

Achi - a West African game similar to Nine Holes and Gobang

Shepherds and Wolf - a different board game since each player has a different aim to win

Madelinette - a game that can be played simply for fun or strategically to win

Checkers (which is also known as Draughts) - a classic board game for players of all ages

Alquerque - a Middle Eastern game that later developed into Draughts

Reversi - over one hundred years old, and recently revived as Othello™

Chess - rules for beginners, including a sample Chess game

Board Games which you can print (in colour or in black and white)
and play at home:

Printable Chess board (includes printable chess pieces) - great for practising anywhere!

Printable Checkers board (includes printable checkers pieces) - so portable and cheap

Printable Snakes and Ladders board - two sizes and three versions

Fox and Geese - similar to "Shepherds and Wolf" but with a different board

Halma - will you be first to move your counters from one corner to the opposite corner?

Leapfrog - a strategy game similar to "Draughts"

Quartette - move your counters to form a straight line

Share YOUR Game While we have included many games that our family loves, you may have other games that you and your family think should be on the Family Games Treasurehouse website. Whatever your favourite, click on the link for your chance to Share YOUR Game with the world for free!

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