Families spend less time together these days than what they used to, but every family needs to designate one night a week to have a family night and a great idea for entertainment is to have family fun playing old fashioned board games. Pick a night when everyone can get together, order a pizza or make one and have everyone’s favorite drink available. There are many outstanding games available to choose from like Scrabble, Clue, and Monopoly. Since, there may be a span in the ages and tastes, rotate between players, allowing one to choose a game this week, and next week someone else picks, so each person has a turn playing their personal favorite.

The younger players would find Candy Land, Chutes and Ladders, Trouble and Hi Ho Cherry-O, great games for a games night. Parents will probably find themselves rekindling memories of their own childhood when they used to play the same games.

Players that are a little older can play more advanced games like Payday, Sorry, Aggravation, Scrabble, or even the newer version of Scrabble Jr., might be easier for them to play. It is an excellent way of making them think of words to spell, increasing their learning, while having fun playing. Monopoly is another great game that has been revised to a junior version and a good choice for players that are not quite ready for the standard version of Monopoly. The junior versions are a great way for the younger players to enjoy the old fashioned games, but are designed to be easier for their level of learning and playing ability. Clue Jr. is another excellent choice for the detectives in the family.

The pre-teen players have choices of Parcheesi, Risk, Chinese Checkers, Life and Stratego. All of those will provide hours of fun that will keep them entertained. Risk and Stratego are both a strategic game and very challenging games to make players think. Teens can play the more advanced games like the regular Monopoly, Clue, and Scrabble. Other games that they may find interesting are Family Feud, Picture Picture and Balderdash. Although Picture Picture and Balderdash are not old fashioned, they are great older games that are fun to play.

There are many reasons why a family should have a game night. It provides time to talk about everyday events that each individual is involved in and allows everyone to express ideas about upcoming events or family issues. The kids’ friends could be invited over one night a month for a game night, so the parents can meet who their friends are and find out a little about them. The games are just tools for opening conversation within the family, while at the same time contributing to learning different skills. There are many hidden benefits and life skills woven within playing certain games. Creative thinking, problem solving, thinking strategically and improving ones memory are a few benefits along with learning how to spell and improving mathematical skills. Old fashioned games are a great way to spend an evening, but the benefits the whole family will take away from that night are memories and skills that will last for a lifetime.