Identify it
This is a favorite – you can play with a few people or a whole crowd and it’s quick and easy to pick up (in fact, we were on a double date with some friends once and while waiting for our table, we went to a toy store that had it and the four of us played several VERY competitive rounds. It’s really fun for all ages).

Flip7
This is the game I give our girls for Christmas, so we can play it in the weeks before the Christmas holidays and throughout the winter. It costs under $10 and has rave reviews (and when I asked about it on Instagram, I got tons of rave messages about how much people loved it!)

Sushi Go
I really started to love this game last year – it’s a small deck but it takes a little longer as you play three rounds, so you’ll need a little more time (perfect if you have some time to burn!).

Cover your assets
This is a great game to use at home or on the go – I played countless games with my girls while we waited for the car’s oil to be changed, every day on our trip to Hawaii in 2019, and on countless family reunions and friends’ trips. It’s fast and fun and everyone in our family can play it!

Yahtzee
This is a classic and all you need is a scorecard and some dice! We’ve been playing this as a family for YEARS, plus it’s a great way to practice some math. Yamslam is a similar idea although the box is a little big to carry easily.

Dutch Blitz
It’s basically the same as Wackee 6 or Nerts and is a fun speed game that can accommodate many players! Be careful – it can get intense!

Gnomes around
We took it to Japan and my girls played it on the plane (the nine cards barely fit on the seat-back tables). This is probably my favorite card game and we’ve played it on dozens of trips over the years – it always earns a place in my backpack or purse!

What do you think?
We learned this this summer with Bart’s family. We’ve been playing it non-stop and I absolutely love it! (There is both a card version and a dice version – they’re pretty similar, so if you already own the dice version, it’s probably not worth buying the card version.)

Zeus on the loose
This was a new game for us on our trip to Japan and we played it pretty much every day – the girls learned it the first morning while we were still getting ready and then we played a few games every morning and evening at our Airbnb – definitely a success!

Bananagrams
Bart and I have been playing quick Scrabble together or with friends since the early days of our marriage and Bananagrams is an easy way to carry it with you in that fun banana-shaped zipper case!

The crew
I put this game in Bart’s stocking for Christmas last year and we haven’t stopped playing it since. It’s a little different than any other game I’ve ever played: it’s a collaborative card game and there are about 50 rounds to play. Ella, Bart and I are slowly working our way through the rounds – we’ve done about 15 so far. Each one gets progressively more challenging and it’s really fun to work together to win them all.

The bears and the bees
The Bears and the Bees is a simple but surprisingly fun game where you match colors to create a giant beehive. It’s pretty fast and has a small deck, so it’s perfect to take with you or play a quick game before dinner or before bed. (Do I always accidentally call it “the birds and the bees”? Yes, I do.) Plus, it’s really NICE.

Set
I grew up playing this pattern spotting game and now my girls love playing it too. This is great for a group or just two people (in fact, Tally loves playing this by herself!).

Sleeping queens. This might be the most popular game I’ve ever recommended. It’s fun for all ages, simple to learn and even includes some numbers and simple math exercises. I’m pretty sure I’ve played a thousand games over the years