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Now more than ever, we are spending time at home with our kids. Being stuck in the house because of a pandemic tends to limit your activities, especially when it is raining or snowing outside. During this time, we’ve tested out a ton of different games and activities trying to keep us all entertained (and from going absolutely stir-crazy). So I’ve rounded up some of our favorite games to play with our kids that you’ll all enjoy (without any screen time). I’ve grouped these for younger kids and for older kids, depending on your kids age. I’ve also mixed in board games with games you can play without any materials (or whatever you have available at home). Sometimes it’s nice just to pull something out that’s prepackaged and play. Plus, most of these board games aren’t very expensive.

10 Fun Games You’ll Actually Want to Play with your Kids

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Toddlers/Younger Kids

• Yeti in My Spaghetti 

This one is actually my husband’s absolute favorite. He’s often the one asking my daughter to play it with him. It’s a really cute game that starts with layering and stacking plastic spaghetti noodles over a bowl. You then place the Yeti figurine on top and begin removing noodles until the Yeti falls into the bowl. Whoever makes him fall in loses. It’s a really fun and easy game to play that is recommended for ages 4 and up. Definitely worth checking out.

• Hide and Seek (in the dark for more fun)

I know this isn’t new at all, but there’s something to be said for a classic. I remember playing this with neighborhood kid’s in our basement when we were little. For a fun twist on the classic or for older kids, you can play this in the dark or with low light. We’ll do this with our daughter because there aren’t a ton of hiding places in some areas of our house. We’ll turn off the lights and let her have a glow stick to seek us out to make it more fun.

• Eye Found It

This is a card game by Disney made for ages 3 and up. There are picture cards with lots of small images from disney that each player is dealt. Then a card is flipped to determine an item for you to look for. If you find it first on one of your cards, you get to remove that card. The first player with no cards remaining wins. I love this one because it’s easy to play even after a long day of work (no running around or chasing), and you can determine how long it lasts by how many cards you start with. We’ll often squeeze in a game or two of this before bedtime with the kiddos. Of course they love it because of all the Disney characters and to try and beat Mom and Dad.

• Sneaky Snacky Squirrel

This was one of my daughter’s favorites when she was a bit younger. It involves colored acorns and tongs that look like a squirrel. The objective is to collect an acorn of each color on your log in the correct position. You spin to determine what color you can pick up (or steal or even to lose all your acorns). This one is great because it reinforces colors and hand-eye coordination. A great option for ages 3 and up.

• Chutes and Ladders

This game has been around for 70 years, but it’s roots go back all the way to 2nd century BC. It’s a fantastic choice because it helps children learn counting and with recognizing numbers. It’s meant for ages 3 and up, but we had more success when my children were a bit closer to 4 with this one. It’s super fun and absolutely timeless. If you don’t remember playing this as a kid (or if you do), then you should absolutely check this out (again).

Older Kids

• A Little Off Topic

This game is fun and super silly. It brings out everyone’s creativity and usually leads to a lot of ridiculousness. You draw a card to get a letter. You then write down answers for each topic given that start with the letter that was drawn until the sand timer runs out. Such a simple idea, but so entertaining!

• Charades

This is a classic game, but it’s a classic for a reason. It doesn’t require any materials or pre-planning and it’s a ton of fun. Everyone writes down words on strips of paper. Then everyone takes turns drawing and acting them out without making any noises. Usually we split into teams and use a timer for turns, but you can play less competitively as well and just enjoy the fun of acting out and guessing.

• Tower Building

You can build your tower out of anything, but marshmallows and uncooked spaghetti are some of the more commonly used materials. The idea is to split up into teams (or could be 1 vs. 1) and to work to see who can build the highest structure. It actually requires a lot of innovation, and I’ve seen adults get really invested in this one!

• Guess Who

This is one of my absolute favorites from when I was a kid. It’s only for 2 players and for ages 6 and up, but it can be fun to play with your kiddo for some good one on one time. There are two boards full of characters. Each person draws a card to determine who they are. Then you take turns asking yes or no questions to eliminate characters and determine who the other person is. The first person to guess correctly wins!

• What Am I Eating

The concept of this one is simple. Someone is blindfolded and given a small taste of something. Any food or food product will do – Mustard, orange, etc. They have to guess what they just ate. It’s funny how much your perception changes without knowing what you are actually eating. Hopefully you have a kind family that won’t give you anything nasty (but you may want to set some ground rules there)!

Thanks for stopping by! If you have a favorite game that I left out, leave me a comment down below and share. I always love to hear from you. Also, if you are looking for other ideas to keep your little ones engaged and learning check out my post on The Best Activity Box Subscriptions for Kids.