Family Game ideas for the festive period

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We spend every Christmas in France with my father-in-law and this year we have decided to drive. It is a very long drive, but it is so much easier being able to fill the boot with our luggage and presents than having to squeeze everything into weight restricted cases. Last Xmas we flew to Lyon then hired a car and the packing situation was pretty stressful! Some of you might remember my Christmas cracker conundrum. I did manage to pack the crackers but had to remove the bangers which made them a bit of a let down. We also had to leave most of the presents under the tree in London and it just wasn’t quite the same opening them on the 31st December. So driving seemed a much more sensible option (and it’s also better for our carbon footprint!) We have decided to break up the journey with an overnight stay in a B&B at a half way point which I think will be really fun for the kids.

One thing that we really like to do on this family holiday is play lots of games. It’s such a good way to bring everyone together. I find as my girls get older, they spend a lot of time socialising with their friends and retreating to their bedrooms with their phones, so a good way to ensure some quality family time is to call ‘game time’ each day. We light the fire, set out the nibbles, grab our drinks, put some festive tunes on in the background and choose a game. If we didn’t have 2 highly competitive game players in the family, game time would be pretty perfect! Needless to say it often ends with someone in a huff, but it’s always great while the harmony lasts.

This year, with the packing restrictions lifted, I have ordered a few new ones to take along with us and thought I would share a games ideas with you. I have included a few of our favourite classics, like Jenga, Bananagrams, Monopoly and Cluedo, a couple of Wentworth puzzles and a few new discoveries. I am really excited to try out Soundiculous.