Favorite Board Games for Older Kids

Kelly R. said:  

Players earn points by claiming railway routes connecting cities through North America. I think it's one of the best family board games for older kids, and also gets pulled out a lot on adult game night after the kids have gone to bed. Winning takes a mix of strategy and luck, and it can get a little cutthroat when people are competing for the same real estate!

Kelly R. said:  Collect and trade resources to strategically build roads, settlements and cities on the game board and score points. Game setup and play can take over an hour, so this isn't a board game that you can squeeze in right before the kids head off to bed. But it's a fun and immersive game to play with older kids for a family night in!

Alexandra F. said:  My big kids love playing this classic strategy game, and it is always one of our top choice for family game nights. The goal is world domination as each player tries to take over all the countries on the board through a combination of strategy and plain old luck in the dice rolls. And, it’s been around long enough that there are plenty of themed boards for almost any interest, making it a great gift for fans of Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, MCU and more!

Shila said:  Parents, you may be familiar with Cards Against Humanity, which is a super popular game for adults (given its mature content) and ignites side-splitting laughter! Kids Against Maturity takes on the same concept and is equally hilarious, but far more tame in comparison. There are over 500 fill-in-the-blank questions that range in topic. Each player writes in an anonymous, lighthearted, and entertaining response. The funniest response gets selected, that author earns a point, and the player with the highest score wins. This is a great game for big groups, too.

Kelly R. said:  There are 2 teams, and one member of each team gives clues to teammates to get them to guess certain words on a grid of cards. While younger kids can do well as part of a larger team, kids need to be older to play on their own because some of the clues or words are more advanced. This makes it a great board game for teens and tweens! It's especially perfect for playing when you have a larger group, because teams can be any size and the full rules can be learned within minutes.

Kelly R. said:  This isn't one of those board games for older kids that relies on modern graphics and silly humor, but give it a try - my 10 year old loves it! Players start with 8 face down cards in front of them, and take tuns flipping and swapping numbered cards until they are all revealed. Points are tallied at the end of each hand, and the object is to have the lowest total score, just like in golf. We brought this game with us on an extended family vacation (ages 6 to 60s), and we all looked forward to playing it every evening!

Kristy Pepping said:  Work as a team to capture four sacred treasures. Your team has to use strategy before the island sinks beneath. Whichever team collects the treasures and make their escape before the island is submerged, wins.

Kelly R. said:  Collect gem chips to "buy" and accumulate cards and earn points. Multiple different strategies can win the game, and the game feels a little different every time depending on how the cards are dealt. Compared to other popular strategy-based board games for older kids, the rules are very simple and straightforward and it generally takes much less time to play! My whole family gets into this one, and I love that the kids and adults are equally likely to win.

Kristy Pepping said:  Escape Room by Spin Master is a fun game if you have tweens or teens who love those escape room places popping all over the country. The concept is the same as one of these places. The goal is to solve riddles using codes before the allotted time is up.

Kristy Pepping said:  If your kids like strategy games, then they will like Agricola. Basically, you are a farmer in a house with you and your significant other. On your turn, you get two moves. The goal is to build up your farm while competing against the neighboring farms. But everything has a consequence. For example, if you decide to have kids to help with farm productivity, you will need to spend more money on food to feed the family. It's a great game to teach kids about the actions and consequences of those actions.