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At last, summer is here!
The sun is (hopefully) shining, your kids are off school for six weeks, and suddenly you find yourself trying to keep the whole family entertained. It can be quite easy to simply let your children stay indoors in front of a screen all day. But sitting around various screens in your house hardly makes for much quality family time.
It’s hard to have a meaningful conversation when your children are spending hours scrolling through their phones, watching too much TV, or playing video games. Of course, technology isn’t all bad, but too much reliance on phones and computers can be damaging to their well-being and to their relationships too.
So this summer, why not think a little outside the box and get your whole family involved in some summer party games! And here at Gibsons, we’d like to think that we know a thing or two about the best family games for summer. Playing games is a great way to have some family fun with your children, and not only is this screen-free time beneficial for your kids’ learning development and thinking skills, but it’ll also help you create many lasting memories for both you and your children.
Whether you’re on your holiday, having a BBQ, or simply want to play something together on a rainy day, we’ve put together our list of the best games to play with your family this summer. Let’s dive in!
7 fun games to play with your family this summer
Quirk
Quirk! is a funny card game that’ll have the whole family in stitches. Imaginations are put to the test as players walk the plank, breathe fire and squawk like a chicken...it’s no surprise that Quirk is one of the best games to play with your family this summer.
The aim of Quirk! is to act your way to victory by collecting the most ‘Quirks,’ which you do by getting your best impressions at the ready! You can play it wherever you are in the world too; at the beach, in your back garden, or even in the family caravan.
This board game makes you embrace your silly side with sounds and actions, all while getting into a lot of mischief with your children and family. Quirk! is an amazing, but silly game that provides interactive play for all ages.
221B Baker Street
221B Baker Street proves that board games don’t have to be boring! If your family loves a good detective story, then instead of watching a drama series on Netflix, try your hand at this thought-provoking Sherlock Holmes game.
With 221B Baker Street, you’ll need to get your thinking caps on as you play. Starting at the famous address, players will uncover a mystery by travelling through the streets of London, solving cryptic clues. There are over 75 different cases for you to tackle head-on, so there are plenty of opportunities to keep coming back to this game again and again over the summer. Rest assured that both you and your children will be entertained for hours on end.
Hare & Tortoise
Just because your kids are on their school break doesn’t mean that they can’t keep learning a thing or two over the summer holidays.
Hare & Tortoise is a board game of skill and wisdom that’s a bundle of fun for young children, that’ll teach them a clever exercise in arithmetic. Here, their knowledge of maths and counting skills will be put to the test, as this game is a cunningly designed race to the finish. Your fuel (carrots) must practically run out (all but 10 carrots or fewer) at the moment you hit the finish line.
The aim is to be the first player to get from Start to Home. At each turn you can move as far forwards as you like provided you can pay for it in units of carrots. The further you move in one turn, the faster the cost of moving accelerates, so the longer you leap, the sooner you run out of carrots! You also must dispose of your lettuce cards throughout the game, making Hare & Tortoise a game of skill and strategy rather than a dice-rolling game of chance.
Wembley
Just because the Euros have ended, it doesn’t mean that you can’t keep the football spirit alive post-match this summer. Wembley is the perfect board game for football-mad families, which takes you all the way back to the glory of the 1984 FA Cup. Players can recreate the game with their favourite teams as they try to knock out the competition. You use your hard-earned cash to buy and sell players, as well as hoping that the odds are in your favour when you roll the cleverly weighted dice.
This game is great for a summer party as you can get the whole family involved, such as your kids, your partner, as well as the grandparents, nieces and nephews! Why not kick off a game during a family get together, and relive the glory of this summer of football?
Shut the Box
As seen on TikTok, Shut the Box is another fun way to keep your kids learning throughout the summer holidays. Not only does it introduce arithmetic, addition and mathematics to children as speedy counting, but they’ll also need all their skills and accuracy to win the game! Plus, the resurgence in popularity from TikTok means that your kids might already know how to play.
But aside from being educational, this classic pub game is a great challenge for the whole family to enjoy. It’s the ideal summer game to play with grandparents, couples, families, teens, and friends too.
Pixit
If you’re looking for an exciting game to play with the family during a long journey or a cosy afternoon inside, then Pixit is a great choice.
Pile up your pixies, pick a card, and twist, turn and tip your cubes into place to recreate a pixelated image. This highly addictive, simple to learn game can be played alone, in pairs or in groups. Each mode is exceedingly addictive and gets tremendously tense as the Pixit cubes twist and turn. You’ll be surprised how many hours of fun your family can have from one little cube!
Zonkers
Although Zonkers can be played solo, it also makes for some great family fun! This fast and frantic dice game can either be enjoyed on the go or in the comfort of your own home.
The aim of the game is to be the player who matches the most dice with the numbers on the cards. But be careful, as there are six different ways to play Zonkers, which will easily catch you out. Suitable for both adults and children, Zonkers is an ideal game to play with your family this summer - especially during a party!
Hours of family fun with Gibsons this summer
At Gibsons, we produce games and puzzles that entertain all generations. If you’re interested in having the perfect day or night of fun with your children, then roll the dice and take a look through our award-winning family games. You can view the full collection here.
Got a question about one of our games or puzzles? Feel free to get in touch, a member of our team will be more than happy to help you!
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