Today, I’m chatting about five absolutely irresistible games kids will love.

These are the games that are pulled out most frequently when friends are over the house. They are also the games I most frequently give to my children’s friends. I promise you that they are easy to learn, fun to play, and they have high replay value.

When you’re finished reading, I’d love for you to share your most irresistible games. Leave a comment below!

5 Absolutely Irresistible Games Kids Will Love

I promise these are games kids will love! They would make great birthday gifts, holiday gifts, and stockings stuffers!

I am a huge nerd and I pride myself in giving high-quality educational resources to friends and family. My top post of all time is my 100+ Educational Stocking Stuffer guide. In the article, I list the best stocking stuffers by academic subject. That way, if you are looking to work on math in a fun way in the new year- or reading, or writing- you can find the perfect resource!

Check out our stocking stuffers and gift guides here:

•  100 Educational Stocking Stuffers Your Kids Will Love!
• Holiday Gift Guides 2019: The Best Gifts for Homeschooling & Gameschooling

Now, on to the games kids will love…

Games Kids Will Love: Dragonwood

I always say that Dragonwood is the only game I’ve purchased for our family twice. We all love games over here, but my youngest son is the most hardcore gameschooler in the bunch. He’s also really good about cleaning up his games and taking care of them. He’d play all day long if he could (and sometimes he does!). He’s fond of telling others that “no one ever plays games” with him. This, of course, is not exactly true. We just don’t play as often as he does. This is why he joined forces with the amazing Mister Pancake. Mister Pancake is his imaginary gameschool buddy and he’s always down for a game! 

Last summer, my youngest fella was on a Dragonwood kick. He’d bring it with him to the pool every single morning. (How, you might wonder? We store all of our card games in these photo cases. You can buy them online or at Michael’s with your 40% off coupon. They fit perfectly in a purse, pool bag, backpack, or glove box!)

Dragonwood is one of those games that hits all the marks. It’s easy to learn, fun to play, and has a high replay value. The art is amazing and it taps into that childhood imagination. Because of all this, and because of my youngest’s contagious love of play, he soon found himself with a Dragonwood gang. Every morning, when we arrived at the pool, he’d have friends asking, “Did you bring it today? Did you bring Dragonwood?” Together, the little buddies would run off to the basketball court for a morning of Dragonwood.

Well, one afternoon our pool day was interrupted by a thunderstorm. We had to abruptly gather our belongings, rush to the car, and head home.

(I bet you can see where this story is headed!)

The next morning, we arrived at the pool and saw something horrible on the basketball court: a soggy Dragonwood set. My youngest’s eyes filled with tears and he started sobbing. His absolute favorite game of all time, the one he’d spent hours playing with Mister Pancake and so many others, was ruined. He was inconsolable.

And that is how we purchased Dragonwood for a second time. I try to buy the majority of our games used (click here to learn more about gameschooling on a budget), but this was a family favorite and it was worth it. 

Bonus: When your kids play Dragonwood, they will also be working on those math, logic, and reasoning skills!

RELATED: 

• • Gameschooling: The Best Math Games for Your Homeschool
  • If your family already knows and loves Dragonwood, check out Dragonrealm!

Games Kids Will Love: Not Parent Approved

If you want your kids to giggle uncontrollably, you have to play this game with them! It is absolutely hilarious. Not Parent Approved is an award-winning fill-in-the-blank game that will have your entire family in stitches. This game is inspired by the adult game, Cards Against Humanity, but unlike that game, this one is entirely appropriate for families.

Be forewarned: There is abundant potty humor in this one, but that is why your children won’t be able to resist it. Need an example? To decide who goes first at the start of the game, there is a burping competition. Whoever wins is declared the Burp Boss and gets to go first. 

Not Parent Approved is especially fun to play with teens and tweens. This game will help you connect with your older kiddos while making memories and giggling the night away. Not Parent Approved would also make for some memorable multi-generational play at your next holiday gathering!

Bonus: This game is perfect for reluctant readers! When your children play Not Parent Approved, they are working on their reading and reading comprehension skills.

RELATED: 

• • Gameschooling: 20+ Reading and Language Arts Games for Your Homeschool
  • Holiday Gameschooling: How to Play Your Way Through ALL of the Holidays!

Games Kids Will Love: PicWits

PicWits is another hilarious game that would be perfect for your next family gathering. This one plays like Apples to Apples except instead of written responses, there are photo replies.

For each round, there is a judge. The judge plays a caption card. The caption card might say something like “I can’t believe I ate the whole thing!” or “I know I’m going to regret this” or “It seemed like a good idea at the time” or “That’s going to leave a mark” and each player selects her best photo for that round’s caption.

The photos are hilarious.

Bonus: This is another game that is great for reluctant readers. When your kids are playing PicWits, they are working on those reading and reading comprehension skills.

Sidenote: Both the captions and the photo reply cards in this game can be used as homeschool writing prompts. At some point, I will write a post on how to use your favorite board and card games as writing prompts, but for now, this is an idea for you to try out!

RELATED: 

• • Gameschooling: The Best Party Games for Your Homeschool
  • 10+ Games to Make You Giggle

Games Kids Will Love: Rat a Tat Cat

As I was writing this article, I went through all of my photos in search of a photo of my kids playing Rat a Tat Cat. I cannot believe that this is the best I could find:

But after thinking about this, it all makes sense. We have spent so many hours playing Rat a Tat Cat that our deck is almost demolished. The cards are soft and worn, with tattered edges. My oldest likes to boast that he and I hold the family record of most consecutive games of Rat a Tat played in one sitting (32). We played Rat a Tat Cat so many times daily one summer that I had sore thumbs from shuffling. I kid you not.

Rat a Tat Cat is an award-winning card game by Gamewright. Do you remember playing the card game Golf as a kid? It was one of my favorites! Rat a Tat Cat is Golf reimagined. The goal is to get rid of your rats and keep the cats, but you’re going to need to use memory and strategy and timing to do so. The player with the lowest hand at the end of the game wins. 

Bonus: Rat a Tat Cat works addition skills, strategy, planning, and memory!

RELATED: 

• • Gameschooling: The Best Math Games for Your Homeschool
  • Gameschooling: The Best Card Games for Your Homeschool 

Games Kids Will Love: Reverse Charades

Reverse Charades is a twist on an old favorite. Instead of one person acting before a large group, Reverse Charades breaks that group into teams. When it’s your team’s turn, all but one player work together to act out the prompt. 

The result? Total and complete hilarity! 

This is a perfect party game. It would be the ideal family game for gatherings like Thanksgiving or New Year’s Eve. 

I absolutely do not have a photo of this one because every time we play, I’m too busy wiping my tears away from laughing so hard. Besides, a photo wouldn’t do this one justice. You need to see it in action. Kids are the best, you guys!

Bonus: Reverse Charades is another game that would work for reluctant readers- communication skills are huge in this game! Reverse Charades encourages cooperation and teamwork. The game requires that children play with words and ideas and get creative and playful. It’s a great game for wiggle worms! It can also encourage more timid players to come out of their shells a bit, as is safety in numbers!

RELATED: 

• • Gameschooling: The Best Party Games for Your Homeschool
  • 10+ Games to Get Kids Moving

Games Kids Will Love: Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza

Remember playing Slap Jack as a kid? Well, Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza is sort of like that, except there are narwhals and groundhogs and gorillas. It’s completely addictive! You can’t play just one round.

In Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza, players divide the deck and keep their hand face down. Players take turns, clockwise, placing a card face up in the center of the table. The first player places her card face up and says, “taco,” and then the second player places her card face up and says, “cat,” and so on. 

But here’s the catch- if you place a card on the table and the word you say is a match for the card you place, players must slap the card deck in the center of the table. The last player to slap the deck takes the pile. The winner of the game is the first player to get rid of all of her cards. 

Here’s another caveat- there are action cards. If you play a narwhal, all players must use their hands to make a horn on their head. Gorilla cards require that all players bang on their chests. Groundhog cards require players to knock on the table. If you’re the last person to perform any of these actions, you take the deck.

As you can imagine, Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza is a whirlwind of a game with a lot of goofiness and giggles. It sounds easier than it actually is, you guys! It’s such a mind-bender!

RELATED: 

• • Gameschooling: The Best Card Games for Your Homeschool 
  • 10+ Games to Make You Giggle

Are you a gameschooler? If so, I have a huge resource library filled with games kids will love!

I wholeheartedly believe that homeschooling can be almost all fun and games! If you’d like to add more play to your homeschool day, check out our gameschool resource page. I have everything you need to get started, and it’s all organized by academic subject and category!

• Gameschooling: A Resource Library

Still searching for the perfect gift this holiday season?

I love to give affordable, high-quality educational gifts that kids cannot resist. If you’re looking to add more fun – and stealth learning- to your holiday gifts this season, check out these articles:

• 100 Educational Stocking Stuffers Your Kids Will Love!
• Holiday Gift Guides 2019: The Best Gifts for Homeschooling & Gameschooling

Don’t miss our holiday gameschooling series…

• Holiday Gameschooling: How to Play Your Way Through ALL of the Holidays!

Now, it’s your turn. Tell me: What irresistible games do your kids love? Share here!