Who doesn’t love a good old board game? Board games are great for improving brain functionality, reducing screen time and bonding with other people, and are a great way to wind down in the evening with your loved ones, especially during long autumn and winter evenings.
Sometimes though, playing a long and complicated board game can be a bit of a commitment, and why bother when there are plenty of simple games with minimal rules that are just as fun?
If you’re after a bit of lighthearted fun this season, here are five board games that are super simple to pick up and can be enjoyed by players of all ages.
Bananagrams
We’re kicking off our list with Bananagrams, a playful and fast-paced word game that’s great for your brain as well as being super entertaining. The game comprises a collection of lettered tiles stored in a funky banana-shaped case – there’s no other equipment needed, plus it’s fully portable.
The aim of the game is to be the first player to use up all their letters by creating words in a grid, which is great for building vocabulary and spelling skills, as well as being a fun and wholesome way to pass the time.
Scattergories
Another brilliantly simple yet thoroughly entertaining game, Scattergories can be played by 2 up to 6 players and involves rolling a giant 20-sided die with letters on the sides instead of numbers. When the die is rolled and the letter chosen, players must fill in various categories with words beginning with that letter as quickly as possible.
There are a total of 144 categories in the game, including everything from vegetables to famous actors. To play, simply think of as many words beginning with the letter as you can for each category on your sheet within the allotted time. Alliteration will score you more points, as will imaginative answers – Scattergories is a game where you really can get points for style!
Dobble
Dobble is probably the best known ‘spot it’ game, and again, although simple, this is a great game for sharpening your mind. The basic idea of Dobble is all about recognising patterns, and it can be played by as few as 2 and as many as 8 players.
The game consists of a pack of cards with various symbols on them. One card is turned face-up followed by a second, and the first player to notice what the two cards have in common wins that round and collects the cards. Once the whole deck (55 cards in total) has been used, the player with the most cards wins.
Guess Who?
Guess Who? is a classic tabletop game that involves the satisfying gimmick of flipping down plastic card holders in a race against your opponent to discover their chosen character.
Many of us will remember this game that’s all about guessing the other player’s chosen card (a mystery character) before they guess yours. Through process of elimination, you ask ‘yes or no’ questions (e.g. ‘Is your character wearing a hat?’) until you work out which character they have chosen. The visual appeal and fast-paced nature of this game means that anyone can enjoy it, and it’s a great way to bond with another player one-on-one.
Connect 4
Probably the most well-known easy-to-play board game on this list and a favourite among players all over the world, Connect 4 is a fantastic and timeless game that puts your logical mind to the test. The game is played between 2 opponents, and the aim is to beat the other player to getting 4 of the same colour disc in a row, either horizontally, diagonally or vertically.
Similar to noughts and crosses, anyone can play Connect 4, but every game is different and there those who take it very seriously and have built up their skills to become pros.
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