Family Favorites Friday: Family Games

Our game shelf  testifies that we like to play games.

We tend to play more games when we are on vacation together or when everyone returns from the four corners of the earth for holidays, but we do like to play games.

Some of our favorite games are:

Apples to Apples  

 This is a fun game for a large group. There are no right or wrong answers so not much concentration is required.

Bananagrams  

My oldest son learned this game from his college friends.  It is a little like individual Scrabble, but unlike Scrabble there is no waiting your turn.  Everyone is making their own words at the same time.  For us, this is a competitive game and the wordsmiths in the family usually always win, but...oh, well.  It is fun.

Balderdash -the hilarious bluffing game

This is a word game that I found at Goodwill a couple years ago.  This game can be very funny.  One person reads a word and all the players write down a definition for the word. The reader then reads all the definitions submitted, including the correct definition.  Players choose the definition they think is correct.  Points are given if you are correct and if your definition was chosen by other players.  The word is usually unknown to all the players.  Examples:  amixia, subnubilar, funting       
The made up definitions as well as the real definitions can be hilarious.
**This link shows the newest version that is a little different.  The version I have is in a purple box.

Tele-Pictionary

This is another game my oldest son learned at college and taught to us. It is a cross between Telephone and Pictionary.  Each player needs a stack of papers equal to the number of players.  (We cut regular paper into fourths for this game).  If there are 10 players, each player needs 10 pieces of paper.  Pages can be numbered to keep them in the proper order.
Players  write down a phrase or saying on the first piece of paper.  For example, "Mary had a little lamb." or "Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer". 
Players then pass the whole stack of papers to their right.  Players read what is written, put that page at the back of the stack and then draw a picture to represent the phrase on the next piece of paper.
Once that is done, players pass the whole stack again, look at the picture, put the picture at the back of the stack and write a phrase that describes the drawing.
Players are not allowed to look at any of the sayings or drawings except the one that is on top when they receive the stack.
Once the stack returns to the original owner, players take turns sharing the 'booklet' of phrases and drawings.  Some of the stories are hilarious.
A timer for each turn would be handy, especially in our family where we have to remind them not to write mini novels for each phrase or draw all the details on their picture!
Here is another explanation for this game Group Games and Icebreakers
 
It appears that we really like games that involve words and/or imagination.

What are some of your favorite family games?