Our Family Game Night Ideas

At Cribsi, our care for home design goes beyond looks and function: building a home is also about creating a life you love with the people you cherish. One of the most classic and surefire ways to create lasting memories with your family is to host a fun family game night, where laughter and memories run wild.

But what’s a good place to start? After all, the basic concept is deceptively simple — just like the first time you open up a seemingly simple board game, only to find out that there’s more than meets the eye.

So gear up for family game night, and read on for some ideas to enjoy a fun night of strategizing, winning, and making moments count!

What’s Your Gaming Style?

Styles for gaming can be just as varied as the myriad home decor designs, and considering your family’s interests is the first key to success when gathering ideas for your family game night. Hone down your many gaming options by thinking through how you already enjoy having fun.

Role-Playing, Storytelling, and Tabletop Games

Fun games for family game night almost always include a combination of classic and original board games, and evoke images of a family huddled around a table, studying the rules and then getting to work strategizing and scheming.

If your clan already takes family game night seriously, one idea is to find more ways to flex (or strengthen!) their creative muscles, and find action in faraway lands and distant centuries. Tabletop role-playing games can make it easy to set out on an “adventure” together from the comfort of your living room (that too without any screens!).

They’re great tools for building visualization skills and empathy in young ones, but can also be a great option, especially for families with older kids, including adult children. Best of all, many of these games offer opportunities for players to create unique characters with fun quirks. Take it to the next level by building and painting miniatures and crafting custom terrain for your story!

All of these activities can add to the anticipation of the game night while providing more opportunities to spend time together long before the game itself. Just make sure you invest in good lighting for hands-on crafting sessions!

Classic (and Not-So-Classic!) Board and Card Games

Many board and tabletop games require dice and cards, but some are all about taking chances! Does your family like luck-based games? Or perhaps, when you think “luck of the draw,” it’s more a reference to what you draw with a pen and paper, or act out?

Since many of these games often have a quicker pace, it’s also possible to mix and match in a single evening, or even have a few different options — a perfect idea for a large family’s game night, especially if there is a wide age range.

With so many choices of fun games for family game night out there these days, it can be overwhelming. Explore our collection of zany and creative board and card games for all ages, and for competitive and cooperative players alike.

Cooperative Video Games

If your family loves dancing to the beat, racing cars from the couch, or singing contests live from your living room, consider a “talent show” featuring video games, where this particular game night idea gets the family up and moving! All you need is a television, some controllers, and your favorite snacks!

Puzzles

A slower pace for game night might involve bonding over a good puzzle. We have you covered there, too! At Cribsi, we believe in nurturing your inner child — no matter how old you may be!

This means that you are sure to find many whimsical puzzles and model-building kits that will snap into place for your family's fun night, inspiring more ideas for how you can cooperatively play together!

That said, don’t limit yourself too much! After all, spontaneity can create the best memories, as you and your loved ones try new ways to have fun together.

Pick a Time and Place

Now that you’ve gotten some ideas and considered your family’s preferences, the next step is making time for it in your collective schedule!

• Be Flexible

Sure, the idea might be “family game night,” but why limit yourself to evenings? Perhaps you have young ones who go to bed early, or family members who work at night. There is never a wrong time for fun, after all! And while family game night is all about fun at home, the question is, where in your home?

• Improvise

Not limiting yourself to the kitchen table or couch after sunset also opens up more options: what about a game over a weekend brunch, or adding outdoor games to the mix? For warm summer months, consider creating a tent for a camping adventure in the yard or deck, with board games by a bonfire, roasting s’mores, and transforming your everyday living space into an unforgettable setting for a family fun night.

Pick a Theme

It’s all finally coming together! Perhaps this is where you will get your spark of inspiration, and picking a theme is what will tie all the fun ideas for a family game night together into one cohesive package.

Christmas? Halloween? Outer space? Fantasy? Wild West? The options for an exciting theme are endless, and you can settle on the most popular one by taking a poll. Have each family member write out ideas and draw one from a hat. If you’re already searching for new ideas as family game night aficionados, let the game’s winner pick the next night’s theme.

Now that that’s sorted, the next obvious step is shortlisting food, drinks, and music to complement your theme! And what better excuse than to use some stylish, modern serveware, ready for just about any game night and for all the days leading up to the next!

Create Your Winning Strategy!

Ultimately, the most important idea for any family game night is to have fun! You know your family better than anyone, and we hope that this guide has helped you explore more options to set the stage for even more rounds of enjoyment.