Nine of the best family games for the summer holidays

Times

28-07-2025

I grew up fighting with my siblings and watching Neighbours and Home and Away. When we got bored, we'd be thrown outside to play in the street or told to shut up and play a game.
Fast forward 100 years and I'm a kids' coach (and a lawyer), and my early days being forced to play games have turned me into a fully fledged addict. I love them — I use them to salvage a rainy Sunday afternoon with no plans; to keep things light in coaching sessions and to prise my own kids away from their screens.
I really believe there is a game for any occasion: have a child struggling with maths? Rat-a-tat Cat will get them adding up small numbers in no time — don't punish them with Rummikub unless and until they become more confident. Perhaps it's a teenager who struggles with school but is amazing at art — crack open Pictionary. What about a kid just having a hard time, feeling things keenly and lost in their feelings? Try the very silly Gas Out, to lighten the mood.
This most steady and reliable of games keeps everyone happy and it's very fun. I don't think I've been out for a family meal without it for about five years. The aim is to get as low a score as possible so it's very good for learning how to add up small numbers.
Everyone gets a card with the same list of 12 topics — eg a girl's name, a fad, something your partner does that annoys you — and everyone also gets given the same letter, eg T. You then have three minutes to give a word for every subject ('Tamsin', 'Tamagotchi', 'Turns off sockets at the mains even when there's nothing plugged in'). If you don't have the same answer as anyone else, you get a point. It's sort of like an inverse and live version of Family Fortunes.
The questions in this game are updated in line with current affairs, supplementing a stock of evergreen questions. You play on an app which can be off-putting if you want your game time to be screen free, but you do learn a lot while you're having fun. If you're tech savvy it means you can play with friends remotely too.
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Two brilliant and absorbing building games with a very high boredom threshold. Yes, it's a bit annoying to crawl around looking for one of the random tower pieces but in this case, the juice is well worth the squeeze when you beat all previous tower height records and your opponent marvels at your dexterity and engineering prowess.
The kids' version of the grown-up game Linkee, although truthfully the Dinkee version is plenty hard for the adults in my family. The game itself is like Only Connect — each card has four seemingly random questions on it. You write down the answer to each, and if you can guess what links the four answers you win the card. It's an absolute riot and I can see my kids' brains unfurl in real time when we play.
This card game is based around a watering hole. You start with a hand of animal-themed cards, from elephant to mouse, and the bigger animals 'eat' the ones further down the chain. Each go, you lay cards and pick up cards, trying to 'eat' other animals to keep in your stockpile. It's really simple and quite therapeutic.
This card game is basically snap but with actions and a hypnotic chant. The players all chant 'taco, cat, goat, cheese, pizza' over and over again, matching the rhythm to the laying of cards. If the card laid matches the word being said, you 'snap', and the last one to snap has to pick up all the cards. To add a twist there are additional elements where players have to do an action. The last one to do the action has to take all the cards.
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This game is suitable for all ages. It's basically about farts and not being the last person to hit the button that triggers one. There's a central character toy, Guster the Gas Cloud, with a button on top. Each player starts with three cards. Each go you play one and pick one. The cards have a 1, 2 or 3 written on them. You have to press the button the number of times that is written on your card. The fart builds up each time and if your push lets one go, you are also let go! Simple, dumb fun.
Another winner that has kids crying with laughter. Players are asked a simple question and they have five seconds to come up with three answers before the buzzer rings. It's a good one to take out with elderly relatives as they can play too. Quick and easy.
What are you favourite holiday games? Let us know in the comments below