Weekly family game nights, now doesn’t that sound wonderful? Imagine it, gathering around a table and playing tabletop games, familiar or new. Or getting into pajamas and snuggling up on the couch or pillow-strewn floor, playing video games. There are many ways to create happy memories, and this is one of them!
We’ve already had seven family game nights this year and they were fun and relaxed. We played a mixture of board or tabletop games and video games. Our only personal rule (more-so for my husband and I) is no cell phone usage.
I’ve created a list of some fun starter tabletop games for children ages 4 and up to inspire your family game nights!
Part of the fun in raising Zoey is finding things that delight and educate her; I want to find fun, creative board games to play with her during our family game nights! This week we played Hi Ho! Cherry-O by Milton Bradley!
Zoey has loved this game since before she even knew how to play! She would pull everything out and sort the fruits by color or put the puzzle together, honestly it’s surprising that there are no missing pieces! Then we learned how to play the game together, and she loves it even more! She loves counting out the fruits; we find it super fun and easy collecting and replacing the fruit to the baskets and back.
Let’s play!
IN THE BOX
A game-board
A spinner
A puzzle
10 “apples”
10 “blueberries”
10 “cherries”
10 “oranges”
4 baskets
INSTRUCTIONS (CLASSIC)
Place each basket in the game-board hole to the left of its matching color tree/bush.
Each player chooses a tree/bush and places the matching colored fruit in each of the game-board holes.
The puzzle is only for co-operative games so place it back in the box.
The player whose birthday comes next takes the first turn. Play then passes to the left of that player and onward.
On your turn, spin the spinner, then follow the directions below according to your spin. Then it’s the next player’s turn.
One Fruit: Pick one fruit from your tree/bush and put it in your basket.
Two Fruits: Pick two fruits from your tree/bush and put them in your basket.
Three Fruits: Pick three fruits from your tree/bush and put them in your basket.
Four Fruits: Pick four fruits from your tree/bush and put them in your basket.
Bird or Dog: Someone’s nibbling at your fruit! Take two fruits out of your basket and place them back on your tree/bush (if you only have one fruit, put that one back. If you have none, do nothing).
Spilled Basket: Uh-Oh! Take all of the fruits out of your basket, and place them back on your tree/bush.
If you’re the first player to have all 10 fruits in your basket say “HI HO! CHERRY-O!” You win!
INSTRUCTIONS (CO-OPERATIVE)
Place each basket in the game-board hole to the left of its matching color tree/bush.
Each player chooses a tree/bush and places the matching colored fruit in each of the game-board holes.
Break up the puzzle and place the pieces facedown near the game-board.
The player whose birthday comes next takes the first turn. Play then passes to the left of that player and onward.
On your turn, spin the spinner, then follow the directions below according to your spin. Then it’s the next player’s turn.
One Fruit: Pick one fruit from your tree/bush and put it in your basket.
Two Fruits: Pick two fruits from your tree/bush and put them in your basket.
Three Fruits: Pick three fruits from your tree/bush and put them in your basket.
Four Fruits: Pick four fruits from your tree/bush and put them in your basket.
Dog: Remove one fruit from your basket and place it back on the matching tree/bush (if you have none, do nothing).
Spilled Basket: Remove two fruits from your basket, and place them back on your tree/bush (if you only have one fruit, put that one back. If you have none, do nothing).
Bird: Turn one piece of the bird puzzle face up. Every time you turn over a puzzle piece, try to fit it into the bird puzzle. If you can’t do this leave it face up until it fits.
The players win if they pick all the fruits and say “HI HO! CHERRY-O!”, before the puzzle is completed. The bird wins if the puzzle gets completed before all the fruit is picked.
Whole Heartily 