I adore games- video games, console games, LAN games, card games, and board games. I have a ton of memories of spending holidays around tables and sitting on floors in my grandparents and aunts and uncles houses playing Sorry and Monopoly and then as we got older learning how to play Hearts and Pinochle. In college we passed the time waiting in line for the specialty dorms playing President and Spades, and today my teens and I play variations of Fluxx and Uno.
One thing that I’ve learned working at different libraries is that the game playing experience that I thought was common is NOT- I grew up with Clue and Guess Who? so imagine my surprise when I tried to do a Live Action Clue and my teens were completely lost. Instead of trying to figure out who killed Mr. Body, they were trying to figure out WHO Mr. Body was, and then trying to kill off the other players, much like the movie.
I especially love board games with tweens and teens around this time of year- they’ve been out of school for a while, they’re antsy with the holidays, and just want something special to do. So gather a group of them around, clear off a table in the back of the library, and have some fun!
Here are some of my favorite board games for teens and tween: