Ten Board Games That Put the Fun in Back-to-School!

Who is ready for Back-to-School? It’s an exciting time of year when we can reset and start fresh, with new clothes, new supplies, new routines, and new games! Whether you have elementary-aged kids and want to add some fun to your weekends. Or, if you yourself are a big kid, are going back to school, and want to enjoy downtime with friends, we’ve got the games for you.

Family Games

These games are perfect for hanging out with the kids on the weekend. With most taking less than 15 minutes, why not take a little downtime between errands and activities, and spend some quality family time playing together?

Spot It! Animals
Age: 4+ / Players: 2-5 / Duration: < 15 minutes

Spot It!/Dobble is easy to learn and quick to teach, but don’t be fooled by its simplicity. Because when it comes to fun, this award-winning game packs a punch! A test of observation and speed, Spot It!/Dobble will keep you on the edge of your seat. Each of the 55 cards in the game features eight unique animal symbols (symbol sizes can vary), with any two cards having exactly one symbol in common. Be the first to spot the common symbols and you’re on your way to victory!

Brainbox Animals
Age: 8+ / Players: 1+ / Duration: <15 minutes

Did you know that a male kangaroo is called a boomer? Or that the okapi is only found in Africa and can lick its own ears? 70 beautifully illustrated cards show interesting facts about animals from around the world, including where they live, what they eat, whether they are endangered, how large they grow and how long they live. Have fun while you learn in this fast-paced brain challenge!

Cardline Animals
Age: 7+ / Players: 2-8 / Duration: <15 minutes

Challenge yourself and your kids to a test of logic, intuition, and memory skills in Cardline Animals! Each turn, you’ll play a card from your hand, correctly positioning it in the line according to the animal’s size, weight, or lifespan. With each card played, the game gains more complexity, and the choices get harder and harder. Best of all, everyone is guaranteed to learn something new whenever you play. The first player to successfully place all of their cards during a round is the winner!

Rory’s Story Cubes
Age: 6+ / Players: 1-12 / Duration: <15 minutes

Once upon a time, there was a game where your imagination had no limits.

Epic, fabulous, or paranormal adventures… just roll the cubes, interpret the images, and make a story!

Carcassonne
Age: 7+ / Players: 2-5 / Duration: 45-60 minutes

Carcassonne is the perfect game to relax with the family.

With its simple rules (place a tile, place a meeple, score points), beautifully illustrated tiles, and iconic components, this modern classic will make weekends at home fun and stress-free. Are your kids aged between 4 and 7? Check out My First Carcassonne, the junior version of the game, adapted for younger players.

Games for Big Kids

Going back to college or university this fall? You also deserve a break. Check out these games that are perfect for relaxing with friends during study breaks or on the weekend. Some will help keep you in a studious frame of mind and some will help you forget all about school so you can just relax and play.

Dixit Odyssey
Age: 8+ / Players: 3-10 / Duration: 30-45 minutes

A picture is worth a thousand words.

Dixit is a classic, simple, lighthearted game of storytelling and guesswork where your imagination unlocks the tale. In each round, cards are revealed. Their connection: one enigmatic sentence. Be careful! Only one picture represents the correct answer, the others are decoys. To find the correct image, let your imagination be your guide.

Timeline Twist Pop Culture
Age: 8+ / Players: 2-6 / Duration: 15-30 minutes

Team up to untangle time!

In the Pop Culture edition of Timeline Twist, put together a timeline of famous movies, games, and celebrities. Timeline Twist reimagines the popular Timeline game, but now, you don’t have to be a history buff to play! Each game is a cooperative challenge where players either win or lose together. In this new edition, players team up, communicate, and coordinate to find the best strategy to play all the cards in the game. Entertaining, light & strategic: Timeline Twist is THE card placement game for a smart TEAM challenge!

History Channel Trivia Game
Age: 14+ / Players: 2+ / Duration: 30-45 minutes

From the legendary HISTORY CHANNEL comes an all-new Trivia Game for the ages! HISTORY Trivia Game is a tournament of knowledge and strategy — the first player to win a card in all 5 categories is the WINNER! However, opponents can attempt to block each other from the specific categories needed to win by replacing their answered question card with a new card from ANY category. The trick is knowing which categories your opponents need to brush up on or have already won. But wait – there is another way to win! Every 3 cards from the same category can equal 1 WILD card for any category a player still needs, so whether you know a little about a lot, or a lot about a little – it’s anyone’s game!

Umbrella
Age: 8+ / Players: 1-4 / Duration: 30-45 minutes

A crowd of umbrellas throngs the streets of New York, and seen from the sky, the colors dance… A game of strategy and critical thinking, in Umbrella players orchestrate a dance of umbrellas in a street crossing. Will you succeed in sliding the umbrellas across the stage to achieve the required choreography?

Let’s Hit Each Other With Fake Swords
Age: 8+ / Players: 1-4 / Duration: 30-45 minutes

On your foams! Ready to go? En garde! Looking for something to help ease that exam stress and tension? Whether you’re a fan of knights, pirates, or ninjas, or just want to hit your friends and family, this is the game for you! Let’s Hit Each Other with Fake Swords is the world’s first sword-fighting card game. Easy to learn, fast to play, and hilarious to watch, bring it to your outdoor events, game nights or anywhere else you need to settle disputes between adults.

Find out where to buy these and other great games for Back-to-school, here.