Game On: The New Ways Families Are Playing Together

Family games are having a moment, and they look quite different from the board games stacked at the back of the cupboard. Today’s favourites include a party game that needs nothing more than headphones and a straight face, books that double as puzzles, and toys that blend a little technology with plenty of hands-on play. We have sorted the games catching our eye into five types of play, explaining what each one offers and picking out the games doing it best. There is something for toddlers and school-age children, plus a treat for the grown-ups once the little ones are in bed.

Party Games That Get Everyone Laughing

Some of the most talked-about games right now need hardly any setup and no screen at all. They rely on quick rounds, simple rules and the kind of silliness that gets the whole room laughing. Nobody needs to study a rulebook before joining in, so they suit an evening with friends or a night in with older teens.

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Sorry What?!

In this lip-reading party game from British company Lucky Egg, one player wears sound-cancelling headphones turned up so they cannot hear a thing. Everyone else takes turns silently mouthing a phrase from a card. A correct guess means keeping the card, while a wrong one is usually funnier than the real answer. With more than 40,000 phrase combinations, no two rounds play out the same. It is designed for ages 17 and up, so it is best saved for the grown-ups.

Don’t Wake Dad: Bluey Edition

Fans of Bluey will recognise the set-up straight away in this giggle-filled board game. Players take turns rolling the die and creeping around the board towards the kitchen, where a piece of pavlova is waiting. If they land on the wrong space, though, they have to press the boombox, which might just wake Dad and send them all the way back to the start. The first to reach the pavlova wins. It is for two to six players aged four and up, and needs no batteries.

Small Worlds and Pretend Play

For younger children, pretend play remains one of the most natural ways to learn. Small-world sets let them act out everyday scenes, try out new words and build fine motor skills as they push, press and explore.

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Toot-Toot Drivers Roll and Repair Garage

VTech’s garage gives little drivers plenty of places to visit, including a spiral ramp, tyre shop, repair centre, car wash, petrol station and lift. Pressing parts of the garage plays phrases, songs and melodies while the included Roadster’s headlights light up, and seven SmartPoint spots around the set give interactive responses. It is designed to support language, sensory and motor skills alongside imaginative play, and it connects to other Toot-Toot playsets so the world can keep growing.

Jelly Blox Jelly Jungle Set

These soft, squishy building blocks put a fresh spin on construction play. The 25-piece set includes blocks with surprise sensory fills, palm trees and characters, so children can build their own wild jungle and then make up the adventures that happen in it. The blocks are safety tested and, according to the makers, gentle on bare feet, which any parent who has stepped on a stray brick will appreciate. The set is designed for ages two and up.

Build It, Make It, Race It

In open-ended play, children help create the game themselves, and it is a favourite with parents who want toys that last. Building, adapting and rebuilding encourages problem solving and imagination, and it often makes good use of whatever is already lying around at home.

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Speed Track

This flexible two-lane race track sticks to a window or door, rolls out across the floor and works with any small toy car already in the toy box. Children can make every race different by adding bumps, jumps, tunnels and loops built from household items. It needs no batteries, can be used indoors or out, and rolls up neatly for storage or travel, so the racing can carry on at the grandparents’ house or on holiday.

Aqua Puffs Christmas Ornaments

This Skillmatics craft kit lets children make their own decorations. They colour their Aqua Puffs with the markers, add water with the water pens and watch them puff up. Once dry, the ornaments can be hung on the tree or linked into garlands for windows and fireplaces. The kit includes 15 Aqua Puffs, 10 markers, two water pens and string, and needs no scissors, glue or clean-up. Designed for ages four to ten, it encourages creativity and fine motor skills.

EUGY Christmas Tree

Small enough to finish in one sitting, this miniature EUGY paper model is a quick building challenge for curious hands. The numbered card pieces are glued together in order, a QR code links to the instructions online, and the finished tree takes around 10 to 20 minutes to complete. It is made from recyclable card with eco-friendly ink and non-toxic glue, and it comes with fun facts to read along the way. It belongs to a collectable range, so one model can easily lead to another.

Interactive Play That Talks Back

A new generation of learning toys and books brings a little extra magic to the things children can hold and explore. A tap of a stylus or a quick scan of a QR code sets off sounds, songs, facts and quizzes. The page or toy stays at the centre of the fun, and children are rewarded for every discovery they make.

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LeapStart

This interactive learning system turns activity books into games. A stylus reads invisible dots printed on each page and responds with questions, challenges, songs and the odd joke as children work through it. Aimed at ages two to seven, it covers early reading, counting and problem solving. There is a library of more than 25 books, sold separately, covering over 50 core skills. Every book works with every LeapStart system, so the collection can grow alongside the child.

Animagic Snuggle Ups

This cuddly interactive friend comes from a magical forest and loves nothing more than a snuggle. It climbs up and down fabric to reach for cuddles, and it responds to touch with more than 30 giggles, chats and songs, moving its mouth as it talks. Its glowing eyes change colour to show how it is feeling, whether happy, shy or sleepy, so children are always discovering something new about their companion. It comes in pink or purple and is suited to ages four and up.

Little Woolly Vision Sing-along Storybooks

These sturdy board books are illustrated with photographs of handmade felt sets and characters. The Wheels on the Bus follows a busload of teddy bears, while Row Row Row Your Boat sends a boatful of beavers off on an adventure. A QR code in each book opens the matching stop-motion animation, sewn and animated by hand, so toddlers can turn the pages and then watch and sing along. It is a gentle way to pair a short video with a real book.

Books That Double as Games

Picture books are becoming more playful, with spreads designed to be searched, pulled and puzzled over as well as read. Look and find books encourage children to slow down and notice detail, and interactive paper engineering turns each page into a small challenge. A child can enjoy them alone, but they work just as well with a parent sitting alongside.

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Welcome to Houndtown

For families with little ones, Welcome to Houndtown by Yayo Kawamura is the sort of book that will be pulled off the shelf again and again. This large-format board book invites young readers into a bustling city run entirely by dogs, where every busy scene is packed with small details waiting to be spotted. Children can look out for familiar faces such as Tim the Terrier at his hat shop, Coco the Chihuahua ballerina and Duke the Great Dane busking in the street, as the town moves through markets, playgrounds, and picnics across the seasons.

Pop Op

Paper engineer David A. Carter turns classic optical illusions into a pop-up puzzle in this clever book. Readers slide, spin, pull, lift and peek their way through each spread, where patterns seem to pulse, lines appear to twist and arrows point in directions that should not be possible. Every page dares you to trust your eyes before proving you wrong. Children will love the surprises and parents are just as likely to get drawn in, so it is one to puzzle over together.

Whatever their age, children are drawn to games that let them get stuck in, whether that means hunting for a hidden dog, building a jump for a race car or collapsing into giggles over a misread phrase. The common thread across this season’s favourites is togetherness. These are games that bring everyone into the same room, mix a little learning in with the fun and leave space for imagination to take over. Pick the type of play that suits your family best, clear a space on the floor and let the games begin.

Ollēdi © 2026

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