Board games are timeless tools for family fun, skill-building, and connection. In addition to promoting memory and cognitive flexibility, games help kids develop essential life skills like turn-taking, sustaining attention, and following rules. What’s more, they encourage pro-social skills like cooperation, empathy, communication, and dealing with the occasional setback.
Is your family hungry for new games to play? We’ve updated our list of favorite food-themed games! Bonus: all our recommendations are portable and playable in small spaces, making them great choices for families at home or on the go!
Ages: 7+
Players: 2-6
Duration: 20 mins
Truth be told, Bananagrams doesn’t really have anything to do with food – it’s just a word game that’s stylishly packaged in a banana case. Everyone plays their own tiles, on their own “boards” and the first player to use up all their tiles wins. Bananagrams is a solid little game that makes a great addition to sleepovers, camping, and road trips. It promotes vocabulary building and quick thinking, plus, the tiles make a satisfying “clickety-click” sound as you play!
Suggested recipe pairing: Banana Dulce de Leche Smoothies
Ages: 6+
Players: 2-4
Duration: 15-20 minutes
This sweet strategy game challenges players to collect as many donuts as possible while avoiding sneaky donut thieves! Players compete to grab matching donut cards while managing their “sugar rush” levels to avoid losing points. Fast-paced and easy to learn, Donut Dash teaches pattern recognition and quick decision-making. Colorful and cute!
Suggested recipe pairing: Key Lime Doughnut Holes
Ages: 8+
Players: 2-6
Duration: 15-20 minutes
This is another points-based, card drafting game to play after dinner before everyone wanders off. Besides reinforcing basic math skills, it gets your kids talking about fruits and vegetables, and we’re always in favor of that!
Suggested recipe pairing: Secret Chef Salad
Ages: 6+
Players: 2-6
Duration: 20 minutes
In this quick, slap-happy card game, players race to build sandwiches while avoiding the sneaky thief who wants to pilfer their panino. Whoever collects the most cards by the end of the game wins. The game encourages pattern recognition and quick reflexes and it’s fun!
Suggested recipe pairing: "Laissez Les Bons Temps Rouler" Pan-Fried Mushroom Po-Boy Sandwich Bites
Ages: 8+
Players: 2-5
Duration: 15 minutes
A fast-paced, draft-and-pass card game that’s great for sushi enthusiasts! The goal is to score points, which you do by acquiring the best (highest point value) sushi meal.
Perfect for sushi fans, this card drafting game is all about creating the best sushi platter for maximum points. It’s easy to learn, fun to play, and the cards are extremely cute! Another great way for kids to practice strategy and basic math.
Suggested recipe pairing: Terrific "Temaki" Sushi + Sweet Soy
Ages: 5+
Players: 2-8
Duration: 10-15 minutes
Need a quick burst of hilarity? This fast-paced card game will get everyone laughing. The goal is to get rid of your cards by matching what you say with what’s on the pile – while resisting the urge to blurt out the wrong thing. Sounds easy, right? It’s actually surprisingly tricky, but it’s super fun and great for improving focus and reaction times.
Suggested recipe pairing: Cuban Street Tacos
Here’s to hours of silly, light-hearted competition!
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