10 Stocking Stuffer Games for Kids
If you’re looking for ideas on what to put into your kids’ Christmas stockings this year, consider these 10 stocking stuffer games that you’ll have a blast playing together, no matter your age.
Games have become an integral part of our life, both for homeschooling and our regular family game nights. Playing games together offers a myriad of benefits, including increasing resilience, promoting cooperation, building self-confidence, fostering patience, and developing problem-solving and decision-making skills. Most importantly, playing games together helps families connect and make lasting memories.
Small, portable games like card games make perfect stocking stuffers. Plus, they’re easy to travel with throughout the year. You can take them with you on your family vacation or camping trip, or simply use them to occupy yourselves while you’re at an extra-curricular activity or out to dinner.
With just one exception, all the games on this list are under $20 dollars, making them affordable too. Below, you’ll find our top 10 game ideas for stocking stuffers this year.
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Stocking Stuffer Games
Santa Cookie Elf Candy Snowman
Santa Cookie Elf Candy Snowman is a holiday twist on the oft recommended family game Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza. It’s a quick and fun game to play with friends and family members of all ages.
Sleeping Queens
While Sleeping Queens is sure to be a hit with kids ages 4-10, it’s actually quite entertaining for adults as well. Bonus: Children will get a lot of math facts practice through playing as well. Sleeping Queens 2 is now available, too.
Rat-A-Tat Cat
Gamewright makes some of the best games for families with small children, and Rat-A-Tat Cat is no exception. There’s a bit of strategy involved in the game play, along with learning how to keep a “poker face”, training your memory, and some simple addition.
Adsumudi
Adsumudi is a fun game where players use addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division to form equations to reach the “Target Number.” Together, families can see how many equations they can find on each card. It also makes a great daily math warm-up for kids.
Bananagrams Duel
A fun twist on the classic Bananagrams, this version uses dice instead of tiles. It’s a race to form the first crossword grid using 12 dice each. Topic cards can be used to score extra points.
WatchamaDrawit
WhatchamaDrawit includes 96 creative drawing prompts. Set a timer, flip a card, and start drawing. When the timer sounds, share your drawings with others. This game would make an excellent icebreaker, a fun addition to family game nights, or even a silly brain break activity.
Rhino Hero
Rhino Hero is a fun card-stacking game that exercises both dexterity and fine motor control. While it’s easy to play, there’s enough challenge to keep adults engaged as well. Since it’s extremely portable, it’s a fun game to take on the go as well.
Trash Pandas
A fun dice-rolling, push-your-luck game, Trash Pandas is a another great game to play with kids. While it takes a little bit longer to learn than the other games recommended on the list, once you play a couple times you’re set. It’s among my husband’s favorite games to play.
YippiYappa Crocheted Basket Game
Handmade in Guatemala, YippiYappa offers families more than a dozen games to play, including Mini Bocce, H.O.R.S.E., and more. In addition to the games, children can practice juggling and playing hackey sack. Its small size makes it a great game to pack on family trips.
Classic Games
There’s a reason classic games have stood the test of time. Grab the Ultimate Book of Family Card Games and learn how to play more than 50 games with just a regular set of playing cards. Introduce your children to other classic games like jacks, marbles, dominoes, and UNO.
What are your favorite small, portable games that would make an excellent addition to a Christmas stocking? Please feel free to share your ideas in the comment section below.
