PEG Holiday Gift Guide 2015: Cooperative Family Game Edition

by Tiffany · November 19, 2015

This week we’re sharing some of our best ideas for holiday gifts for kids of all ages! Be sure to check out all of our holiday gift guides!

Today we’re sharing all of our most favorite cooperative games. For those who are unfamiliar, cooperative games are games in which players work together as a team to accomplish a goal. Often times cooperative games still have something to “win against” but typically it’s an imaginary person or creature in the game instead of a real life opponent. I am a HUGE PROPONENT of cooperative games— they help build relationships, are really fun, and put people at ease. Our kids are encouraged to compete in a lot of areas of life– home doesn’t have to be one of them.

Anyway, onto the gift guide!

1. Whoowasit? Board Game ($30.49)

Who stole the king’s ring? As a team, players have to use the electronic clues spoken by various animals to figure out where the ring went. This cooperative game has won a gazillion awards and looks like a ton of fun.

2. Outfoxed! ($19.99)

This cooperative game is similar to Clue Jr in style…. except kids are gathering clues and revealing suspects to figure out who stole Mrs. Plumpert’s prized pot pie! 🙂 But here’s the catch- the kids have to figure out who the suspect is before the suspect escapes for good! The game board is colorful, the pieces are well-made, and my kids have decided that this game board doubles as a playset :). Outfoxed is a game that my kids can play on their own together, but I kinda like to play along with them too :). It’s been great to see each kids’ strengths come out as they’re working on figuring it out together. Teamwork where each kid is ensured a role is a beautiful thing!

3. Imaginarium Foam Building Blocks

Building with blocks are a great way to have family fun while also doing something together around a table. We use wooden blocks, foam blocks, big legos, small legos- whatever! Don’t underestimate the power of blocks– keep a few kinds around and you’ll be amazed by the family fun that can come out of them!

4. Cauldron Quest Cooperative Game($19.99)

In this board game, players work together to break the wizard’s spell! This is one that’s on our wishlist because our kids are really enjoying the earlier Harry Potter books right now, so I thought this would be a fun gift to go along with their theme! 🙂

5. Forbidden Island ($15.98)

Oh how we love this game! It’s a cooperative game for older kids (10+), where together all the players have to collect the 4 treasures and lift-off the island before it crumbles into the ocean!

6. Buzz! Cooperative Game ($17.99)

A family of bees have to pick up all the nectar and get back to the hive before the bear comes! Each player gets a little honeypot in which they gather their nectar from all over the game board. While the game is fun with just everyone working on their own, cheering one another on, it gets AWESOME when people start sacrificing their own best interest in order to help others get their nectar faster. The colors and graphics of this game are bright and fun– kids of all ages can enjoy this one together!

7. Caves & Claws($11.95)

Maryann and her crew reviewed this one earlier in the year- so go read all about it here!

8. Pandemic Board Game ($29.99)

Pandemic is a board game for older kids and grown-ups– because cooperative fun spans the ages! In Pandemic, players must cure an outbreak of diseases before humanity is destroyed. Each player has a different speciality and must use her strengths to do her part in the cure! This board game is so well-loved that they’ve come out with expansion packs!

9. Harvest Time ($13.54)

Winter is coming! We have to plant all of our crops, and then harvest them, before winter is all the way here! Harvest time is one of the classic cooperative games — it won’t win a prize for slickest or most modern looking, but it’s still one of our favorites. The key to winning the game is for kids to help one another instead of looking out only for themselves, a value that I personally want to instill in my kids.

10. Noodle Speedoodle ($24.95)

This drawing game is fast-paced and FUNNY! You have 30 seconds to draw a doodle and get others to guess it– but you have to use a noodle in your picture! I find this one to be a fun one for families with toddlers– it’s a bit more flexible and there is no way the small tot can reach over and mess up the whole board (I’m just sayin’).