5 Family Games To Enjoy When You Travel

Playing family games can transform an already special holiday – after all, it’s a much-anticipated break from daily routines – into a memorable bonding experience that will stay with you for years. It’s not often that families spend so much time together, so on your next getaway, why not agree to have a ban on (if not all, then some) individual screen time in favour of getting together around a table with a deck of cards or board game?

Taking a digital detox when away from home offers families relaxed downtime free from the pressures and time constraints of everyday life. Plus, family games are fun – playing releases endorphins and reduces cortisol levels, letting you all relax, de-stress and reconnect – hopefully to the sound of much merriment and laughter!

Why is shared play
 so valuable to the development of young minds? Along with brain health food, play can be regarded as a “superfood” for the brain, helping it to build the emotional resilience, patience, social skills and problem-solving abilities that all children require as they mature. Once regarded as an enjoyable but largely frivolous part of childhood, play is now known to be a sophisticated, brain-building activity that helps cognitive, emotional and social development. When kids play – losing themselves in imaginary worlds, working out how to build towering blocks out of toy bricks or getting creative with crayon and paper – that’s how they learn, their rapidly growing brains buzzing with new connections and laying down the foundations of their future success and mental strength.

So don’t miss the chance to help your kids learn through playing together, especially on holiday when you have sufficient time to really relax. Apart from anything else, you’ll go home with many happy memories of a wonderful holiday playing family games. In addition to being amazed at just how clever, entertaining and quick-witted your kids are, you’ll learn about their interests – for example a love of sport, music, art or science – too.

As well as creating lasting memories and a feeling of family unity, playtime has a proven scientific purpose. But just how does it help in cognitive development? Here are six ways that family travel games promote family well-being and strong mental health.

1. Unplugging from screen time: Games demand the undivided attention of all participants, getting the kids off their devices and allowing family members to focus on each other rather than technology.
2. Communicating together: Games require face-to-face intergenerational interaction, encouraging conversation and ensuring that each generation is listening to the other – something that often gets overlooked in families.
3. Appreciating each other: Games allow adults and children to interact as equals – you can and will all learn from each other, hopefully fostering a new sense of mutual respect and affection.
4. Teaching good sportsmanship: Family games are a safe way for kids to learn about fair play and how to follow rules. They can also learn how to win and lose gracefully – a vital skill that transfers to real-life social or work situations.
5. Encouraging teamwork: Co-operative games need players to work together, showing that teamwork achieves better outcomes.
6. Developing negotiating skills: When, inevitably, disagreements over game rules or strategies surface, family members can learn to negotiate and resolve conflicts without getting frustrated.

Here are five fuss-free family games that require little or no kit and can be played anywhere from the hotel lobby to the communal gardens, the pool or your bedroom.

A pack of cards is easily slipped into your luggage, and the best family card games provide hours of entertainment for all ages, ranging from a fast-paced round of Snap for younger kids to Bluff (where the goal is to discard all your cards first, which usually involves bluffing about what you're putting down) for older ones.
 

• Suitable for 2 or more players
• Good for kids over 3 years of age

The classic “parlour game” with players divided into teams to act out well-known words or phrases (age-appropriate subjects like animals, books or film titles) without speaking. Set a time limit and guess correctly to win points.
 

• Suitable for 4 or more players
• Good for kids over 4 years of age

This is ideal for strategic thinking and problem-solving. Other fun family board games include draughts and backgammon; you can buy travel-sized compendiums of all three games. Snakes and Ladders is also a great all-rounder, teaching kids counting skills and to handle disappointment.
 

• Suitable for 2 or more players
• Good for kids over 6 years of age

Start with “peek-a-boo” for toddlers before progressing to actual “hiding” when kids start to understand that concept properly at around 4 years old.
 

• Suitable for 2 or more players
• Good for kids over 18 months of age

There are many age-appropriate variations of a treasure hunt. You can lay scavenger trails through your hotel grounds for younger kids, while teens will appreciate a photo hunt requiring them to take pictures of certain landmarks – if you are staying in Novotel Paris Centre Tour Eiffel, ask them to photograph the Eiffel Tower; when at Novotel Strasbourg Centre Halles, have them snap the city's Gothic cathedral.
 

• Suitable for 2 or more players
• Good for kids over 3 years of age

Novotel’s Longevity Everyday initiative believes in shaping better days through simple everyday choices. And what better choice than to spend enjoyable and productive time with your kids – especially on holiday, when everything is exciting and unfamiliar? Staying at Novotel is all about rest, relaxation and having the time to connect with multiple generations of family, so there are dedicated family areas in the well-planned Living Social Spaces where you can challenge older kids to board games, or have interactive fun with building bricks and story books for toddlers in designated Family Zones with games consoles and other activities.

Now you’re on side with the benefits of playing family games, perhaps you’d like some tips for playing immersive games while travelling with kids, or ideas for family activities while holidaying in France?

Intergenerational gaming is a meaningful, screen-light activity that supports cognitive health, emotional well-being, and social connection during travel. Kids learn as they play, their brains forming new connections and laying down the foundations of their future success and mental strength. Playing family games, from easy card games to hide and seek, creates new bonds between the generations.

Yes, playing family games can reduce stress significantly for everyone. Play acts as a natural stress reliever by triggering the release of endorphins, the body's feel-good chemicals, which promote relaxation and boost mood. 

Screen-free travel activities are important because they reduce digital fatigue, trigger an active interest in their surroundings and get siblings and parents talking. New experiences hopefully prevent children from getting bored, leading to the tantrums and sulks best avoided on holiday! 

The best multigenerational games are easy to learn, promote interaction and bridge age gaps. Card, board and guessing games are suitable for participants of all ages.