10 boardgames to play in the school holidays

Are you looking for some cheap, stay-at-home family fun? Maybe board games are precisely what you need. 

Not only do board games guarantee hours of fun, but they also help children learn new skills like strategy, teamwork, patience, and perfecting their poker faces.

Below we’ve highlighted some of our favourite board games for 2023.

Become a chameleon! Blend in and don’t get caught in this bluffing deduction game.

Pros: 

• Easy to learn and pick up
  
• Quick game sessions
  
• Good for all ages

Cons:

• Topic cards can get repetitive
  
• Might be difficult for younger kids

This fun party game will test everyone’s ability to think quickly while hiding their identity. The rules are simple: everyone gets handed cards with a topic listed – minus the chameleon, who has to blend in and not get caught, using everyone’s clues to create their own. This game is perfect for all ages and simple to pick up, as the only rules are to catch the chameleon (or not get caught). If you want a quick and easy board game in your stash, this is a must have.

Attract the best birds to your wildlife reserve to win!

Pros: 

• Beautiful artwork of birds found around the world
  
• Many ways to win and earn points
  
• Easy to understand rules.
  

Cons:

• Long game sessions
  
• You can get unlucky with your bird draws

Wingspan is a beautiful card-driven game that lets you build your own wildlife reserve with a wide array of unusual birds. It comes with several gaming pieces that might seem a bit intimidating at first, but that enhance its card and resource gathering mechanics. It comes with a big deck of 170 bird cards (with expansions available), so it’s possible that you’ll have completely different birds at your reserve in each game. The core rules are straightforward to learn, with just four actions possible in each turn, making it easy to pick up for first timers.

Work with your friends to put on an impressive firework display – but remember, you can’t look at your cards!

Pros

• Simple ruleset
  
• Quick playthroughs
  
• Good for all ages

Cons: 

• Very easy to lose
  
• Giving good hints can prove to be difficult

Hanabi is a quick card game that you can take anywhere with you. The game's premise is pretty straightforward: collect cards to put on a fireworks display. However, this is easier said than done. The game doesn’t allow you to look at your hand or communicate with your team unless you use up one of your hint resources. Everyone must collaborate to share (and remember) vital information, playing the cards in the correct launch sequence – or risk exploding!

Deep space exploration is always safe if you have the perfect crew.

Pro:

• Good replay value
  
• Difficulty increases with progression
  
• Quick games
  

Cons:

• Clashing ideas everywhere
  
• Some missions will take multiple retries to complete

This trick-taking card game is a perfect addition to any game night. With over 50 missions to complete, it has plenty of replay value. Work together to collect cards based on the mission requirements, but be careful as you’re not allowed to share your hand with anyone. After all, sound doesn't travel in deep space.

Who knew being bad could feel so good?

Pros:

• Straight forward rules
  
• Great replay value
  
• Perfect for Disney fans
  

Cons:

• Some characters are difficult to play
  
• Long game sessions
  

Disney’s Villainous is perfect for any Disney fan. Play as different Disney villains trying to out-bad the others by defeating the heroes. With each evil deed, you’ll gain more power to stop other villains from achieving their goals. This competitive game uses a mix of card and board game mechanics. To win, you must complete a villain’s goal – for example, Cruella must collect 101 puppies. While it might sound easy to do, other players could deploy cards to make winning more challenging.

Be quick to grab your sushi platter before it sells out. 

Pros:

• Fast-play card game 
  
• Great for all ages
  
• Up to 8 players
  

Cons

• Easy to get unlucky
  
• Some cards are tricky to understand
  

Sushi Go is a fantastic pick-and-pass card game that will make you crave some sushi. Earn points by picking winning sushi combos that change each replay. Each round lasts less than 30 minutes, making it a great party game for those with younger children. With easy-to-understand rules, Sushi Go is great for players of all ages.

Create your own village of hardworking animals that live beneath the Ever Tree.

Pros:

• Stunning artwork
  
• Easy to learn gameplay
  
• Great replayability
  

Cons

• Longer gameplay
  
• Might be challenging for younger children 
  

In this dynamic worker placement game, play cards to build a bustling city filled with cute critters. The game may appear to be about worker placements and the changing of seasons, but the real game is in the cards which earn you the necessary points to win. Everdell might feel slower than other games, but it really gets rolling towards the end when you compete to get the most points.

Getting a matching triplet means dodge the burrito

Pros:

• Great for kids
  
• Simple rules
  
• Lots of laughter
  

Cons:

• Toy burritos get thrown around (which can mean mess!)
  
• Actual chaos
  

Throw Throw Burrito is what happens when you cross a card game with dodgeball. You must collect matching sets of three faster than your opponents. If you match any burrito cards, then it means war, and you must throw the adorable burrito at your victim. Throw Throw Burrito is an exciting game that’s perfect for all ages. You really can’t go wrong with this game!

Build towers together and stop the trouble-making wombat

Pros:

• Easy to grasp rules
  
• Quick 10 minute games
  
• Perfect for all ages
  

Cons:

• Small hands might be lost
  
• Bluffing skills required
  

Hand-to-Hand Wombat is a cooperative stacking game, but with betrayal and sabotage. Every player must close their eyes and try to stack bricks (from biggest to smallest), except one of you. Someone is a Bad Wombat trying to sabotage the others! This game is great for entertainment, especially amongst younger children. Each game night will be full of mischievous laughter when Hand-to-Hand Wombat is played.

Overthrow the Marquise and start a revolution

Pros:

• Lots of strategy and depth 
  
• Very cute art and themed pieces
  
• Good replay value
  

Cons:

• Complicated rules for beginners
  
• Slow game start
  

This strategy game will have you overthrowing the Cat Marquise (unless you are playing said Marquise…then you must hold onto power). Full of cute animal art, it’s easy to fall in love with this game. Keep in mind that this game can be a little tricky, especially for beginners. Thankfully, the rule book offers a starting scenario and walks you through the moves each faction should make to get you going. After a couple of playthroughs, you’ll be keen to have this game in your board game night rotation. Each session can be vastly different, especially when you start adding the expansions to the mix.

If you want more games for the school holidays make sure to check out Mozo’s online shopping hub to check out some great deals.