I received a lot of feedback after my post “10 Family Games to Add to Your Collection” and decided to be more specific and share my favorite art and drawing games. These types of games are good for creative thinking and collaboration, plus they’re just a lot of fun to play in groups. My family enjoys them and they’re wonderful for kids and adults. (Listed in alphabetical order.)
Concept is one of my favorite creative thinking party guessing games. You don’t need any artistic ability, but it does require using a creative part of your brain. Players work as pairs to give clues to the rest of the group by putting colored cubes on icons. The board is very well designed with lots of neat images to choose from for clues. Players must think-it-through and work together to figure it out. There is a wide variety of difficulty levels in the words players clue - so it’s fun for all ages. I’ve recommended this game to lots of friends and they all give rave reviews. Recommended on the box: ages 4+, #of players 4-12
How do you Doodle is a fun fast drawing game. Players draw different words with similar meanings. The fun part is in the details. What things do you need to add to be able to differentiate players' words from the other words on the list? Maybe you draw something that sounds similar or other outside-the-box clues. I love it because it’s more about how you think about things and less about how well you can draw. Recommended on the box: ages 12+, #of players 3-7
Pantone is beautifully designed, simple to play, and will bring out a lot of creative thinking. Using only pantone colored chips to create different characters, players have to figure out the images from the fewest of details. I couldn’t resist this game on the shelf from it’s packaging (the box looks like a huge pantone chip) and the play didn’t disappoint. Recommended on the box: ages 8+, #of players 2-20
Picassimo is a fantastic drawing game that helps players see things from a different perspective. Game play involves quick drawing images on dry erase boards that are split into pieces. After the drawing, players move around the pieces and rotate them so they’re harder to decipher. Players then make their guesses at these “Picasso” looking drawings. Recommended on the box: ages 8+, #of players 3-6
Pictomania is a fun game for the whole family. It’s more fun if you enjoy drawing, but artistic skills are definitely not necessary. Players draw and guess words from lists in different categories. I like that everyone draws and guesses at the same time so there isn’t much down time in between. It’s fast-paced and a lot of fun. Recommended on the box: ages 9+, #of players 3-6
Squint is a great game my family has owned for a long time and recently pulled out of the game closet. I’m so glad we did. Players take turns creating pictures out of cards with shapes and squiggles on them. The cards are well made and easy to manipulate. My kids enjoyed it so much, they started creating their own ideas with them after. Unfortunately, this game is no longer being published, but maybe you can still find a copy online. Recommended on the box ages 12+, #of players 3-8
Who What Where is unfortunately discontinued from the original manufacturer, but you can easily recreate it on your own. We play as a family when we’re in the mood to draw. Players each put in 4-5 (or however many you want) things on individual pieces of paper for each of the categories (who, what and where). Then players fold them and put them in each of the who, what where piles. Each person should select one item from each category and draw that scene. For example: Cookie Monster playing checkers in San Francisco. Make them as detailed or simple as you need for the other players to guess what you’ve drawn. Recommended on the box: ages 12+, #of players 3-10
Here are a few of our favorite characters from playing Pantone. Who do you think they are? Feel free to put your guesses in the comments.
Be sure to check out Solving Fun Pal Pack Games if you want another fun creative game to play with your family.
We’re always looking for new games, what are your favorite creative games?