Board Games That Will Help Your Kids Get Off The Phone For A Few Hours
Parents in the 21st Century often have difficulty pulling their kids away from computers, smartphones, and televisions. One of the best ways to accomplish that is by playing a really fun board game. Which board game, you ask? Well, there are literally hundreds of different games, designed for all kinds of kids.
Not only will children have fun playing the games, but they may also learn something as well. Some games will help with problem solving. Others will help to encourage the engineer within. Here is a list of today's top games to play with your kids.
Catan Junior
Settlers of Catan is a wildly successful board game that is beloved by those who play it. The rules, however, can be a bit complicated for younger players. With this in mind, Catan Studios decided to release a more friendly, junior version of the game.
Kids can now join in on the game beginning at the age of 6. Rather than playing the game as settlers, players now become pirates who capture resources to bring back to their lairs.
Monkey Around
For parents that want to get their children involved in games right away, Monkey Around may be the perfect solution. Kids can begin to play the game at a mere 2 years old and it will remain enjoyable for kids up to 7 or 8.
The game asks players to ask whatever silly thing is named on the card they draw. It will likely be the first time your child ever plays a board game and aims at showing them how fun this sort of interaction can be.
Scrabble
For parents looking to introduce their kids to a classic, Scrabble could be the perfect solution. Not only is the game competitive and fun it can also help to improve your child's spelling, vocabulary, and memory.
The game has also been shown to benefit a player's creativity. The nice thing about Scrabble is that players can begin playing that game as soon as they learn to read and then continue playing it for the rest of their lives.
HedBanz Junior
HedBanz is a very silly game in which players have to guess the picture depicted on their headband. The guessing player can only ask the other players yes or no questions in an effort to figure out what exactly is on their head.
The makers of the original game, Spin Master, wanted to get younger players involved as well. HedBanz Junior features the same rules as the adult game but features categories that are more tailored towards kids.
Sorry!
For a lot of kids, learning to play board games means learning that these games can be incredibly unfair. In the game Sorry, players have the ability to impede their opponents progress while condescendingly telling them they are "sorry".
The game does have its benefits though. As they become familiar with the intricacies of the game, players can learn to develop a strategy to prevent themselves from being undermined by their opponents. Kids can begin to play Sorry at the age of 6.
Clue: Harry Potter Edition
With so many different activities pulling away your children's attention, sometimes you need a good hook. One of the best ways to draw your kids away from the TV or computer is by playing a game that features something they are already interested in.
Harry Potter is still a wildly popular franchise and Clue is still a very fun game. In this edition, USAopoly has brought together the two themes to make a board game your kids will play for hours.
Castle Logix
Castle Logix is a game that combines old school puzzle building with new school 3-D technology. The game is made for kids of all ages. The challenges range from either easy to very challenging and are meant for ages 3-8.
The game features 3-D puzzles that will help your child to develop both logic and spatial reasoning skills. As your child turns through the pages they will be challenged to build castles and exercise their cognitive skills.
Cranium
Since its introduction in 1998, Cranium has thrilled and challenged its players. The game bills itself as incorporating a number of skills and utilizing the entire cranium. At any time, a player may be asked to do spy work, draw a picture or act out a scene.
The game will help your child to communicate clues in a number of different ways. One of the best features of the game is that you don't age out of it and can keep playing as long as you would like.
Richard Scarry's Busytown: Eye Found It
Many young readers get their first exposure to literature through Richard Scarry's Busytown books. The books which depict various jobs, town scenes or people help children to get a better understanding of the wider world around them. It was only natural that a board game would be developed around the books.
In the Richard Scarry Eye Found It Game, kids can search through the artwork for different items dictated by the playing cards. With a recommended age of 3+, the game can be enjoyed by almost any child.
Operation
Does your child have a rewarding future in the medical profession? The earliest way to figure out about the steadiness of their hands is through the battery-operated board game made by Milton Bradley.
Kids have to work through the board by removing objects from a fictitious patient. The "surgeon" may have to remove a broken heart, charley horse or wishbone. The game was developed in 1964 and has been entertaining potential doctors ever since.
Snake Oil
Maybe your kid may be cut out for a career in the world of sales. The type of traits that make up a successful marketer should be present while playing the Out of the Box Publishing game, Snake Oil.
In this game, players use their wiles to sell their opponents products represented on their sales cards. At the end of the round, the player who has gotten the most customers to buy into their products wins the game.
Monopoly
Monopoly is both the world's most famous board game and is also renowned for creating more family drama than almost any other activity. The game was created by Lizze Magie in 1903 and is based on the streets of Atlantic City, New Jersey.
While playing the game, contestants learn a number of lessons about corporate strategy. Whether they are destitute and have no assets or they are living high on the hog, players must still reach the end of the game.
Pandemic
Thanks to shows like The Walking Dead, people are more tuned into medical apocalypses. The board game Pandemic created in the late 2000s by Matt Leacock leans into that them by asking its players to solve the latest virulent disease epidemic.
The players form a medical team each tasked with a specific tole in solving the worldwide medical epidemic. The game also has a wide age range with kids able to play the game as young as 8.
The Game Of Life
It's never too early to teach your kids that sometimes the breaks don't always go your way. The Game of Life has been imparting that lesson ever since it's creation in 1860 by the actual Milton Bradley.
The modern version of the game was re-released in 1960. Players are challenged to go through every bit of life from being born to school, to marriage and beyond. The game is regularly updated to include societal changes like recycling and pet ownership.
Checkers
Of all the games on this list, this one is certainly the most "classic". Checkers has been played in some form or another for the last 5,000 years. A World Championship checkers (or droughts) competition began in England in the year 1840.
The reason the game has lasted so long is both for the fun and easy gameplay as well as the strategic lessons that are learned. Most children can begin to play and understand checkers around the age of 5.
Ticket To Ride: First Journey
Since its introduction in 2004, Ticket to Ride has been a tremendously popular board game. During the game, each player receives destinations and train cars. They then must trade and collect the right train cars to get them where they're going.
For players who might not be completely ready for the adult edition, Days of Wonder has released Ticket to Ride: First Journey. This version allows players as young as 6 years old to get in on the fun.
Labyrinth
German game company Ravensburger is most well known for its high-quality puzzles. In 1986, however, the company released a hit game called Labyrinth. The game is sort of like a puzzle, though, as 2-to-4 players recreate a maze that the winner needs to conquer.
The game will help children to better develop their logic and engineering skills. In addition to the classic version, players can also opt to play a dragon-themed game or a Lord of the Rings edition.
Charades
Does your child have a flair for acting? Are they a master storyteller? Then maybe Charades is the perfect game for them. The acting game traces its origins back to France in the 19th century.
Children will love to act out the scenes as they desperately try to not blurt out the clues. The game is now available in board game form thanks to a number of different manufacturers. Pick the theme that best represents your family and start acting!
Googly Eyes
Kids and families have been enjoying drawing games like Pictionary since its introduction in 1985. Googly Eyes, a new game developed by Goliath, takes the traditional drawing and guessing game and turns it on its head.
Players must not only draw a clue for their teammate, but they must also do so while wearing goofy glasses that ramp up the difficulty. Kids can start playing the game around the age of 7 and with different lens types, and can keep playing as they grow older as well.
Candy Land
Candy Land, released by Milton Bradley in 1949, can be considered the original board game made for children. The makers of the game wanted it to remain simple for all age groups.
There is very little strategy involved, but this game is most children's first exposure to a board game, and their focus is on following directions. That also doesn't mean the game isn't fun. The beloved board game still sells around one million copies each year.
