Monday, December 8, 2008

A Few of My Favorite Things - Games

My family loves games. No, really. We love them. We love the laughter they generate. The dark side they bring out...no, we won't mention any names, Jake *cough, cough*.

So this time around I thought I'd highlight a few of my favorite games.

We have several favorites by Cranium. Man, that company just knows how to do it right. Balloon Lagoon is fantastic for little ones and Whoonu is fun and doesn't involve a lot of strategic thinking for those laid back nights. But, the huge hit for us has been Jam Packed Jam.



Caleb received this game last Christmas and it has been a blast! Adults and children have all liked it. Straight off the Amazon website: The object of the game is simple -- to fit as many fun items as possible, of all shapes and sizes, into the trunk before time runs out. On each turn, players say the number of objects they think they can precariously pack. When time's up, the trunk shoots everything out the doors. The 14 items to be packed are random and include a tire, a birthday cake, a cactus, and more.



One of our most favorite card games is Dutch Blitz. A quick moving game, that some days just makes this tired momma dizzy!
It's a very fast paced game for up to 4 people and the competition is crazy. I'm not sure I could accurately describe the rules and Amazon didn't have the description up. Okay, I'm also too lazy to get my set out and look at what it says. I do know that it says it is a "Vonderful Goot Game" and yah, I agree!

Our current family must-have is Blokus and it's been at the top of our list for a year now.
This is a great strategy game and kids 5 and over can join in on the action. Caleb (8) holds himself really well in this game. It is fairly quick moving and "challenges spatial thinking". It's another game for up to 4 people. According to the Amazon description: Blokus is simple to understand, but the game's complexity is revealed shortly after everyone begins to play. It can be addictive, even for those not normally into abstract games... Children and adults can play together for hours of competitive family fun. Hours. No joke.


These are probably my familiy's top three favorite games right now. But really, we're usually up for anything. We just learned how to play Speed Scrabble and it has quickly won us over. We are looking forward to Christmas for many reasons, including a bit of trash talking game time.

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2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Remember when you, Brian and I stayed up until 4 in the morning playing Hoopla after you had Samuel. That was so great. Brian made me whip up on him in speed scrabble last night so he can get better and I quote "take the other girls down over Christmas"

Another hint in Blockus, play while mom is tired:). I learned this over the weekend and never look Jake in the eyes while playing, you lose your nerve. Ha ha ha.

Christina said...

I'm not big on games but the stuff the car full one looks fun!