Games are a way for families to bond
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What’s the best way to bond with family?
According to a recent study, 48 percent of Americans say family game nights are the way to bond. Playing board games topped the list of other activities that included: Watching movies (22 percent), cooking (19 percent) and playing sports together (9 percent).
Here are some of our picks for great family games, divided into age groups:
Preschool
Guess What I Am! This tabletop game puts a hilarious twist on a classic guessing game. Place your face through the space on the mystery card and transform into one of 30 silly characters, roll the die and start asking yes or no questions to figure out who you are. Techno Source, $17.99
Rhino Rampage. Players try to get their color-matched team of birds to safety atop the rhino’s back. However, roll a rhino on the die, and you pull the rhino’s tail setting off a Rhino Rampage, leaving players wondering which birds will fly off course. Mattel, $24.99
Twister Hopscotch. Kids design hopscotch courses with colorful Twister rings. On each turn, players spin the wheel to find out whether they will be wiggling, singing, clapping or humming while jumping or hopping from one colored ring to the next. Milton Bradley, $19.99
Gator Golf. In this new version of the game, batteries are no longer required. Hasbro, $19.99
Pandamania. Kids can learn about pandas and practice their counting and memory skills while playing as baby pandas. First player to fill their card wins. Smithsonian Institution Game, $15
Age: 6+
Disney Wheel of Fortune. This game combines the TV game show with Disney’s classics. Pressman Toy, $25
Dig That Dinosaur. Each player picks the dinosaur that they want to find on their dig. They take turns using the digging tool to guess which grid card has a piece of their dinosaur underneath. The first person to dig up their whole dinosaur wins. Smithsonian Institution, $15
Operation. After more than 40 years, the classic game of Operation is reinvented to introduce weird body parts and plenty of silly, quirky sounds, including croaking frogs, flushing toilets and loud sneezes. Milton Bradley, $14.99
Cosmic Keep Away. Building on the technology of Cosmic Catch, this ball calls the shots, and recognizes each player’s throws. Three ways to play the passing game. Players have to follow the color sequence or keep the ball away from a specific player within a set amount of time in order to win the game. Hasbro, $29.99
Mystery Date High School Musical 3: Senior Year Edition. Players collect three clothing and accessory cards to get ready for one of four “mystery” dates with the cute boys of High School Musical. Girls open the door and wait anxiously to see if their outfit matches their date’s outfit. Milton Bradley, $19.99
Ages 8+
Monopoly Here & Now: The World Edition. Monopoly goes global with cities and locations from all over the world. Hasbro, $34.99
Pictureka! Players race to find wacky images hidden in the 3x3-inch game tiles. Players take turns rolling the dice, selecting a mission that may have them finding an image in 30 seconds or less, outbidding another player to find the most images or trying to be the first in the group to find the image. Hasbro, $19.99
Scrabble Me. Players have control of their own board. They build words on their boards simultaneously! After each round, players have the option to choose a replacement letter from the bag or select one of the face-up tiles on the prize tile podium. Get a wild tile and swap boards. Winning Moves, $20.95
Phase 10. This electronic version of the rummylike card game allows players to take on one to three computer-controlled opponents. Several game play modes to choose from. Techno Source, $17.99
Playing Wise Alec. Players try to earn points as they move around the board answering questions in three different categories. Each question offers a choice of an easy or more difficult question. Players can use their strengths for maximum or minimum risk and reward, but watch out for the Wise Alec. Griddly Games, $24.99
Repeat or You’re Obsolete. Created by a 13-year-old boy, the game has players put their skills to the test as they make noises, act out things, create stories, make lists and play with words in this fast-paced, memory-building, pay-attention-or-you’re-out game. Comes with a 32-page bonus book filled with tips and tricks to help everyone maximize their memory. Innovative Kids, $19.99
Be the Expert. Learn about history, nature and much more as you and a team of experts review the collections at the Smithsonian museums. Smithsonian Institution, $15
Have You Herd. In this lively European dice game, players battle to get each of the five animals on the farm: rabbit, sheep, pig, cow and horse. Players build and trade their way to a complete “herd” of animals, and try to avoid rolling the hungry wolf or sly fox that will make a meal out of the herd. Winning Moves, $12.95
Mall Madness: Hannah Montana Edition. Players use ATM and credit cards as they hit the biggest and best sales. The first smart shopper to purchase six items and reach the final destination wins. Hasbro, $33.99
Ages 12+
ESPN Jeopardy! and ESPN Jeopardy! Attaché Edition. America’s favorite quiz show meets ESPN. With more than 1,000 sports-themed Jeopardy! answers, players choose from dozens of categories, such as “ESPN’s Players You Love to Hate,” “Ballparks & Arenas,” “ESPN Personalities” and “NBA Head Coaches.” Pressman Toy, $19.99-29.99
The Big Taboo. Game offers three more ways to play classic Taboo. Race against the timer to guess as many words as possible. Depending on where a player lands on the board, he may have to draw a word, provide clues in as few words as possible, rely on Classic Taboo, or invite Bendy Bob, a new flexible friend, to help guess the correct word. Winning Moves, $37.95
Trivial Pursuit 25th Anniversary Edition. For the first time ever, Trivial Pursuit game cards cover one topic with three question levels: easy, medium and hard. The more challenging the question you answer, the farther you’ll move along the bonus track. And that’s not all. The zones along the track let you steal wedges, move opponents’ tokens, and more. Parker Brothers, $37.99
Teens and adults
Pictionary Man Game. Pictionary meets charades in which clues are digitally displayed on the bottom of the foot of a 3D figure. Made of dry erase material, people draw out clues on the man, as well as act out the phrases. Parker Brothers, $29.99
The Office Trivia Game. Players move around the office walking cubicle to cubicle answering trivia questions and visiting favorite Dunder Mifflin characters’ cubes. They must beware of Scranton Regional Manager Michael Scott showing up on the game die and moving into their cubicle. The player who successfully gets through all the locations and collects the “Support the Rabid” wristband wins. Pressman Toys, $25
The Office DVD Board Game. Players go head-to-head answering trivia questions based on video clips, images and facts from The Office using their DVD remote control and moving around the game board. Trivia Spaces test players’ knowledge. Challenge spaces let players collect other players’ Schrute bucks. Clerical spaces test players’ speed, skill and resourcefulness. Michael Cards can help or hinder their path. The first player to collect $1 in Schrute bucks wins. Pressman Toy, $30
Trivial Pursuit Digital Choices. Pick and choose categories to create your own Trivial Pursuit game. Game comes with 600 pre-loaded questions, but you can download 1,800 more. Over 100 categories to choose from in customizing your game. Requires three AAA batteries. Parker Brothers, $49.99
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