Family Game Night

Happy New Year!  I wanted to share some of our favorite family games that we played this holiday season- just in case you're looking for some fun ones to play with your family this year! I love having everyone over to play games.  This year, Jeff made LOTS of trivia questions- and we had a competition with those for prizes.  That was so much fun.  He's making more questions for our next get-together, as we speak!  Here are some other favorites we like to play-

Spot It! is a really fun little game.  The cards are small and circular- it's easy to pack and take with you for a quick game anywhere you go.  The idea is to spot the match on the two cards that are turned over.  That's it. It sounds so easy- but for some reason when you're racing against someone to be first, it's not easy at all!  There are four different variations of the game- or you can think of your own. 

There are LOTS of different Spot it! games- Disney, sports, hipster, camping, on the road, NHL...

 These would be fun for school!

Word A Round is another small, circular game- that sounds easy but is NOT.  You must be the first one to read the word in the circle.  It's challenging- and really fun!  This is from Amazon:

                                              

Who knew that positioning a word in one continuous ring would make it so tricky to read? The challenge in WordARound is to quickly figure out where the word starts and to read it aloud before your opponents. The game seems so simple, but you’ll find yourself baffled as you race to spot and call out words. YOUR GOAL:Win 10 cards. Collect cards by being first to correctly read the word written in the designated ring on the card. EXAMPLE ROUND:

Players look at the word in the black ring. Greg is the first to call out “CALORIES!”

Greg wins the card and flips it over to reveal the color Red.

Players now race to read the word in the Red ring.

INCLUDES: 100 Cards with 300 Words • Travel-friendly storage box • Instructions

Lighting Reaction Extreme is just ridiculous.  We got this for our kids years ago- and it's fun every time we play it.  There are different settings- but basically, you hold onto one of the handles, listen to the ominous music, and try NOT to be the last one to click the top of the handle when the music stops.  LOTS of laughs!

Here is a video I found...



It's a much more stressful version of Crocodile Dentist (which is still one of my favorites, by the way...  my class LOVES Crocodile Dentist- probably because I scream every time he chomps down on my finger... maybe that's it.)

After that excitement, we quieted down with a Password Tournament.  I have the Password game from YEARS AND YEARS ago.
                                    
It's always a favorite with all of us.  I still remember watching Allen Ludden host Password on TV when I would be home sick from school.

My own kids didn't know that Allen Ludden was married to Betty White.  I felt so smart with that little tidbit of information. That should have been one of Jeff's trivia questions- and I would have nailed it- darn it!

Moving on-  Our whole family ALWAYS loves Apples to Apples. From Amazon:

General game play is as follows: players are dealt red cards which have a noun printed on them, and the judge (a different player in each turn) draws a green card on which an adjective is printed and places it for all players to see. Each player then chooses a red card they are holding that they think best describes the green card. The judge then decides which adjective she likes best.

The fun is in the variety of unexpected comparisons people make, sometimes apt, funny, creative, or simply absurd. For example: people might match "Awkward" with "Oil Spills," "My First Kiss," "Dandruff," and "Gold Chains. " Or: "Painful" with "High School Reunions" and "Regis Philben. " Strategy comes into play since, because each player takes turns being the judge, you begin to pick up on the preferences of each player and tailor your choices accordingly.

The party box includes over a thousand cards for many card combinations.
View larger.

Players can also try variations on the basic game play. For example, instead of choosing the most apt comparison, players might try choosing the red card that is least like the green one. These variations keep the game fresh and interesting every time.

Catch Phrase is a must have.  We play girls against the boys.  Your team needs to guess the phrase being described, then pass the game to the next player as fast as you can- so you're not the last one holding the game. 

Mad Gab is great, too.  We just read a card and see who can guess the phrase first.  Lots of laughs!

Here are some sample cards so you can try them!

My sister got Bounce Off  for our family this year.  We love it! I can't wait to use it for a game night. You race against a partner to be the first to bounce the balls into a pattern shown on a card.  

Jeff and I love playing Rummikub and Banagrams, too. 

And of course, last but not least... Pie Face.  My favorite since I was a little girl.  It was gone for YEARS and I actually tried to find it, and then it came back as great as ever!  Lots of laughs with this one, too!

Here's Emily...

The next game I want to try is the Saran Wrap Game!

Here's a little description.  I can't wait...

Have fun and thanks for stopping by!