Holiday Gift Lists - December 2019
Give the gift of quality time! Game gift ideas for all the people in your life.
Games for the Nerd in Your Life - They play a lot of games and you want to dazzle them. It's exciting when you impress a nerd.
Age: 8-Adult
Rating: 10/10
Camel Up
You're betting on camel racing. The dice come out of a giant pyramid, the camels can stack on top of each other, and it's reasonably simple to play but requires some good strategy and a bit of luck to win. This is a family favorite.
Age: 10-Adult
Rating: 9/10
Fuse
Defuse the bomb cards before the time runs out! This speed game requires logic, speed, and dexterity.
Age: 8-Adult
Rating: 10/10
Star Realms
This deck building game is fantastic for the nerd in your life but I highly recommend checking out the free app. We ended up buying the full version of the app and it's so much quicker and easier than the physical copy of the game. The campaigns are addictive.
Age: 13-Adult
Rating: 10/10
Eight-Minute Empire
It should be called 18-Minute Empire but it's still very fast game play. It's basically all the fun of Risk with a little more strategy and in far less time.
New Fav for a Family Game Night - 4 player games the whole family will love
Age: 6-Adult
Rating: 10/10
Yamslam
Your quicker, easier, and more competitive version of Yahtzee. Compete with your opponents for poker chips with point values for Full House, Four of a Kind, etc. The game is set up as soon as you open the box, which I greatly appreciate.
Age: 7-Adult
Rating: 10/10
Splendor
Strategy game. Collect jewels and trade them in for cards. It's a race for resources and the most points. Simple enough that our 7 year old can play with a little assistance, complex enough that it has great replay value and works well for adult game nights.
Age: 6-Adult
Rating: 10/10
Qwixx
A new classic and it's great for any age. Simple concept but there's opportunity for a good amount of strategy. Roll your dice and fill in as many numbers as you can on your sheet before your opponent.
Age: 8-Adult
Rating: 9/10
The Game
If you played The Mind and liked it but wished you could talk during it, this is the game for you. Same general concept of a cooperative game where you play cards in sequence but you have four piles to work with in both ascending and descending order. Fun, challenging, and it works for 1-5 players.
Games for 5+ People - You have group and you need a game!
Age: 8-Adult
Rating: 10/10
Werewords
We made a special word list so our 7 year old could play and this is his favorite game in the world right now. It's like 20 questions except with someone in the role of the Werewolf, secretly trying to lead you away from guessing the correct word.
Age: 8-Adult
Rating: 9/10
Match-O-Rama
Great alternative to Apples to Apples. It's essentially Family Feud with the answers provided by the group you're playing with.
Age: 10-Adult
Rating: 10/10
Codenames
A standout. There are so many versions out there now, including Disney and Marvel themed. Two teams play against each other and try to guess secret words in a grid.
Age: 7-Adult
Rating: 10/10
Bang! The Dice Game
It's every man for himself in this romanticized version of the Wild West. Roll the dice to get a gattling gun, watch out for Indian attacks, but don't worry because beers restore your health. And it's all quite strategic with secret identities and alliances.
Girl Games - For the record, my boys like these games too. But they're my daughter's favorites.
Age: 3-8
Rating: 10/10
Disney Princess Enchanted Cupcake Party
Build the cupcakes according to the recipe cards! The game has very easy rules but a lot of times we just build the cupcakes and that's lots of fun in its own right.
Age: 5-12
Rating: 9/10
Sleeping Queens
All of my kids love this game, there's some basic strategy and even some low level math skills (you make simple addition equations in order to draw cards). There are knights and dragons and potions, the theme is very cute. Whoever collects the most queens wins!
Age: 4-7
Rating: 8/10
Hatchimals EGGventure Game
The best thing to come out of the Hatchimals craze. It's a simple matching game but there's a bit going on with the board and when you're allowed to flip eggs and check for matches. It's my go-to gift for most 5-7 year old birthdays.
Age: 6-12
Rating: 9/10
Rat-A-Tat Roll
If your child loves Rat-A-Tat Cat and is ready for a slightly more strategic version of the game, this is a great choice. Same basic premise of a memory game where you try to get the lowest point total at the end of the game, there's just a little more going on.
Boy Games - Obviously girls can like these games too, but they are particular favorites for my two boys.
Dinosaur Escape
Cooperative memory game. Match the dinosaurs to their matching tiles and help them escape before the volcano explodes!
Age: 3-7
Rating: 10/10
Dragonwood
Roll the dice and embark on a journey to collect the most trolls, goblins, and of course dragons! These is great for some entry level strategy for more advanced games in the future.
Age: 6-14
Rating: 10/10
Rhino Hero Super Battle
Great dexterity game where you create a giant structure and try to reach the highest spot.
Age: 5-8
Rating: 8/10
Super Mario Power Up Card Game
You need something to get that kid away from video games for a minute. How about a game that is based on a video game? It comes at a great price point and is ideal for the Mario obsessed child in your life.
Age: 7-12
Rating: 8/10
Games for Kids to Play with Adults - Want to play a game with your kid? Here are some you are likely to enjoy as much as the kids.
Happy Bunny
It has a color path like Candyland so it's a great choice for a first real game, but unlike Candyland it's cooperative so you don't have to try to lose on purpose so your kid won't cry at the end of the game. Work together to collect more carrots than the farmer!
Age: 2-6
Rating: 9/10
Outfoxed!
Cooperative, more simple version of Clue. This is one of my go-to birthday gifts. There's a secret decoder device that is very simple but kids go nuts for it.
Age: 4-10
Rating: 10/10
Gigamons
A memory game with super powers and even a little strategy. This is a big family favorite around here.
Age: 4-8
Rating: 10/10
Labyrinth
Collect treasures as you lay down tiles which shift the paths of the labyrinth. There are ways to make the game easier for younger players and more challenging for older kids.
Age: 6-12
Rating: 10/10
Easy Games for Kids - Minimal parent assistance required. Because sometimes kids need to be able to play a game without your help.
Hisss
Match up tiles to make cute and colorful snakes. Both boys and girls love this one and it ages well, my older children still love to play it.
Age: 2-6
Rating: 9/10
Loopin' Chewie
The #1 game that gets played on play dates at our house. Chewie flies around and you push a button to pop him back up and try to have him take out your opponents' storm trooper tokens.
Age: 4-8
Rating: 8/10
Rock Paper Scissors War!
Add some superheroes to rock, paper, scissors and combine it with the game War and you have yourself an amazing new game to play. The rules are pretty self explanatory so it's easy to just open the box and play.
Age: 3-12
Rating: 8/10
Buggaloop
The other game that gets played pretty much every play date. Get your mice across the board before the hexbugs get them!
Age: 4-8
Rating: 6/10