Candy Land

Candyland. Wikipedia describes it as, "a simple racing board game. It is among the first board games played by American children as it requires no reading and minimal counting skills."

Yes, I would call it a fun game to play as a child, but can I poke my eyes out? I don't mind the game, really I don't. It's quite fun, until you get one of the cards that sends you back to a location. Then there's the dots that leave you stuck in the swamps until you draw that color again. Fortunately in 2004 they changed the dots to licorice and you only lose one turn. As you can see, sometimes the games drags on forever.

This game is hidden in the game closet at home, and I must confess, I dread when someone picks it out to play. Funny it's the 3 year old's favorite game to play. Maybe it should be saved for days when the babysitter comes.

Monopoly Here & Now: The World Edition

Monopoly. Who doesn't know how to play?? Who doesn't love the game? The Electronic Banking Unit is enticing, but I just didn't like it. Maybe it's because this version of Monopoly is too much like life. No paper money. Just swipe the card to make all transactions. I just never knew how much money I had, but was always willing to say, "I'll buy it!" Fun game, still love Monopoly, but I want to handle the money when I play.

Free Parking

This is an oldie but goody. From the seventies, Monopoly did a spin off of the three best things about the board game and turned it in to a quick, fun game. Free parking, chance cards, and jail! You have a meter and you feed it with time cards and then use it with errands (get pajamas, looks like a get of jail free card, get it... pajamas). Watch out if it runs out someone else can play an Officer Jones card and you lose points. Its sorry, monopoly, and clothespins in one game!

Scrabble--a different way

I was recently taught a different way to play Scrabble. Each person draws seven tiles. When the game begins you create your own Scrabble game using those tiles. When you (or someone) has used all the tiles they say "Draw." Everyone draws another tile and incorporates it into their Scrabble board they have created. You can clear your board and start again, with all the same tiles, at any time during the game. Game continues until all the tiles have been used. When game is over tally score by counting points for tiles of each word.

I really liked this fast moving game. No waiting for someone else to go so that you can decide if you can go, long words don't really matter, no one sees what you create, and you can start over at any time.

I have since realized that this Scrabble game is just like Bananagrams. You can read their instructions here.

Clothespins

This game looks lame, but as the box says, 'Its good clean fun." Get it clothespins... clean... too funny. Well the game goes like this:

4 cards, 3 starting posts, you can place cards down in any type of pattern...

All shirts, all, pants, all same fabric...

As you go around you try to get as many as you can on each clothes line and then put the other end on it to finish the clothes line. Only playing up to four cards from your hand (or discarding them for better ones... can't do both)

The trick is that there are birds... my kids like to make sound effects, they say, "Tweet, Tweet!" and swoop down and take a piece of clothing from your line and put it on theirs. no clothes are protected unless you have both poles up. Its an exciting, risk taking game that my strategic mind can't figure how to win again a 5 year old.

Monopoly DEAL

Here's a 20 minute game for 2-5 players. Play starts with 5 cards per person. On your turn draw two and place up to three cards in front of you. The object of the game is to get three sets of properties. There are action cards that allow you to "steal" another player's property or set and wild cards to help you. You can also demand rent from the other players, as well as pass go, which gives you the opportunity to draw two, or simply place money in your bank.

The directions state, "Start playing and it'll all become clear."

I would have to agree.

Click HERE for a Demo from Hasbro.com .

Snorta!

(The box is updated now)

This game, as Dawn said, is a really good game. It has a couple of variations based on the age of the children. Each player gets a barn, draws an animal, and is divided out the deck of cards face down. From here the variations change:

Preschool: Put the animal in front of your barn. You all have a stack of cards and take turns flipping them over in front of you. When there is a match on the table, the first one that calls out the other players animal wins the cards (war style). The trick is that you both put down pigs but you have to say horse if that is their animal.

K-2ish: Put the animal in front of your barn. This time everyone makes a sound for their animal. Snake is "ssss" or as my girls says for rooster, "Cock-a-cock-a-doodle-do!" Then when matches are out you have to make the sound they pick not the name of the animal.

Grade 3ish up: You now put hte animal in the barn, everyone only got to see it once at the beginning, and so you spend more time trying to guess what they have. Its a riot!!

Fun for the whole family.