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You know that space between “I can’t eat another cookies” and “my fingers are numb from wrapping”? Indulge in a break from it all and try a Holiday Game Night. Maybe expand it to include some friends, neighbors, coworkers… or maybe just keep simple with your immediate clan. Either way, this season brings some fantastic (and fantastically easy) games for such an occasion. Let’s take a look:
Crozzit, for example, is a piece of cake to set up, explain and dive in. No stress. This is a 2 player game that plays pretty fast (15 mins) and perfect for “in-between” moments. Object: Each player races to build a path to the opposite side of the board, which crisscross each other. Simple. Fun. Done.
Turnspell is another quick game (20-25 mins) geared for ages 10+ with elements of Scrabble and elements of Boggle. A turnstile board center piece is placed in the middle with four alphabet tiles facing each player (2 to 4 players). Each participant selects a tile from the four directly in front of him/her to place on their individual tile grid platforms. The turnstile spins, participants select another tile in an attempt to spell four four-letter words on their grid.
Mousetrap, an oldie but goodie because it is so hands-on. If I’m being honest… I’ve passed on this game because of my PERCEIVED setup requirements, however… you build the trap as part of the game. I dislike games with complicated setups and assumed the mousetrap needed to be assembled in advance of game play. WRONG. So… this game is suddenly more appealing and perhaps other parents had the same misconception that I had. Mousetrap is a Mensa Award winning game… and now I better understand why, as children are assembling the contraption that is supposed to capture opponents mice. Colorful, active, and hands-on… Mousetrap is highly recommended.
Exit Game is a “one & done” game, meaning that you play it once, use the pieces, puzzles, materials and then discard. The Exit Game is an escape-the-room type of game with clues and a variety puzzles, a decipher wheel and solution cards. It includes riddle cards for puzzles & activities, help cards, 2nd help cards and solutions for each puzzle or activity in case you get stuck. This is a group game, best with four or more players. It is a cooperative game, whereby everyone is working together to solve the puzzle. There are three distinct variations including The Secret Lab, The Abandoned Cabin, and Pharaoh’s Tomb.
Not Parent Approved is a fast pace, kid-friendly card game sure to get the giggles going. This card game was inspired by Cards Against Humanity, which is strictly adult oriented. Not Parent Approved has kid-appropriate content without stripping all the hilarity away. The game consists of blue question cards and red answer cards. Taking turns, a question card is drawn and read allowed. Each participant holds 3 answer cards and must choose one to best answer the question posed each turn. The person reading the question is the judge of the best answer offered and that person gets points. It play fast, it plays fun… and it packs up easy for on-the-go fun.
Let’s talk about Blurble. First off, it’s a fun title for a game, silly in and of itself. Blurble is another party game, whereby each participant has a small stack of cards and go against each other player individually by flipping the top card and quickly shouting out another word that starts with the same letter. Sounds simple enough… but offers enough tongue twisting challenge to be entertaining. There are additional educational games and activities suggestions provided as well.
Lastly, we want to bring to you Who’s The Dude. This is a family charades game… with one additional family member: The Dude. We’ve adopted our blow up friend and named him Stan. Stan hangs out more than just playing Who’s The Dude (he’s watched movies with us, crafted with us… we just have fun with him where we can). However, the game is surely entertaining enough because it comes with plenty of objects and activities that players act out with the dude for the other team to guess. Victoria got a huge kick out of using Stan as a fly swatter during one of her rounds. Silliness and laughs… isn’t that what it’s all about in the end. A great family game and perfect for any kid-friendly New Year’s party too.
Be sure to check out our Holiday Gift Guide for more gift suggestions… and subscribe to our mailing list and/or YouTube channel to get updates when new game reviews are posted. Happy Holidays.