A New Game in Woodbury

If breaking out the board games engenders groans from your family and friends, they may be the types who try to avoid interaction, conversation or any prolonged familial association. Or maybe you haven’t updated your board game offerings to keep things interesting.

Each year I’m introduced to some new board/card games by fellow game lovers. I’m drawn out of passivity into a shared experience around the kitchen table. It’s always fun! Plus, playing games together creates special and often hilarious family memories.

The benefits of board games aren’t strictly social. Cerebral benefits for all ages can include critical thinking, focus, strategy and practice evaluating situations. For younger players, learning to win and lose, practicing honesty and fair play are useful skills developed by game playing.

I recently learned to play Ticket to Ride, a strategic game of creating train routes while blocking opponents from doing the same. It’s easy to learn, yet incorporates enough strategy and competitive maneuvering to keep players coming back for more. (Recommended for 2-5 players ages 8 and older.)

A few summers ago, I learned to play Rage, a color-coded, trick taking card game. Trump is randomly determined and can change unexpectedly during a hand, thus the ensuing “rage” when competitors dismantle your plans for success. I was hooked! I have since taught many others to play. In fact, Rage is a regular source of competitive entertainment at card parties we attend with several of our game loving friends. The deck costs less than $8 and is recommended for 2-8 players ages 8 and older.

If you’re a lonely Scrabble lover like me, try Bananagrams. It’s a crossword-style game with letter tiles similar to Scrabble. But my kids like it better because it’s fast paced and an encyclopedic vocabulary isn’t necessary. It travels in a handy little banana-shaped zipper bag and is recommended for 2-8 players ages 7 and up.

Great party games include Apples to Apples and one my favorites, The Game of Things. Those are less about strategy and more about laughter and creativity—perfect for times when you want to liven up a party but don’t want to require guests to draw or think too hard. Both can be played with lots of people and are best for ages 12 and up. (There is an Apples to Apples Junior, recommended for ages 9 and older. My kids rarely play it.)

Tolerable children’s games for me have been Monopoly Junior and Sorry. But as soon as my kids could master chess, Uno or traditional Monopoly, I was ready to move on. Now they enjoy playing Chinese checkers and Blokus with Grandma when she visits. What a great way to connect generations and create cherished family traditions.

So don’t let any initial protests deter you from getting folks off the couch and gathered around a game table. Invest in a new game. Turn off the TV and spark up some competitive connections with your friends and family.