Board games worth playing
By BETH BENCE REINKE
For Smart
Whether you’re at home or visiting relatives, the holidays are a great time to gather around a board game for some family fun and togetherness. Felton resident Jeanie Olson remembers playing cards and board games when she was a kid. “My sisters and I used to play 500 Rummy on Thanksgiving at my aunt’s house,” she said.
Olson and her husband, Jan (pronounced “Yon”), make board games a frequent part of family life for their children, ages 14, 13, 8 and 2. She says games provide a face-to-face opportunity to laugh, talk and build strong relationships, instead of sitting in front of a video game or computer screen.
“The kids can be scattered through the house, and if you get a game out, they all come running,” she said.
Every time they play a board game, they laugh a lot, especially when it’s the whole family, Olson said. Her husband’s job as an airline pilot takes him out of town often, but when he’s home, he jumps right in.
“I love that Jan, as the dad, gets involved and plays games with the kids.”
He has a wonderful ability to make each game memorable for them all, she said.
For holiday get-togethers, Olson recommends games that can be played in a short amount of time, like Whoonu, Scrabble, Racko, Parcheesi and Pictionary. Whoonu is a particular favorite with the Olsons.
“It helps you learn about your family members — what they like and don’t like,” she said.
Brandy Bosley, who managed Education Station in York before it consolidated with the Lancaster store, suggests games that are good for all age groups, from small children through grandparents.
A few she highly recommends are The Wrong Game, What’s in Ned’s Head?, LCR Dice Game and Charoodles. All four can be purchased or ordered from Education Station in Lancaster. Call 717-560-9628.
After-Thanksgiving-dinner gamesAfter the turkey and pumpkin pie are gobbled up, break out one of these games. Who knows, you might start a new holiday tradition!
Racko (Parker Brothers Hasbro Games) $8.95, ages 8 and older. For two to four players. By drawing cards from the deck, be the first player to put all 10 cards in your rack in sequential order.
Parcheesi (Milton Bradley) $14.99, ages 8 and older. For two to four players. Be the first player to move all four pawns around the board without getting sent back to the start.
Scrabble (Milton Bradley) $13.95, ages 8 and older. For two-four players. Use your letter tiles to build words and earn points.
Charoodles (Thinkfun) $24.95, ages 10 and older. For four or more players. Similar to charades, but you use props provided in the game to act out 10 things while your team guesses.
Whoonu (Cranium, Inc.) $15.95, ages 8 and older. For three or more players. Using numbered tokens and cards with common things on them, win points by guessing the other players’ favorite things.
Pictionary (Hasbro) $26.95, ages 12 and older. For three or more players. Take turns sketching something and guessing what it is. Also available for ages 8-12 as Pictionary Junior ($19.95)
The Wrong Game (Imagination Entertainment) $24.95, ages 8 and older. For two to six players. Try to beat the clock while answering questions with alternating right or wrong answers.
Left, Center, Right Dice Game (LCR Dice Game) (Koplow Games) $5.95, ages 5 and older. For three or more players. Take turns rolling the three dice and passing tokens to the left, center or right to see who can collect them all by the end.
What’s in Ned’s Head? (Fundex) $24.95, ages 4 and older. For two to four players. Comes with a large stuffed head of Ned. Each player gets a card, then
reaches into Ned’s head to find the object pictured on the card by sense of touch only.
A few of our favoritesStaff members share their pick for fun family games.
Yahtzee and Uno. Especially with Uno, you could play with a bunch of people if you had a few decks. It was a game we always played when my huge family on my mom’s side got together at the beach or something.
— Laura RandisiIt’s so Central PA, but Dutch Blitz is a great card game. Four players rapidly shuffle through their cards trying to be the first to get rid of their respective cards displaying a pump, carriage, pail or plow in sequential piles according to color. Our family always ended up in shouts and screams of laughter because it’s so chaotic.
— Nicki LefeverApples to Apples is our favorite board game. Anytime we have people over or we have a big family gathering, we pull this one out.
— Cathy HirkoBecause I have a large family, a board game can get kind of hectic. We prefer to do VCR or DVD games, such as a classic called Doorways to Adventure and the newer Scene It! Everyone can find a way to be involved, and we usually split up into teams, which adds to the fun.
— Michele Canty
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