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If you're tired of waiting for your turn, try SET. Everybody plays at the same time and the quickest thinker wins.

Though it can be very challenging to find sets of three cards following the specific rules of the game, your kids may surprise you with their ability to learn and their speed at perceiving patterns.

This game takes little room (just a pack of cards) so it's easy to take on trips. It also can be played for as little or as much time as you have available, so it can fit into your lifestyle.

Plus, it's gotta be good exercise for those kids' growing brains (not to mention their parents' slowing brains).

Updated Jun 17, 2006

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Five State Rummy Game Cards

First to recommend

Description

Though it is obviously intended as an educational game Five State Rummy is also a fun diversion.

There's a little strategy involved and a lot of luck, and you will learn things about the geographic relationships of the US states that you didn't know before.

The cards have facts printed on them like the state capital, bird, flower, etc, but we generally don't pay much attention to those. You could probably tweak the rules a bit to reinforce any of those facts that you wanted the kids to learn (e.g., require saying the state capital out loud when discarding a card).

. (via Uncle Mark Gift Guide & Almanac)

Updated Dec 27, 2008

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Settlers of Catan

13 people recommended this item

Description

great fun for gamers and non-gamers alike (Although really, aren't all non-gamers just folks who haven't yet discovered the games they love?) (via gateplay.com)

Updated Mar 17, 2008

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Maze

First to recommend

Description

Billed as a "Co-operative Strategy Game", Maze is a poorly named, but challenging game that will stretch your mental abilities when played at the middle or hardest levels.

You can ignore the claims that it is comparable to chess. The similarity ends at having pieces that move on a grid.

Since both players are working together to solve a common goal, it's really more of a puzzle you are trying to solve together; and it's a different challenge every time because of the random setup phase.

The pieces and instructions have that "built in my garage workshop" quality, but that seems to be attractive to a certain "back to basics" market segment. (Is my wife going to read these reviews?)

The minimum age for kids to enjoy this probably starts around 8-10, but even adults may want to stick with the rules at the easier levels unless you have a lot of time to plan your winning strategy.

Updated Oct 25, 2006

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Digit / Pick-It / Stix

First to recommend

Description

This card and sticks game challenges your ability to recognize and transform shapes with rotation and mirroring thrown into the mix.

Taking turns you each try to convert the current shape of the 5 sticks into a shape that matches one of your 5 cards by moving only one stick. It's not always possible and certainly not always easy, but the person who succeeds the most wins.

This simple but challenging game is enjoyed by adults and kids, and we've found that children as young as 4-5 can get a thrill in figuring out a way to create a match for a pattern.

If you're tired of playing the same games with your kids, try to find a copy of this one and stretch your minds in new ways.

This difficult to find game is known by several different names including Digit, Stix, and Pick-It. It comes from a company named Piatnik in Germany and also used to be sold through Discovery Toys. I can find it today on Amazon.de, eBay, and funagain.com (currently out of stock).

The concept is simple enough that if you had a copy of the basic rules, you could probably create your own set of cards to play with 5 toothpicks. Figuring out the 55 ways that 5 sticks can form a shape might be a game in itself.

Updated Jun 17, 2006

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Analysis Chess Set Combo

First to recommend

Description

This is a great, inexpensive chess set for starting out. The board is easy to roll up and the pieces can be tossed in the provided zip-up bag. The small 12"x12" board fits easily in smaller places. I keep one on my desk at work and one tucked in the door pocket of my car.

Note: This set is *not* suitable for using in a USCF chess tournament. For that purpose, you will need a full size 20"x20" board with suitably larger pieces.

Updated Dec 27, 2008

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Connect Four

First to recommend

9 people recommended this item

Description

Somewhere around the time your child is starting to figure out that Tic Tac Toe always ends in a cat's game with good players, they will be ready for the classic Connect Four game. This phase will also pass as they grow older and become interested in more challenging games, but make sure they get the chance to experience it.

Updated Dec 27, 2008

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Discovery Toys Super Marbleworks

First to recommend

Description

If your kids stop to watch those moving ball structures in many US malls, they may enjoy this toy. I remember creating my own structures to roll marbles down when I was a kid. I think I used things like empty paper towel tubes, books, and rulers with the grooves on the top and I had a blast. When our son was about 4-5 my wife got the Discovery Toys Super Marbleworks (or a set very much like this one) for him and we had a blast creating structures to roll the marbles down. There is something hypnotic about watching and hearing the marbles move down, across, and around the various paths you have set up.

Updated Dec 5, 2006

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Cuboro Marble Run

First to recommend

Description

We had a set of marble blocks very similar to this Cuboro Marble Run. Our son had a lot of fun setting up different structures for the marbles to follow. Though it is similar in concept to the Discovery Toys Marbleworks you need to use a different thought process to set up these wooden blocks than for the plastic pathways.

Updated Dec 5, 2006

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Ball of Whacks

3 people recommended this item

Description

Every kid (and dad) needs a set of 30 magnetized golden ratio rhombic pyramids. It would be nice to get these in wood instead of plastic, but they're still fun for the imagination.

Updated Jul 18, 2008

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Gifts for Sharp Nephews and Smart Nieces - a list by esh

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