

At our December Game Club we played some card and board games that most of the kids had not played before, a kids’ version of a traditional game, a twist on dominoes, plus a pocket game that is rapidly becoming a favorite.
Here is the list:
Sorry! Revenge – This card game joins the Sorry! board game with the speed of War to make a fun game that kids and adults alike can enjoy. Two people can play, though it is more fun to have three or four players. This game is a game of chance rather than strategy, which levels the playing field between age groups. You can use this game to practice math (counting to 21), while the action cards add fun, and the Sorry! and Don’t be Sorry! cards are the twists that make the game interesting. For ages 6 and up, and fun for all ages.
Forbidden Island – This board game was new to most of the kids, and the format of the game was also new. Forbidden Island is a collaborative game, where the kids need to work together to win against the game itself. If you have seen this on “Tabletop“, then you can see how much fun working together can be! This game combines the storytelling and teamwork of a RPG with the chance of a card game and the strategy of a standard board game. Though this game is listed for kids 10 and up, younger kids who understand strategy and collaborative play can join in too.
Flip Out – It’s a card game, a strategy game, a pattern matching game, and a swapping game all in one! This game looks easy – your goal is to collect sets of 4, 5, or 6 adjacent cards in the same color. However, the cards are double-sided (you only see one side), so opposing players can see and use your cards to make a match to their own sets. Players can take your cards via a swap on their turn, disrupting your sets. They can also swipe your cards, if the backs of your cards make a set. Strategy and cunning wins the game! This game can be modified to simply be a pattern matching game for younger kids, and at least at our house, the very youngest players enjoy using the cards to make beautiful table mosaics.
Left, Center, Right – This pocket game is quick, fun and highly addictive. The rules are simple – each player starts with three tokens, rolls three dice, and does what the dice say – pass their tokens to other players, put their tokens in the center, or keep their tokens. The winner is the player who ends up with all the tokens. This game is so much fun and so easy! We take this game for restaurant waits, enjoy it as a quick and fun game for after dinner, little kids love it, adults aren’t bored by it, and since there is no strategy, it also makes a great game to play while chatting. It’s also inexpensive, which makes it a great game to buy and try.
Snap! A Dragon Game – It’s a game, it’s a puzzle, and it’s a conundrum. This game sounds easy enough – two to four players snap tiles together to form a mass of dragons, matching dragon colors together, making certain that the dragons have heads and tails, and that the scales go the right direction. Simple, yet not at all, since the dragons curve and swerve all over the tiles. This game is great for kids and adults who love patterns, love dragons, and love the happy frustration of finding just the right piece to fit into puzzles. This game is geared towards 6 and up, and we have found that adults enjoy it as much as the kids do!
Sequence for Kids – This is a kids’ version of the traditional Sequence game, but with animals on the board instead of standard playing cards. The game’s adorable animals appeal to younger kids, while older kids and adults can employ strategy to win. This game is easy to understand, can be played quickly, but still feels like a “real” game. We have had lots of fun with diverse ages playing this game, though it is technically geared towards ages 3-6.
Q-Bitz – This is a great pattern matching game that kids and adults can play in all kinds of different ways. You can race each other to match your blocks to the pattern on the cards, or you can play as a solitaire version competing against yourself. This game is listed for kids ages 8 and up, but even our youngest can play this game, matching the blocks to the cards. It does have small pieces, so definitely not for little ones who still put things into their mouths.
Rock On! – This game is basically Bingo for rocks, which makes it easy for younger kids to play and enjoy, while exposing older kids (and adults!) to cool and interesting rocks. Not only do the cards picture the rocks, there are some basic rock facts on each card, which has led to additional reading and research when we have played it at home. Examples: why is sodalite so blue? What kind of rock is selenite rose? This game is a great jumping off point for learning about geology at home, and easy enough to play that even the youngest players can have fun and win.
Tri-ominos – This classic triangular domino game is easy to play (match to win), but uses enough strategy to be interesting. Not for the youngest kids, but great for kids (and adults!) who enjoy pattern matching, dominoes, and strategy. We have also used it at home as a single-player game to practice number matching and pattern matching. For ages 8 and up, though kids younger than that can play it successfully.
Thanks again to everyone who braved the cold weather to come play games! Our next Game Club is in March.

