5 Fun Family Games

We all know how important family time is. No matter how busy you are, you should always make time for at least one night a week where you can sit and spend time with your loved ones. A good way to do this is to initiate family game night where one night (or more if you decide you like this activity) a week you sit down and play board games with your family. Here are some suggestions on games that will help make your family game night a success.

Scene-It (Screen Life)-before you question the age appropriateness of this game, be aware that there are many versions of it including, Nick Jr, Harry Potter, and Disney. The idea behind the game is to answer questions about movies or movie clips based on what you roll. You can answer trivia questions or watch a clip and answer the question that follows. First one to get to the winner's circle wins the game. I recommend you picking up one of those so that there are no concerns about impressionable eyes and ears in the room. I like this game because you can go individuals or teams and watch clips that will make the whole family laugh. It also tests your skills in recalling even the smallest details and remembering things as a whole. Plus the younger children will really enjoy seeing clips from their favorite movies and may make them want to watch them which can lead to yet another fun activity; family movie night. You can buy this game at most chain retail stores, such as Target or Wal-Mart.

Monopoly/Monopoly Jr (Hasbro)-classic board game that you yourself probably played growing up. I put both down because based on your children's ages they may not be able to last for how long regular Monopoly takes. The idea is to buy up as much property as you can (trying to get a monopoly and buy all the same colored properties) and build on them to become the richest person on the board. This game can be bought at any retail store or at stores like Borders and Barnes & Noble. You can also get specialized versions of this game at sports stores that model itself after your favorite sports time (like "Longhorn"-opoly) or even a city based one (like Austin-in-a-Box). This one helps with math skills, especially the junior edition since the math is easier for the little ones to follow. As another alternative, there is a new card game version of Monopoly for when you want a quick game, where you draw cards from a deck to try get three sets of monopolies to win the game.

Life (Hasbro)-the concept is like the game suggests; you go through the various ups and down your life can take starting with the basic choice of working or college after high school. You spin the spinner to move, pick a career, and then draw cards to see what curve balls life will throw at it (which can include marriage, multiple children, and such). There are also spaces to land on that can affect you, such as accidents and the like. What's fun about this game is that it can be taken to be a big game of "what if" which is always fun. Plus it's a way for the kids and parents to laugh if a scenario happens where the child makes more than the parents in their career. This game has been through many versions but the concept of one winner in life (read one person who had a good run at everything) is fun plus it's hilarious to see the different avenues one life can take. Life is available where other games are sold.

Trivial Pursuit(Hasbro)-the idea of this game is simple; you have a wedge and go around the board answering questions on various topics. When you land on the special spot (noted by the large pie piece on it) and you get the answer right you win that color. The first one to get all his pieces and make it to the center of the board (you must land on it with an exact number) and answer a question chosen by the other players wins. This was a favorite in my house and it is still a classic one today. It helps children to become smarter and learn stuff that they may not have learned before and helps the older people remember. There are many versions of this game so you can get one with questions especially for the children so it is not too hard for them and as they grow so can the questions. My family and I spent many a nights playing this game and often still do, as we love the competition and learning stuff that we didn't know. Trivial Pursuit in its many formats is also available at Target, Wal-Mart, and the like.

Last but not least Yahtzee (Hasbro) is also a great family game. You have a cup with five dice in them to shake up and roll and try to get various combinations, such as three of a kind, large and small straights, or the big one a 'yahtzee', which is where all five die read the same number. Based on the combinations you get you accrue a certain amount of points and whoever has the largest number at the end of the thirteen rounds wins the game. This is a fun game because there is no worry about a large amount of competition as the game is pretty much luck. Also, really young members of your family won't feel left out because there is no knowledge required plus it helps them to recognize numbers. And everyone loves to shout "Yahtzee!" when they get the coveted dice roll. Yahtzee is also available at most retail stores.

There are many fun family games out there, designed to bring families together to have a good time. I picked the ones I did because they were the ones I enjoyed playing the most with my family growing up and I hope I can continue the tradition with my own family in the years to come.