Family Games

We're looking forward to having all the family together for Christmas this year. Finding games that everyone enjoys can be challenging, especially since the kids range in age from four to ten. One of our all-time favorites is Pit, the classic stock-trading game. The goal is to corner the market on a commodity such as wheat or corn by trading cards while avoiding the bear and trying to determine if the bull is going to be an asset or a liability. The fun factor? Everyone plays at the same time! We can really make the windows rattle with this one!

This summer we discovered another favorite, Settlers of Catan. In this game you collect resources so you can build roads, settlements, and cities. It may sound similar to Monopoly, but it doesn't take as long to play. The fun factor? During each person's turn all the other players get a chance to participate as well. We enjoyed it so much that we're adding an expansion kit, Cities and Knights. If you have more than four players you'll need to play as teams, or purchase the extension kit to extend the number of players to six.

Now I'm checking out Forbidden Island. I'm intrigued at the description that the players join together to play against the game itself. We'll be playing it during the holiday to see if it makes the "favorites" list.

Do you have any "off the beaten path" favorite family games?