When winter weather forces your family indoors for extended periods of time, resist the urge to turn to electronic devices to pass the time. Channel all the pent-up energy it into a good old fashioned family game night!
You can never go wrong with classics such as Uno, Scrabble, Monopoly and Twister, but new family games are hitting the market all the time. Give these options a try and see if they’re worth being added to your regular family game night rotation.
Panda Rollers
Recommended for: Ages 3-5
$19.99
This is a fun game for the toddler and preschool set. It’s easy to understand, quick to play and the googly eyes are giggle-inducing. Plus, there no risk of losing the dice! Color matching, the difference between left and right, and counting are all skills kids can learn while playing, which makes it a win in our book.
Utter Nonsense: Family Edition
Recommended for: Ages 8+
$24.99
Silly phrases combined with your family attempting different accents and voices (think Elmo, Pirate and Surfer) is the recipe for non-stop laughter. You can play the recommended way, of course, but it is also really easy to customize the rules to include more people (SO much fun!) or more playing time. The game was also created in Chicago, which instantly makes it even cooler.
Psst … and once the kids are in bed, you can pull out the 18+ version: Utter Nonsense: Naughty Edition, for even more hilarity.
Animal Upon Animal Memory Stacking
Recommended for: Ages 5+
$23.99
Your memory muscles will get a good workout while playing this unique take on a traditional Memory game. The basic premise is to remember the order of the tower of animals. Seems simple, right? But, due to a pesky crocodile who keeps disrupting the order, it’s not! The Jenga-ish thrill of trying to not knock down the tower as it grows is another exciting aspect of the game that kids will love.
Family Feud 40th Anniversary Edition
Recommended for: Ages 10+
$24.99
Fans of the hilariously addictive TV show will love the chance to play at home. (And not by just yelling answers at Steve Harvey.) There is a slight learning curve to figuring out the game console, but once you’ve got it down, you can fully enjoy all the things you love about the show: the survey questions, the sometimes boggling answers, and the Fast Money round.
The Cube: The Next Generation of Rubik’s Cube
Recommended for: Ages 5+
$12
This frustratingly fun classic brain teaser gets an upgrade with the addition of rounded corners. Expert-level cubers say that the smoother feel makes the cubes turn easier, which results in quicker solve times.
This is more of an individual game, but if you add in a time factor and maybe even some kind of scoring system (ex. 10 points to complete the entire red side, 20 points for the entire blue side, etc.), it can easily turn into a competitive group activity.
