All A Board

by Kathy S. Nichols

With the current "monopoly" that television, VCRs, and computers have on our children's time, we as parents are finding that the younger generation just doesn't have a "clue" when it comes to a good old-fashioned Family Fun Night. We "scrabble" around trying to find a way to divert them from electronics, keep them out of "trouble" and bring our generation's good times back to their attention. This can lead to much "aggravation" for us, as children often find the "trivial pursuits" of their parents boring and complete "balderdash". How do we plan a night of entertainment that doesn't include the TV or the computer, and yet won't leave our children "sorry" they participated? Well, if you've recognized any of the hints dropped in this paragraph, raise your hand, yell "Bingo!" and take a "risk" on some of the family fun described below.

Yes, I am talking about the board games that sustained us through our own childhood. Remember gathering around the table on Wednesday or Saturday nights? The whole family teamed up for a roaring good time. Parents against kids. Sibling against sibling. The laughter, card flipping, and dice rolling fun. Those days aren't lost. We just need to bring them back to the front line. Commit ourselves to set aside one night a week where we turn off the TV, the computer, and the VCR, sit across from each other, make eye contact, have a great time, and great conversation.

A lot of the games we loved are still around, and there are plenty of new games to fill out the scorecard. Below are lists of games for various age groups. Give them a look. Then dust the cobwebs off those boxes in the closet, shake those dice, and get ready to play!

Ages 2-7

• AlphaPets - Go from A to Z in this delightful animal alphabet puzzle building game. Helps build memory, matching, pre-reading, and alphabet skills.
  
  
• Barnyard Bingo - A preschooler's version of one of our favorites! Match colors, shapes, and animals. Of course the most fun part is yelling "Bingo"!
  
  
• Blues Clues - If you have preschooler's, you've met Blue. Follow this adorable little puppy, gather the clues she leaves, and solve the puzzle!
  
  
• Candyland - OK raise your hand if you've played this one! Definitely an old favorite. Use the colored cards to move forward on the board, but watch out for those sticky trouble spots.
  
  
• Chutes and Ladders - Another oldie but goodie. Follow along the board and go up, up, up the ladders, while trying not to slide down those chutes.
  
  
• Clue Jr. - A scaled down version for the tiny tots. Figure out which pet and toy are hidden in the clubhouse.
  
  
• Hi Ho! Cherry O - Remember this one? It was probably one of your first counting games.
  
  
• Memory - Find those matched pairs. Memory now comes in many flavors from the original to versions starring some of our children's favorites like Arthur, Pooh, and Blue.
  
  
• Monopoly Jr. - Travel around an amusement park buying up attractions and rides, in this smaller version of the classic money game.
  
  

Ages 7 and up

• 20 Questions - The kids will have a ball with this one as they try to guess popular persons, places, and things by asking those 20 questions.



• Aggravation - A race to get your marbles from start to home, but watch out, if someone lands on your spot you get bumped!



• Checkers - King me! Jump those checkers across the board. Get rid of all your opponent's checkers and win the game.



• Chess - An historic game of skill and strategy.



• Clue - The original version. Was it Ms. Scarlett with knife, or Professor Plum with the rope? Gather your clues and eliminate suspects as you move around the board trying to figure out who done it.



• Family Feud - "Survey says…" Pick your categories and try to figure out the top 10 answers.



• Monopoly - This wheeling and dealing money game has come a long way. In addition to the original version you can find versions in almost every interest area: Star Wars, Major Cities, and Looney Tunes. You can even order a customizable Monopoly game where you add your own family's favorite names and places.



• Trouble - The ever popular pop-o-matic. Make that die bounce around as you race around the board trying to be the first one to get all your men home.



• Scrabble - One of my personal favorites. Choose your tiles, and brush up on your vocabulary. Make those letters into high scoring words.



• Sorry - Another race around the board and try not to get sent back to home game. Watch the kids light up as they send you back to base and say "Sorry!".

Age 12 and up

• Balderdash - Can you find the real answer hidden amongst the ones you and your family made up? A fun way to get those creative juices flowing.



• Imaginiff - This one is a great way to get to know your family members. Guess the answers to questions like "if your mom was a tree, what kind of tree would she be?"



• Outburst - Shout out those answers. If you find them all in time, you win!



• Pictionary - Get out the sketch pads and pencils and draw your way into a little family fun. It's charades on paper.



• Risk - The timeless game of strategy and world domination. Plot and maneuver your way to a win.



• Scattegories - A list of strange topics, and a roll of the letter die, and you are off. Find a unique list of answers starting with the appropriate letter and gain points.



• Taboo - Try to get your team to guess the topic. But watch out, you can't say any of the forbidden words, and the other team is watching to make sure you don't!



• Trivial Pursuit - How much do you know? This knowledge game comes in many varieties. The original version, Disney, NASCAR, MTV, and Baby Boomers just to name a few.