Family Game Night

Last weekend, we got together with friends and had one of the most relaxing and fun afternoons we’ve had in a while. Much of our day centered around a pack of Uno cards. We spent at least two hours at a coffee shop playing the card game with our friends’ 6-year-old and our 7-year-olds while enjoying hot chocolate, tea and some coffee. The parents were as into the game as the kids were.

Family game nights can be a lot of fun. The games can be purchased for not much money and can provide hours of fun for kids and adults. Add some refreshments and some munchies and you have a mini-party for all ages. In my house, we’re thinking of instituting a family game night at least once a week. These are among our favorite card and board games:

• Uno: Part game of chance, part strategy game, Uno is equally fun for adults and children ages 7 and up. Race to get rid of all your cards by matching the color or face value of the card put down by the opponent before you. Wild cards up the excitement by adding an element of strategy to the game.
• Chutes and Ladders: This is a classic board game the parents can play with children ages 3 to 7. The object is to be the first to get your piece from square one to square 100. Players are rewarded by climbing up ladders, or if they happen to land on an unlucky square, falling down chutes. The game is great for introducing kids to higher numbers as they count their way up to the top of the game.
• Chinese Checkers: Simply move or jump your marbles across the board (from one point of the star to the opposite point) in this game for two to six players for ages 7 and up. This game is a great one to play with kids, as it can involve several players and doesn’t take complicated instructions to understand.
• Clue: This classic whodunnit game is for adults and kids ages 8 and up. My family spent many an evening playing this game when I was young. The strategy of this game is to figure out who among a host of characters committed a murder in the game's mansion. By making your way around the board game representation of the mansion and asking questions of your opponents, you can deduce who committed the murder, what weapon they used and what room the murder was committed in. The answer to the question – which is different in each game – lies in the confidential case file envelope.