Games to Buy Kids for Christmas

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I know! I know! Halloween isn’t even here yet, so how can I even be thinking about Christmas. But all of the craziness in the world this year has me thinking about my favorite holiday and all of the happiness and cheer that goes along with it, and that just happens to be CHRISTMAS! Plus I’m also a little worried that in these crazy times if I wait too long to do my Christmas shopping then my kids may end up with nothing. (Did you seriously see how there was NOTHING left for canning supplies this year? In all of my years canning, they’ve never run out of things so early. But this year, I could barely do up anything because the supplies just weren’t available. So if something like canning creates a craze, then I imagine Christmas will be the same.) My kids are currently going through a phase where they are fascinated with games. The current ones we have at home are starting to get boring because we’ve played them over and over and over and over and OVER. So I decided to sit down and research some fun new games that I’m sure will be a hit with my kids this Christmas (plus they build some great problem solving and critical thinking skills…mom win!). And bonus points for me because I can avoid a trip to the store and order them all online.

Uno

There is nothing quite as entertaining in our house as a classic game of Uno. We have played this game so many times that I think we can all play it in our sleep. Even my youngest could understand this game when he was as young as 5 years old. All kids have to do is match colors or numbers, so most 5 year olds can understand that. But if you’re looking to put a new spin on Uno, there are quite a few options out there.

Uno Attack

The current Uno game that my kids have been eyeing is Uno Attack. This game has been around awhile, but I think my kids are finally at the age where they can play it without becoming super frustrated. This is a faster paced Uno. Uno Attack has an electronic random card shooter that adds an element of unpredictability to each game. As you’re trying to match the cards in your hand to the current card shown, there are attack cards that determine how many times you have to push the card launcher button. Then wait and watch out! Because more cards just might come shooting out at you. It’s such an exciting twist to our original Uno game.

Uno Dare

Uno Dare is played like regular Uno, but you are faced with a choice on each turn. You can either draw more cards or take a dare. There are 3 categories of dare cards: family, show off, and daredevil. Each card has 16 dares on it, and the game even comes with a blank house rules card where your family can create your own rules. I can only imagine the laughter and creative new rules that will result from playing this game. (And the amount of times I may have to yell, “That’s not a safe choice for a dare!” Haha!)

Uno Flip

Uno Flip had tons of recommendations from parents. Here is how the game works: There is a FLIP card that you may end up with in your hand of cards. If you get the flip card, the draw deck and draw pile are then flipped over to the “dark” side to reveal an entirely new set of darker colors and numbers. The holder of the FLIP card determines whether you play on the “light” or “dark” side of the deck — and when you switch it back around. There is some great strategy to this as you rush to be the first to get rid of all your cards.

Uno Stakco

Jenga has been a popular game at our house since last Christmas. If you haven’t introduced your kids to it yet, I highly recommend it. Listening to their excited squeals are totally worth it as they worry about whether or not their next move will cause the tower to fall. Uno Stacko looks to be just as exciting, since it combines both Jenga and Uno. The objective of the game is basically to keep on stacking the tower higher and higher, until it falls. But you do not want to be the person who makes the tower fall. When the tower falls, the round is over, and the winner is the last person who successfully pulled and restacked the last block without causing the tower to fall. The loser is the person who made the tower fall (and all the other players aside from the winner). As soon as I’m done with this post, I plan on ordering it for my boys for Christmas.

Various Other Uno Games

Of course if the members in your house love Harry Potter, then there is a Harry Potter Uno themed game for that. You can even be your favorite Harry Potter characters, and the rules are Harry Potter themed. So fun!

There are also Uno games for the Disney lovers in your family. Check out Uno Disney Frozen II, Uno Disney Mickey Mouse & Friends, Disney Parks Uno, or do a simple search of “Disney Uno”. You will be amazed at what you can find. Even though it’s not Disney related, I am thinking my 8 year old will absolutely LOVE the WWE Uno. Even though it’s not my favorite, I’m thinking he will be over the moon when I add this as a stocking stuffer for him. It seems there is an Uno game for almost every type of fan.

There are even Uno games for preschoolers. My kids adored Uno Moo and Uno Junior from about the time they turned 3.

Sushi Go!

Sushi Go! is a game of strategy. And nope, you don’t have to know a thing about sushi to be able to play this game. (I was seriously worried about this. Haha!) Here’s how it works: You select a card to play, then pass all your cards to the player on your left. Each card has a score number, so you will want to play cards that have high numbers but will go together to make your sushi dish. Repeat until all the cards are gone, then add your points. After three rounds of this process, the game is over. The strategy and fun comes from drafting the cards that will maximize your points, knowing you can’t have them all – and neither can your opponents!

Qwirkle

If you are looking for a game that can be played simply or can create quite the challenge for your child, then the teacher in me absolutely LOVES the game Qwirkle! The rules are basic. You simply build lines by matching tiles based on either color or shape, and score points for doing so. However, the ability to build complex combinations will keep children interested and engaged, and challenge them mentally. I also love that this game focuses on developing spatial recognition, planning, and problem solving skills. So many kids come to school without these skills, so what a great way to work on them without your kids even knowing it.

Set

Set is another fun game that my teacher heart just LOVES! Your child will build spatial relationships, logical reasoning, math skills, use both their right and left parts of their brain, develop visual perception, and work on critical thinking all while having fun. Anyone at any age can play this game. Here’s how it works. The game starts with twelve cards face-up on the table. You have to look at the cards to find sets of 3 that match three of the four characteristics, or none at all. So you study every card and eventually find a set. It’s not a race to that card, you simply have to shout “Set” before anyone else does. After that, you can take your time grabbing your cards–you already have first claim, so there’s no rush. However, you get penalized when you’re wrong (and you will be wrong, frequently), so be careful. Scoring is as follows: you count the number of sets you found. That’s it. But remember, for each wrong guess, you lose a set. It’s not a high-scoring game, so if the leader only has a few sets, everyone is in the game until the very end.

Exploding Kittens

If you’re someone who doesn’t have a sense of humor or is easily offended, then just skip right over this game and read about the next. However, if you’re looking for something a little less traditional, then Exploding Kittens might just be what you’re looking for. I had never heard of this game before researching it, but oh my goodness! It will totally be a game that our elves deliver this year because I think my boys will be amused. Here’s how this one works: You put cards on the table and take turns drawing from them. If you draw an Exploding Kitten, you explode and are out of the game. You can avoid exploding if you play a Defuse Card. Defuse Cards distract the Exploding Kittens with things like laser pointers, kitten yoga, and catnip sandwiches. Or you can also play various cards to skip your turn, attack other players, peek at the deck, or secretly relocate an Exploding Kitten Card. This sounds like hours of entertainment for my boys as I can see them playing it over and over again.

Mancala

I just bought this exact Mancala game for my 8 year old last week. His first grade teacher had it, and he was obsessed. In a nutshell, here is how this game works: During a turn, a player grabs all of the stones in a hole on their side and drops them, one by one, in succeeding holes in a counter-clockwise direction. Players MAY place stones in their own mancala (it counts as a hole), but they MUST skip over their opponent’s mancala. Players MAY place stones in holes on their opponent’s side. This continues until the player has no more stones in his hand. It is then their opponents turn. The game is over when a player (not both) has no more stones on his side. His opponent then takes all of the stones on his side and places them in his mancala. The winner is the person with the most stones in his mancala after counting.

Skip Bo

Skip Bo is one of those games that has been around forever. I remember playing it at my great aunt’s house as a kid. But what I didn’t realize was that I was learning about strategy when I played this game. Apparently, I wasn’t very good with strategy because I remember my cousins ALWAYS beating me at this game. Haha! Anyway, here’s how this game works: Players use skill and strategy to create sequencing stacks of cards in ascending order (2,3,4…). The Skip-Bo “wild” cards add extra twists to keep the game interesting and help you beat your opponents. The first player to use all the cards in their personal stockpile wins! I may just have to introduce the boys to this game too.

Guess Who?

My 11 year old insisted that I include Guess Who? in my list of recommended games. The object of this game is simple. Each player chooses a mystery character card and then using yes or no questions, tries to figure out the other player’s mystery person.  The teacher in me LOVES how this game forces kids to ask questions instead of just make a statement (You’d be amazed at how many times a kid has their hand raised in class saying they have a question but really just has a story to tell!), and it really forces them to focus in on details of their character. This game is so simple that my youngest could play it when he was 4, and my oldest didn’t mind helping my youngest develop his questioning skills. Woo-hoo!

I know that with all of the current technology, games may seem like a thing of the past, and you may wonder why even bother. But I encourage you to give them a try. Most kids are THRILLED to have someone sit down with them and give them undivided attention while playing with them. Games also teach so many skills that a video game just can’t teach. Besides teaching logic, problem solving, and strategy, who knew that a simple game could teach social emotional skills such as self-awareness, empathy towards others, self control, emotion management (Ever seen a kid throw a giant fit because a game wasn’t going their way? I have seen it all too often in the classroom. Kids must learn they can’t always win at everything they do.) , conflict resolution, and decision making? Sounds pretty good to me. And let’s face it, anything we can do to help our kids become productive members of society is a win for everyone. So what are you waiting for? Go buy your kid some games, work on some skills they won’t even realize you’re teaching, and create some bonding time and life long memories in the process!

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