Combine the best family games and family activities for bonding with your children. In this century, it is increasingly evident that most families are busier than ever. Commonly seen is that both parents are employed in the workforce having just enough allowable time to transition from work (most likely during the commute home), be present for school activities, help with homework, dinner and bedtime.

Weekends tend to be even busier seeing that Johnny and Suzy are involved in sports and need to be shuttled to and from their destinations. There are the household chores, grocery shopping, and home maintenance that seem to devour free time as a family. A system has to be created so that free time will not be sacrificed and for the possibility of generating more.

Make time for family games

Choosing the right games can be easy to do. You will want to make sure the games will be compatible for all family members to participate. The important ingredient for playing the games is for everyone to make the time to come together. For this to happen, it may take some sacrificing of time allowed for other activities such as television and chores.

A great way to approach the game playing is to set aside 30 minutes of free time that will be convenient for all. Playing the games may take longer than the time set aside but you can always continue the play the following day. There is no need for alarm if the play falls short of time allowed. The object is to have fun without judgment, criticism, or teasing.

Bond together with other fun activities

Along with the family games, bond together with other fun things to do. You can find quite a few fun activities for families from your local newspaper or magazine. Some of the activities may be free of charge while others charge a nominal fee. Be prepared to adjust the free time for everyone to enjoy the activity. Get input from family members as to what they would like to do so they can be part of the decision process.

Another great activity for bonding that is truly overlooked is chores. As unpleasant as it may be, it can create the perfect time for closeness. It serves a wonderful space in time to socialize together or one on one with a family member. It also affords the opportunity for parents to listen to their children and facilitates a channel of communication. Chores can be a fun activity when everyone cooperates and works together. The trick is to work on a chore collectively not individually. It will speed up the process to complete the task and eliminate the doldrums of doing the routine alone.

Looking at the big picture

There is no doubt that family bonding takes effort and commitment especially for those families with busy lifestyles. Families will have to figure out what strategies and techniques will work best for them. A key factor to keep in mind is that it is not the quantity of time but the quality of time devoted to the activities. Once a system has been created, a family is on their way to successful bonding.

Yesterday my 40 year old friend saved the lives of millions of people by helping to eradicate at least 5 deadly diseases and keep them from spreading all over the world. He set up a farm, built barns and filled them with cows and pigs. Then he assisted in rebuilding settlements and roads on an island known as Catan. Finally, he used the remainder of his time to work on claiming routes and rail cars on railways across Europe.

He did all this just for fun and he did it at home with his family. This was Family Game Night.

My friend is one of hundreds (maybe thousands) who loves to play board games. “They are incredibly entertaining and they are also educational.” So many families can no longer afford to take a night and go to the movies. By the time you pay for your tickets; buy popcorn, drinks and snacks; you have spent upwards of $30. In today’s economic environment this is an expense most young families cannot afford for “fun”. There has been a resurgence of playing board games in recent months. It is an affordable way for families to have fun. Teachers are using board games as educational tools. Listed below are the top five games at my friend’s game center.

1. Ticket To Ride – Europe
2. Jambo!
3. Colosseum
4. Tigris and Euphrates
5. Agricola

Board games are pretty straight forward and easy to learn. Even an active four year old I know to play board games. We have purchased games that are rated for his age group and he likes them but he prefers the challenge of games that his daddy plays (like Agricola) where, even though he is too young to understand the rules, he can play with the pieces and learn what they are meant to do. Many of the adult games have junior versions. My little four year old friend recently got Carcassonne Jr. as a gift. He and his five year old cousin sit down and play the game.

Most people think it is silly to expect children to be able to play adult games. It isn’t. I don’t know if you have noticed but children are a lot smarter at a younger age. They comprehend things that pass over the head of some adults. Even if they don’t understand completely they can learn good sportsman ship and can get used to the fact that you don’t always win. Ticket to Ride is a good example of a game that adults can play with the youngest child. The routes are matched to the tickets by color so the youngest child can help a mommy or daddy with his/her route. This particular game was voted the Best Family Game in 2004. There are two versions: European and American.

There are many different types of board games. We are all familiar with Monopoly and its many incarnations (city names, college names, movie names). It is still one of the most popular board games in existence. Strategy games are very popular and they aren’t as complicated as they look.

My family recommends Family Game Night. No matter what age your children are (or even if you have none) you will have a lot of fun and spend some much needed together time sitting around the kitchen table.

As the the weather starts to cool off and winter approaches, you might be considering ways to keep your family entertained on a budget. One great way to spend an evening with the family is to have a family game night.

Starting a traditional family game night might be hard at first. Today’s family game night has lots to compete with, from video games to cell phones. Our attention gets diverted by the Internet, episodes waiting for us on the DVR, and text messages. But I can guarantee you that if you start a tradition of a family night, your kids will come to look forward to it and will even ask when the next one is!

There are many benefits to playing games for entertainment. For one thing, it’s cheap. Even if you bought one new game every week, you’re talking about $10-$20 for a night of family fun. What else can you do for family fun for that amount of money? And once your game “library” is well-stocked, family game night becomes free.

Playing games with your children will encourage them to be patient with one another, teaches them to take turns and how to be a good team member, as well as being a good winner/loser. It’s a great opportunity to teach a child how to read and follow directions. And, above all, it’s a great way to spend some family time together.

Getting started is easy. Here are a few tips to get you going:

• Set aside some time for your family game night. You should plan on at least one hour and two hours would be great.
• Look for games that will be enjoyed by the age range of your children. Don’t be worried if you have a long span of years between children. There are plenty of games that can be enjoyed by all ages.
• Lay the ground work. At our game night we do not allow cell phones, home phone calls, or television (unless it’s a dvd game). We do allow background music.
• Game choices can be made by the group or by an individual family member.

Make family game night at tradition at your house.

Article Source: Family Game Night

If you are planning for a family game night, then you have to plan it well for best results. Remember the main purpose of game nights is to spend some quality time with the whole family.

Although it is just a game night, it can already create a big impact to your family’s bond. If such event will just be held at home, then one of the most important things that you should include in your planning is the games that will be played. Basically, this will be the highlight of the night when everyone can have fun and enjoy. Think of some popular indoor games that are suitable for different age groups. You can look into some of the awesome board games that are really intended to be played by the whole family.

If the time allocated for the family game night is very limited, then you can take a look into simple and short board games that are still fun to play. This is also ideal if your family prefers to play a game that can be done in a short period of time. In this way, you and your family can play a lot of games during the game night. In this case, you can consider the game “Blokus” or “Gobblet”.

Aside from simple and short board games, you can also consider the type of board games that classified to be strategy games. From the name itself, these games do not just offer fun and enjoyment for the whole family; these types of games will also test the thinking skills and risk-taking abilities of the players. The player has to come up with a strategy or plan in order to win the game as well carefully make decisions. “The Settlers of Catan” and “Puerto Rico” are just two of the games that belong to this category.

All of the games mentioned above focus more individual victory which is actually fine. But if you want to explore some other options, you can consider he types of board games that involves cooperation. Basically, this refers to the games that allow the family members to work together as a team in order to win. Each family member will have to play a specific role when playing the game and this is really perfect for big families. If your family prefers to play these kinds of games, then you can look into “Pandemic” and “Diplomacy” game.

Aside from the board games that were earlier mentioned, you can also stick with the classic and popular board games like “Scrabble”, “Monopoly”, “Trouble and Taboo”, “Corn Hole Game” and many more. You can’t go wrong with these games because they have been very popular for quite some time now. So if you and your family are not familiar with some other types of games, these classic board games would just be fine. As long as the all the family members are present, everything will turn out great and everyone will surely have fun during the family game night.

I have recently seen some television ads about ‘family game night’. These ads suggest that you go out and buy some new board and video games to play with the family once a week on family game night. I see nothing wrong with this idea. I used to love playing board games when I was a kid (which was before the advent of video games by the way). But you should not forget games played with regular playing cards and regular dice, classics that have been played and enjoyed for years. Including some of these in family game night would add variety for little extra cost.

When I think back to my childhood, I remember having fun playing the board games and store-bought card games that were popular at the time. But I also fondly remember when my family went camping and we would sit at the picnic table at night playing Cribbage by the light of a kerosene lamp. My wife cherishes the times when she was a girl and she went to her grandmother’s house and played Canasta all afternoon. And when I was in college, I loved playing Hearts and Oh Pshaw with my college friends.

How many card games do you remember playing as a child? War, and Memory, and Go Fish, and Crazy Eights. And you may have played Authors and Old Maid using cards specifically printed for those games, but they can both be played using regular playing cards. And you may have played the dice game Shut The Box using a special box with numbered tiles on hinges, but you can substitute playing cards for the tiles. Instead of shutting the box, you flip the cards. And you can play the dice game Yacht, the free version of a similarly-named dice game, using five dice and a readily available score sheet.

I think in this day and age of computers and video games, people tend to forget simpler times when playing Hearts could bring a group of people together for an evening of conversation and snacking and fun. It’s sort of ironic that Hearts is a game that most people can find in the Games folder on their computer. You can play against three computer opponents, but you cannot ask “How was your day?” and expect an answer from any of them.

Go to a bookstore or library and pick up a book of game rules. Or look on the Internet for ‘Card Game Rules’ or ‘Dice Game Rules’. Brush-up on the rules of a card or dice game that you like but have not played for a long time. Or learn the rules of an unfamiliar game that looks interesting. Then bring the game to family game night.

You can even try a ‘family game night lite’ where you lay a couple of decks of cards and a half-dozen dice on the table and play nothing except classic card and dice games. Who knows? Maybe the family will request ‘family game night lite’ once a month.

Card games are something that anyone of any age can play. They are stimulating and they can bring people together. Classic games teach kids about math, matching and many other skills. Teaching kids to play games is something that will stick with them throughout life and give them something to do other than sit in front of the television or the computer.

Kids card games can prove to be a great learning experience for a child. The colors, numbers and other aspects of the games can teach your child a lot. Your child will learn about numbers, counting, matching and memory skills. A simple card game can actually teach your child much more than you could ever imagine.

Teaching children how to play card games is something that will stick with them throughout their lifetime. Most adults play cards, either leisurely on their own or with friends. Knowing how to play cards can be a great way to get to know others. It is also a great way to bring the family together. Once your child knows how to play games, they can join in on family card game night.

Most children start off playing special card games. These games, like Old Maid and Go Fish, require special card decks that feature colorful designs. They are simple to understand for even a child that can not read because the pictures can be used. The main idea of these games is to make matches, which is something event he smallest child can easily catch onto.

The easiest way to teach a child how to play card games is to show them how to play. Most children learn best by watching something as it is being taught. You can engage a child in a card game, teaching them as you play. This will help them to learn how to play and to get the hang of the game much more quickly then simply telling them how to play.

Most classic card games have a suggested age range with them so you can choose an age appropriate game for your child. However, it is important to keep in mind that all kids are different and you should choose something based on your child’s abilities and skills. You may be surprised at how quick your child catches to card games. Many kids find games challenging which makes them more eager to learn how to play.

Some of the games that are popular for kids includes slapjack and war. Slapjack involves some physical aspects that many kids love. The cards are dealt out to each player and the object is to lay cards until a jack comes up. Once a jack comes up everyone tries to be the first to slap it. Whoever slaps it first gets the pile of cards. The winner is the player who has the most cards at the end. War is another great game for kids. Players are dealt the entire deck evenly. Players lay cards in hopes of having the highest number. If players lay the same number card then war ensues. Players have to keep laying cards until someone has the highest card. Whoever has the highest card gets the pile. Like slapjack, the goal is to have the most cards at the end.

Kids card games can really bring you and your kids together. Playing cards is a great way to spend time together. Classic games also help teach kids math skills without them even recognizing that they are learning. Card games are just something that makes for fun for everyone.

I wonder how many people are aware of the variety of traditional card games that can be played with a standard deck of playing cards.

Most probably played card games such as Crazy Eights and Memory when they were kids. Many have played on-line games such as Hearts, which is standard on PC computers. (Is Hearts also on the Mac?) And Texas Hold ‘Em Poker and other casino games are quite popular. But how about games like Casino (not a gambling game), or Go Boom, or Oh Hell, or Kings Corners, or Michigan? Some of these games may be familiar to some readers, but I’m sure that there are lots of people who haven’t heard of any of them. Let me describe them.

CASINO is a fishing game where you use a card in your hand to capture one or more face-up cards from the table. You can capture cards with the same rank as your card, or you can capture sets of cards that add up to the rank of your card, or both. Or you can use your card to build a set of cards on the table that you will take on a future turn, unless your opponent takes it first. Or you can lay a card face-up on the table. The player with the highest score based upon the cards she or he has captured wins.

GO BOOM is a trick-taking game with a twist. The tricks are worthless. It’s like Crazy Eights because you must play a card with the same suit or the same rank as the last card played. And it’s like Crazy Eights because, if you cannot play a card to a trick, you must draw cards from the draw pile until you can. Each player plays one card to the trick with the highest card winning the trick. The first player to get rid of his or her cards wins.

KINGS CORNERS is a layout game in which you play cards onto eight piles surrounding a draw pile. There is a pile above, below, to the right, and to the left of the draw pile. Kings are laid on the four corner spaces around the draw pile. You build descending sequences of cards on the piles where each card is one number lower than and the opposite color of the card beneath it. You can place a card or cards on a pile. You can move one pile to another if the sequence and color-pattern is followed. You can start a new pile if the space in the layout is empty. And if you lay down all of your cards during your turn, you win.

MICHIGAN is a sequence-building game in which you play cards onto an ascending sequence of cards. For each hand, all of the cards are dealt out to the players plus to one extra unused hand. The player to the left of the dealer plays the lowest card held in any suit. The players then lay down the cards in that suit in ascending order until either the high card is played or the next higher card is unavailable. The player who laid down the last card then lays down the lowest card held in any suit, and the game continues. The first player to run out of cards wins.

OH HELL (or OH PSHAW in genteel circles) is a trick-taking game in which each player must take the exact number of tricks bid on a hand in order to score. With four players, thirteen hands are played. One card is dealt to each player in the first hand, two cards in the second hand, and so on. For each hand, each player in turn bids the number of tricks she or he will take. The total number bid by all players must not equal the total number of tricks, so the dealer must make the last bid accordingly. Then the player to the left of the dealer leads to the first trick. If you take the exact number of tricks that you bid, you score points for that hand. If not, you score zero points. After the last hand, the player with the most points wins.

Article Source: Five Traditional Card Games

A collectible card game (CCG) is a type of game in which players play with specially designed playing cards. CCGs have been in existence for last few decades. In a collectible card game, the victory depends upon strategic game play and it is different from the traditional games of trading cards. Nowadays, several collectible card games are there that one can play over the Internet. One of these popular collectible games of recent times is Triple Triad. In the game of Triple Triad, cards represent various characters.

The modern CCG games were first introduced in 1993 when Richard Garfield designed the game Magic: The Gathering. However, an earlier collectible card game named The Base Ball Card Game was published as early as in 1904 by The Allegheny Card Co. In recent times, the card games from the Final Fantasy series gathered huge popularity from worldwide players. The eighth title of the Final Fantasy series, Triple Triad is a hugely popular collectible game.

In all types of CCG games, there is a basic set of rules that defines the players’ objectives. In a particular challenge, there can be several categories of cards that players can use to play the game. There can be some fundamental rules that can govern the interaction of the cards. The cards contain additional texts as well that explain each of the card’s precise consequence on the game. In most of the challenges, cards normally represent some particular element that is derived from the environment or setting of the game. The cards also illustrate the game’s genre and the source elements. In the Final Fantasy series, you will find cards representing various types of creatures, magical spells, reptiles, dragons, and hero and support characters.

A resource system is considered as a basis for most of the CCG games. This resource system controls the pace of these card games. For example, in a game player’s deck can be considered as a resource that can give a player an ability to control the game by moving the cards from the deck into the play area. The basic resources also help in balancing the card strength. They also help in maintaining a specific pace while playing the cards. The flow of cards determines the pace and movement of cards in the game. Many times specific cards themselves play the role of resources while sometimes various symbols on cards are considered as resources.

During a challenge, players can select specific cards from the available set of cards that will create their deck. This freedom is not available to the players in other traditional card games. In games like poker and UNO, the deck’s cards are pre-determined and players are not allowed to choose them. This flexibility of choosing the deck’s cards allows CCG players to favorably customize the deck to take benefit of favorable combinations and interactions. In a CCG challenge, players typically play their cards in turn and perform other game related actions. In different game systems, the order of the game play may vary to some extent.

Playing games has always been a good way to fight boredom. One of the most popular pastimes is playing card games. There are the popular casino card games like poker and blackjack; those that test one’s patience like solitaire and memory; and the ones that are popular among hobbyists which are the trading card games.

As time went by, more and more kinds of card games came to be known. Soon, it began to be a favorite among groups of friends who started bringing it with them to parties for everyone to enjoy. An excellent example would be Cards against Humanity.

Cards Against Humanity: An Overview

The card game is a multiplayer party game which can either be downloaded and printed for free, or purchased and delivered as a hardcopy. Designed by a group of friends from the USA, this game is considered to be one of the most horrible yet also one of the most brilliant games out there.

Upon purchasing, the game includes a box filled with 90 black cards and 460 white cards, along with a copy of the game rules and a copy of the alternate rules as well.

How the Game Is Played

The concept for Cards against Humanity is pretty simple. At the beginning of the game, players have in their hands a selection of White Cards on which are written a myriad of crazy things ranging from Santa Claus to chainsaw hands and anything else that are meant to be fun and entertaining. One player is chosen to play as the Card Czar. The Card Czar’s duty is to pick a black card that contains either a statement filled with blanks or a question that needs an answer.

The other players should each pick a response from the white cards they have in an attempt to come up with a funny (or absurdly horrifying) answer to that statement or question. The Card Czar chooses the one he or she likes best, and gives the black card to the one who came up with the best answer. The black card scores players awesome points.

To end a game, players pick out three of their card and attempt to construct a haiku. It doesn’t really matter whether the syllables aren’t enough.

Cards Against Humanity takes card games to a whole new level. Whether you want to have a good time with friends during a sleepover or just want to while time away with your family during vacation, this game is sure to keep you amused. Keep in mind, however, that some of the statements may contain an immense potential for being offensive. Even so, the game’s purpose is to entertain and the statements should not be taken seriously.

There are many different types of games. All use a deck of cards and have specific rules for the game. The rules of games can vary and different cultures have different games that they play. In general, card games all involve some type of math or matching. Card games can be games based on chance or skill.

A deck of playing cards is the one thing that all card games have in common. The typical deck of cards has a total of 52 cards. The cards are divided into four suits, hearts, diamonds, clubs and spades. Each suit of cards has numbered cards from 2 to 10, an ace and four court cards. The four court cards for each suit are the king, queen, knight and jack.

A card game begins with the deal. This is when the cards are given to each player. The deck is usually shuffled so that the cards are mixed up and then each player is given a specific number of cards that is based upon the exact game being played. There are many different ways to deal the cards. Many times they are dealt out one card at a time, but in some games they may be dealt out in creative ways.

After the cards are dealt players then begin to look over their hand. The rules of the game will dictate the next move. Players will usually rearrange their hands so they can see what they have and what they need to get a winning hand.

Games have many different origins. Some are classic games that stem from the time before cards when people played with tiles or dominoes. Some are modern inventions that someone, somewhere with a deck of cards came up with. One of the important aspects of any card game is learning the rules. All games have rules, which can be simple or complex. The only way to get good at a card game is to learnt he rules inside and out.

Card games can also be all about luck or skill. Some games involves drawing cards and you can only hope to get good cards. Other games involve planning out your hand and playing skillfully to win. Then there are games that are a mixture of both luck and skill.

Games are also very adaptable. As long as you have a deck of cards you can play a game. You can change the rules or alter the game to suit your needs. This makes games perfect for people of all ages. You can easily put together a card game that works for adults and children with a simple rearranging of the rules or generals of the game.

Card games are something that have been around for centuries. The idea of playing a game with a deck of cards may seem simple, but if you have ever played a game of cards then you know exactly how exciting card games can be. Card games are great for a get together with friends or can serve as a family pastime that keeps you and your kids close and builds family bonds.