Monday, November 17, 2014

Games for Boys Who Like to Think - Christmas Gift Ideas!

 This post contains affiliate links.

Christmas time is quickly approaching and I've been trying to think of gift ideas for my kids.  Are you doing the same?  One of my children is a boy who loves to figure out how things work.  Me doesn't necessarily like a challenge when it comes to school work...or chores...but he does when it comes to games!  He always asks me to play games like Risk and Chess with him.  Those games are fine, but I've been looking for some others that might be good Christmas gifts.  I thought I would share with you some of our favorites and also some new ones that I have on my wish list!



Betcha Can't Win

I received this game recently from Simply Fun and it was an instant hit!  My favorite part?  It comes with 24 beautiful dice =)  I'm not sure why I like that so much.  In this game, each person rolls all 6 of their dice and tries to add the numbers up to match numbers on the card.  There is strategy involved because you can steal cards from other players and you can split your dice by putting some on one card and some on another.  My son asks to play this all the time.  I like that you could also tweak the rules and have your child use other math operations (like multiplication or subtraction) to make the game more difficult as your child grows.  Highly recommended!



Catan Junior

Have you enjoyed playing Settlers of Catan with your friends?  Have you tried this junior version with your kids?  It is rated perfectly on Amazon, and I'm looking forward to getting it to play with my son!





Enchanted Forest

Another great game that mixes strategy with memory!  In this game, you are searching for treasures in the forest and making your way to and from the castle.  Fun for the whole family!



Simon

This is a classic!  Did you have Simon as a kid?  It seems so simple, but it is an amazing brain stretcher.  The only downside is that it is noisy =)




SET

I remember playing this in elementary school!  You place out a grid of cards and each player searches for as many sets as they can.  The tricky part is that the sets can be made in different ways.  It sounds simple, but it is really challenging!




Ticket to Ride

This game is wonderful because it combines strategy with history, geography, and just plain fun!  What boy doesn't like trains?  =)  Plus, you can get different versions and expansion packs so you can pick a time frame or region that appeals to your child!






Gravity Maze 

Physics...Logic...Building...Marbles...Fun!  This game looks awesome.  I love that it grows with your child, too.  It starts with easy cards and then gets more challenging.  We haven't tried this one, but it gets rated perfectly and it's on my list!







I hope this gives you some good ideas!

 

What are your favorite games?



 

 

 

2 comments:

  1. Yes! Catan Junior!? I had no idea this existed!! Thank you for posting this. Just added it to my boys Christmas items. My husband and I love playing this game with borh my family and his. It will be great to be able to play with our little guys! :)

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    Replies
    1. Yeah! I'm glad that this list helped you =) It's on my list too!

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