On rainy days, classic favorites such as Scrabble and Monopoly are perfect to entertain kids. But some busy families might not have hours to devote to board games. There are great new games on the market that take only a few minutes to play, but will keep kids entertained when they are in the mood for a game or two.
In Flash!, from Blue Orange Games, players race to complete eight challenges of dice combinations as they try to rack up the most points. Combinations include six of a kind, a straight, all odd numbers, all even numbers, and two sets of three. The first player to complete the challenge picks up the chip worth the most points. Players continue rolling until all players earn a chip. Straight-forward and easy to learn, game play only takes about 10 minutes. There are enough sets of brightly-colored dice for up to six players ages 7 and up.
With Stop It!, from Winning Moves Games, game play is simple. Players do not wait for turns, meaning everyone is always in the game. There are five colored suits of cards and everybody plays cards sequentially on the table. If an opponent is on a roll and playing lots of cards, another player can slap a Stop It! card and bring him or her to a screeching halt. The first player to get rid of all of his or her cards in a round scores points. Stop It! is designed for two to four players ages 10 and up. A game of speed and strategy, it’s easy to get caught up in playing multiple games.
A great word game that is quick to play is Dabble, from INI LLC. Players must race the timer to create five words with 20 tiles, including a two-, three-, four-, five-, and six-letter word. The first player to score 200 points wins. With high-scoring letters, such as X, Q, and Z, points can rack up fast. The timer only lasts for five minutes as well, pushing game play along.
Rory’s Story Cubes: Voyages, from Gamewright, contains nine six-sided cubes with a differentimage on each side. The cubes aim to inspire stories of epic adventure as kids roll the dice and use the images for inspiration for their tales. Start with “Once Upon a Time…” or “Far, Far Away…” and tell a story that links together all nine face-up images. The game is designed for one or more players ages 8 and up. Kids will love making up fantastic stories, while the adventurous and silly tales will entertain other players.
All of these games are fast, easy, and exciting. Parents can squeeze in some fun with their kids without making a serious time commitment, and the games are all short enough to hold kids’ attention until the end. For busy days when your little one is begging to play a game, be sure to try one of these quicker options.
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