We are a game family – always have been and once we started having kids we decided we were going to be a technology free family, at least as far as phone/tablet games and other gaming systems go.
Fast forward 10 years and we have four busy boys. With no screen time to keep them busy, we find other things to do and our favorite thing is games!
We play games a lot. The boys play with each other, by themselves, we play as a family, every which way you can play games, we play them. And now that our kids are getting a little older, we’re starting to get to play some really fun ones. We’ve tried out a bunch of new games recently and we have 10 new favorites to share.
Presenting, in no particular order, our TOP 10 GAMES EVERY FAMILY SHOULD OWN AND PLAY OFTEN!
2. Zimbbos!
4. Wackee Six (Wackee International)
This has been one of my favorite games for at least 15 years. I grew up playing this game with my family and friends all the time, we LOVE it. If you’ve never played, you’re missing out on one of the greatest games ever. It’s a fast-paced, group solitaire type game that is crazy and so fun!
Each player has his own uniquely colored deck – there are 6 in the box: red, orange, green, blue, yellow, and purple – and 2 to 12 people can play at a time.
Each deck has 54 cards – two wild cards and 52 numbered cards (1-13) in 4 different suits.
Sitting in a circle (we prefer on the carpet – it makes the cards easier to pick up!) each player or team lays 6 cards face up and 6 cards face down on the floor. The object of the game is to play all twelve of these cards in the center where everyone is creating piles of cards by suit and in order from number 1 up to 13.
Everyone is playing in the playing field while flipping through the remaining cards in their deck, 3 at a time, to try to get as many cards in the center AND get rid of the 12 cards in front of them.
When the game begins it’s a madhouse! Everyone is putting their cards in the center at the same time – sometimes two people go for the same pile!
We have some fierce competitors in our family – Elliot hates to lose. This is one reason we need to play games often – to learn how to win AND lose graciously. It’s a work in progress…
Even Linus likes to play, although he usually causes all kinds of confusion, putting the wrong cards in the wrong piles. Oh well, he doesn’t want to be left out!
When the first player/team gets all of their 12 cards out into the center, they yell “WACKEE SIX!” and play stops. All the cards in the center are turned face down and each player grabs all the cards in his own deck. The player with the most points (cards in the center) wins!
The more players, the crazier it gets! It’s loud, fast, fun, and totally addictive.
Wackee Six is $21 on Amazon and great for ages 6+.
