Best Winter Board Games for Kids - 2011

It has been described as "Game of the Decade" and is a game where you are literally trying to push your opponent over the edge. Though this board game is two player game, we love it because the rules are simple and allow for both adults and kids to participate according to their own abilities.

The challenge of the Abalone Board Game is to push your opponents marbles of the board by positioning your marbles in a way that marches them in to your opponents territory.

The other good thing about Abalone is that the games are short, so you can share the game around and everyone gets  turn. You could even have a knock out Abalone competitions amongst family and friends, crowning the victor for 2011 in your home.

Brainbox Australia

Few board games have met with such an outstanding response as the Brainbox range. Any of them is ideal as a family or kids board game, but we have chosen this one - a new one because, being Australian ourselves, it also provides good educational material for our home -school kids.

Brainbox has questions about everything, everyone and everywhere. It's a quality Social and Educational Board Game that requires little set up. You can get going in under a minute wit this board game. Kids love to be quizzed, and this board game does just that.

Cachito - Perudo

Before the Spaniards (and the Pirates of the Caribbean) made this Dice game a household name, the humble and enjoyable social game of Cachito was played routinely throughout South America.

It's a family dice game that can be played with as many people as you like. All you need are dice cups and 5five dice per player (raid your other board games if you have to for the dice). We use a Fair Trade version which is actually made in Peru. For our family, it just gives the whole experience a note of pirate-like authenticity.

The game is played in turns, dice hidden under your cup. Each player has to make a guess at what lies under all cups. The player beside can challenge you by calling out, "Dudo", which means, "I doubt". The dice are revealed. If your right in your guess, you stay a love for another round. If you are wrong, you lose a dice.

Play continues, round after round until only one player has dice left. This is an often loud family and social board game that the adults love as much as the kids.

It would be ideally suited to kids aged 10 and up.

Charades Family Board Game

Ah, Charades. A traditional family board game that never lets you down. Everyone (well, almost everyone) knows the rules. Anyone can play and numbers are not a problem.

We have included Charades Family edition in our top five this year mainly because the kids love it and their laughter and participation is good medicine for us parents.

Charades Board Game also makes for a good winter dinner party game.

Katamino

Ok, so, all of the board games we have mentioned so far are social family board games, but we have included this one because even parents need a break, and Katamino provides great activity for the kids, while leaving mum free to prepare some dinner.

Katamino is from the now famous French stable of Board Game Makers, Gigamic.

Katamino is an ever changing puzzle and a stimulating brain teaser for kids. And it's not just an award winning educational kids board game: It's also a construction set to boot!

The aim is to build perfect units called "Pentas" by placing a certain number of Pentaminos on the game board. The board game is high quality and the best way to explain it's components and game play is for you to see a picture of the Katamino Board Game for yourself.

Katamino is ideal for preschooler's but also offers enough challenges components to entertain any child up to their early teenage years.

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