Best game...ever? (6 yo boy)

[ahisma]

DS has asked Santa for a game - specifically the best game ever, Santa's choice.

DS loves chess, Busytown games, Rush Hour, Math Dice, etc. Scoring is great fun. He loves space, nature and maps.

I bought him Ticket to Ride...I'm pretty sure that he can handle it, but if not it will be a dud for now.

Any suggestions? He put a lot of pressure on Santa!

[citymama]

How about Monopoly? We just started playing it this past summer with DD1, when she was just 6 and a few months, and it's been a great family game. I recommend the classic Monopoly rather than the newer versions - helps with math and counting, whereas the newer ones do it for you electronically.

DD1 just got apples to apples jr for Hanukkah and it was a hit. It's good for readers with an interest in word play and lateral thinking. Both are games she will likely enjoy more in a year or two, but can play now.

But monopoly has got to be the best game ever!

[belovedgandp]

We love Blokus around here.

By then DS1 was starting to understand Rummikub which is my personal favorite game ever.

[SnuggleBuggles]

Sorry. It's so fun to Sorry people! We love it!

[redhookmom]

How about Risk. We play a simple version of the game that my son likes. We are big Ticket to Ride fans!

[fivi2]

Blokus and Spot It are my (almost 7 yo) dds favorites.

But that is a lot of pressure... (best game ever)

[egoldber]

I would get 2-3 classic games. I think it is hard to go wrong with games like Sorry, Life, PayDay, Trouble (what kid doesn't love popping the dice in the middle?), Clue, Uno, etc.

My 6 year old favs are Sorry, Uno and Life (excruciating for me, but she loves it....).

My kids love games like Spot It and Blink, but you have to be into the visual spatial / visual puzzle thing to really love it. Some kids are and some are not.

Neither of my kids like Blokus despite the visual spatial-ness of it. ;)

I think he is too young for Ticket to Ride.

[mom2khj]

Apples to Apples is a big hit at our house. DD2 just got Beat the Parents for her bday and both her and DD1 have had a lot of fun playing it with us.

[wolverine2]

My DS got Labyrinth for his birthday and loves it.

[Katigre]

Ds LOVES ticket to ride as well as the other games you listed. I think your ds will like it :).

Sent from Katigre's Galaxy S3

[Katigre]

DS loves chess, Busytown games, Rush Hour, Math Dice, etc. Scoring is great fun. He loves space, nature and maps.

I bought him Ticket to Ride...I'm pretty sure that he can handle it, but if not it will be a dud for now
Your ds will do just fine with T to R. My ds has been playing it since he was a young 5. As he's gotten older he needs less and less help too. Bonus is that its really fun for me to olay with him bc it requires skills and strategic thinking, not just rolling a dice.

Don't second guess yourself. T to R has been great for ds's math and strategic play and he loves the maps on the cards and board. Its a game that will grow with him for YEARS.


Sent from Katigre's Galaxy S3

[elbenn]

Ds LOVES ticket to ride as well as the other games you listed. I think your ds will like it :).

Sent from Katigre's Galaxy S3

I thought Ticket to Ride was for older kids. At what age did your ds start playing this game?

As for OP's games question, Blokus is a great game. Qwirkle might be another good choice.

ETA: Katigre, never mind. I see you already answered my question.

[fivi2]

I just asked dd (will be 7 on Saturday)

Chess and Mousetrap are her first favorites
Spot It and Blokus are second
Enchanted Forest and Sleeping Queens are third.

[Katigre]

I thought Ticket to Ride was for older kids. At what age did your ds start playing this game?

As for OP's games question, Blokus is a great game. Qwirkle might be another good choice.

ETA: Katigre, never mind. I see you already answered my question.
While it is for older kids, younger ones can play with help. They keep their colored cards openly laid out, for example, and the parent gives strategy tips like "build longer trains to get more points". But the basic concept of collecting colored cards to match up on the board for trains is understandable for younger kids. Attention span is the bigger issue, and a child with a good attention span will like it.

Sent from Katigre's Galaxy S3

[egoldber]

We don't actually have Ticket to Ride, but we do have Carcassonne and other similar games. It's just been my experience that when the kid needs a lot of help, it really isn't that fun for them. Or for me. :o I would rather play a game like that with an older kid who gets it and is able to really play. But obviously your mileage and your patience level may vary. :)

[sariana]

Since he likes chess, what about a specialty set in a theme he would like?

[infocrazy]

I think the key here is how you play it...get the game that you think he will like of course, but whatever it is, when he opens it, you SAY, "Wow, that is the best game ever!" :)

DS1 is getting Sorry. We LOVE trouble--not hard or complicated, even DD can mostly play it, and the boys LOVE sending us home. DH and I are pretty competitive too, so it is lots of fun when we all play.

[Binkandabee]

DD#2 is 9, but she LOVES Rummikub. As in she can play it for hours, and hours, and hours on end. It's a very addicting and fun thinking game.

[KrisM]

DS1 got Ticket to Ride last year, at 7.5. He does like it and understands how to play. He does leave his cards showing so he can see them, but puts them on a chair next to him so I can't see. I am glad he was able to fully play on his own, because that is a great game.

But, I like games they can play with very minimal help. Sorry, Trouble, Blokus, Q-Bits, Monopoly are good.

[SASM]

My kids are loving "Guess Who?" and "Trouble" at the moment. Guess Who? is a great game bc it does not require any reading skills and it spans many age levels. If your child is learning a second language, it also works well for practice. ;) My kids also like "Jam Pack Jam" but I am uncertain if it is still available. My kids LOVE "Mousetrap" but it is a game that they can only play with us bc the pieces are so fragile. Blokus drives me crazy bc I am paranoid about having a missing piece.

[vonfirmath]

DD#2 is 9, but she LOVES Rummikub. As in she can play it for hours, and hours, and hours on end. It's a very addicting and fun thinking game.

Grandma just started teaching my 5 year old this game this weekend!

[clb]

My DS likes chess, Busytown games, and Rush Hour too.
Does your DS have dominoes? DS likes them a lot.

[etwahl]

This game is amazing. Even the adults love it. But beware, my ds6 can genuinely beat me (and does, most of the time).

http://www.amazon.com/Fundex-5203-Gigamic-Quoridor-Classic/dp/B00001NTXN/ref=sr_1_1?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1355377421&sr=1-1&keywords=quoridor

[KrisM]

This game is amazing. Even the adults love it. But beware, my ds6 can genuinely beat me (and does, most of the time).

http://www.amazon.com/Fundex-5203-Gigamic-Quoridor-Classic/dp/B00001NTXN/ref=sr_1_1?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1355377421&sr=1-1&keywords=quoridor

Thank you. I played that years ago and it was great. I had completely forgotten about it!

[fivi2]

This game is amazing. Even the adults love it. But beware, my ds6 can genuinely beat me (and does, most of the time).

http://www.amazon.com/Fundex-5203-Gigamic-Quoridor-Classic/dp/B00001NTXN/ref=sr_1_1?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1355377421&sr=1-1&keywords=quoridor

I gave that to my dad one year and he claims to enjoy it. I hadn't thought to play it with the girls yet.