Easter is April 4, y'all! Can you believe its almost time for Easter?!? I can't! That also means its been a year of pandemic panic, quarantines, mask wearing, hand sanitizing frustration. People are locked in their houses more than ever. And it can be frustrating! But it can also provide opportunities for great family togetherness. So if you're looking for something fun to add to your child's Easter basket, how about a fun family game? I've compiled a list of some fabulous suggestions (in no particular order).
1.) Magical Unicorn Quest (2-6 players, Ages 8+)
Um, UNICORNS! I mean, seriously! Unicorn games are adorable!!! This game plays up to 6 players! I'm always looking for games that will accommodate all 5 of us (or my 3 kids and their 3 cousins). So this is perfect! And its fairly straight forward. There's not a ton of rules prep that needs to go into this game. Its really a straight forward game. On your turn, draw a card (or 2 if you have no cards in your hand) then play cards from your hand and/or use the abilities of cards in your stable. You're trying to get both unicorns into your stable to win the game. There's also a great expansion that adds two new mystical beings and six new mystical gear cards to shake things up!
2.) Hasty Baker (2-6 Players, Ages 7+)
Hasty Baker is an adorable, baking competition-themed card game! In Hasty Baker, you’re working to collect all the ingredients to complete a recipe card. The first one to complete 5 recipes wins. But beware! There are action cards in the deck too - like “Steal an Ingredient,” or “Spoil an Ingredient.” That means another Baker may sabotage your culinary masterpiece! It’s fun, yet simple enough for even the youngest member of my family to play. (The only necessary reading would be the action cards. And a child can quickly learn which actions do what - based on the illustrations.) This is the perfect theme for my little aspiring bakers!
3.) Chirpee (2-8 Players, Ages 8+)
Chirpee is a fun pattern matching card game for all ages! You’re trying to match birds or accessories (like hats, weapons, etc.) The first person to empty their hand wins. Its adorable!!! - European birds dressed in medieval attire? Yes, please! It’s the perfect spring-themed game! I also love that it plays up to 8! With this game, not only can my whole family play, but we can have a few friends over as well! I love a card game that scales well! Perfect for a family vacation! It’s also perfect to play during a science lesson on birds!
4.) Seeds of Plenty (2-5 Players, Ages 8+)
In Seeds of Plenty, you’re trying to plant your vegetables in planters. But beware! Other players will try to uproot your veggies and ruin your garden!
This gardening theme is so much fun! Its a great spring game! After everyone has been cooped up for the winter, a game that reminds us of the beauty outside is perfect! In fact, have a picnic outside and play outdoors! The entire family can play, as the concept is fairly simple. And if you’re looking to make it more educational, use it as a springboard to discuss growing your own food, planting, seasons, etc.
5.) What the Woof (3-5 Players, Ages 8+)
In What the Woof, you’re a dog that likes to “mark its territory” (collect cards). After all, that’s typical doggy behavior. Mark the most territory and you win! But on the way, you’ll get belly rubs, chase squirrels, challenge other dogs, and hopefully get some treats! These cards are SO FUN!!!! The illustrations are so cute! And the colors are vibrant and attractive! This game needs at least 3 players. But we’re rarely without at least 3 people for a card game, so that’s no biggie.
6.) Zeke's Gold Grab (2-6 Players, Ages 8+)
Zeke's Gold Grab is a fun, simple "trick taking" card game. The game says, 8+, but I feel like my 6 year old could easily play it after a little handholding. If you have have a child that loves cowboys, the Old West, prospecting for gold, rock collecting, etc., or if you're a fan of trick taking games - which are pretty simple to learn - then this game is a great addition to your collection! And the fact that it plays 2-6 players makes it very versatile!
7.) DEALT! (3-5 Players, Ages 10+)
Dealt is also a trick taking game. But this one is a little more advanced - and tons of fun! What makes it more advanced? Well, for one thing you cannot rearrange the cards in your hand. If you play more than one card at a time, you MUST play cards that are next to each other. So this will often mean that you first have to play a solo card before you can play your 2 or 3 cards together on a subsequent turn. As Amigo games states, "you'll have to think in different ways than in other card games." I love games that throw curve balls like this! It makes for a totally new experience!
8.) CABO Deluxe Edition - (2-4 Players, Ages 8+)
"Find CABO, the mythical unicorn, by getting as close to him as possible. Numbered cards represent your distance from him. The player closest to CABO at the end of the game wins. Cabo is a game that was originally released in 2010, then rereleased by Bezier Games in 2019. Then in 2020, Bezier Games released this Deluxe Edition - and its AWESOME!!! Cabo is similar to the card game Golf (other similar games would be Rat A Tat Cat and Skyjo), where you're attempting to have the lowest score. But CABO Deluxe Edition comes with a great score pad and 2 decks, so that you aren't constantly having to shuffle the cards between rounds. (This is kind of BRILLIANT!!!!!) The artwork is also BEATIFUL! And there are action cards (like Peek, Spy, and Swap) that allow you to peek at one of your hidden cards, spy at an opponent's card, or swap one of your cards for an opponent's card. We LOVE golf-type card games. We own both Rat A Tat Cat and Skyjo, so I know this one is gonna be a repeated play in our house! And I love that its easy enough for younger kids to play, yet there's enough strategy to make it fun for adults!
9.) Bold Made (2-4 Players, Ages 3+)
This is a creative and educational twist on the classic Old Maid game. Except, instead of trying to avid the "old maid," your goal is to end the game with the "bold made!" The game comes with 40 BEATIFULLY illustrated portraits of influential and important women. Its beautiful and educational - a wonderful to way to inspire discussion about important women! (And because there may be varying ideas on who should be included as an influential woman in this game - or because your favorite influential woman may not have been included - the creators (9 year old Alex and his mom) have included 4 blank cards so you can add more women to the game! I love that so much!!!
10.) CLACK! (2-6 Players, Ages 5+)
"Race to build the tallest stack in this magnetic game with a satisfying 'clack.'" You spread out the discs, roll the dice, and then race to stack discs with the color/picture combo on the dice. I love that this game is great for all ages! And small kids in particular with love the dice rolling, magnetic stacking fun!
11.) None of a Kind (2-6 Players, Ages 7+)
This is a fun brainteaser type game! None of a Kind is based on The Stroop Test - one of the most cited papers in experimental psychology. It studies the relationship between the brain's processing speed and executive functions. Your goal in the game is to score points by completing rows that DON'T match each other. The cards each have 3 attributes: the color word, the print color , and the number of times the word appears on the card. You want to find a card that does not match any of those attributes. You lay that down next to the first card. Then your newly laid card becomes the new card and you start looking for cards that do not match it. Its a great brain exercise! The Stroop Affect paper states that people are better at processing "congruent stimuli" (the word blue printed in blue ink) than they are at processing incongruent stimuli (the word blue printed in red ink).
12.) Flock of Fame - (2-8 Players, Ages 7+)
I'm just gonna say it. This is the coolest chicken-themed game out there! If you love chickens, you definitely need it! But even if you don't have any particular affinity towards poultry, this game is still fantastic! The cards are SO MUCH FUN! I had fun just flipping through all the "famous chickens" and reading all the hilarious names before we ever even played! I love that it can play a crowd (up to 8 people)! And I also love that they placed "quick instructions" inside the lid of the game! This makes it great to get back into the game if you forget exactly how to play. It tells you how many cards to deal to each player and how a player turn works! Also, of all the "first player rules" out there, I think "the person who makes the best chicken noise goes first" may be the greatest of all time! It definitely will get things off to a hilarious start! Haha!
13.) Taco vs Burrito (2-4 Players, or 2-8 players with the Expansion, Ages 7+)
In this super fun card game, players compete to complete the weirdest, wildest meal. This game goes from reading the instructions to playing pretty quickly because the cards contain the information on how to play them. There are some "gross cards," so if you aren't a fan of those, you can take them out. Or maybe, just don't play while eating. Haha! There's an expansion that you can get that adds more fun cards and also allows you to up the player count to 8, which is FANTASTIC! And I love that there's room in the original game box for the expansion! This is FANTASTIC!!!! I also love that there is a set of cards with "quick start" instructions on them! That really helps when you're trying to remind yourself of the basics of the game!
14.) Pattern Pursuit (2-6 Players, Ages 7+)
This is a great pattern making game! I love that my whole family can play (because young kids can play AND it plays up to 6)! Its easy to learn and start playing. And it plays in 20 minutes. So its great for between school subjects, quick games before bed, just some family fun time. Be the first player to build all your patterns and win! My kids and I really enjoyed playing it! The first time we played it, we played in an almost "cooperative way" because the youngest needed time to learn the game. So we "helped" each other build patterns. But the action cards also make it TONS of fun! You can use them to help yourself - or to sabotage your opponents!
Final thoughts: There's not a stinker in this bunch! All such fun and creative family games! And card games/small games are PERFECT additions to the Easter basket! They're fun and also promote family togetherness (except when you're sabotaging your opponent. Haha!)
I received these games, free of charge from the publishers, in exchange for my honest review.
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