Toy Insider Senior Marissa DiBartolo stopped by Better Connecticut to show off the best new family-friendly games for the holiday season! For more on the products featured in this segment, check out the notes below, and for a full rundown of the best toys of the year, check out our complete holiday toy guide.
- Looking to pull the multi-generations of your family together?
- Want them to put down the technology for a bit and have fun together? SHABOOM! is what you are looking for! Face off against your opponents in a series of challenges sure to test your speed and agility.
- Anyone can do these challenges – it all comes down to who can do it first. FLIP IT. STACK IT. SPELL IT. ROLL IT! SHABOOM!
- Ages: 7+
- MSRP: $19.99
Rubik’s Race (University Games)
- A new, competitive take on the classic logic game, the Rubik’s Cube!
- Shake it – Slide it – Solve it! Be the first to match the pattern on the scrambler and shut the frame!
- More than just a cube – here’s your chance for head to head competition!
- It’s the ultimate 2 player Rubik’s challenge.
- Enhances kids logic skills, spacial reasoning, and problem solving.
- Also encourages friendly competition, confidence, and social skills!
- Ages: 7+
- MSRP: $19.99
- Will you be able to place your pieces on the teeter-tottering base and get it to stay? Or will you upset the balance and watch as it all comes crashing down in front of you?
- Completely self contained, package doubles as playing surface and storage container, clean-up is fast and easy, learning to play takes less than 1 minute!
- Ages: 7+
- MSRP $19.95
- Available: Amazon
- Bet who can do the task best, and then Prove It!
- There are four categories: Mad Skills (use your skill!), Know-How (use your noggin!), Fingers Crossed (it’s all about luck!) and Buddy System (teamwork!).
- The two competitors bet back and forth until one person ends the betting by saying “Prove it!”, and now the other player must perform the task to get the point!
- It’s fun for the whole family, but remember…It’s Easier Said Than Done!
- Ages: 6+
- MSRP: $24.99
- Available: Amazon, Target, Toys R Us, Walmart
- Box & Balls. It’s a rolling, bouncing, banking, stacking, nesting game!
- With dozens of playing options, this classic-looking set of 8 wooden nesting boxes and 8 bouncy balls is awesome at home or away.
- Set yourself seemingly impossible challenges with the boxes; everything’s more fun with bouncy balls!
- Ages: 5+
- MSRP: $32.95
- Available: fatbraintoys.com
- Get ready to be doubled over with laughter with this ridiculous mouthpiece challenge game!
- The Speak Out game brings friends and family together for laugh-out-loud fun as players try to say different phrases while wearing a mouthpiece that won’t let them shut their mouth.
- The laughter continues as players try to decipher what in the world their teammate is trying to say, and must correctly guess the phrase in order to earn the card.
- The team with the most cards at the end of the game wins.
- Ages: 16+
- MSRP: $19.99
- Available: Amazon, Target, Toys “R” Us
HedBanz Electronic (Spin Master)
- Bring home the fast-paced, team-based electronic version of Hedbanz!
- There’s 3 ways to guess and give clues to figure out what’s in your headband: ask “yes” or “no” questions, have your teammates tell you about it, or have your teammates act it out!
- Hedbanz Electronic features an electronic host that runs the game and keeps score for you. Hedbanz Electronic is the talking game of “What am I?”
- Ages: 7+
- MSRP: $19.99
- Available: Toys R Us