Thanksgiving may best be known for stuffing our bellies with turkey and yummy yummy pumpkin pie. But, one of our Toy Insider Mom’s favorite Thanksgiving traditions isn’t based around food—but around fun! So this year, once everyone around your table is finished feasting, clear it off and make room for an exciting family game. In the video above, Laurie Schacht and the PIX 11 crew demo six amazing options for families of all ages and sizes.
- Look, match, and SMASH!
- Moustache Smash is the matching game that is speedy, silly-looking fun!
- Each player keeps a moustache held up to their face. As each card is turned over, watch for a card matching your ‘stache in either color or shape. See a match, then smash it fast!
- Be the first to smash the ‘stache card and your moustache’s suction cup will pick it up and you score a point. But don’t smash the wrong card, or you’ll pay a penalty and lose two of your cards into the pot.
- Collect the most moustache cards and you win!
- It’s suspenseful, quick-thinking fun and teaches kids spatial recognition and hand-eye coordination.
- Play with 2-6 players.
- Ages: 7+
- MSRP: $15.99
NFL RUSH ZONE Board Game (Toy Island)
- Whether it’s Thanksgiving Day or football Sunday, while everyone is watching the game on TV, here’s a great way for even the youngest fans to get in on the action.
- NFL RUSH ZONE Board Game is fun for the whole family and it teaches players the rules of NFL football.
- Players can suit up as their favorite team by customizing their end-zones and team mascots, choosing from all 32 NFL teams.
- Players split into teams and a coin flip starts the game. The offense rolls dice to keep the drive alive, while the defense tries to sack the quarterback and force a turnover.
- Both teams compete to score as many points as possible before the game is over at the end of the 4th quarter to win.
- For two to six players (split into two teams). Average playtime: 20-30 minutes per game.
- Ages:7+
- MSRP: $19.99
Fisher-Price Little People Photo Discovery (TCG)
- A love of learning starts with play!
- The Fisher-Price Little People Photo Discovery is an educational matching game for the little photographers in your family.
- Kids can go on an adventure with their favorite Little People friends and discover a world of cute animals.
- Little People Photo Discovery Game encourages thinking, problem solving, sharing and cooperation.
- The game includes a Discovery Camera, 20 photo slides, four frames and a spinner.
- Ages: 3+
- MSRP: $19.99
- Guess The Mess is the party game of loony locations and cryptic clues that results in a flurry of fun!
- With one hand behind your back, you have 30 seconds to paw through a giant pile of photos and grab the ones that best describe your secret hiding place.
- When time is up, everyone’s pile of photos are passed around and players must guess the location of the mess that’s in front of them.
- Can you guess the mess that’s in a minivan? Under a roller coaster? At Grandma’s house??
- Guess the Mess for loads of laughter at your next game night!
- Play between 3 and 8 players!
- Ages: 10+
- MSRP: $19.95
- SQUASH your opponent right out of the game.
- The game is played on all four sides, forcing players to think in three dimensions.
- Roll the die and strategically eliminate other players.
- There are two ways to Squash: Land on or pass over another player’s space to Squash one pawn at a time. Or Land next to the King piece to flip the cube and Squash that entire side!
- Includes 1 Squash cube, 1 Squash pad, 16 Pawns (4 of each color), 1 Die, 1 King piece, and an instruction booklet.
- For 2 to 4 players
- Ages 6+
- MSRP: $29.99
Electronic Catch Phrase (Hasbro)
- Grab it, guess it, and pass it!
- The Electronic Catchphrase game challenges players to come up with words and then pass the game fast so you don’t get caught holding the bag!
- Can you give your teammates the right clues so they can guess the word or phrase on the game unit’s screen?
- You can’t rhyme or use first letters or parts of the word, or the other team gets a point!
- Once your team has guessed it, pass the unit fast to the other team. When the buzzer goes off, whoever has the unit loses a point to the other side – so move fast!
- When your team gets to 7 points, you win!
- Electronic Catchphrase game challenges you to guess words and phrases! Timer keeps track and buzzes when you’re out of time! Word and scores of each team appear in the display area! Choose from 5 categories: Fun & Games, Entertainment, Everyday Life, The World and Variety.
- Play with 4 or more players.
- Ages: 13+
- MSRP: $22.99
- The ultimate head-to-head competition game.
- Players flip over a card to determine the pattern then race to form it by cleverly bouncing balls into the grid.
- The first color to complete the pattern wins the game.
- Includes 9 challenge cards, 16 balls and a game grid.
- Play with 2-4 players.
- Age: 7+
- MSRP: $17.99
