1. Much like Uno, Array involves connecting colors and picking up cards when you don't have a match. Advanced moves like "Splice" and "Slice" split the action for even more fun. 8 years+ with modified directions for younger kids.
2. Start kids on the updated Monopoly Junior, which lets them compete with easily countable amounts of money and enjoy buying and selling kid-friendly properties like a skate park or a pizza shop, 5 years+.
3. Add up the farmer's animals and feed them clover in Counting Fun from the My Very First Games collection--it's a joyful way to practice the basic numbers together. 2 years+, habausa.com.
4. If you damage a library book, do you fess up or hope no one notices? What Should You Do? A Game of Consequences opens the door for talks about honesty, manners, and more, eliciting laughter along with the lessons. 6 to 11 years.
5. The refreshed Elefun & Friends Mouse Trap still revolves around an elaborate trap. Setting it up heightens the drama of waiting to see who gets the boot. 4 years+, toysrus.com
Originally published in the March 2014 issue of Parents magazine.
