LET THE GAMES BEGIN!

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Level up your next game night with one of these new picks. Bonus: They’re all approved by families like yours!

BY ABBY KASS PHOTOGRAPHY BY PETER ARDITO

1. E-I-E-I-GO! It’s time to visit Old Mac Donald’s farm. Shake the silo to see which animal to match. Then roll the animal dice until you have three of a kind, and make the critter’s noise to win. “It’s a fun game that’s cute and silly,” one 6-year-old player said. Ages 4 and up, $20; mindware .orientaltrading.com 2. Mole Rats in Space Players work together to climb ladders and slip down air shafts to help the Mole Rats gather equipment to make their escape. If the Mole Rats get out before getting bitten by snake invaders, everyone wins. “It was the best board game I’ve ever played,” one 8-year-old tester told us. Ages 7 and up, $20; amazon.com 3. Lil’ Lemonade Stand-Off This unique game teaches kids how to take turns while also building memory and money skills : Pick a card. Turn the card over, and complete the order on the tray from memory. The player to earn the most money wins. Ages 5 and up, $20; learningresources.com 4. Lady Richmond After wealthy Lady Richmond’s suspicious death, all her belongings are auctioned off. You have to use your sneakiest skills to secure the best items to win. “I loved the math involved,” one 11-year-old tester said. Ages 8 and up, $30; habausa.com 5. Bump ‘N’ Race Action Game Start your engines! Your favorite Disney characters are off on a high-speed race through Hot Dog Hills. Spin the wheel to change your position on the top of the course and move obstacles to help your car sail through the finish line to win a trophy. Ages 3 and up, $ 20; toysrus.com 6. Animal Act Stage fright, schmage fright: This game has little hams singing, acting, and miming their way around the board as they try to fill three acts on their playbills. “My kids thought t hey wouldn’t like to sing but ended up really enjoying it,” one mom said. Ages 4 and up, $20; amazon.com 7. Jungle Party Players journey through the jungle to reach the Toad King. On each turn, roll the animal die and count the number of matches on the board to move forward. But watch out for the snakes! If you roll one of those, the player in the lead has to move back a space. Ages 5 and up, $35; amazon.com 8. Akin On your mark, get set, match! After drawing a “quality card,” you race to use your “suction” piece to pick up two related cards. For example, for the quality “fluffy,” you could suction up “bath mat” and “cat.” The first person to grab two valid related cards wins the round. Our testers rated it a “12 out of 10.” Ages 8 and up, $11; amazon.com

Looking for more fun ideas ? Check out our Family Game Night! board on Pinterest for our favorites from years past, plus bonus recipes!

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9. Miss Bernard Is a Wild Card! Based on the My Weird School book series, this game is about rhyming. Start with two cards, and take turns drawing three more to create a funny sentence about your teacher. Each card has a different point value, and the player who creates the most unique five-card sentences worth the most points wins. Ages 6 to 10, $20; amazon.com 10. Ninja Squirrels This is a fast-paced game of color matching and nut snatching. Players flip cards until they get a match—then they have to race to grab the same color nut. Whoever collects the most acorns wins! “I loved that all my kids, even my son with special needs, could play together,” one mom noted. Ages 7 and up, $26; amazon.com