Board Games to Give as Gifts

Group Games

Apples to Apples

In Apples to Apples, there are two decks of cards called "Things" (red cards) and "Descriptions" (green cards). Players announce the Thing cards and the other players chose a Description card that best fits the Thing card. The person who called out the Thing card picks which description best goes with it and whoever tossed in that card wins the green card. The person who gets 10 green cards first wins. This party game has two purposes. One, you'll laugh at the different combinations of "Things" and "Descriptions" and two, players typically pick red cards that fit personalities so really knowing your friends helps.

Scene It DVD Games

Most everyone is a movie fan, right? Scene It combines a board game and a computer game into one. Each version of Scene It contains a DVD that you use to answer movie questions. Sometimes you watch a clip and answer a question, or you slowly try to determine who an actor is as a picture dissolves into view, or determine the name of a movie from a sound byte. There are over seven types of games in Scene It, and most are chosen randomly. When you reach the end of the board, you have to answer a series of three questions to win the game.

You can find many specific versions besides the general movie Scene Its. Disney and HBO have a game as well as one based on the James Bond movies. Harry Potter has a Scene It and there is also Scene It Jr. for the young ones. With this game series, you should be able to find something for anyone.

Board Games to Give as Gifts for Children

Cranium Series: Hullabaloo

Start your kids on the path to excellent pattern recognition, counting, and determining shapes with Hullabaloo. You pick a game to play on the electronic device and throw the large game pieces on the floor. The voice will tell you what to do, like "Stand on two squares". There is a time limit. The object of the game is to succeed at the most tasks.

Candyland

This perennial favorite never loses steam. Candyland is a great starter board game for children because it can give them basic lessons into following rules and taking turns. The backdrop appeals to kids because it's setting Candyland with gumdrops and lollipops and happy little candy people. The game is easy to teach and explain. You spin an arrow and move forward to the next color you end on. The person who reaches the end first wins.

Young Adult

Clue

This game can be a nice board game to give as a gift for any age, but young adults and even older children usually find this game challenging. It is also a good game to play as a family. The object of the game is to solve a murder mystery. You control "colorful" characters as they travel from room to room gathering clues and eliminating suspects. You have to figure out who did the murder, where it was done, and how it was done. Example: "Mrs. Peacock did it in the conservatory with the lead pipe".

For Everyone

Blokus

This simple but addicting board game can use up many hours if you're not careful. The rules: you put your square pieces on the board touching each other, but only corner to corner. The object is to get all your pieces on the board. Similar to Go in some respects, Blokus will have you creating different strategies to increase your territory while blocking your opponents each time you play.

Balderdash

Do you know someone with a penchant for vague words and pretending they know what they mean? Well, Balderdash might be a good board game to give them as a gift. Players take turns reading aloud words and the other players make up fake definitions. All those definitions, including the right one, are said aloud and the players must pick which one they think is the correct one. You earn points by picking the correct definition and tricking other players with your definition. You might be surprised by what some of the obscure words mean.

If you're thinking of a gift, sometimes going with a classic is the way to go, especially with teenagers and younger children. Going with challenging or even silly, educational games can always be good board games to give as gifts.