The peak of summer heat is upon us; and that means more time at home to stay cool. Which always leads to the dreaded battle cry of summer…”Mom, I’m bored!” Our favorite way to keep entertained is with playing a board game. Our family has four shelves full of games and after we hit 200 we stopped keeping count. I’m a huge fan of board games because of the many benefits. Board games are a great way to make memories and promote family bonding. Playing board games provides opportunities to strengthen team building skills, practice patience, get acquainted with how to win and even lose gracefully. Did you know board games can also help kids with problem solving skills and language development. This list just goes on and on.

This month we were excited to add six new games to our collection from USOPOLY including; Disney’s Sorcerers Arena – Epic Alliance, Disney Mickey’s Food Fight, Hues and Cues, Blank Slate and 25 Words or Less. Sometime this fall I hope to host a free family game night. So here’s a little look at the top three games from this collection that will be there.

The first game we tried out was Disney Mickey Food Fight. Get in on a chaos of concessions by tossing hamburgers, shakes, fries and other treats at fellow players to clear your food tray the fastest. This fast paced dice rolling and food tossing game is exciting and entertaining. Earn Mickey medals for splattering opponent’s with the most snacks and be the first with 3 to win. It’s perfect for kids ages four and up.

Gather around with three to ten people to play a quick and simple game with a prism of possibilities! First, a “cue giver” hides a specific color they’ve chosen out of a deck of cards. There are 480 shades on the board in front of you! After getting one- and two-word cues, everyone places their marker on which color they think is being described. “Coffee.” Is it dark brown, as in freshly brewed? “Au lait.” With milk. That means I should pick a lighter shade! Hues and Cues is a vibrant game of colorful communication where players are challenged to make connections to colors with words. Using only one and two-word cues, players try to get others to guess a specific hue from the 480 colors on the game board. The closer the guesses are to the target, the more points you earn. Since everyone imagines colors differently, connecting colors and clues has never been this much fun!

Last but not least is Disney Sorcerer’s Arena. Become the next Master Summoner in this Disney-themed strategic battle arena game, where every choice you make determines your legacy! Recruit a fantastical battle-ready roster of Disney and Pixar heroes and villains, creating incredible combinations that provide endless replayability. Once you’ve summoned your characters to battle in the Sorcerer’s Arena, strategize their every move using their unique abilities to earn the most victory points. Learn as you go in this expandable tabletop game inspired by the popular mobile game, overpowering your foes to win the ultimate Disney and Pixar battle royale!

***The Playful Parent is a 501(C)(3) Non-profit created to advocate learning through play and promote family bonding. Thank you USOPOLY for donating these games for the board game community events.***