Still unsure about what to buy as a gift for your child, a relative or another family member or friend? Some of the hottest toys for Christmas 2011 are the latest wave of board games. By and large, these are much more interactive and engaging than the board games of the past, but they still provide great fun for the whole family.
There’s a wide array of hot toys for the holidays this year, and all of these board games deserve to be included in the discussion. You’ll be able to pick one or a few of them up for a bargain price, and you’ll have one of the hottest holiday toys 2011 that’s sure to please just about anybody.
Take a look below at some of the best board games to buy for Christmas this year in your ongoing quest to find all of the hot toys for Christmas in 2011. Also, be sure to check out this comprehensive list of the hottest toys for Christmas 2011 for even more great gift ideas.
Hottest Toys 2011 – Top 10 Best Board Games to Buy for Christmas
*Perplexus Maze Game – $18-$25; ages 6-12; Perplexus is one of the hottest toys for Christmas this year, and it’s an addictive, hands-on puzzle game which can be used for hours on end. It’s a handheld 3D marble puzzle type of game, with 100s of separate obstacles and challenges, and multiple ways to race and play.
*The HedBanz Game – $13-$18; ages 8+; The HedBanz Game is one of the top 10 hottest holiday toys this season across any category. This is a perfect game for family fun, and can be played with anywhere from two to six players. It’s a classic “Who Am I?” game, and players strap an included headband and cardholder onto their head. Everybody else knows who or what you are, but you have to ask questions to figure it out.
*Rory’s Story Cubes – $7-$10; ages 8+; This is a creative game that can be played with multiple people or even with just one child on his or her own. Create an infinite array of stories by using a combination of instructions, dice and topics. Can be used to develop learning skills, problem solving and confidence, for creative inspiration or simply fun and imaginative play.
*Angry Birds: Knock on Wood Game – $26-$30; ages 5-9; This isn’t quite a traditional board game, but it’s definitely one of the hottest toys for Christmas and the holidays this season. The Angry Birds Knock on Wood Game lets kids set up their own levels and then try to knock them down, and it brings to life everyone’s favorite addictive phone and tablet application.
*Qwirkle – $18-$35; ages 6+; Qwirkle has been one of the hot holiday toys for Christmas for a few years running now, and when it first debuted in 2007 it won all sorts of awards for family games and mind games. It’s a tile strategy game involving concepts from Scrabble, Othello and others, as players race to maximize points creating sequences of shapes and colors. It’s addictive and the whole family will enjoy it on game night.
*Bananagrams – $14-$20; ages 7+; Bananagrams is an offshoot of Scrabble. You use tiles to create your own crossword puzzle of sorts, but not on a board with spaces and points. Instead it’s about speed and flexibility, creating a more fast-paced and updated version of that classic. It’s also great for travel in its included banana bag.
*Blokus – $20-$27; ages 5+; Blokus is an award-winning strategy game for the family including a 400-piece tile board. Players start in a corner and have to place their tiles in the right places, only touching on the corners while forming a continual line and trying to get rid of all of your pieces. An addictive game that develops logic, problem solving and strategy, and is the most awarded game of past decade.
*Spot It – $11-$15; ages 7-11; Spot It contains five mini party games including circular cards with eight symbols. It’s up to you to be the first person to call out the matching symbol. Comes in a travel-size tin container to bring with you on the road.
*Richard Scarry Busy Town – $35; ages 3-8; Help young kids develop teamwork, attention to detail and more as they solve mysteries around this game’s town. Find hidden objects, discover new places and more. The board is huge, over six feet long, providing hundreds of individual objects to find and explore.
*The Settlers of Catan– $32-$45; ages 10+; This is a comprehensive strategy game where players build settlements and collect resources on a board with 18 separate terrain hexes which help players build up their worth and earn points. Games are designed to last for 90 minutes and the game is meant to be used with three or four players. An addictive game that can keep family game night rolling over and over again.