We’re all so busy. Busy working. Busy picking up the house. Busy making dinner. Busy driving to soccer, gymnastics, music lessons, and girl scouts. And this time of year, busy getting ready for the holidays. So much to do, so little time. Sigh.

That’s why I cherish game night with my family. There’s no rushing. No nagging. No running out the door and eating in the car. It’s our time to be together. Not just in the same room, house or car together, but our time to engage in conversation and enjoy each other’s company.

(No, this isn’t my family, but you get the point!)

We have quite a few family favorites, but the game we’ve been playing most often lately is Blokus. It’s a strategy game that my seven and nine-year-old girls play competitively that’s also challenging for me and my hubby. We received it as a Christmas gift last year and we’re very impressed that it has won so many awards including the Good Toy Award, Best Toy Award, Learning Magazine Teacher’s Choice Award, and Mensa Select Award. So not only is this game a lot of fun, it’s making us all smarter just by playing it! Now that’s time well spent.

Since it’s Christmas time again, I’m in the market for more fun and educational games to play with my family. So today I researched other award winning toys. With all the junky toys out there, I like having someone vouch for a game’s quality. And hey, why not all those geniuses at Mensa? They’re pretty smart.

So to make your holiday shopping a little easier, here’s a list of fun and educational toys that have all received the Mensa Select Award:

Blokus

DaVinci Challenge Game

Khet: The Laser Game

Niagara

Imaginiff

Rumis

10 Days in Africa

Pentago

Smart Mouth

Yinsh

Fluxx

Doubles Wild

Basari

So when you’re doing your holiday shopping this year, buy yourself some quality time with your family. Buy a game.

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