Connect through Conversation

Novelist E. M. Forster (1879 – 1970) wrote the words, “Only connect!” in the hope that readers would connect his prose with the passion in themselves. It is also my motto for all of […]

Don’t Give Me Your Lip

A lipogram is a word game that consists of writing new material or rewriting existing material by leaving out certain letters of the alphabet. (Lipogram comes from a Greek word meaning “missing letter.”) One […]

Scrutinizing the Lineup

Continuing our recommendations for games to play with family and friends for Games and Puzzle Month and beyond, Lineup is a favorite in my household. Cutely subtitled by MindWare as “the memory game of […]

Creative Apples

November is Games and Puzzles Month, dedicated to preserving the tradition of investing time with family and friends. In the U.S. it’s also a reminder to be thankful for all those relationships. One game […]

Two Round Games – Spot It! and Hue Knew?

Hue Knew? is a variation of the Stroop Effect Chart that features the names of colors – pink, purple, red, green, and so on – with each color name written in a color that doesn’t […]

Who Would Win?

In a figure-skating contest who would win – Dr. Seuss or George Washington? In a stand-up comedy competition, who would win – Tarzan or Napoleon? The Who Would Win? game I received in the […]

Endless pairs

Such and Such from Patch Products is essentially a game about pairs. As a timed competition, the idea is to read all five clues on your card and get your team to fill in […]

Gabbing about Gobblet

One of my favorite strategic thinking games is Gobblet. Gobblet is Tic-Tac-Toe on steroids. First, the new object is to get 4 of your cylinders in a row instead of just 3. Second, it […]

Upping the Scrabble ante

Many years ago as a young mother, I was big into cooperative games. The other members of my competitive family were not. They played Scrabble® ruthlessly, entirely focused on points, while I was interested […]

Jump Starting Your Imagination

People have a tendency to think they need to solve puzzles created by others – crosswords, Sudoku – to keep their brains active, but using your imagination is even better. The goal in brain […]