Fun Board Games for the Family

Chutes and Ladders

• Chutes and Ladders is a character building game. The player spins the spinner, moving his game piece forward based on the number on which the spinner lands. If the game piece lands on a picture square at the top of the chute or a bad deed, the player will move down the chute and backward on the board. Landing on a picture square or good deed at the bottom of the ladder will move a player up the ladder and forward on the board. The first player to reach square number 100 wins the game.

Scrabble

• Scrabble is mentally stimulating and challenging game. Players pick a letter from the game pouch. The player with the letter closest to the letter "A" goes first. Players pick seven new letters and place them on their rack. Each player takes a turn creating a word from the letters on their rack, picking new letters throughout the game. Each letter is worth a certain number of points. Points are added up based on the numbers on the letters and how they are placed with the game board. For instance, letters placed on a double word score square will mean the player receives double the points. The player with the most points wins the game.

Monopoly

• To begin the Monopoly game, each player is given $1,500 in play money. The first player roles the dice and moves his game piece around the board based on the number indicated on the dice. The Monopoly squares represent land or property that the player can purchase, if it is available. Players may charge rent to players who land on their property. Players can sell their property. Players also pull cards that give them instructions on how to proceed in the game. Players try to collect as much money as possible from other players. The player with the most money at the end of the game wins.

Chess

• The object of chess is to obtain checkmate, whereby the opponent's king is in jeopardy of being taken, and any space that the player moves it to puts it in jeopardy. Each side has eight pawns, two rooks, two bishops, two knights, one king, and one queen. Pawns can move two spaces forward initially, but otherwise move one space at a time forward, moving diagonally only when taking an opponent's piece. Rooks move horizontally and vertically. Bishops move diagonally. Knights move one space up and two over, in an L. The king moves one space at a time in any direction. The queen can move any number of spaces, in any direction.