Thanks to Nintendo and YULU Toys for providing product samples. All other products mentioned have been purchased by me, and all opinions, as always, are my own. Affiliate links may be included at no cost to you. 

Over the last few weeks I’ve been hearing my mom friends talking strategy to each other about how to prepare for the ending of the school year and the beginning of the simultaneously awesome and awful Summer. I remember this feeling all too well: it’s so fun to get to have special time with the kiddos, but it’s also really hard to plan for 12 weeks in a row of it!

One of the things that I always liked to introduce during the summer was new games to play, and since I homeschool now, I’ve got the inside scoop for you on what’s really fun to play right now. We incorporate game playing into our daily routine more days than not, so I’m not stranger to the game aisle of the stores!

So here are 4 things we are currently really enjoying playing. Maybe it will give you some new ideas for ways to keep summer boredom at bay!

1. Watermelon Smash

We broke this game out for the first time this week as the temperatures started to hit the mid-80s, and it was a massive hit. Darah and her best friend played the game 10 times in a row! The basic premise is that you spin a wheel, follow the instructions for how many times you have to “smash” the Watermelon over your own head (or over someone else’s head!) and eventually the watermelon will break open letting out about 1/3 cup of water and giving the person holding the watermelon a nice little cool off! The last person dry is declared the winner. There’s also bright blue and yellow plastic watermelon seeds that can be released instead of water just in case kids want to play the game inside.

2. Loot

I picked this up used at our local favorite used book and game shop, McKay’s (but you can easily find your own copy on Amazon). It’s a pirate-themed card game that young and old alike with enjoy. It moves quickly and is great fun! My girls love quirky card games (such as Sleeping Queens) and this fits the bill quite nicely.

3. Nintendo Selects Games for 3DS

Fellow children of the ’80s, listen up! Nintendo 3DS has some of our childhood favorites (like The Legend of Zelda and Super Mario (3D Land)) available on Nintendo DS. Yes, it’s more spiffy than it was on our original consoles, but what a great way to have some quality bonding time with your kid and to tell tales of the days when you used to play a more vintage version of these exact games. Also? They have them VALUE priced at $20 each (this is in comparison to the typical $39.99 for 3DS games). The only problem we seem to be having with these games, for now, is prying them out of Tim’s hands so that the girls can actually play. He’s totally hogging them, for now.

4. Ravensburger Puzzles

I think I’ve mentioned this brand before, but I’ll say it again: Ravensburger puzzles have a quality that is second to none. The pieces fit together well and don’t bend as easily as other brands. They also tend to have some really cool/interesting scenes to put together! We especially love the ones that have a fun border around the outside. After the girls put their puzzles together they usually spend quite a bit of time checking out the puzzle, itself, especially if we have one that has a whole lot going on like this one or this one.

If you have another great game or puzzle idea to share, please leave a comment below so we can all help crowd-source some great new ideas! Best of luck as we march forward into summer!