Family Talk

Ever had a moment when you couldn’t think of something to talk about? “Family Talk” by Around the Table Games is a series of subject cards on a ring that give you instant conversation starters. What’s better is the topics are tailored to help families learn more about each other, their quirks and their histories. Just pick a card, read it out loud, and talk.

The cards come on a blue carabiner, so it is easy to hook onto a backpack, belt loop or piece of luggage. Topics range from the usual “What did you want to be when you grew up?” to the family-friendly “Name one thing about each other that makes you proud” to the philosophical “What do you think about kids today?”

There are two family-themed sets and one for talking with grandparents. Each ring of cards costs about $12.95. You can find more information at www.aroundthetablegames.com .

Yamodo!

A cross between a game and an activity, “Yamodo!” encourages people to fill in definitions and illustrations to create their own dictionary of the silly and bizarre.

Each page has a nonsense word, like “swaggle” or “raphobia” and the beginning of a doodle. Each person takes a turn adding to the drawing and then writing in one of three lines of definition. So as you add a mouse to the “raphobia” entry, you might write “Is ... a fear of rats...” The next person might draw a small skirt on the mouse and add the line “... doing a hula dance...” and the last person doodles in a spaceship “... while being abducted by aliens.”

It’s that simple, and can be really funny. Plus it gives each person a chance to add something to the picture and definition. The doodles are just that, doodles, so you don’t need to have any kind of drawing talent. Half the fun is seeing the crazy pictures that emerge and the reading the funny definitions back. This is a perfect travel game and family activity.

Best of all, your finished works can be scanned in and posted on the Yamodo! Web site for everyone to see and enjoy! The spiral-bound “Good to Go!” edition costs $11.95 and can be found at www.yamodo.com .

BuzzWord Junior Though not a travel edition, this game easily can be adapted to a car ride or boxed up and taken to the grand parents. Players draw cards and give out a clue word, like Night. All of the clues lead to phrases using that word, so for example “A bad or scary dream” would be a Nightmare. Players try to guess as many of the phrases and words as possible within a 45 second time frame (sand timer included) and score points based on correct answers.

The game can be played with 4 players or more in teams, and is for ages 7 and up. The Junior version of the game has more kid-friendly questions and clues, but the adult game is just as family-friendly, and both make excellent party games. If traveling, just bring the cards and quiz one another to see how many you words you can guess.

BuzzWord and BuzzWord Junior are produced by Patch Products and cost $25 and $20 respectively. More info can be found at www.patchproducts.com.