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There is nothing quite like the feeling of having a full house during the holidays. With the snow falling here in Akron and the Christmas lights twinkling, I have been eagerly awaiting the moment my kids came home from Ohio University. Having them both under my roof again is magical. Along with them comes all of their friends, coming and going along with family. I love a full house. Sometimes reconnecting with friends and family after being gone for months at a time can be a little challenging. That is why The Op Games have been an absolute lifesaver this week. In fact, I discovered a parenting hack that I just have to share with you.
This is a sponsored post.
The “Dining Table” Strategy
Elizabeth absolutely loves games. She is so passionate about them that she actually hauls her favorites back and forth to college every single visit, just in case she gets a chance to play! When she unpacked last week, we ended up leaving a stack of new games from The Op Games right in the middle of our dining room table.
I used to make the mistake of putting games away in the closet. When friends or family came over, I’d ask, “Hey, do you want to play a game?” and the answer was almost always a polite, “I don’t know,” or “Maybe later.” It just falls flat.
But this week changed everything.
By leaving the games out on the table for over a week, I noticed something amazing. When guests walked in—whether it was friends, teens, or family—they were immediately drawn to the table to see what was there. Without me saying a word, we were suddenly playing! It is such an easy transition.
Games break the ice like nothing else. We have had so much laughter and giggling in my house this week with young kids, teens, college students, and adults all playing together. It eliminated that lull in conversation and instantly connected us.
Here are the games that have been living on our table and bringing the joy this season:
1. Telestrations (12 Players)
If you want to hear uncontrollable laughter, you need this game. Telestrations has been a party staple for a while, but this new version is gorgeous with added benefits with more content, fresh material, and more laughs. It’s like the classic game of “telephone” but sketched out! If you can’t draw, no worries, that makes it even more fun!
I didn’t edit this because I wanted you to see the real, unfiltered joy this game brought to our table.
What I love is that they streamlined the gameplay—there is no timer and no dice, so we were able to start playing seconds after opening the box. This game can play up to 12 players, which is perfect for our family.
2. Blank Slate (8 Players)
Your kids may have seen this on TikTok, it’s all over social media. This has been a huge hit for the “great minds think alike” crowd. In Blank Slate, you pick a word cue card and write the word you think best completes the phrase. The catch? You have to try to match it exactly to another player’s word without giving a hint.
It is fascinating to see who is on the same wavelength! It’s fantastic for large groups and parties because it moves so fast. Set up is in seconds and it is so easy to learn to play that most ages can pop right in for a round or two with the lag time.
Pick it up at Walmart or Amazon!
3. Tacta (6+ Players)
If you love games that make you think but don’t take hours to set up, you have to try Tacta. It is a brand new strategic card game that has been getting a lot of action on our table this week. There are multiple ways to play so you can play with as little as 2 players and up and beyond 6 players.
The concept is deceptively simple: you flip, twist, and turn your cards to overlap and match shapes—squares, triangles, and rectangles—with the cards already on the table. It reminds me a little of dominoes but with a much cooler, modern twist. The “board” just keeps growing as you play!
Elijah really got into this one because it requires some serious strategy. You have to analyze your move to cover your opponent’s shapes while advancing your own. It’s perfect for 2 players or more, and because it’s just a deck of cards, we’ve already talked about packing this one for our next family trip to Hocking Hills.
You can grab it on Amazon or Walmart!
4. Hues and Cues (10 Players)
Hues and Cues challenges you to connect words with colors. Since everyone imagines colors differently, it leads to some hilarious debates. The girls are certain that girls play better because they know colors better but the boys completely disagree! Everyone imagines colors differently which makes connecting the colors and clues even more fun.
I didn’t edit this because I wanted you to see the real, unfiltered joy this game brought to our table.
It is vibrant, beautiful on the table, and accommodates large groups easily. It’s a great way to test how well you really know your family’s perspective!
Why These Games Work for Us
I highly recommend getting at least two of these new games to play this Christmas and New Year. Family game night has been a treasure for us since the kids were toddlers, but now that they are in college, I treasure it even more.
No Set-Up Time: We could jump in and out of games instantly.
Fast to Learn: We didn’t have to spend 30 minutes reading a rule book while guests got bored.
Accommodates Everyone: One game can handle up to 10 people!
Short Play Time: You aren’t investing two hours into a single game, which keeps the energy fresh.
I know Elizabeth is already planning on taking a few of these back to Athens with her next semester. If you want to connect with your family this season, take a tip from the Orley household: Buy the games, and leave them on the table!
Have you played any of these games from The Op Games? Let me know which one sounds the most fun in the comments below!
