Looking for a fun family game that gets your family on its feet and thinking creatively? Cranium: Family Edition is just the game.
Just like many other board games, the object of the game is to get to the finish line before any other player. However, in addition to mover pieces and a die, you’ll be using a timer, Cranium Clay, Cranium Cubes, pencil, and paper. In Cranium: Family Edition, you work in teams. In order to roll the die and move, your team needs to complete a task and it can come from one of four categories: Word Worm, Data Head, Star Performer, and Creative Cat. Each category has four possible activities.
Data Head is the typical trivia category. “True or false? Chewing gum takes seven years to move through your digestive system.” (False!) Worm Worm is all about, well, words. In Cranium: Family Edition, you could be asked to complete a word search or link words in the same category which start with the last letter of the previous words. Teammates, parent and child, might work together to spell a word backwards.
Star Performer’s tasks include Humdinger, Cameo, Stunt Double, and Fast Find. This is one of my favorite categories. Humdinger involves one teammate humming or whistling a specific tune that the other teammate has to guess. The classic Cameo card calls for one player to act out silent clues to have others guess the answer. Similarly, in Creative Cat, you might need to use the Cranium Clay to get your teammates to guess the answer but sculpting the answer!
Cranium: Family Edition is specifically geared toward families with younger children (ages 8+). Hasbro has many other similar games, namely the original Cranium, which is intended for families with older children (age 16+), though it includes a special deck of 60 cards for “family play.” Either Cranium: Family Edition or Cranium, at approximate retail values of $19.99 and $24.99, respectively, is a worthwhile investment for a family. It has provided many nights of fun for my friends and relatives, and is a unique game that is more about having fun and being creative than winning.