Funny Phone Early Listening Game

Kids "dial in," with this silly-face telephone toy, and the Funny Phone, with a comical voice, to boot, gives them a challenge such as a tongue twister, forming a rhyme, belting a tune, or acting out a charade, among others. Amelia, 5 years old, loved the game even after several sessions of play, and her mom recommends it as an easy and fun game to enjoy with your grandchildren. Kids, ages 4 to 6, will get the biggest kick out of the game; older kids will find it too easy.

Age: 4+
Retail Price: $36.99
Available at: multiple sellers

Scatterpillar Scramble

This fast-paced, music-playing game features a multi-handed caterpillar, who dances and wiggles around. The goal of Scatterpillar Scramble is for a player to be the first to place all eight of their marbles in the insect's fast-moving hands. Our tester-mom, Daniela, played with her sons, ages 3, 5, and 6. All were equally excited to play, although she recommends the game for slightly older kids who will concentrate on the challenge of the game, not get carried away with (i.e., throwing, flinging, or even swallowing) its marbles.

Age: 4+
Retail Price: $19.71
Available at: multiple sellers

Jitterz Fast-Paced Trivia Game

Like a classic quiz show, this electronic trivia game for kids features four buttons with which players buzz in their answers. Players race against the clock in Jitterz, so the difficulty comes from not having an extra few seconds to remember whether a tomato is a fruit or a vegetable. The game boasts more than 250 questions about science and world geography in three different formats. Our tester-mom, Suzanne, says that many of the game's questions are repeated, so her 10-year old triplets got to learn all the right answers, which is great until they learn everything the game has to teach, and stop playing with it.

Age: 7+
Retail Price: $29.77
Available at: multiple sellers

Crazy Old Fish War

If a game that combines Crazy Eights, Old Maid, War, and Go Fish sounds like a confusing mishmash to you — it is — but it's not necessarily a bad thing in this case. Our tester-family initially thought Crazy Old Fish War had way too many rules for something based on some of the simplest games a kid can play. However, it held the interest of Ari, 10, and Sophie, 7 for several hours on separate occasions, making it more a fun challenge than a frustrating conundrum.

Age: 7+
Retail Price: $4.09
Available at: amazon.com

Scoop Ice Cream Game

Scoop is essentially a matching game with a cool ice-cream theme. Players roll the dice, which has pictures of different colored ice cream scoops on its sides, and use their memories and concentration to build a winning ice cream cone with their cards. Kids, 6 to 7 years old, will probably like the game, but they're almost sure to lose interest if they are any older.

Age: 6+
Retail Price: $17.98
Available at: lighterside.com

Candyland Sweet Celebration Game

If you're looking for the same wholesome and simple pleasure of Candy Land that you remember as a kid, don't go anywhere near this game. Tester-mom, Stacey, could barely get past assembling the Candy Land Sweet Celebration Game before she wrote the game off as a waste of time and money. Yes, this new-fangled version requires assembly for its "3-D" component, and the plastic pieces eventually just fall apart. Stacey likens it to those failed-revamps of soft drinks and asks, "Why mess with a classic?"

Age: 4+
Retail Price: $23
Available at: multiple sellers