For those of us on the East Coast, this past winter has out-wintered the others in recent memory. My family has spent so much time indoors that even my daughter is sick of the television. Sometimes it’s just too cold, snowy or rainy to trek around, so we hunker down and are totally housebound. And although it was unseasonably warm for a few days New York, the endless rain over the weekend has reminded us that we have a few more weeks of unfortunatey weather before summer hits.

After serving my time wondering how to fill the days with something besides drawing, reading, and cries of “I’m bored,” I’ve decided to arm my family against future stay-inside weekends. My weapon of choice? Games. Yes, good old-fashioned family games...that don’t involve technology. I never thought I was a game person, but now I'm getting really into them. They do an excellent service of keeping families occupied, and furthermore, according to countless parenting books and websites, it's clear that games are critically important to development and family bonding. Kids learn about competition, hardships, finance, and strategy—all through playing games.

According to parenting expert Dr. Lawrence Cohen, when kids play games with their parents, and the parents let them win, it builds kids' confidence. In his book Playful Parenting, Dr. Cohen says, “we prepare children best by both nurturing them and challenging them…by bossing their mom or dad around, or beating them…they get a refill of their attachment needs, and then they can go out and manage the more-or-less level playing files with peers.” So, I can have a fun weekend, create some great family memories, and actually get an A+ as a parent? Sold.  

How to Beat the Stuck Indoors Blues

1. Indoor Dart Board Game (buy it now price, $69.99) Even if you don't have a den or basement playroom, you can still set this up temporarily in a not-too-fancy living room.

2. Classic Checkers With Wooden Box Enclosure (buy it now price, $14.95) Checkers are easy to teach and play, which makes them incredibly satisfying. You won’t have to keep explaining rules with this one.

3. Mini Air Hockey Table (buy it now price, $34.99) Even though you play it inside, this game still gets your heart racing, and also requires skill and agility. This small size means it can probably get stored under a bed when it’s time to put it away.

4. 7 Ft. Jump Rope (buy it now price, $3.95) While this isn’t literally a game, it is a great indoor activity, that I learned about from another housebound friend. Tie one end of the rope to a chair, and swing it around, for your kid to jump through. It’s great exercise, a lot of fun, and so much safer for your things than an indoor game of catch. Can you remember Teddy Bear Touch the Ground?!

5. Scrabble Game with Wooden Tiles (buy it now price, $14.99) Definitely for kids six and up, this is a fun way to reinforce spelling and teach them (and maybe yourself!) some new words.

 6. Kids Wooden Babuszka Chess Set (buy it now price, $65.99) Education experts have been saying that chess really helps kids with math. (I’m hoping it can extend its help my way too.) It’s also just fun to teach kids how each piece has a name and a very specific function.  With its babuzka faces, this set is more playful than a traditional version, which makes it more appealing and easier to identify the pieces.

7. Original 1966 Twister Game (buy it now price, $14.99) Good old-fashioned Twister supports balance and agility.

8. 1952 Pin The Tail On The Donkey Game (buy it now price, $9.99) Who doesn’t love Pin the Tail on the Donkey?  Chances are, your kid has never played it at a birthday party, and she or he probably never will.

9.Vintage Indoor Carpet Bowling (current bid, $13.39) I just love the idea of bowling in your own house. Fire up the popcorn!

10. Connect Four (buy it now price, $15.00) I call this the ‘quickie’ game. It’s very satisfying because you can dip in and out and don’t have to commit to a long timeframe.

11. Original 1975 Monopoly (buy it now price, $24.95) Who doesn’t love this game? Get your child thinking early about real estate, banks, and acquisitions.  

**Image credit: Ivan Josifovic**

 Yolanda Edwards is a travel and lifestyle writer and author of the blog Travels with Clara. She was the founding travel and lifestyle editor at Cookie magazine.