2010 News

Beginner Dinner Games and Original Dinner Games are packaged in colorful metal boxes that are full of fun. Beginner Dinner Games is for families with kids ages 3-6, while Original Dinner Games is for families with kids ages 6-12. Each box contains 51 cards: 50 games to play during dinner and one wild card. The cards are spill-proof, durable, and color-coded by skill. Skills worked on in Beginner Dinner Games include The Five Senses, Social Skills, Creative and Critical Thinking, Expressive Language and Listening, and Memory (also included are Just For Fun games). The skills included in Original Dinner Games are Numbers and Math, Social Skills, Phonics and Vocabulary, Creative and Critical Thinking, and Memory (Silly Games are included as well). In addition to working on various skill areas in a fun way, many of these games also encourage participants to eat their vegetables and drink their milk.

I was a little worried when these showed up in my mailbox. I have five sons, ages 10, 9, 7, 6, and 4. We eat dinner as a family as often as possible, and we love to laugh. While I enjoy having dinner together, things can quickly spiral out of control, leaving me saying things like "Stay in your chair" or "Keep your head above your feet" or "That's enough silliness, now eat your dinner." I was nervous that these games would encourage the childish behavior that we've been working on eliminating. I was wrong. Instead, these games helped to direct our conversation and fun. We enjoyed playing "Counting Moo" (go around the table counting, but instead of saying even numbers, players must say the word "moo"), "What's Missing" (players close their eyes while one person removes an object from the table; then they open their eyes and try to guess what has been removed), "Telephone Line" (the first person whispers a sentence to the person next to them, then that person whispers it to the person next to them, until it gets to the last person and they say it out loud--it's rarely the same sentence), and many others. Each game takes only minutes but produces a lot of laughter, discussion, and enjoyment. I would highly recommend Beginner Dinner Games and Original Dinner Games to any family looking to add fun and direction to their dinnertime.

We love games and play them every chance we get. With my husband working almost every weekend, it gets difficult trying to find things to occupy 4 children so games is how we pass the time! Throw some pizza in the mix and we have ourself a fun filled night! So what could be better than a game that combines pizza and games?! That's a perfect match for us so that's why we LOVE the Pizza Night Family Dinner Game from Family Time Fun!!!

The kids and I have an absolute blast playing this game!!! It's quick and easy and features over 150 different activities to do while having dinner together!!! One of the kids favorites was when I chose a card that said the other players had to place napkins on my head and then I had to guess how many there were. It was so much fun watching the kids giggle as they piled Mommy high with napkins! Each person just takes a turn rolling the dice and choosing from the colored stacks of pizza slices. Each category requires a different kind of task. The kids like getting the one's when they have to take a bite and then try to talk! The best part is, there is no winner or loser! Everybody wins because it's just a great way to spend time together as a family

I'm so excited to tell you all about a fun new game my family played last night!

So sit down, relax, and listen up!

Who wouldn't love a game that lets you eat pizza while you play it? Because a fun new game called "Pizza Night" sure let's you!

Pizza Night is a Family Dinner Game designed to add fun to your regular family pizza nights! Plus it's just plain cute! It comes in a "pizza box" and the game pieces are shaped like a pizza. Too. Cute.

But what I loved about this game is the mission behind it. Family Time Fun's goal is to bring your family closer together and create conversation around the dinner table. Isn't that great?

Plus, the game is just fun and easy enough that my five year old could do it. I just had to help her read her card.

The kids really enjoyed this game. Each card has something you have to accomplish all while sitting at the table. One of our favorites from last nights game play was, "Throw this game card up in the air and let it land on the table. Whoever it points to does not have to help clean up after dinner."

So my son threw it up in the air and when it landed on the table it was pointing to our 5 year old. Which made her pump her fists in the air and yell, "YES!"

Another one we liked from last night was, "Describe a place your family has visited without naming it. See if anyone can guess where it is."

My son said one word for his description, "Hot."

We all yelled, "Texas!"

Each card had us laughing, that's for sure.

The kids gave this game a hearty "two thumbs up." And when I asked them what they thought of it my daughter said, "it was pizza-ee!"

Don't they look all happy and stuff? (Nevermind we had to tickle the guy in blue to get him to smile for the camera).

But, guess what????

You can eat pizza and look this happy too, because someone is going to win this fun game for their family pizza night!

Whooo-hooooo!

The entire family had a lot of fun with Pizza Night Family Dinner Game. Dinner and a game, what a perfect way to get some family fun time in with the kids.

All we did to prepare was make two pizza right here at home. Sat down to pizza, drinks and a game, Pizza Night. I really enjoyed that it is less work on mom, very little prep and hardly any clean-up. We played for over an hour. I know the kids enjoyed screaming out the answers and to do's. With each question it was hard to contain them. It is hard to believe how creative than can be when finding things are making up answers.

Pizza Night is simple enough to understand that all the three older children could play along. We had to read the cards for the younger one, who is almost 5. Aryka who is almost six caught on quickly and was able to work out most of the words herself.

With it being so hard to find a family game that everyone from parent to a young child can play, I find that this one really worked for us. We have already set a date to play again on next week. I am sure Pizza Night will be a regular here at Mom to Bed by 8.

With this bad economy and both parents having to work, some 2 or more jobs just to make ends meet, family meals seem to be a thing of the past. More and more families seem to eat on the run, some at one time and others later. Family mealtime is so very important to children. A positive meal experience has several benefits to young ones. It improves communication within the family, improves eating habits- I remember reading that girls especially are less likely to suffer from eating disorders when families enjoy mealtime together. It also improves literacy development among preschoolers, and develops a protective factor against drugs, alchol, tobacco, and low grades. All this from enjoying meals together!

With little ones it is often hard to enjoy meals when they are whining and crying about not wanting to eat what’s on their plate, and throwing food all over the place! Well, I have to say, Family Time Fun is a perfect solution for meal time madness! Created by a dad, John Pandiscio, who wanted to spend more quality time with his two young kids. They started playing word games at dinner time and noticed how fun it was, and they started spending a few more quality time together every day, without even trying. I love the idea! Meal time at our home was hectic, like most families, I’m sure. After rushing to get food on the table so my husband could get to work, conversation was usually minimal. Family Time Fun provided us with the Beginner Dinner Games for review. Perfect for us since our oldest is 3 and the game is for 3-6 year olds. I love the fact that every card is different in every way. Some cards have questions to get to know each other better, some are matching games, and others are just silly games for a good laugh. My daughter loves the Family Favorites game- Each kid asks the adults 4 questions- favorite animal, color, book, song. Each adult asks the kids 4 questions- favorite food, tv show, toy, friend to see how much each other knows about the other one. Every time we sit down she asks me mommy whats your favorite color? Its really cute! It creates an atmosphere of listening and allows your children to express how they feel opening up communication between family members. Today we played Family Idol- yep, you sing songs about a certain subject- we sang about how we loved our yogurt and blueberries, but it was fun- no crying, no yelling, just enjoying Family Time Fun together. There are 5 different games to choose from: Pizza Night, Gather Round Restaurant, Gather Round Dinner, Beginner, and Original Dinner Games. This is definitely something I think all families need. Something as little as a game to bring us all a little bit closer. Go check out Family Time Fun HERE.

A new twist to add to Family Night with a fun game to get some great conversation around the dinner table.

I truly believe a family that sits down and eats meals together are more open with each other and are a closer family & help each other through their daily obstacles & feel comfortable to talk to one another when situations come up that need family options, but other wise might not have been comfortable if that bond had never been created.

This fun game comes packaged perfectly fit for fun Family night activity in a pizza box like packaging...

The game had fun questions that the kids loved to ask & answer & everyone got involved.

Its simple for all ages but the younger ones will need help reading the cards.

We have played it with and without pizza.. Just one suggestion.. if you eat it with pizza have a tub of wet wipes on hand. I think the only way to better this game is to have the game pieces covered with a laminate covering that is more washable and durable for cleaning. If not the game cards seem to get greasy, it does wipe off but not as well as if you could use a damp cloth to do so and I think they would ware down quick over time.

Bring your family closer together with Family Fun Night games!

Before Lincoln was born, and even when he was younger, we would eat our meals in the living room, with us eating on t.v. trays, and Lincoln in his highchair. As he got older, we began to see his eating was affected by our eating habits. If we got up, he figured he was done eating as well, even if he had barely touched his meal. we also didn't take advantage of meals being family time, as we were all engrossed in whatever was on t.v. at the time. So a few months ago we decided to make a change, and eat our meals at the table, together. I can honestly say it has made meal time more enjoyable, as we actually talk and enjoy each others company!!

I recently discovered a company that truly understands the importance of family meals.

What a great idea!! John, the creator of Family Fun Time, has come up with several great games to not only teach your kids, but to also help them to enjoy meal times.

I have the Beginner Dinner Games that includes 51 games to help your child keep focused on their meal.

There is also the Original Dinner Games and the Gather 'Round Dinner Game .

And the Gather 'Round Resturant Game and Pizza Night Family Dinner Game .

These games are a sure way to make the members of your family WANT to have family dinner time!

Get your Family Fun Time fun games here, and check them out on Facebook!

Put two things things that my family loves and you have a winning idea. Pizza and Thursday game night, they go together like cheese and sauce. While we were at Toy Fair this year we happened upon the Family Time Fun booth and my wife who was already familiar with the products started looking around. We then got a chance to talk to John, the mastermind behind Family Time Fun Dinner Games and he introduced us to his new product Pizza Night Family Dinner Game and I was intrigued.

So we dialed our favorite pizza place and got ready for a few games of the Pizza Night Family Dinner Game. We let our youngest go first and he rolled the colored die. He then picked the card with that color shaped like a slice of pizza. Get ready to fire up your imagination and brains to complete the task on the Action Packed, Talk Time, Family Style, Get Creative!, Brainy or Fun Time cards. The boys loved it and we enjoyed it as well. It truely does help you communicate with your children and also adds fun to eating pizza, but for us it allowed our older boy to really come out of his shell by doing things he might not have done before. Act like a pirate as you eat your pizza would normally get a groan and some sulking, but when it is all part of a game it allowed his competative spirit to overcome a bit of his shyness. For our younger boy it allowed him to really use his thinking cap as his imagination is already well shaped. They all loved being able to act out things and run around the house trying to find different items. Personally I like the Action Packed cards the best.

Two small items of note, and I may be nit picking here. I felt that the plastic that the cards and dice are held in could have been a bit sturdier. I don’t know if that is a cost issue or not, but since you will be using it while you play to hold the cards I would like to see something with thicker plastic. Second for my boys who are super competitive, the game is really just playing with no real end game. That was not good enough for them so what we had to introduce was some type of winner where you could be the first one to have a slice of each colored pizza card. You would get the card if you completed what was on the card. For the cards where you had to do a shopping list type game, if you were the card holder you just could not be the one that ended the list, if someone else did you still got the card. While many people may not need to play this way as they can just enjoy the tasks for what they are, this was a house rule that worked out well for our family.

Pizza Night Family Dinner Game accomplishes more than I thought it would, that is I thought it would just be a fun diversion to eating some dinner. In the end the game actually helped both of the boys work on things like their thinking skills and imagination. What more can you ask for in a game if it can help your children work on their social development as well as their thinking skills. What John needs to make next is the What Did You Do Today at School Dinner Game and I would be all over that as well.

This game has a pizza box packaging, spill-proof pizza-slice game cards and 150 different games to play while eating pizza. Quick and easy to play, just gather your family, grab a pizza and begin the fun.

How to Play:

• It's easy! Once seated with your family and favorite pizza, role the die. Whatever color appears on the die is the colored card you play. Pass the die to the next person...that's it!
• These games are quick so you can play as many as you like during your meal.

Benefits:

• Spices up family conversation
• Brings everyone closer together

For Christmas, we received Original Dinner Games from Family Time Fun from my friend Carrie. It is everything we love: simple, no cost, conversation starters to make mealtime an all-join-in kinda event. It includes 51 cards with activities to play while at the table. See, it's OKAY to play around at dinner time.

There are the following categories: Silly Games, Phonics and Vocabulary, Social Skills, Numbers and Math, Memory Games, Creative and Critical Thinking.

However, I did let Carrie know that I WILL be blaming her for any future troubles with drinking games with my girls. This is because the girls' favorite game is "Counting Moo". If you mess up, you drink. Milk, but still. Sound familiar to anyone...?

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For all the drinkers out there (milk or otherwise) interested in the game I mentioned above, here ya go:

• Go around the table counting, starting with the number one.
• Whenever you get to an even number, say "moo."
• For example, "one, moo, three, moo, five, moo..."
• Anyone who misses a "moo" or a correct number must take a sip of milk and start the game over.
• Also try this with odd numbers, prime numbers or multiples of three, depending on the age of your children.

Trust me, it is harder than you think... Check out Original Dinner Games and keep checking VickyandJen.com for a "surprise" give-a-way. (6 of them! Oops! Did I just let the moo out of the cow?)

Waiting at a restaurant with kids can quickly turn into w-a-i-t-i-n-g (fill in appropriate groaning sound effect here, yours or theirs). Enter the Gather 'Round Restaurant Game. Its flashing lights and flying saucer-style case draw kids like ants to a picnic. To play, place on the interchangeable cards in the case, then press the button to make the light jump around the saucer until it stops on a game space. The spaces are a mix of snappy conversations starters (name 5 bugs that could land on your vehicle's windshield) and activities (balance utensils on your fingers) that will keep your kids happily distracted until the burgers arrive.

Whether your pizza is pick-up or delivery, this game will add fun to family pizza night and bring everyone closer together! Includes pizza box packaging, spill-proof pizza-slice game cards and 150 different games to play while eating pizza. Quick and easy to play, just gather your family, grab a pizza and begin the fun.

Last year we started a fun tradition at the dinner table where we take turns discussing our favorite part of the day. My girls, who are 4 and 7, enjoy it so much that they will remind us if we've forgotten to do it! It's become as integral a part of our evening meal as saying grace and setting the table and it's a great way to promote family togetherness, especially since we are all so busy during the week with work and school and soccer.

We have been testing out a couple of fun home dinner games for families from Family Time Fun (they also have a Gather 'Round Restaurant Game which is perfect for road trips.) These games are available at several retailer, such as Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Toys R Us, Target, and Fat Brain Toys, and have son several awards such as Creative Child Magazine's Game of the Year in 2009!

We received three dinner games:

• Gather 'Round Dinner Game (the push-button action has made this game my girls' favorite)
• Beginner Dinner Games
• Original Dinner Games

The Gather 'Round game offers 132 dinnertime activities to play while you eat. My girls loved the push button feature on this game, which I love because all the game cards are stored within the round game unit. The Beginner Dinner Games and Original Dinner Games are both small tin sets of game cards. The beginner set is geared toward younger children (ages 3 to 6) while the Original Dinner Game set is perfect for older kids ages 6 to 12. Last night we chose a card that asked each adult to ask each child at the table four questions about themselves and vice versa. It was a fun way to learn about our family favorites. I learned, for example, that my 7-year-old's favorite food is candy (wink) and I also learned that my 4-year-old is quite good at coming up with creative questions. She asked me what my favorite type of jewelry is!

These are great games that encourage family conversation and fun. I highly recommend them as birthday gifts, Christmas gifts, or for family vacation as they are perfect at the dinner table. Right now you can purchase discounted bundles of the games. You can also keep up with special offerings via their Facebook page.

I want to give a huge thanks to Family Time Fun and Donna for giving me the chance to review their Family Dinner Games!

What exactly is Family Time Fun well here is a bit of about them from their website: About Family Time Fun

Also check out these benefits of family meals (from website).

I was sent all four games for review with the family: Restaurant Dinner Games, At-Home Dinner Games, Beginner Dinner Games, and Original Dinner Games! I have to say that I really enjoy playing these games with the family. Once I got them I took them to the family dinner we have every New Years day and the entire family played along and it was a real blast and everyone really seemed to love it and I'm sure it's going to be a new tradition at family gatherings.

Whether your pizza is pick-up or delivery, this game is designed to add fun to family pizza night and bring everyone closer together. It includes a pizza box packaging, 150 pizza-slice game cards and six game categories: Family Style, Fun Time, Get Creative, Brainy, Action Packed and Talk Town. Launch date: February 2010. 10/29/2009 (Price: $19.99; Age: 5 and Up)

Watch the Pizza Night Family Dinner Game in TDmonthly's Toy Video

Five years ago, John Pandiscio, founder of FamilyTimeFun and his wife discovered that the simple question, "What's the best and worst part of your day?" could start rounds of dinner time fun. Even better was that by the time they had finished playing games and talking the kids had also finished all their food. It gave John the idea to create Dinner Games. I count us lucky and blessed to have been given this game. It has been a dinnertime sanity-saver ever since we obtained it.

FamilyTimeFun has four different games for varying ages-

-Beginner Dinner Games -- 51 wholesome dinner games for young kids ages 3-6.

-Original Dinner Games -- 51 educational games for kids ages 6-12.

-Gather 'Round Dinner Game -- 132 engaging dinnertime activities with push-button action for ages 5 and up.

-Gather 'Round Restaurant Game -- A great travel game with 96 games to play at restaurants and 36 games for car rides. Ages five +.

Naturally, Beginner Dinner Games ($15.95) was the best fit for us. The small metal box that holds the cards is practical and easy to store. It is also light so it will not take up space or add much weight if you want to bring it with you to a restaurant or on a trip. The first night we played this card game, we had success. Not only did we have fun as a family, but also our three-year-old ate all her dinner without huffing, puffing or tears. The next day and every day after that she continued to request the Dinner Game. While we don't play it every night it has certainly been a blessing and loads of fun. The games are educational, inspiring and they create simple mealtime conversation that would not always occur with the preschool set. It is a chance for us to be silly as a family and show our children that dinnertime is a fun, relaxing, enjoyable time and not a form of torture. In fact, I love this product so much that while writing this review I purchased a set for another family with small children.

Play sample games here. Dinner Games can be purchased online via the company's website or at stores near you. 

MPR Rating: Five Stars.