The season of giving is upon us. I know there are a bunch of these gift guides out there but I figured I should add my thoughts to this discussion.

For Ages 3-6
Go Away Monster – great for the lower ages in this group. Helps with shape recognition and scary monsters!
Chicken Cha Cha – again this is fun memory game may skew a little closer to 3 years old.
Candyland – a classic that although totally random helps kids with color recognition.
Yahtzee, Jr. – lots of fun themes to choose from and helps with counting (and learning the full game)

For Ages 7-12
Quicksand – fun for all and easy to learn and play.
For Sale – another game that you can play with your kids and not be bored.
Monopoly Deal – much quicker than the full game and more fun too.
Forbidden Island – great co-op game to play with kids
Dominion – this game appeals to most everyone, has tons of replayability and plays in about half an hour

For Ages 12+
Pandemic – this co-op game is fun, tense and challenging
Agricola – great worker placement game. It has a small learning curve but lots of replayability and depth.
Race for the Galaxy – a bit complex but once you learn the iconography on the cards and give it a few plays you’ll love it.

For couples
Lost Cities – fun game with some nice strategic nuances to it.
Jambo – Lots of variety, decent strategy and pretty quick.

Party Game
Wits and Wagers – trivia and gambling, who can resist that combination.
Times Up – although some of the names are less recognizable this game is fun and scales very well.

So there it is. My 2010 Holiday Board Game Gift Guide. Have anything to add? Please leave your thoughts in the comments.