This holiday season, we’re leaning into what we do best at Camp Galileo: nurturing the spark of innovation in every kid. We’ve rounded up a selection of games and activities that pair perfectly with the five Innovator’s Mindsets from our Galileo Innovator’s Approach (GIA): Visionary, Courageous, Collaborative, Determined, and Reflective.
Whether you’re gifting a young dreamer, a bold problem-solver, a team-player or a deep thinker, these picks are designed to inspire creativity, confidence and joyful learning long after the wrapping paper is gone.
For kids who love dreaming up new worlds, characters and creations, these picks invite visionaries to let their imaginations run wild.
- Clixo: (Age 4+) Dream up new formations and quickly click them together using this brightly colored set of flexible magnetic shapes. Visionaries of all ages can use this building set to create hanging, curving, movable, wearable creations!
- Dixit: (Age 8+) Each turn, one player is the storyteller and makes up a sentence or phrase to describe one of their cards. Each player chooses a card from their own hand that they feel best matches the storyteller’s description, and after shuffling and revealing the cards, all the players except the storyteller vote on which card they believe belongs to the storyteller.
- Once Upon a Time: (Age 8+) Players use their cards to tell a story together while trying to steer the plot towards their own secret ending. Players can interrupt each other to take control of the story and guide it toward their conclusion.
For kids ready to try something new, take a brave leap or face a challenge head-on, these games encourage courage through adventure, risk-taking and playful problem-solving.
- The Family Play Deck (Age 5+) 60 activity cards spark curiosity, creativity, and connection for families. Each card features a prompt, from crafts and nature explorations to simple science experiments and treasure hunts, and the opportunity to be courageous by trying new things.
- Forbidden Island (Age 10+) Teams collaborate to collect treasures and escape the island before it sinks.
- Ghost Fightin’ Treasure Hunters (Ages 8+) In cooperative mode, everyone works as a team to find 8 Treasure Jewels and escape a spook-filled house before it becomes fully haunted. In head haunter mode, one person controls the ghosts against up to 4 other players.
For kids who thrive when working with others, these games turn teamwork into joyful play by building communication, cooperation and collective triumphs.
- Outfoxed (Age 5+) Players support each other to figure out which fox stole the pot pie, gathering clues and using deductive reasoning to rule out suspects and catch the guilty fox before it escapes.
- Telestrations (Age 10+) Each player draws a word on a dry erase pad and passes to the next player, who guesses what was drawn.
- Chit Chat (Age 8+) Cooperative game where teams work together to guess the numbers that answer the quirky questions on the cards and arrange them in ascending order.
For kids who love a challenge, these strategy-driven picks reward persistence, focus and the grit it takes to keep going and try again.
- Catan (Age 10+) Players collect resources like wood, sheep, and bricks, by rolling dice to build settlements, cities and roads on a modular board. The goal is to be the first to reach 10 victory points, earned by building and acquiring development cards.
- Monopoly (Age 8+) Players compete to buy and sell properties, charge rent and grow their empire.
- Blokus (Age 7+) A strategy board game where players take turns placing 21 pieces of their color on a grid. Each new piece must touch at least one corner of a previously placed piece of the same color, but sides of different colors can touch. The goal is to place as many of your pieces on the board as possible while blocking opponents. The game ends when no one can make a valid move, and the player with the lowest score based on the number of squares on their remaining pieces wins.
For kids who are growing their self-awareness, decision-making and emotional insight, these thoughtful games create space to pause, notice and learn from every moment.
- Tightrope (Age 6+) Players take turns placing marbles on rubber bands that sway and bounce. Marbles can fall off the tightrope and right back into your pile. Win by having the least amount of marbles in this fun and educational game that builds decision-making skills and improves hand-eye coordination.
- What Should You Do? A Game of Consequences (Ages 4-7) In this fun-filled game of consequences, players face everyday dilemmas that deal with topics like honesty, bullying and manners.
- The Hygge Game (Age 14+) brings people together by encouraging friends and family to share their stories and bond over thought-provoking questions designed to spark meaningful conversation and contribute to a cozy evening.
Here’s to a fun and innovative gift-giving season!
