Hi, montana!
Well, I have test subjects the same ages and gender as yours (with one in the middle)...and here's what they like:
-best of all here are the Family Pastimes cooperative games. We have several of these, and they're all really quite fun. Low-tech, inexpensive, and good for promoting family harmony! Some favourites: Harvest Time, Granny's House, Growlies in the Garden, Bus Depot Diner, The Secret Door, Sleeping Grump, etc.
-some card games work pretty well: Old Maid, Fish, Rummy, Crazy Eights, Speed, etc. I've also taught them all some solitaire variations, so they can amuse themselves when nobody else wants to play anything. Other card games that are good here are Rhyme Thyme, Set, and the Professor Noggin games.
-not a game, but jigsaw puzzles always work well in groups here. Jenga is also fun.
-I wouldn't have thought so, since it's marked 12 and up on the box, but Artifact has worked surprisingly well with our group. We just tweak the rules a little bit to make it easier for Chico to keep up (we give him the easier challenge cards, for instance), and turn it more in the direction of a cooperative game by having everyone leave their artifact cards face-up. They all really like this one, and it's fascinating for grown-ups, too.
-some old faithfuls we play at my mom's are pretty good, too, though Chico needs help with some of these: Clue, Masterpiece, Junior Monopoly, Junior Scrabble.
Hope that helps!
peace
minnie
