My three-year old has been home everyday for a month now. We yanked her out of her old school/daycare in mid-May, allowing her to be home with her new little sister, her mommy and, depending on the day, one of her grandmothers or myself. The sure-to-be painful transition back to school starts on Monday, June 18th. It is a new school, but is running a camp format for the summer, something totally new and fun, so we are hoping the excitement and adventure quality of camp will help her overcome any trepidation she may experience (wishfully thinking, I know). In addition to forming a cute little bond with her sister, she has fallen in love with a couple board games, namely Hi Ho! Cherry O and Candy Land, over the past four weeks. To be honest, I have never played this much Candy Land in my life and I am really enjoying the competition-lite atmosphere in the family room these days.
Whether you have the old classic edition (still available in a retro tin container) or the standard new version with updated characters pictured on the board, the game is simply wonderful. A half dozen primary colors are all a child needs to know in order to play Candy Land. If they can discern between red, blue, yellow, green, purple and orange – they too can be a Candy Land Champion!
The game is pretty straight forward, with mostly positive movements but there are a few moments of peril thanks to Lord Licorice and his pesky sticky spaces, causing a player to lose a turn. My girl takes it all in stride and I am fairly certain any toddler will be able to understand the minor pitfalls of playing a game. In my house, we are big fans of cheering for each other to do well and have a good game. We high-five each other no matter who enters Candy Castle first, which virtually eliminates the hysterics sometimes associated with a toddler who ends up on the losing end of just about anything. Another clever tip to make Candy Land super fun is to use the extra gingerbread-kid game pieces as an audience and cheering section. Typically, when my daughter is playing with just my wife or I (leaving two pieces on the sidelines) those extras will become our fan clubs. She will make them jump up and down and slap hands with our players as we make our way around the Candy trail.
Candy Land also sets up well as a solitary game, which you may never have considered before. Encourage your child (Candy Land is ideally for kids ages 3-6) to select 1-3 “friends” – meaning stuffed animals, action figures or dolls – and have him or her play a game with them! Your son or daughter will draw all the cards and move all the pieces, but this activity occupies their time, gives you some breathing room and fosters imagination.