Sequence for Kids – Game Review

I bring absolutely no knowledge of Sequence to the (game) table. I have heard of, but had never played, the standard edition of the well-known board game and until it was given to my daughter as a 3rd birthday present I had no idea there existed a Junior or “Kids” version. Despite the box entering our home nearly four months ago (my girl turned three in early March) we have just recently started to play Sequence for Kids. I am already at the point where I am requesting that we play Sequence for Kids – I love this game that … Continue reading →

Set: The Family Game of Visual Perception

Set: The Family Game of Visual Perception is a unique card game. Set has won awards from MENSA, Dr. Toy, Parent’s Choice, and Games Magazine. It retails for under ten dollars. The rules say that the game is for ages six to adult, but younger children are able to play. They may get frustrated, though, at the lack of turns. That’s right. No turns. Everyone goes at once. If that’s the case, they may enjoy playing a solitaire version of the game. The object of the game is to match a set of three cards. The cards have squiggles, ovals, … Continue reading →

Candy Land – An All Time Classic Board Game

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 … Continue reading →

Hi Ho! Cherry O – A Classic Counting Game

With my newborn daughter, a mere two weeks old come tomorrow morning, sleeping peacefully just a go-go-gadget arm length away, my three-year old and my wife sat down to a game of Hi Ho! Cherry O. The classic Milton Bradley game was just handed down to my family yesterday from my brother’s clan whose two kids (age 7 and 9) have outgrown the basic counting fun Cherry O has to offer (the game is recommended for children ages 3-6). Hi Ho! Cherry O is billed as a child’s first counting game and while that is not 100% true for my … Continue reading →

Egg and Spoon Race – Game Review

The Egg and Spoon Race Game from International Playthings is such fun. The game retails for around seven or eight dollars. It’s recommended for ages three and up. It comes with four different colored plastic spoons and eggs, so four people or relay teams can play at once. The cutest part of the game is the tiny white beanbag with a yellow circle on it. It looks like an egg yolk. I first saw this game in a dog training class. We had to do the egg and spoon race with the dog’s leash wrapped around our wrist. They didn’t … Continue reading →

Zooreka – Game Review

Zooreka from Cranium games won the Toy Industry Association’s 2007 Game of the Year. I can see why it won. It’s unique and imaginative, a good simple math equivalency lesson and a good first lesson or at least an awareness of probability. It’s also a good game for different ages to play together. My children love animals and were excited to get the chance to build their own zoo. Zooreka can be purchased for under $20. The game is for kids eight years old and up and for two to four players. It takes around half an hour to forty … Continue reading →

Lilly’s 3 For All – Game Review

Lilly’s 3 For All is a boxed card game for ages 4 to 8 from Gamewright, which won a Best Toy Award from Oppeheim Toy Portfolio. I can see why the game won an award. It’s actually three games in one, which is always a nice bonus. The cards are colorful, and are also extra sturdy and oversized, which makes them great for little fingers. None of the three games requires reading. And it can be hard to find a game that is challenging, but doesn’t involve reading. When you have some children who can read, and some who can’t, … Continue reading →

Rivers, Roads, and Rails – Game Review

We’ve been doing a lot of cleaning out of old toys and games. Some toys I can give away without hesitation. Others make me sad for the days when the toy was a favorite. And some, I’m keeping. Rivers, Roads, and Rails by Ravensburger is one I can’t bring myself to toss. Although our boys have moved on to much more complicated games, something about this one still charms me. And I’m sure we continue to break it out on sick or snow days. Rivers, Roads, and Rails sells for under twenty dollars and is recommended for ages five and … Continue reading →

Frog Juice – game review

Frog Juice. Sounds gross, which I think is part of the appeal to my sons. It’s not really yucky though, it’s actually a very clever and unique card game. The Frog Juice game from GameWright has won a recommendation from the National Association for Gifted Children. The game box bills it as “A Clever Card Game of Spells and Concoctions for Ages 8 and Up”. Frog Juice is for two to four players. The game takes a few minutes to learn, and about 25 minutes to play. It’s part chemistry, part magic, part math, part strategy, and all fun. All … Continue reading →

Amazing Animal Trivia – Game Review

For Christmas, my eight year olds received The Amazing Animal Trivia Game. They love animals, and have really enjoyed playing the game. It’s a cross between a trivia game and Memory. Only you don’t have to just find two cards that match, you have to find three. On the board, ten sets of three matching animal cards are laid face down. At the start of the turn the player gets to flip over one card. They then roll the dice, and try to answer a trivia question about animals. Questions are either True or False, or multiple choice. My children … Continue reading →