Our Favorite Games – Last Minute Shopping Ideas!
As much as my kids love electronics – the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree – what we love even more is sitting on the floor in front of the family room fireplace playing a game. We all love Candy Land and Chutes and Ladders, of course, but over the last year I’ve found some less well-known games that have made my favorites list.
If you’re looking for some inexpensive and kid-pleasing gifts, you may want to consider some of those most loved in our home!
Magical Flower Garden Game This game by Ravensburger sends four of the Disney Fairies around a path collecting water droplets from a magical well. If your flower blooms first, your fairy wins! We love this game because the tiny water droplets and the blooming flowers make it a bit more interesting than a standard board game. For more information about games by Ravensburger, go to http://www.ravensburger.com/.
Kubit2Me What I love best about Kubit2Me is that it’s not a board game at all – it’s a soft, fuzzy cube that you toss from player to player! Our favorite version is Lil’ Scholars because there are so many ways to sneak in learning and review while playing together as a family. For more information go to http://www.kubit2me.com/.
Tinkerbell Springtime in Pixie Hollow Game This game features each of the prominent Disney Fairies plus Queen Clarion. In order to win, you must collect the most fairies, and in order to collect a fairy, you must have a special three card combination. I love this game because it asks children to use strategy and critical thinking in order to decide how best to use the cards in their hand. For more information about Milton Bradley games, please visit http://www.hasbro.com/.
Curious George Super Helper! This game is fun for kids because it involves a 3-D apartment building, a ball, a die, and a plastic disc – far more exciting than just moving figures around a flat board. It’s especially fun for parents because it teaches kids the value of being a helper by awarding bonus cards for completing a helper task during the game, including vowing to clean up the game at the end! We also love the Curious George Beach Game by the same company, and I have had my eye on both a Dr. Seuss and Richard Scarry game since I saw them at the Time to Play Holiday Showcase in October. To find Curious George and others, visit http://www.icandothatgames.com/.
Feed the Kitty I could write an entire post about Gamewright games, which are featured in our towns’ family owned toy store, but lately this game has been our favorite. This simple game is easy enough for our three year old to play with no help, but enough fun to keep even the adults happy. After feeding the kitty, only one person will still have mice…and win! To find Feed the Kitty and other Gamewright games, go to http://www.gamewright.com/.