Day 21: Strategy Games for Children

     I hope you had a great weekend and maybe played a game with your family. The games we have talked about so far have been for at least age 8 and up. I was wanting to give some ideas of games for younger children.

     An oldie but goodie is Perfection. In Perfection players have 60 seconds to fit 25 pieces into the corresponding hole. The board is pushed down and after 60 seconds it springs up causing the shapes to fly around. Perfection is for ages 5 and up. It is very addicting! 

     Blokus is a good game that was published in 2000. It is also recommended for ages 5 and up. Players use transparent colored tiles and take turns laying their pieces so that at least one corner touches their color. Play continues to no one can place a tile. The last one with a tile wins.

   


Cranium Cariboo is good for children ages 3-6. Children learn colors, shapes, numbers, and counting. It is a cooperative game where players draw cards and open treasure hunt doors that coorespond to their card. Once the door is open they look for a ball. When a six balls are collected they win! This game was published in 1998. I hate that we missed this one!

     Farmyard Bingo by Fisher Price is good for the really young! It is recommended for ages 2 and up. Our son got it for his first birthday. We played it for MANY hours! Players pull a lever and a chip comes out of the barn with a fun boing noise! Players match the chips (farmyard animals) to their card. The first with three that match wins. It is never too young to start playing a game. 

     There are many great educational games online for children. But there really is no substitute for sitting down together and playing a game. The laughter and lessons taught are priceless. These kids games almost make me want another baby! Almost :)