Playing games is a wonderful way for families to bond. Especially when you have little ones. Preschoolers can have fun while learning important skills such as memory, counting, taking turns and guessing! I’m sure many of you have fond memories of your favorite childhood board games. Many of the same titles are still available and loved by young children of today. Many of these classic games have been updated to include modern characters. That’s IT Mommy put together a few of our new favorite games along with a few oldies. All of these games would make cool presents for your preschoolers and to add to your family game collection.
I CAN DO THAT! GAMES
www.icandothatgames.com
The Cat in the Hat
Recommended age: 3+
Kieran had the pleasure of reviewing The Cat in the Hat game with her great-grandparents. She loved it! Although it’s going a take a couple more attempts until she fully understands the goal of the game. The game works like this- an object is hidden in the hat and all the cards are laid face down on the table. People take turns asking the questions on a card such as, “Does it fit in your shoe?” The cards also give the guesser directions to help them determine the object inside. Directions might be, “Look through the square window (of the hat)” or “Feel the hat with your elbows” (obviously meant to be silly). Kieran did a great job answering the questions about the objects, but when the question card came up that said “Is it food?”, her response was “Yes, it’s corn!”. Great response but it was out of turn. She is really excited about the The Cat in the Hat game. I’m sure that after a few more plays I think she’ll realize that everyone else is supposed to guess the object and she just needs to respond “yes” or “no”.
– Heather
Discovery Garden
Recommended age: 3+
Discovery Garden is by far one of our new favorite games. Discovery Garden Game has 5 puzzle pieces which cover compartments full of hidden treasures. The object of the game is to find the object that is printed on one of the cards you select. Spin the spinner to find out what puzzle piece to look under. The objects are hidden in the “soil” which is sealed inside the box (no mess!). The best part of the game is to land on “mix the soil” on the spinner. Pick up the box and shake to remix the soil and hidden treasures. The game is suitable for ages 3+ and is for 2-4 players. The Discovery Garden game promotes curiosity, memory and matching. Teagan squeals with delight when she matches her card to an object. This a great game to spark up conversation with your preschooler about gardening and what you might find in your garden. Discovery Garden by I Can Do That! Games would make a wonderful holiday item.
– Tee
HABA
www.maukilo.com
Fleeting Foxes
Recommended age: 5-99
This Fleeting Foxes by HABA game has a track that up to four foxes and one chicken race around. The foxes start on the opposite side of the track and try to catch up with the chicken by rolling the die. If the chicken catches up to a fox, all the foxes lose. But, if a fox catches up to the chicken, that player wins! The game requires strategy, as any given player can move another fox with the roll of the die, but only one fox may move in a given turn. Although the point is for a fox to ‘win’, you can help another fox out with a large roll of the die if the chicken is catching up to them! Since Kieran is only 3, we left this more complicated version of play out and just rolled the die and counted spaces. This was still a great activity for her, since she had the chance to practice counting both on the die and in moving her fox the correct number of spaces. As she gets a little older, she’ll enjoy the more advanced version of play, too!
– Heather
HASBRO GAMES
www.hasbro.com
Chutes & Ladders – Toy Story 3 Edition
Recommended age: 3+
Chutes and Ladders Toy Story 3 is the classic game with a modern twist. We’re huge fans of Toy Story 3 and couldn’t resist this version of Chutes and Ladders. The goal is to get your Toy Story 3 character to the 100 square. Think that’s easy with a 3 year old? Teagan is learning what it means not to cheat. She’d rather slide her game piece up to the 100 box even on the first spin! However, she is learning to count the squares. Teagan loves to spin the spinner and she takes her Jessie character up the ladders and occasionally slides down a chute. This a really fun game for 2-4 players. In my mind this game teaches patience, counting and being honest! (LOL) Chutes and Ladders Toy Story 3 is a fantastic beginner board game for preschoolers who love the Toy Story movies. We enjoy trying to catch up with each others characters and my daughter has even managed to win a few games!
– Tee
Memory
Recommended age: 3+
I have always loved playing board games and couldn’t wait until Adeline was old enough to enjoy them herself. The first game we got for her was Memory. I loved this game as a child. It comes with 72 cards all in bright fun images with two of each. You take all the cards and put them face down and try to match them up. The player with the most matches wins. It is so fun for kids to find the matching cards. When we first started playing I only put out half of the cards so she could get the idea. Now Adeline is a pro! You can purchase Memory with pictures of many popular characters such as Toy Story 3, Dora The Explorer, Shrek and many more. You are sure to find one that your preschooler will love.
– Erika
Candy Land
Recommended age: 3+
Adeline’s 3rd Birthday took place right around the same time as National Family Game Night. We decided that we would start our own family game night. In order to include Adeline we had to get a game that we could all play. So we decided on Candy Land. Candy Land is a super, timeless game! Adeline was so excited to learn how to play. The board and all of the images are still the same as when I was young. It comes with four Gingerbread figures in bright colors and no reading required. You only need a knowledge of colors. Adeline likes to decide what color everyone is going to be. There are some variations in the rules to make it a little harder of a little easier. I think Candy Land is the best beginner board game for kids!
* We did not receive monetary compensation for this review. We did receive The Cat in the Hat, Discovery Gardens from I Can Do That! Games free of charge. We also received Fleeting Foxes from www.maukilo.com and their PR team. The other games listed we owned. This will in no way sway our opinion of the product or service. The review is in our own words and is our opinion. Your results and opinions may differ.
– Erika
5 comments
We just recently purchased Candy Land for my son Gavin who is 5 years old. It is definitely very easy for him to play but he loves the pictures and the bright colors on the board. He thinks it’s hilarious when one of us gets sent back to the candy cane which brings you close to the start square. He enjoys it so much he will play it about 10 times in a row. This is an excellent game for board game beginners.
I would love to get the Cat in the Hat game for my son! I have always loved Dr Seuss stuff.
Discovery Garden looks really interesting! We, of course, already have and LOVE Candy Land. I might have to pick up the Toy Story Chutes & Ladders, though, for Christmas this year!
This is a GREAT list of preschool games! I can’t wait until my daughter (almost 3) can play Candyland and Memory. 🙂 I’ll definitely be getting these soon – thanks for the recommendations! And the Cat in the Hat game looks like so much fun!
I can’t believe they still have Candyland! I used to play that when my kids were little, and my son is now 40! Great reviews, there are a lot of games here my 3 year old grandson would love.