Games for Girls & Their Families

Play-Doh

Play-Doh of ColorsIt might seem like a cliche toy but play dough gives hours of fun for imaginative little minds – once they learn that it doesn’t taste so great!

I have a large plastic mat for the floor and a bag filled with play-doh in various different colours, old small cookie cutters, solid plastic utensils, small jars (to use as rollers and storage) and some chocolate box inners (to substitute for muffin tins). You can play with your kids or let them create on their own. Boys and girls of all ages will be entertained together with play-doh and as long as you keep them on the plastic mat it isn’t too messy.

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I’ve tried making my own play dough but to be honest keeping it in the fridge was a hassle and it never lasted as well as the bought variety. Here’s a recipe though in case you are game…

 

 

Filed Under: Activities, Art, Games, Gifts, Toddlers

Jenga – Strategy Game

For some unknown reason we seem to only play Jenga when we go away on holiday – it gets the kids very excited, maybe that’s why. Once your kids can hold their hands steady Jenga is a great game to play as a family. When they are really little it helps to have an adult involved to straighten the tower in between turns or remind them that taking the side block out of the bottom row probably isn’t a good idea.

The basic idea on the game is that you start with a tower of rectangular blocks placed 3-across in alternate directions for each row. Each player must remove a block using one hand and place it on the top of the tower without knocking it over. The looser is the person who makes the tower fall. Some blocks are easier to move than others so as the tower grows it becoming increasingly difficult to find removable blocks – and the tower becomes wobblier each time as well.

This game is also fun for teenagers or adults to play without the kids involved. The pieces are wooden so it can effectively last for ever.

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Filed Under: Games

Farmyard Dominoes

Farmyard Dominoes

Dominoes is a great game to play with kids of mixed ages and/or adults. Farmyard Dominoes uses 6 farm animals and a tractor, all with different coloured backgrounds, instead of dots so is ideal for young kids who don’t know their numbers yet. Maya will play this game many times over in one sitting because each game is quick enough to hold her attention and different each time. All players have an equal chance of winning as well so that adds to the excitement.

Farmyard Dominoes is made by Orchard Toys so the pieces quality is good – solid pieces in just the right size and a sturdy box to hold the game.

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Filed Under: Games, Pre-schooler Learning, Toddlers

Ballet Puzzle – 60pc

Ballet Class Sparkle Puzzle - 60 pcIf your daughter loves ballet and puzzles this is a great gift to keep her entertained many times over. The picture is straightforward enough for a reasonably competent 5 years + puzzler to put together on her own. Or you can do it with younger puzzlers – Maya loves this one and she’s 3.

There are sparkly bits for a bit of wow factor and the characters are different enough to be able to differentiate them easily.

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Filed Under: Games, Puzzles

Etch-A-Sketch

An oldie but a goodie. Etch-a-sketch has saved me many a time on long car and plane journeys. They are also great if you are waiting for an appointment (or visiting people who don’t really want kids running around). I’ve have a couple – one for the car and another for at home.

Whether your daughter is just learning how to hold a pen, starting to scribble, learning to draw or starting to write an etch-a-sketch can keep them highly entertained whist helping them learn at the same time. Once a drawing is complete just turn the knobs and you can start all over again. There’s no mess and no fuss – the perfect toy!

My kids pass it between them in the back of the car to make up games they can share (or for Zoe to teach Maya her letters).

If you want to get involved, try out drawing things for young kids to help them learn the words for different animals or items. Fortunately kids don’t judge you for poor drawing skills and have excellent imaginations. Also write letters, words or sentences to help pre-schoolers and young readers practise their new knowledge. Or get the kids to write or draw things for you to figure out if you are diplomatic enough to bluff your way through a picture that you really can’t decipher at all.

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Filed Under: Games, Toys

Guess Who

Guess WhoMy kids have loved playing Guess Who since there were able to string a sentence together. We play one person at a time asking all the questions but you can take turns asking questions to make it competitive too. There’s some strategy involved if they are up to that stage or the game can be played just by asking as many questions as they need to identify the correct person.

The basic rules of Guess Who are that one player takes a card with a face on it and the other has a board with a selection of upturned faces. The player with the board asks questions which can be answered with either ‘yes’ or ‘no’ and the player with the board eliminates people (faces) depending on the answer. The end comes where there is only one person (face) left on the board – you then compare that with the card that was selected by the other player. I always have the face cards turned upside down before the each player makes a selection – otherwise my kids choose their favourite person every time – not much fun for the other player in that case (who is usually me).

I think this game is meant to be for 4 years and over but Maya’s been playing it since she was 2 so it really depends on the child’s stage of speech development and interest in games.

We have the original version but there are also travel and electronic options available these days too.

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Filed Under: Games, Gifts, Pre-schooler Learning

Beetle – Game for little Fingers

I’m not sure we ever played the Beetle Game as a proper game – the kids just loved making up the beetles in different colours then taking them apart and making them again. It was great for their little fingers holding onto the tiny pieces and pushing them into the slots. There’s a spinning wheel if you do want to play the game properly. There are enough parts for you to play with up to 1-4  players (adults included – yes you might even enjoy it).

NB. the pieces are really small so when kids are still likely to pop things into their mouths you’ll need to keep a close eye on things and make sure you pick them all up at the end of the game.

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Filed Under: Activities, Games

3 Bears Puzzle

This wooden 54pc bears puzzle was one of the first wooden puzzles Zoe ever attempted and she still enjoys playing with it now. There are 3 different types of bear (mother bear, father bear and baby bear) with 3 types of piece for each bear. The puzzle comes with a wooden box filled with different puzzle pieces so that they child can choose the clothes, shoes and facial expression for each bear – creating many different possible combinations.

Little girls love dressing up and playing at dressing-up dolls or toys. The bears puzzle appeals to them because it’s like playing dress-ups, whilst at the same time they are learning to fit puzzle pieces into the corrected shaped places. These days my girls like to create extended bear families on the floor as well so that they have all the pieces laid out.

The lid also keeps all the pieces in place to avoid losing too many over the years!

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Filed Under: Games, Gifts, Puzzles, Toddlers, Toys

Shopping List Game

Orchard Toys - Shopping List GameThe Shopping List Game has given us hours of fun. Our version was handed down to us by my nephews and has been a favourite with my girls since they were very young. You can use it as a memory game with the items turned upside down when they get old enough, or take turns pulling the pieces out of a pot (like bingo) for younger kids. It’s great for keeping the kids focused on a list of items and develops memory and language skills. After each game you can swap shopping lists to keep the game interesting.

These days my kids also like to take their shopping trolley to the pretend check out and pay for their items after they’ve been beeped through and told a price.

You can also buy booster packs with extra pieces to give your kids more variety or to allow you to play with more than 4 players – there’s a fruit & vegetable pack and the clothes pack.

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Filed Under: Games

The Flower Game

We were given the Flower Game game when Zoe was 3 and she still loves playing it 3 years on. You can play with 2-4 players and is one of our favourite games to play as a family. It’s a quality wooden game which looks as good now as it was when it was new. You do need to read the rules to be able to play the Flower Game but once you’ve got it this is great fun and easy for kids to remember.

There are 2 dice to throw – one for a colour and the other either a colour, type of move or caterpillar piece. The pieces are all magnetised and the stalks poke into a triangular garden. The steal is my girls’ favourite move because they feel so naughty doing it – you get to steal any piece you like from an opposing player. Players make up flowers with either   a single colour for it’s petals or one petal in each colour. There’s some strategy involved but younger players can easily keep up without that knowledge. You also make a caterpillar together when the dice falls on a caterpillar – when caterpillar is finished the game ends. Because the ending and dice throws are random there’s a good chance for any player of winning – thereby leveling the playing field between ages and stages of players. The player with the most completed flowers and additional pieces after that wins. The girls also like playing gardens with all the pieces after we’ve played a couple of rounds.

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Filed Under: Games, Gifts

Fairy Dress-up Reuasable Sticker Book

The Fairy Style Fashion Sticker Book: Bk. 4: Activity Book (Rainbow Magic)Fairy Style Fashion Sticker Book is possibly the best value for money gift I have ever given my girls. It’s so popular we now have 2 identical fairy sticker books so that the girls can both dress fairies at the same time. The stickers are completely reusable (the non-sticky variety) and with 100’s of different clothing and accessory stickers to choose from, plus 4 different fairies to dress there are hours and hours and hours of entertainment in one book.

This is great for helping with finger dexterity and concentration in younger girl whilst being equally entertaining for girls 4 years and over. You can play along with your kids or leave them to create their own fashions.

When we go on holidays I’ve been known to bring these books along as the only toy – they are light and compact, can be played with alone or with others and offer entertainment for hours. The perfect travel toy!!

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Filed Under: Activities, Books, Games, Gifts, Pre-schooler Learning, Sticker Books