I was just wondering if any moms had any great games they play with their kids? My son is 2 and a half and just loves games, like hi ho cherrio, don't break the ice, matching games, etc. My parents are asking for Christmas ideas and I thought it would be great to get him some more games, but am finding it hard to find something for his age. He does know all of his colors, shapes, can count to 15, and knows some letters. Thanks for your help!
Candy Land
Chutes and Ladders
Candy Land DVD game
Elefun!
Let's Go Fishing
Whac-A-Mole
Crocodile Dentist
Ladybug Game
Zingo
Those are just a few that my kids have loved over the years!
Mine also liked Pop-Up Pirate, Candy Land, and Don't Wake Daddy. She also loved her Leap Frog. Sounds like you've got a smart little kiddo!
I am looking at getting a game called Zingo for my son this Christmas. It comes highly recommended by a family friend. Good luck!
ELEFUN! My daughter got it for X-mas about the same age as your son and it's STILL her favorite! Also, if you find another in a resale pick it up b/c extra butterflies and nets are ALWAYS a good thing with that game! Perfection and Mousetrap are favs of my kids (anything that you can build or make a mess of), and Buckaroo (this takes skill in building w/o setting off the donkey to buck everything off). At this age my kids loved the surprises that Perfection, Mousetrap and Buckaroo held. They never knew when they were going to go off. We also bought them a marble track so we could build these fabulous marble roller coasters and watch them travel through.
Candyland, snakes/chutes & ladders, Dr. Suess's ABC game, Uno, Memory, Hungry Hungry Hippos, Trouble, Sorry, Connect Four, Twister, Jenga (really fun to make it all collapse but there are also spin offs on this with a bee hive that may be more appropriate for his age), Gator Golf, and any imaginative play stuff (puppets, dress up, legos, knex, etc.). I would also get a set of the card holders so your little guy can learn to play cards and actually be able to hold them. They are just plastic circles that you can fit the cards into and spread them but the kiddos can actually hold and look at all the cards at the same time...once you've got those, well then you've opened the door to Go Fish, Old Maid, Hearts, Rummy, etc.
I think it's great that he's so interested in games and you are promoting it! My husband won't sit still for very long so I'm the only one who will play them with my kids which really defeated the whole idea of having family game night (bummer)...but the kids and I still have fun and they've learned to take turns and share which was the whole point. Just remember, the games don't always have to teach him anything, just being FUN is good in and of itself at this age (gosh I wish MY day just revolved around fun again...LOL). Good luck!
There is a game I think it is called Ele-fun? not sure, it is an elephant that has air that comes out of its trunk and you scoop up butterflies in a little net. Hungry hungry hippos is not difficult just noisy and fun. There is a new version out of candy land. He sounds like a very bright little boy, you are so blessed!
B.
I don't know if they still sell this game but Dizzy Dryer is an awesome game, I still have it and we use it for birthday parties and just change the rules to fit a big party. The game has foam pieces, sock, shirt, pants, and shorts. It has a battery operated dryer that spins and you roll the dice to see which piece to throw in the dryer and you try to get the item in the dryer while it is spinning and hopping around. If your piece flies back out then you have to keep it, the one that gets all their clothes pieces in the dryer first wins.
Another game that might be fun is Elefun? We don't have this one but looks fun, it blows butterflies around and you catch them with the net.
Fishing game, this one has little fish and a magnetic fishing pole to catch them while the fish are moving around.
Cootie is a great game but you definately want to keep an eye on him so he doesn't put the small parts in his mouth but is an easy game and was one of my kids favorites. I think it is listed ages 3 and up but if he knows how to count he could play that one real easy with supervision.
Trouble is a good counting one.
my son was putting together 100 piece puzzles at that age and did them by himself.
We also had a winnie the pooh game that has pots with the different characters and it spins around, you try to find the character that matches the card you draw. A hide and seek type game that a 2 year old could play easily.
We also have this barking dog that you play hide and seek with. You hide the dog and it barks every once in a while to give the child a hint where it is. I am not sure this one is still around either.
If he recognizes numbers to 12 and can count to 12 SkipBo would be a good game.
Also UNO matching numbers and colors.
Kerplunk but have to watch and make sure he doesn't put the marbles in his mouth.
Animal donimoes.
If he knows a lot of Disney characters the DVD disney trivia game is fun. This one might be for when he is a little older though but I know 4 yr olds seem to play it well if they have watched the movies. This one is also a fun game for birthday parties and the kids seem to love it at all ages. The teenagers love to play that one as well.
I know there were a few more my kids had but I can't think of them all.
Great job for sitting down and playing games with your little one. So many people think their kids can't do stuff like that at that young of an age and when they start Kindergarten have a hard time playing games because they don't know how to handle losing. These games also help them with learning skills and will probably be a great student and pick up new skills very quickly. My oldest son loved games, books and puzzles when he was 2 and now is a senior in high school. He started reading at age 4 and was reading 3rd grade level when he started Kindergarten and was one of the youngest in his class because his birthday is early August. He never has to study and makes good grades. He is taking several college classes and will graduate high school with at least 20 college credits. He is an all around easy going guy and gets along with just about everyone. He is also a hard worker.
We did all the ones already named. I liked the cranium games like Hullaballoo. We also have a cranium game called Cariboo which involves identifying letters, colors, etc.. You had the ability to make it harder or easier depending upon the child's ability. It also involves hidden rubber balls and treasure.
Good Morning B., Our little guys like the talking books. I think they are V-Tech? They have a pen that passes over the words and it reads to them. They have alot of books for learning the ABC's, counting, Thomas the Train, Dinosaurs etc.. Can find them at Wal-Mart for about 12-15 $$
Corbin likes playing Candy Land, big colorful cards, Tic Tac Toe is fun for little ones to learn to play. Large wooden puzzles are always fun.
God Bless you B. and your little man
K. Nana of 5
I played a lot of memory games with my children. There are card games where you have take turns turning over cards to see if you can match them - can't remember names of the games. My baby is 18. My children loved those games! It's great to start you own version of UNO (may not be able to follow rules completely at this age) because it helps with numbers and colors.
Do a search for a Discovery Toys consultant in our area. They have lifetime guaranteed toys that most all "grow with child", extends the play for more learning. I used to be a former consultant and love the toys. Plus they have replacement parts for most toys. Better yet, book a party to share with friends and family, and receive free toys as the hostess.
congrats on your outstandingly bright little boy! I run an in-home daycare, & I currently have 2 in his age group. Neither of these girls have achieved what your son has! In my last group of kids, I had three whom I called "rocket scientists" - with the youngest of the group achieving the lowest score of the three at the KG screening - she scored a 97th percentile....& that was the lowest score for that group of kiddies! It sounds as if you have a "rocket scientist" on your hands..........
As for ideas, check out Barnes & Noble's website. They have excellent products....as does Discovery Toys - their Giant Pegboard is very popular with toddlers & preschoolers. Knob-handled, wooden puzzles are used daily in my daycare; I use the ABC puzzles for beginning letter recognition. I also have a Dora-themed electronic Bingo game which is a favorite for age 2 thru KG. It's a game based on color & farm animal recognition....& the kids love playing both sides of the game. We also use several versions of the Memory game, but I always reduce the size of the deck when playing with littler ones - increasing the # of cards played as they mature.
It sounds as if you're doing an excellent job...kudos to you!
I'd recommend Hungry Hungry Hippos, Sorry, and Elefun!
Hullabaloo is great. My 3 year old likes (I can't remember the name) Honey Bee game. YOu put sticks in a tree and top it with honey bees. Pull out one stick at a time and try not to let the bees drop.
We also have flippin frogs. She does ok with it.
The doctor seuss game is also awesome and a movement game like hullabaloo.
My girls LOVED Yahtzee Jr. when about that age. It has Mickey on the box. Believe they still sell it at Walmart.
There is a new UNO game out called Uno moo game it is a barn with animals and I believe you match colors and animals I bought it for my almost 3 year old.
US Toy has a game where you balance ingredients for pizza on the big pizza dough held up by a chef. Looks cute.
Although it's not really a game, my kids loved those "foamie" blocks (they have a big tub of them at the JOCO library). I kept them hidden away for rainy days and they would play forever with them. Also, most boys love the DUPLO blocks by Lego.
Kudos for getting a jump start on the Christmas gifts!
hungry, hungry hippo, all they have to do is hit the button to open the hippos mouth, but you have to watch him because he could swallow the little balls, gator golf is good too
Cariboo. It is by the company that make cranium. Has 2 levels of play.
I second cariboo. I don't do many games with them because I don't enjoy them as much, and they prefer to play pretend, but cariboo is always fun and rather short, so you can play it as long as you want. Enjoy!
K.
Guess who? is another great pre-school game he might enjoy.
If he is advanced in colors shapes, ect then move up to the three year old. There is a fishing game for that age group, how about legos or blocks.
We recommend "Cootie" or as called at our home - the bug game. We also recommend "Green Eggs and Ham." I believe each game references an age that begins at 3 years old, but it I know your smart little boy is up to the challenge. Thank you.
Hungry Hippos is a hit around our house. As long as he is not a kiddo that would put the marbles in his mouth!
Candy Land is great fun too!
And a lot of the board games are on sale right now at WalMart, Target, etc.
YAY! We're really getting into games around here too!
My 3 yo son and I just started playing go fish w/ a regular deck of cards. I'm going to get him a kids go fish game( a regular deck of cards just doesn't seem like it's appealing to a 3 yo!)as well as an old maid game. Those were 2 of my fave games when I was a kid.
