Category: Toys and Games

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Family Activities Gifts Toys and Games

An Honest Product Review: Deluxe Collector’s Edition Backgammon Set

This deluxe backgammon set is a collector’s edition and comes in a beautiful navy blue case that you can store all the pieces in. It’s perfect for travel as it folds together nicely and doesn’t take up much space. My family loves games and we never pass up on the opportunity to add a new one to our collection.

We played a few rounds and had so much fun. It quickly became a favorite. This backgammon game is an adult version, but I played it with my daughter six year old and she loved it.

**I received this item for free in exchange for a review, and the post contains affiliate links. However, everything in this post is my personal and honest opinion.**

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What I Liked about the Backgammon Set

It’s Perfect For All Ages

With some patience, you can teach your kiddos to play backgammon. My six year old caught on quick and we had a great time together. Old and young can play, making it a family friendly game.

It Can Be a Teaching Tool

My favirotie thing about games is that my kids can learn from them. Of course there are games without a learning component, but I’m always excited to find a beneficial one.

Backgammon was perfect for that. We counted it as her math practice for the day since it involved counting and adding.

What I Didn’t Like

The Instructions Were Confusing

I haven’t played backgammon since I was a kid, so it was a learning experience for me. The directions were a little confusing, and I think the pictures could have been clearer.

However, after reading through them a couple of times (and referencing Google), we figured it out and got started. I had to reference the instructions a few times throughout the game, but I was comfortable by the end.

Collectors Addition Backgammon Set

This Backgammon set was so much fun, and I’m glad my daughter and I got to learn it together. It’s perfect for families, couples, and anyone looking to add a fun game to their collection.

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Big Kid Big kid fun Gifts How To Infant/Toddler Learning Kindergarten Age Parenting Teenager Toddler and Preschool Age Fun Toddler and Preschool Age Learning Toys Toys and Games

4 Tips For Choosing The Best Gift For Your Child

Best Gift For Your Child

In many ways, children bring joy and happiness into your life as a parent. When your child has been well-behaved and respectful, or when they are celebrating a significant milestone, you want to reward them. The idea of buying your child a gift sounds easy enough, but when the time comes, you might struggle to come up with the perfect gift. I’ve been there plenty of times, and along the way I have made note of some my favorite tips for choosing the best gift for your child. Perhaps for the last couple of months, your child has been attentive and obedient, or they attain a significant milestone in life.

Best Gift For Your Child
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How to Choose the Best Gift For Your Child

1. Prioritize Interest

While you always have a thousand responsibilities to attend to as a parent, making time for your child is essential to their overall development. Apart from bonding, you learn about your kid’s interests, allowing you to have better insight when choosing the best gifts.

Perhaps your child shows interest in dancing and is often making moves in front of the TV. When the time is right, schedule dance classes that will help your child approach dancing professionally. Likewise, if they are into art, sign them up for art classes. Some of the best gifts are experiences rather than toys and other items.

Ignoring your child’s interests will only deteriorate your relationship, and buying the wrong apology gift makes things worse. Your child wants you to have an interest in their life, and that means paying attention to what they truly love and find happiness in.

2. Ensure it is Age-Appropriate

Although to your eyes, your child will forever remain your baby, this should not mislead you into buying age-inappropriate gifts. Purchasing gifts that resonate with your child’s age increases the interest level and allows for better enjoyment.

For example, if your child is a toddler who can barely put two and two together, you should consider buying kids’ clothes instead of complex gifts intended for older kids.

Similarly, if your child is elementary age, you need to buy them something that will hold their interest. Buying them toys and activities intended for a preschooler will not be exciting for them.

3. Choose Educational Gifts

Educational gifts are always the best as they play a critical part in your child’s mental development process. With education being a never-ending process, there is no shortage of gifts to choose from in this category.

Think of rewards such as puzzles or other problem-solving material that helps sharpen your kid’s mind and taps into their problem-solving skills.

If you run out of creative ideas to educate your child with toys, opt for books instead. Buying reading material for your child ingrains a reading culture in their life that may stick even at an older age. Books are fun because you can buy books you loved as a kid and re-read them with your child.

4. Go For Durability

The best gifts last a lifetime and evoke positive emotions every time the receiver reflects on them. Your child deserves at least one gift that they will remember you by for years to come. Whether the memorable gift is a family heirloom that you pass down as a gift or something simple like a bicycle doesn’t matter, the essential thing is that it lasts.

5. Consider Sharing

If you have a small child who loves to play outside with other children, you should think about shareable gifts. Shareable gifts may include things like board games or multiplayer video games that they can play against friends. These types of gifts will help your child with socializing, too, which is a definite bonus.

Best Gift For Your Child

Choosing The Best Gift For Your Child

It is always hard to choose the best gift for your child. With so many options out there, it can become overwhelming. Use these tips for choosing the best gift for your child and you will have an easier time choosing something your child will love. Do you have any tips to add? Let me know in the comments!

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Classroom Family Activities Learning Toys and Games

5 Educational Board Games To Play With Your Kids

Educational Board Games To Play With Your Kids

Playing board games with your kids can have many benefits. Board games can get your kids away from the screen and allow you to enjoy some family bonding time. On top of this, many board games can have educational benefits while still being very fun.

Educational Board Games To Play With Your Kids

***This post contains affiliate links. It costs you nothing extra, but I may receive a small commission.***

Best Educational Board Games to Play With Kids

Chess

Chess is one of the oldest board games that is still played today. It’s a great game for teaching problem solving and strategy skills. In order to win, you need to keep track of all the pieces on the board while planning your moves ahead.

On top of traditional chess boards, there are chess boards available in all different themes from Harry Potter chess boards to Disney chess boards. You can teach chess to kids as young as 6 as this guide explains, although older kids are likely to appreciate the game more. Chess is a 2 player game, making it better suited to one-on-one time. 

*If you are looking for board games for younger kids, check out this post: 12 of the Best Games For Kids

Scrabble

Scrabble encourages players to earn points by forming words. On top of being a great game for expanding your child’s vocabulary, Scrabble helps kids to develop math skills through adding up points and forming patterns. Plus, it helps with teaching forward planning.

You can play Scrabble with up to four players. As with chess, older kids are likely to appreciate Scrabble more.

If you run out of word ideas, don’t worry. There are lots of tools online that can help you play scrabble better such as this word unscrambler tool.

Monopoly

Monopoly encourages players to buy property around a board until one person owns all the property. It’s a great game for teaching kids money management because in order to win, you need to be able to budget well and take calculated risks.

On top of the classic version of Monopoly, there are now many other versions themed around everything from Star Wars to Pokémon. You can play Monopoly with up to eight players, making it ideal for large families.

Qwirkle

Qwirkle is a game that involves matching colors and shapes using tiles. On top of helping to build logical skills through patterns, Qwirkle is a great game for teaching strategy much like chess or Scrabble (in fact, it’s a bit like a combination of chess and dominoes).

The game is easy to set up and can be played by all ages. Up to four players can play Qwirkle at a time. 

The World Game

If you’re looking for a game to teach geography skills, The World Game is the perfect option. Players compete to find the strongest fact about a country and win.

In doing so, players learn trivia about various countries from capital cities to flags. The game also teaches map orientation, helping kids to work out exactly where countries are in the world. It’s suitable for players of all ages and can be played with up to five players. 

Educational Board Games To Play With Your Kids

Learning doesn’t have to be boring, and you don’t have to force it on your kids. By finding the right ways to help them learn, you can have fun and bond while doing it. Board games are the perfect thing for that because they are fun and educational.

What are your favorite educational board games to play with your kids? Tell me in the comments!

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Big kid fun Family Activities How To Infant/Toddler Learning Learning Parenting Toddler and Preschool Age Fun Toddler and Preschool Age Learning Toys Toys and Games

What Are Some Of The Ways You Can Encourage Imaginative Play?

imaginative play

Encouraging your child to use their imagination is very important. After all, this is an essential step in their learning process as it helps them develop skills and learn. The best way to get your child’s imagination working is through imaginative play. After all, if something seems fun, then your child will instantly be more responsive and involved.

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Luckily, there are quite a few imagination-based toys available in stores and on the internet. Even better, many toys for imaginative play are popular with young children. You’ll be able to find the perfect one for your kiddo that they will love.

***This post contains affiliate links. It costs you nothing extra, but I may receive a small commission.***

Click these links for a few ideas for pretend play that your kids will love:

There are also online play options and virtual school assemblies. This means that you are not faced with a shortage of options to choose from.

This blog post aims to give you a helping hand with this by simply providing you with some tips and suggestions regarding the promotion of imaginative play.

Figure Out What Type of Imaginative Play Your Child Likes

The key is to try out a few different things to discover what type of imaginative play your child likes. Stick with things that let them use their mind to unlock the door of their imagination.

There are lots of great toys available that are based around role-playing. One of the most popular options to go for is a kid’s kitchen. This gives your child their very own area of space where they can pretend to cook and create different meals.

This helps them because they will be able to become more familiar with different kitchen activities. Plus, they can use their imagination to create different scenarios.

Buy a Dollhouse

Another good option is to buy a dollhouse. These are great because they promote creativity as well as imagination. Your child will be able to decorate the rooms in the house and think of different scenarios between the dolls. Plus, this helps the child learn about family dynamics, the roles of different individuals, and the makings of a household.

Encourage Imaginative Dress-Up

There are lots of different dress-up costumes available from toy stores, and it is another good option to go for. After all, what better way to let your imagination run wild and get into true character than dressing up as something? The choices for dress-up are never-ending, and it is a good idea to let your little one pick which outfit they likes best.

Consider Other Play Home Items

If you are looking for something which is smaller or more affordable than a play kitchen, then there are lots of scaled-down sets. These sets encourage kids to learn different life skills. You can get cake baking sets, laundry sets, coffee making sets, and much, much more.

imaginative play, pretend play, parenting, learning and fun, fun and games, pretend play for kids

As you can see, there are several different ways in which you can get your child’s imagination working. Hopefully, the tips to promote imaginative play given in this article will have provided you with some ideas and inspiration. What are some ways your kids enjoy imaginative play? Leave a comment and let me know!

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Gifts Holiday Kindergarten Age Learning Parenting Toys and Games

12 of The Best Board Games for Kids: Meaningful Gift Ideas

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I don’t know about you, but I start my Christmas shopping in August. With five kids, it’s essential to begin early and to make sure all my gift plans are in place. My kids love games, so I have been researching the best games for kids.

While I know some of the games they would enjoy, there are so many games out there that I have never heard of. I like to buy games for kids that help develop their skills, and all of the games in this post are ones that do just that.

This post contains affiliate links. It costs you nothing extra, but I may receive a small commission.

Best Games for Kids

1. Race to the Treasure

I love this game because instead of playing against one another, the kids work together to beat an ogre to a treasure. While playing Race to the Treasure, kids will learn strategy, math concepts, making decisions as a team, and cooperation.

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2. 5 Second Rule Jr.

This is a family-friendly version of the 5 Second Rule adult game. When playing 5 Second Rule Jr., kids will read a card and give an answer within 5 seconds. Since it involves quick thinking, funny answers are bound to happen.

With good laughs and light-hearted fun, this game is perfect for family bonding time. If the child can’t quite read yet, playing on teams is fun, too.

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3. Pie Face Showdown

Pie Face is such a fun game, even if it is a little messy. The original game involved players passing the whipped cream covered hand around the table and turning the crank, hoping to not get hit in the face with whipped cream.

Pie Face Showdown is an upgraded version of the original. This one requires two players to both have their faces in front of a whipped cream covered hand. The players have to push their buttons faster to make the whipped cream hit their opponent.

4. Guess Who?

Guess Who is a classic, and it’s one of my favorites. Each player has a card with a person on it, and their opponent has to figure out which character the other one has. The first to figure out their opponent’s character wins the game.

The way you eliminate characters is by asking descriptive questions. These questions can be “Is your person wearing a hat?”, “Does your person have a mustache?”, or anything else that can help eliminate characters and lead you to your opponent’s character.

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5. Buggaloop

This game features a Hexbug that crawls underneath the “backyard” (the game board). It can climb vertically, horizontally, turn corners, and go through loops and tubes. You have to try and get your game piece all the way across the board before the Hexbug appears and takes you out.

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6. Uno

This simple classic card game is perfect for kids because it teaches so many things at once. Color and number matching, taking turns, and paying attention are all skills they can develop while playing.

I play this game often with my 3 and 4-year-old, as well. The only change I make is that we can see each other’s cards so that I can help as needed.

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7. Rush Hour Jr.

To play this game, kids will shift vehicles out of the way to clear a path to the exit. There are 40 levels, allowing for endless fun and brain stimulation. Rush Hour Jr. can help improve logical and spatial reasoning, planning skills, and problem-solving.

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8. Operation

Another classic, the game of Operation has stood the test of time. Kids love this game, no matter which era they were born in.

It helps develop fine motor skills as kids use tweezers to remove ailments from the patient’s body. If the child misses and hits the side of the opening, the game buzzes, and the patient’s nose lights up. The player who can remove the most ailments wins.

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9. Ravensburger Labyrinth

I am so excited to get this game for my son for Christmas. The game changes each time you play it because the tiles move. This ensure that the child won’t get bored with it, since it’s pretty much a different game each time.

They will move their piece around the board, working their way to a treasure. On each turn, the child will also have the chance to change the path of the maze. It’s the perfect game to teach strategy.

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10. No Stress Chess

This game offers a chance to teach kids how to play chess with little frustration on their part. It comes with a deck of cards that teach the rules of the game and strategies that should be used.

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11. Skillmatics Educational Game: Brain Games

This is a game that is fun for the whole family, as the age range is from 6-99 years. It teaches thinking and reasoning, plus logic and problem-solving skills. As the game is played, the boards can be wiped off and done again.

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12. SpringFlower Sight Word Game

My son isn’t a huge fan of working on his sight words the traditional way. I’m always looking for new activities to help him learn them. When I found this game, I was so excited. I only wish I had come across it sooner!

The kids will use the fly swatters to smack the appropriate sight word when it is called out. It’ll help them recognize the word more quickly, and it’ll be fun, helping to commit it to memory.

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Final Thoughts on 12 of The Best Games for Kids

With as much as my kids love games, I always want to choose the ones that they will love. The best games for kids are the ones that offer a learning opportunity or help develop skills.

What are some of the games your kids love? Do you have any games for kids that you want to buy as a Christmas gift this year? Leave me a comment and let me know! I’d love to hear about it.

gift ideas for a 6 year old boy, 6 year old boy gift guide, gifts for a 6 year old , best games for kids

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