Great
Games for Growing Children
By
Stevanne Auerbach, Ph.D.
(Dr.
Toy)
Games
are excellent for to learn and gain confidence. Playing games
provides many skills like strategy, observation, sequencing, plus
learning to share and taking turns. All are important lessons.
Consider these excellent new, educational and fun games for many
benefits.
Gamewright
Claymania 9-12 yrs. ($17.99) 800-638-7568 http://www.gamewright.com
Fast
action party game that is lots of fun and promotes creative expression.
Take turns for 45 seconds to squish, squash and sculpt a mound
of clay into an object. Teammates guess what you are making. You
can animate the clay, but you can’t say a word. First team to
collect five colored tokens wins. Children and adults develop
creative skills, nonverbal communication artistic and thinking
skills. Contents include non-toxic clay, 300 word cards, ten scoring
tokens, one playing die plus the game board.
International
Playthings Amazing Animal Trivia Game 6-8 yrs. ($19.99)
http://www.intplay.com
Children delve into the world of animals to fascinate them for
a long time and collect sets of cards. Included are 200 multiple
choice and true/false trivia questions. To have a turn, you must
correctly answer the card drawn. Excellent graphics make the animals
interesting.
Lucy
Hammett Games Bug Bingo 3-12 yrs. ($14.95) 888-420-7585
www.lucybingogames.com
Learn about bugs while playing a traditional game. There are six
playing picture boards, cards with descriptions. There are other
themes as well such as wildflowers, nature and The United States.
A very useful game for children to play together in school or
at home.
McDistribution
Plus McWiz Junior 6-12 yrs. ($29.99) 888-691-2849 http://www.mcwiz.com
Innovative
game based on years of research and 24 years of teaching. 1,200
questions included in French and English, and four jigsaw puzzles
to play are included. Three questions on each card: one aimed
at young children (6-7 yrs.) the second for 8-9 yrs and the third
for 10-12 yrs olds. Everyone can play. The first to complete the
jigsaw puzzle wins. Questions based on school curriculum. The
game reinforces learning.
Milton
Bradley/Hasbro Wheels on the Bus 3-6 yrs. ($19.99) 888-836-7025
http://www.hasbro.com
This is an excellent product that provides singing and learning
songs. As you roll the bus through the town, you pass the post
office, school and there is a token that matches the wheels. If
you match all four of the bus parts, you win. The song and the
play is fun for everyone. The bus tells each player what part
it needs such as wipers or wheels. The player draws two cards
to match the needed part. The first to collect the four matches
wins. At the end of the game the bus plays the entire Wheels on
the Bus song for everyone to sing.
Patch
Products Three for All 10-12yrs.
($25.00) 800-524-4263 www.patchproducts.com
This
is a game that allows children to use their imagination and learn
to respond to clues and develop teamwork. Divide into two teams
and describe clues. Figure out what the three clues are, then
your team scores. One player says: “Hair that plugs up your drain
“clog”.” “At the gas station, you pay at the “pump”.” “A tire
with no air in it is “flat.” The first player to know they are
related to shoes gets the point. Each time you take a turn, there
are three opportunities to play. This is a game for older kids
who want to have fun, language, and mental challenge
ProDiJeux
WordXchange 10-12 yrs. ($28.95) 514-932-4744 http://www.prodijeux.com
New anagram game provides lots of fun. Race against the clock
to make and keep words. Winner is first to make and line up six
words, but no word is safe. You can steal words made by your opponents
or add letters before reshuffling them into your own. The game
can be played in a short time, but important is learning strategy
and quick thinking. Each game includes game board, 126 transparent
matching letter tiles, 12 pages of illustrated instructions, timer
and 14 sturdy white easels. Available in French and English.
You will find these games at a toy store online at http://www.AreYouGame.com.
Stevanne
Auerbach, Ph.D. selects best educational and developmentally appropriate
products annually for Dr. Toy’s Guide (http://www.drtoy.com) and
her syndicated column. This report is the first monthly feature
exclusively for Education Update. Each issue will focus on useful
learning products for home and school. Write to Dr. Toy c/o ednews1@aol.com.
See her book Dr. Toy’s Smart Play: How to Raise a Child
with a High P.Q. (Play Quotient), St. Martin’s Press.
Education Update, Inc., P.O. Box 20005, New York, NY 10001. Tel:
(212) 481-5519. Fax: (212) 481-3919. Email: ednews1@aol.com.
All material is copyrighted and may not be printed without express consent of
the publisher. © 2001.
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