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.

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