Fun Family Games (that boost learning too)

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You might have spotted some of my board game posts recently – we are having a LOT of fun playing games at the moment. It’s something I remember doing as a child with my parents (we had a winner’s walk which you could only do if you were victorious!) and I hope my own children remember the fun of board game afternoons.

I love board games because they’re a great screen-free way to pass the time as well as having some (hidden) educational benefits! We have been fortunate enough to have been gifted some games from Spin Master recently and have been enjoying playing them. I thought I’d share a quick review of them here. Please note that the links that follow are affiliate links).

Baby Shark

The children love the Baby Shark game as much as they love the song (which it does play throughout the game much to their delight!) The game requires two AA batteries to work and it’s a game for up to four players. All three have loved this game and it’s great at teaching them to be more observant and to watch which shark they can catch. H took a while to get the hang of this one, as he wasn’t watching the movement of the sharks but once he had got the hang of it he was away.

It’s great for working on fine motor skills as they control the rod to catch the sharks too and of course great for practising singing as they sing along to Baby Shark.

Hedbanz

Hedbanz is an old favourite and we’ve been having fun with this. It’s been really interesting listening to how the children have changed their questioning to work out what they are. The idea is simple, place a head band on a card is added and you need to ask the other players questions to work out what you are. The first time the children were prone to giving up a bit easily, but they soon worked out what sort of questions to ask and have definitely got better at it. There are six head bands included and lots of playing cards. There are even some suggested questions to help get things going.

This is great for language and problem-solving skills and it’s been good fun to play.

Otrio

This is a new game and one I’d not heard of before. Otrio is sort of like noughts and crosses but with more options and more tactical. It’s a game for up to four players. Em has excelled at this game so far, and I’m struggling to beat her! It’s a very clever game and one that I think Damian and I will play as well as the children. This is great for mathematical and problem-solving skills as well as shape and size for smaller children. I really like this game and think it has the potential to become a firm family favourite and classic.

Jumanji – The Next Level

This is more of a strategy game for older children. Damian and Daniel had had a quick look at it, and we do need to look at it again as the instructions aren’t the clearest and it was hard to work it out with impatient children about! This is much more strategy based so is better for older children but I am sure it will appeal to fans of the film!