Toys and Games

Guess Who
I also think Connect 4 is good

My grandchildren aged 3 to 8 yrs all love Connect 4 (though the 3 year old needs a little help). Another favourite is an 'Orchard' game 'Crazy Chefs' where they collect ingredient cards to make a meal, a version of lotto which helps to develop memory. This Christmas a Disney game called 3D Memo portrait was a winner. It too is a version of Lotto where you have to remember where the cards are but they build into Disney Princess portraits. To be fair I have 4 grand daughters but my very boyish 8 year old grandson still joins in!
In the car we play 'I spy', Songs beginning with ... (choose a letter) and amazingly 'Word Association' which my very articulate grandchildren are surprisingly good at. We try to work back to the original word after a few rounds and that person is the winner. The 3 year old makes irrelevant suggestions but we praise her and move on from the previous word!

Proof that e-petitions work.

www.change.org/p/playmobil-please-make-disability-toys-and-help-generations-of-kids-grow-up-with-a-positive-attitude-to-human-difference/u/10923781

Just over 50,000 signatures made Playmobil agree.

Since everyone is here!

Can I ask for games ideas for a group of adults, 20s to 80s. Group of roughly 10 people. Not drinking/naughty games thanks!

And when the seven year old knows more about your lap top, mobile phone etc., than you do

They're a new generation - amazing!

Doesn't it make you sick when they do that!!!

Thanks for advice. I'll keep trying and you're so right my 7 year old grandson will probably walk in and hey presto - it works.

Incidentally mine didn't go all the way down to the bottom of the barrel anyway. He sort of sat there with his head showing and then when triggered by the right sword just popped out further.

Just push him in Falcon making sure all the little swords are out of course. If that doesn't work get the 7-year old to do it. And it that fails I think your pop up mechanism is stuck.

Thanks for all the suggestions Grans. I bought a Pop Up Pirate Game which seemed to fit the bill for the grandkids - 7 and 4.

The problem is I can't get the pirate to go down the barrel. Miss my DH at times like this.

Has anyone any experience of Pop up Pirate and how to get the perishing pirate to go down into his barrel

There is a game called Shopping by Orchard I think. You each have a shopping trolley card and match the shopping to the card so a bit like bingo. Also a game called Traffic Jam rather like dominoes with pictures. The cards have vehicles, road works etc.
Easy for the younger child as it's all pictures but still enough going on in it to keep an older child interested.

Most like a guessing game so a few items on a tray for them to look at, then they close eyes while you take one away and they have to name the one taken away. Or let them look at items and then cover with a cloth and they see who can name all the items on the tray.

Just realised there is more than one Labyrinth. The one I was talking about is a board game by Ravensburger. It says 8 to adult but my grandkids have been playing it since they were four.

If you want to see what Rush Hour is about, you can play it online.
We first bought it for our autistic grandson, because he loved lining up cars.
His sister has the junior one with an icecream van.

www.thinkfun.com/playonline

www.happypuzzle.co.uk/products/THINKTANGLES.aspx

This is a game of observation which my grandchildren have had a couple of years.
One year when we went on the train from Durham to York, my grandson was sitting opposite a boy about the same age who had this game, so they played all the way to York. Never seen the boy before or since, but it's a good game to play for anyone.

My grandson (8) has too many games to mention, and none of them trump the ones on his computer (current favourite FIFA 15), but the ones he keeps coming back to are ludo, build a beetle (which he was addicted to until recently), tumbling monkeys which is a bit like kerplunk, but you need a bit more finesse to stop the monkeys dropping out of the bottom, donkey and happy families, guess who, connect four. He also loves a card game called spoons, which is huge fun if you don't mind getting scratches all over the back of your hands!! Might be a bit too much for a four year old though!

When my grandchildren come here they like getting out a game called Labyrinth which we first bought for my parents to play. All four of them will play, and their age range is 21 to 7, now, but they have played since being able to play together.

I use a website called www.happypuzzle.co.uk which has masses of games suitable. I have just ordered a new version of Rush Hour for the two youngest to play together as they have all versions of Rush Hour anyway.

My lot love Pit, which you can still get. The youngest was three when he was introduced to it, so needed help, but thoroughly revelled in the frantic shouting to acquire the necessary cards. We still all play it - youngest now four and eldest nine.

There was a card game called Whot which we played a lot in the eighties with our DSs. It was easy to explain and could be played in odd moments. It was useful on a holiday which involved a long flight. I may try and get a pack to take to DGC in USA next month.

My DGD used to love Connect 4.

My GC are four years apart and they play memory card games, it works well because they just have to remember the pictures.

Kids are all so different aren't they.

My GD is nearly nine and we still enjoy playing the odd board game or two. We like Sorry, Matching Pairs, Draughts, Junior Scrabble, Guess Who etc. but we regress to infancy playing Buck a roo and Build a Beetle , they cover the age gap too. Funny faces crosses an age gap also. Charity shops sell them so cheaply.

Can't beat making a mess with glue, glitter, paper cut out pictures for collage making though. Or going into the garden and finding stones, mud, twigs, feathers and flowers to make plate gardens.

Happy days Falcon, enjoy them before they grow too old to play with

Among an astonishing variety of games based on Monopoly, there's a junior version which shouldn't be beyond a 4-year-old, with a bit of help from grandma. However, it's impossible to deter a 7-year-old boy from playing computer games. It's like trying to hold back the tide. Minecraft is the current big favourite. And let's not be sexist about this - it won't be long before your GD gets her hands on the keyboard, if she hasn't already done so.

Kerplunk
Hungry frogs/hippos
Penguin pile up

Not sure if all of these are still available.

Not exactly board games, but similar, fun and several people can join in.

Sorry is still available and worth a try!

My GS really wants to play games on my laptop but Dil isn't very keen on him doing this so I go along with her wishes.

I do let him play on every other visit as his dad (my son) doesn't mind. This does free me up to play schools with my little GD.

I need something that my GS will find exciting and interesting and my GD can keep up with. I had 3 boys so they all had the same interests.