My three-year-old son loves board games, which is great because I love them too. Not only do I think playing board games is fun, but I also love that playing a board game with my child is a great way to connect with him. It’s much more interactive than if we played a video game. My entire family is a fan of the games from I Can Do That! Games, and that’s why we were excited to try a variety of their games out recently, including the award winning Curious George Discovery Beach game.
Curious George Discovery Beach is a unique game that promotes matching and memory skills, while encouraging deductive reasoning and discovery. The brightly coloured box contains “sand” and 21 hidden treasures. At the start of each turn, the player flips over a card labeled with a picture of a treasure that they need to try to find in the sand. The sand and treasures are completely sealed within the box allowing for no-mess game play. If a player lands on a wave on the game spinner, the box is shaken up and the treasure locations change spots.
Curious George Discovery Beach is a simple game to learn and perfect for young players, while the constantly changing treasure locations allow for continued interest from older children. I can see why this game is an award winner. I have one small issue with this game – the treasure cards are printed on paper that is easy to crumple. In fact my son has already mangled a few of the cards. If the cards were printed on heavier card stock, or even cardboard, the game would stand up better over the long haul.
I Can Do That! Games makes various other games. We already own and are fans of Richard Scarry’s Busytown Board Game. My son also recently received both the Curious George Matching Game and the Dr. Suess Matching Game. Both of the matching games will be available in stores this Fall and feature the recognizable characters your kids love on 72 picture tiles. These games are very versatile to suit different ages. For example if your child is young, you simply play with less tiles than you would with an older child. I like the matching games, because not only do they promote memory skills, but they can also be played solo or with the whole family. My son and I have had a couple of matching game competitions, and I’m embarrassed to say that he’s won fair and square more than once.
In addition to the games mentioned here, in Fall 2010, I Can Do That! Games is coming out with some Dr. Suess puzzles that my three-year-old son really enjoyed putting together. These inexpensive puzzles are small and might be a good addition to your travel kit for fun activities to keep your kids occupied while away from home.
Curious George Discovery Beach sells for $16.99 US at Target.com or $29.99 CAN at ToysRUs.ca. In Fall 2010, the matching games and puzzles will be available at mass and specialty stores across the US and Canada.
