This Hape Tricks & Twists Marble Track is suitable for parents with toddlers. — Happikiddo
Whether you are an adult or a child, playing has immense benefits. In early childhood, it helps develop thinking, motor skills and creativity. And as children grow, games allow them to bond with friends and family while also sharpening their vocabulary.
With the school holidays starting this weekend, here are some ideas for old-school, no-screen games families can play for some quality time.
This simple yet hilarious game requires you to think like the majority of players. — kohii.myHerd Mentality (for 10 years old and up) is a game that’s loved for being both simple and drawing laughs.
Just like its name, the aim of the game is ... to think like everyone else.
A question card is drawn for players to write down an answer (the aim is to write what you think everyone else will also write). If your answer is the majority, you ‘win’ a cow.
However, if your answer is singular with no match, then you get the angry pink cow.
The catch? That pastel token (cow) renders your herd worthless, unless you can pass it to another player when he or she scores a minority answer.
Catan sees players developing their community. — kohii.myCatan is a board game (for 10 years old and up) that sees players compete to develop a community.
Roll the dice and determine your resources – brick, ore, wheat, wood and wool. You can bargain or exchange resources with other players.
Use these resources then, to construct roads and settlements. However, be on the lookout for robbers who are after your crops. The first player to get 10 victory points, or VPs, wins the game.
Solve the murder mystery with Cluedo. — HasbroMystery buffs and older kids (eight years and up) will enjoy this classic game.
Invented more than 80 years ago by British board game designer Anthony Pratt, Cluedo’s aim is to determine who murdered the game’s victim, where the crime happened and the weapon used.
Meet Miss Scarlett, Colonel Mustard, Mayor Green, Chef White, Solicitor Peacock, and Professor Plum as the story unfolds and the mystery deepens.
This iconic car from the movie franchise comes to live, built by you from scratch. — Lego.comA good way to spend time with a child is with building blocks or construction sets – like this Speed Champions Nissan Skyline GT-R (R34) replica model is inspired by the iconic car from the movie, 2 Fast 2 Furious.
Made for kids aged nine and above, both parent and child will enjoy building this from scratch.
Made up of 319 pieces including side livery, wing, front grille and wheel arches, there’s also Brian O’Conner on the driver’s seat if kids want to role-play once he or she has completed building this automobile.
It might take a few hours to complete, depending on one’s assembling skills, so patience is required.
This junior version of the classic game opens small children to big money concepts. — Parkson onlineClassic board game Monopoly has a junior version for players aged five and up with easy gameplay and adorable tokens so kids will have fun as they venture along Monopoly Town.
Places are child-friendly too, (think ice cream parlour, skate park and zoo) and just like the old classic, kids buy properties and collect rent.
It’s a cool way to introduce kids to big money concepts and hone their strategy skills.
This Hape Tricks & Twists Marble Track is suitable for parents with toddlers. — HappikiddoMade for toddlers three years and older, this Hape Quadrilla Marble Run wooden construction system provides endless creative building possibilities and encourages spatial thinking and problem solving.
Each of the seven different colour blocks has a different function. A kinetic marble run, each type of Quadrilla marble run is different and provides a combination of a great mix of spins, drops, seesaws, and speed that will have marbles going every way, making it a great way to spend time with your toddlers.
Learning Can Be Fun Magnetic Alphabet Set. — HappikiddoThese wooden magnetic alphabet set makes learning fun for toddlers three years and up.
You can spell your name and other simple words with the uppercase letters for some early word-building and letter recognition skill.
The pieces are magnetic so you can use them on the refrigerator, metal rack and magnetic whiteboards. You can even take them with you when you travel.
