Your guide to activities and fun things to do with your preschoolers, toddlers and kids in oakland, CA

Game Night Makes A Comeback!

by VDog

March 10, 2009

Heads up, everyone, Family Game Nights are back! In this economy, Game Nights make sense;
they're a fun, inexpensive way for families to bond and reconnect.
But 4-year olds can hardly be expected to sit still for 5 minutes, let
alone participate in classic Game Night standbys like Monopoly or
Pictionary. What sort of games should parents play with their
preschoolers on Family Game Night or any night?

In today's guest post, toy expert Jim Silver discusses features that
parents should look for when choosing games for their preschoolers.
Jim is a widely recognized and often-resourced authority on the toy
and licensing industries, having worked within the publishing and toy
industries for more than 20 years. He's also editor-in-chief for
www.TimeToPlayMag.com, a great website parents can go to for toy,
gaming and entertainment information. Read below to learn 5 things
parents should look for in a preschool game, then check out Jim's list
of top preschool games for 2009.


Five things to look for in a Preschool Game
By Jim Silver, editor in chief, TimetoPlayMag.com

1. Easy to play right out of the box.
Instructions should be very simple and easy, so that you can open the
box and play right away. Set up should be minimal, which also means
clean up should be too. Young children don't have the patience for
long instructions, and parents don't want a lot of mess.

2. Appropriate levels of reading, color matching, sequencing and
memory for the age group.
Playing the game should be fun...not frustrating. The great thing is
that your children will let you know when they're ready for more
advanced games. The child who loves Candy Land for months may suddenly
realize he's too old for it, for instance.

3. Correct balance of chance and strategy.
For younger children, the balance should be more chance than strategy.
They're learning counting, memory, and matching among other skills. As
they get older, strategy-thinking a few moves ahead-can be introduced.
Kids also respond well to games that have a clear winner, even if it's
not them. Children like the defined beginning and ending of a game
with a clear objective.

4. 15 minutes or less.
The younger the child, the quicker a game needs to be completed before
a child gets bored or loses focus. For a three-year-old, a game should
be completed in less than 15 minutes. As a child gets a little older,
20 minutes is the magic number. Many game companies are now putting
game playing times on their packages; look for these to help gauge
what's right for your child.

5. Motor skills.
Many games greatly enhance motor skills through the need of hand-eye
coordination. Many young children don't have enough opportunities to
develop these skills, and games are a great occasion for younger kids
to develop them through play.

5 Awesome Toys (That Make Great Presents)

by VDog

December 02, 2008

Five awesome toys (and DVD's) to consider for your holiday bounty: LeapFrog Letter Factory DVD's To be fair, we only have ONE of the DVD's in this five pack, but let me tell you, it is a HUGE hit with both me and the kid. Developmentally, the "Letter Factory" DVD is right on for my two year old, and after the first viewing, he knew that the "T" says "tuh." This video is not  Read more...