Introduction To Games For Little Ones

Hey parents, carers and gamers with younger relatives!

If you are anything like our team at The Realview Room, then it's likely that you enjoy spending some of your precious free time playing games. Many households will have their own traditions when it comes to family game nights. For some this might mean gathering together to pay a round of old maid every Friday night with traditional playing cards, for others it may be a spontaneous game of Monopoly. Either way, playing games are great not only for our mental health as they can provide us with many happy memories, help us to relax and unwind (unless that game of Monopoly goes on for hours of course haha), but they also encourage us to develop our cognitive, social and motor skills.

In children (especially up to the age of 5 years old) this is a crucial time to be learning fundamental skills, and as many theorists say, what better way than to learn through play. Of course when little ones are really young this could be put into practice by playing basic games such as Peek-a-boo with a loved one. However as parents and keen gamers ourselves we have had great fun encouraging our own children develop their skills through games.

So lets take a look at just some of the games that we recommend to play with your little ones to introduce them into the world of gaming! In our list below we have included a variety of games, not all of them are board style games as you might expect. They will be listed in different age ranges also. So why not start our list from around 2 years of age.

Games For 2 Years+

At this age, toddlers' brains will be working hard to try to learn some basic everyday skills such as learning new words, possibly potty training and so on. It's also important to remember that at this point in their lives, they will also have very short attention spans too. So keeping activities simple is key, but more importantly they should be lots of fun!

There are a huge variety of games that include a pairing or matching style of play. You could even make your own by using objects around the home or even by drawing pictures onto paper or card. But here is just a couple of products that we have experienced playing with alongside our families and have absolutely loved! All of the games listed below encourage turn taking, developing verbal communication skills, and are a great way to share social interactions. These games are stated to have been designed for ages 3 years and up, however we have found that our little ones under that age have picked up the rules really easily.

1. Shopping List

• Compact with lots of well made components

• Develop Imagination through role play scenarios

• Teaches patience while learning about turn taking

• Even though the game is intended for 2-4 players it can also be played alone to encourage independent play.

2. Pizza,Pizza!

• Encourages development of mathematical skills including learning about colours and shapes.

• Includes a small element of basic food hygiene.

• Enhances fine motor skills

• Teaches children about the role of jobs and the world around them.

3. Go Find It!

• A brilliant scavenger hunt style game suitable for all the family.

• A great way to learn new adjectives and how to use them e.g. looking for something that is rough, tall or even blue.

• Small enough to take anywhere.

• Gets the family out having fun in the great outdoors.

Games Suitable For Children Aged 3 Years+

By the time little ones reach pre-school age they have already mastered many basic skills and they are ready for adventure! Their imaginations are running wild and craving more excitement when it comes to play. So we have picked the best games (which we have experienced) that we think may help them to further the basic skillset that they may already have but to fill them with pure enjoyment too.

1. Outfoxed!

• A game of deduction and elimination to help children to put thought patterns and scenarios together.

• Fun and colourful components.

• Encourages turn taking.

• Co-operative type of play to introduce teamwork.

2. Hero Kids

• A print and play RPG style game, so it's free!

• A great way to build creativity and imagination skills.

• Enhances mathematical skills.

• Can develop fine motor skills if played with miniatures.

• Introduces geographical understanding by navigating simple maps.

3. Echidna Shuffle

• An adorable adventure/strategy style game

• Some of the most beautiful chunky sized components ever!

• A game of identifying and matching colours.

• Can help to improve cognitive skills as you need to think ahead of your own moves.

Of course there are many more options available to your little aspiring gamers, however the ones mentioned in this article are some of our absolute favourites to share with our families and we have made some very happy memories while playing them together and we hope that you do too!