My daughter is very quick to point out how and where I should drive when I take him home from school. The traffic is terrible and we always end up having an argument. Then I found the ThinkFun Rush Hour game. At 7, she’s learning deductive reasoning, so this game is ideal for her. Her mathematics teacher also recommended the game.

I allow her to play the game in the car while I negotiate the traffic home and try to get there in one piece. She’s suddenly developed a new respect for the kind of driving that I do since she now also has to obey traffic rules. She often gets stuck and has to redo the game, but I’ve noticed a distinct improvement in her reasoning and the outcomes of the game in the past few weeks.

When we have a chance, I always play with her. Although it’s a one-man game, I help her think through the problem that she’s facing and together we get the little red car out of the traffic.

This is a multi award winning game with 4 levels of difficulty. I can highly recommend the game for all kids 7 years and older.

My husband is a fairly good chess player, but very poor at teaching our kids how to play. I’ve been driven to distraction by the two boys’ frustration at not understanding what their dad was trying to explain.

When I came across the No Stress Chess game, I thought that my prayers had been answered. The game is specifically designed to teach eager minds how to play chess. It’s a double-sided board – one side with clues, the other side a standard chess board. When the kids are playing against each other, they use the board with clues and the clue cards. That way they learn how to move the figures and also to predict the outcome of every move. When they play against their father, they use the standard board and it’s generally both the boys against the man.

Their skills have improved immensely and I’m very pleased that it has fostered their love for chess. It’s quite a sight to see the kids telling each other what to do while playing against ‘the master’.

The No Stress Chess game comes with a two-sided chess board, 56 action cards, 17 ivory pieces, 17 charcoal pieces, a black plastic card tray and the instructions.

As far as mazes go, here’s one that my kids are finding a-mazing (pardon the pun): the Perplexus Maze Game. The only trouble I have with it is getting them to fold it away and go to bed. This is a maze game that has the players maneuvering a small marble around a series of barriers that are quite challenging. The sphere is transparent so the players enjoy a three dimensional view over the whole maze and barriers. One has to find their way through by twisting, flipping and shifting the transparent sphere to maneuver the marble past the barriers.

Apart from giving the kids hours of fun, I like the Perplexus Maze Game because it improves their motor skills and their hand-eye coordination. It also improves their thinking skills as they have to think about the best way to get out of the maze and into the clear or final destination. It is recommended for children aged 6 and above who can understand that they need to negotiate their way round the turns and bends rather than simply go over the barriers.

I also like the fact that no cleaning up is necessary and I don’t have to keep getting new batteries. Truth be told, am often at it after they have gone off to bed, determined to beat that maze in the shortest time possible.

Chestnuts roasting on an open fire, stockings hanging and a board game to bring the whole family together and keep the kids’ anticipation channeled until bedtime – as a busy mom, that’s my ideal Christmas Eve! So, planning ahead I’ve already got this year organized with the Qwirkle Board Game.

I love that this game’s so easy to set up – it’s just wooden blocks with a series of colorful symbols on them – very tactile which is great for kids! With a recommended age of 6 and up, we can get the whole family involved and pitch our wits against each other! It’s easy to learn (which is ideal over Christmas) and once you’ve ‘got it’, it actually builds brain power – it was a Mensa Best Mind Game Award Winner in 2007! That’ll be the logical and strategic thinking that the game requires!

Apparently the game is a bit like scrabble, but with symbols instead of letters: we have to create both columns and rows of matching colors and symbols, so the kids can join in confidently. We can all earn extra points by strategically placing tiles, so it can get pretty competitive which means huge fun for us! Best of all, it only takes 30 – 45 minutes to play a round: long enough for a bit of sustained brain-building time but short enough that it won’t lead to a late night! If you haven’t done your Christmas shopping yet, add this game in quick!

Well, the Snap Circuits Jr. SC-100 kit I bought for my nephew’s birthday has proved so popular; it’s now on my Christmas shopping list for his cousins! With a recommended age appeal of 8 – 12, this kit is great for young science, technology or construction enthusiasts and offers the chance to build over 100 fascinating electronic light and sound projects, including burglar alarms, door bells and even a flying saucer! No wonder my nephews and nieces are clamoring for one of their own, although it’s definitely not for the little ones due to the small parts!

Set up and actual construction is easy: the building blocks house all of the electronic components, it’s just a case of snapping them into place on the sturdy work board provided – no wires, no soldering! The only real electronic downside is that my sister was spending a fortune on batteries (as these aren’t included), but using rechargeables quickly remedied this and means that there are always batteries charged and ready for play!

It takes only a short adult introduction to get the kids started, but after this input, don’t imagine that this kit will necessarily keep the kids quiet – it incorporates lots of exciting sounds, prompting sounds of excitement from the kids, but that’s what you want, to build their enquiring minds and their willingness to both play and learn at the same time, right? There’s both fun value and educational value in Snap Circuits Jr kits, and that’s what a present from auntie is all about!

Mario has been a firm favourite in our household for many years. Now he’s back to explore and conquer new galaxies. In order to do this, Mario gets interesting new power ups and he also gets to bounce on eggs to release Yoshi. Yoshi helps him climb steep inclines, float to new heights and do many other interesting activities.

My kids enjoy this game because of its beautiful scenery, action-packed exploration of the galaxy and the wonder that the new galaxies hold. Although the game has a ‘mild cartoon violence’ warning, the violence is much understated and hasn’t frightened even my youngest child. However, I still sit in and provide some parental guidance to the younger children learning to play the game.

The beauty of Super Mario Galaxy 2 is that it is a Wii product and can be played on the Wii Fitness Plus system. This means that the kids don’t sit around passively playing the game. With Super Mario Galaxy 2 on the Wii balance board the kids are active participants in the adventure and are given the opportunity to jump, fly, walk and crawl with Mario. Their activity leads to burning of energy, learning hand-eye coordination as well as decision-making skills.

Super Mario Galaxy 2 also allows for participation of the whole family: My kids give each other advice or even compete against each other. My husband and I are also part of the fun while teaching the kids about good sportsmanship.

Bakugan Battle Brawlers, it seems, are the current rage among tweens and teens here. These toys are actually action-figure warriors, that are tucked into spheres that pop open when they’re rolled onto a game card, where they gather points. My 9 year old has started a collection of Bakugan and so far, currently has 4 units of Bakugan balls and a couple of Gate and Ability cards. We made it a point to only reward him when he does well for his exams as these toys are certainly not cheap.

As a mom, I remain clueless on how the game is played but if you have some interest in finding out, here’s a link with some useful FAQs which might help. Amazingly, Spin Master’s Bakugan Battle Brawlers has been awarded the Toy Industry Association’s ‘Toy of the Year’ award for the second year in a row!

Product Description:

This fast-paced, energetic variation of Bingo is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser. Kids get a kick out of pulling the Zinger forward to reveal two mystery tiles and attempting to be the first to call out the tiles that match the images on their cards. The first player to fill his or her card wins! Ages 4 to 8. 2 to 8 players. 2 levels of play. 8 double-sided Zingo! cards and 72 picture tiles. 8 inches x 10.5 inches x 3.5 inches.

My son received this game during his recent birthday and we had a marvelous time playing it over and over again.  This game focuses more on pictures and images, which meant they were easy for the younger kids to play. The Zingo cards have a 3 by 3 grid that shows pictures and words.  Cards have a yellow side (the easier option) and a red side for the older kids. The zingo dispensor is extremely heavy duty and slides smooth. Players shout out to claim a piece, which is then placed over the appropriate square on the player’s card. There are also several different ways of playing.

My take : Though the game states that it is for ages 4 and up, I felt that it is simple enough that even 2 years old can play and yet equally suitable for middle-schoolers. Zingo is a great way to teach word recognition to younger children. An absolute fun for the whole family. I like that the game boards are thick and the Zingo pieces are made of sturdy plastic, which meant they are more durable. It’s also easy to take along on road trips.  Highly recommended!

Buy it :  Get yours at Amazon here.