The Richard Scary Busy Town game is FAB! DS got it last Xmas (just under 3yo) and we all enjoyed it, it's been played heaps all year (you do need to check you have a space big enough to lay out the board though!).
Has anyone got timeshock? Think that is what it's called, I wondered about that.
Yes we have! Again last Xmas so just under 3yo and it had us all entertained (up to 70yo). It's something you play 'alone' for up to 1 min so everyone else watches and cheers on, then the next person takes a turn so really you compete with yourself and your own personal best time. We've also found ways to play one adult along with DS so we put the pieces in together as a joint effort. And DS has played with it HEAPS all year. He prefers to put the shapes in with the timer turned off, after he has spent as long as needed to get the pieces in he then starts the timer ticking and we generally run to the sofa and hide behind cushions as though a bomb is going to go off, fits of giggles. An older child may want to use the timer and see how many pieces they can get in in the time whilst a younger one will more likely just enjoy the shapes and learn a few more shape names too. (DS knew already most of the shapes, hexagon, pentagon etc but from this game learned right angle, equilateral and isosceles triangle names). Highly recommended.
Like others we have junior Monopoly (again from 3yo), ours is a fair ground version. He will often want to stop playing before the game is fully complete so we just add up our money from that point, he does play properly though and does loads of maths in the game too.
Other games we have fun with
Boggle (he was given junior boggle which I don't really see the point of and it held his interest for a very short time, we have more fun with the regular boggle and just don't play by the rules, work as a team to spot words or just use the letters to make up words)
Draughts - he loves it
Yahtzee - played for the first time yesterday and was thrilled with it
Rummy cub - I help a little
Frustration (getting a new one as we have a rubbish pop n hop version which is broken, been played to death)
Games I'm looking at for Xmas, but won't be getting all of them:
Sum Swamp (age rec is 5 - 12)
articulate for kids (or mini game)
pass the pigs
ingenious
labyrinth
fluxx
tiddlywinks (ok not really a board game)
Silly Sentences
story cubes
dog dice
WRT scrabble. I played from a young age with my mum helping me make words and just place them on the board rather than proper rules, but there's also my first scrabble and junior scrabble now too if those are more suitable? There's bananagrams and pairs in pears which are letters/word games maybe worth a look at if that sort of thing appeals.
