I know it’s still only September but already loads of us are starting to think about Christmas gifts. You can’t go wrong with games that all the family can play, so take a look below …
KATAMINO Pocket
Katamino is an intelligent brain teaser designed as a puzzle to aid development. In fact lots of schools have Katamino for its educational value. It’s suitable for all ages as I found out last week when Bamps (age 61) just couldn’t put it down! It enables young children, from around age 5, to learn about geometry and spatial awareness. With over 500 puzzles, there’s always something new to solve and it’s the perfect size for holidays too.
QUORIDOR
Having played this a few times in the summer and loved it, I’ve just bought this for my step-son’s 10th birthday. It’s aimed at age 8 upwards but I think brighter, younger children could play it easily enough. It’s a simple strategy game and the aim is to reach the other end of the board first. The trouble is that your opponent puts up fences to slow you down. So who’s going to find the shortest route? A high quality game and not a bad price either. Perfect for children and adults alike!
CONNETIX
Connetix is so much fun to play with and can spark hours of creativity and unstructured play. It’s very easy for Mum and Dad to get so involved in ‘helping’ the little ones that they start playing themselves! The children learn all about different shapes, sizes and magnetism whilst building houses, rockets, castles and whatever they want really. It’s great for open-ended play and is a high quality toy that you can just keep on adding to. My grandsons and grand-daughter have all got the expansion packs now too so they can build ever more complex structures. Well worth buying as a gift and brilliant fun too!
GABBLE
GABBLE is lots of fun for and perfect for parties, family gatherings or just a night in. The game is small enough to take on holidays with you and for older children to play in the back of the car. In a nutshell, the more you can describe then the more you score. It’s a nifty little game and comes with a unique and handy device to keep score. It’s only £13 so well worth buying as a gift for pretty much any household!
GEOMAG
Dylan 5 and Harris 3, my two oldest grandchildren love GEOMAG so much that I’m actually going to get some for Connie 3 for Christmas. It’s a fantastic STEM educational toy which teaches children all about magnetism, 2D, 3D and more importantly concentration. It’s fun to play with and the magnets are all good quality and strong. Geomag encourages imaginative play and the more sets you buy, the greater variety of structures you can build!
PLAYMOBIL Country
Who doesn’t love Playmobil. Let’s be fair there’s a Playmobil set for everyone. My own children loved the Playmobil Ambulance when they were little ones and now my grand-daughter can’t get enough of her Playmobil bus and passengers. Her Mum has already bought her a few of the Playmobil Country sets for her birthday and I’m sure she’s going to love them. The PLAYMOBIL Large Organic Farm is an eco-friendly version of the old classic and is made from recycled bio-based materials. Connie already has a few farm tractors and I’ve bought the super-cute Hen-house for her for Xmas. The little farm animals, pot-bellied pigs are realistic looking and I’m sure the whole Playmobil Country set will go down a storm with her!
Kikkerland Wooden Pinball
These are fab little stocking fillers for young and old alike. These wooden pinball games fit in the palm of your hand and are super-cute.
Life’s not just about Christmas gifts though so you can take a look at some of my other favourite products here:
