With each passing day, my kids are itching for summer to arrive.  We are hoping to finish up with school within the next two weeks and the kids are anticipating this change.  However, as a parent, I know that children are always learning.  Exploring outside can easily become a lesson in Science and playing games is a great option for learning all year round.  So as our school year is winding down, I wanted to find a couple of new games to add to our collection that we could utilize to continue brushing up on skills through the Summer.

Sending a big thank you to Davinci’s Room for sending us these fun games!

The Sums In Space Math Board Game caught the kids’ attention first because the box cover is quite intriguing, so that was the game we started with.  This adventurous math game offers two modes of play: Co-operative or Competitive.  My kids wanted to play competitively so we followed those rules.  On each turn, the player shakes the three included dice.  Two dice have numbers while the last die features + and – signs.  Players take the largest number and then add or subtract, based on the roll, to figure out how many spaces they move.  Throughout the board are special spaces that also have the kids working on learning odd numbers and even numbers.  To make it even more fun, there’s a Black Hole towards the end of the game where players have to roll a large number to skip over, or have to slowly move one space at a time to get through.  Whichever astronaut (player) makes it to the rocket ship first, wins!

While this game is geared for ages 5 and up and for 2 to 4 players, I think it’s a great game to start with 4 year olds as parents can help guide them when doing the math and counting.  Our son will be 5 in June and he had a blast playing along with his older siblings.  The game board is brightly colored and the mode of play keeps things interesting.  If playing the cooperative game rules, there are actually 3 difficulty levels to keep things fresh and fun.  It’s a great spin on the classic ladder and slide game that adds education and adventure.

Next up, we played the Cookie Time Shape & Color Family Game.  While my kids thought this wouldn’t be that great, they were extremely surprised and pleased with what’s inside.  Simply put, it’s a card game that features three different kinds of cookies: squares, circles, and special shapes (variety of stars).  Players each start with three cards and take turns building, domino style to create a game board.  Points are scored from matching shapes and bonus points are earned by also matching colors and completing a circle.  While it seems simple, there is strategy and skill involved as you work on maximizing your points but also playing defense.

While Cookie Time is geared for ages 7 and up, our youngest son (almost 5) has been able to play quite well with us.  This games stays fresh and fun because it’s different every time.  The first game we played ended up with the finished board being spread way out while additional games has us learning how to maximize points better and we had many more tiles closer together.  This is a great family game that the kids love and even my husband and I enjoy playing over and over.

Overall, I’m super impressed with the Davinci’s Room games that we reviewed.  They were both a lot of fun and have been played dozens of times since they arrived.  I’m super excited to have these in our collection as the kids don’t even realize they are working on skills as they play.  Education at its finest!

Buy It: Head over to Davinci’s Room to see for yourself the great selection of products they offer or to order your very own Sums In Space or Cookie Time Games!

Connect: Don’t forget to like Davinci’s Room on Facebook for all the latest news and promotions.

Miranda

I’m a city girl turned country by my awesome husband and we have three busy boys and two darling daughters. I love spending time with my family, reading Karen Kingsbury novels, and catching up with friends while our kiddos have play dates. I’m blessed beyond measure and can’t wait to see what God has in store.
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