If there is one thing I’ve learned from teaching my now 4 year old, it’s that kids learn best when they’re having fun!
Lately, Luke has been obsessed with games and I’m happy to indulge him; especially if those games challenge him mentally. Today, I wanna share two brilliantly created games that do just that! Find out why they are not just Luke’s new favorites, but also mine!
Camelot Jr.
Camelot Jr. is a brain-teasing, wooden puzzle game that kids as young as 4 can play. It is a game from SmartGames and it came from Belgium.
Objective of the Game:
The objective of Camelot Jr. is to construct a path to bring the prince and the princess together using only the pieces stated in the guide. It comes with a booklet of 48 challenges that increase in difficulty.
It’s a single player game but 2 people can do this together cooperatively especially for the harder challenges, which is what Luke and I do. (Confession: I actually had to do some serious thinking for the harder ones! Haha.)
Camelot Jr. has won many international awards and it’s not hard to see why!
What I Personally Love About Camelot Jr.
- Develops problem solving and logical thinking skills: The child has to figure out the best way to use the pieces provided to connect the prince and princess together!
- Serves as an early introduction to both spatial dynamics and architecture
- The challenges build in difficulty: Challenges get harder as they progress but if you do it systematically, the child is also more prepared as you go along.
- The pieces are made of high quality wood: I am personally more discerning now with the toys that I give my kids. Poorly made toys don’t just break easily but they could also potentially be dangerous (ex. chipping, toxic paint)
Luke loves the game and says that it’s fun. He likes the concept of bringing the prince and the princess together. From my observation though, I can tell that he’s really enjoying because it builds his confidence as he completes each challenge! It makes him feel proud of his accomplishment.
Pengoloo
Pengoloo is a simple but very well-made memory game for 2-4 players. It is by Blue Orange Games, which originated from France.
Objective of the Game:
To play Pengoloo, you roll the dice to find out which 2 colors you are looking for. Then you look underneath 2 penguins to see if the color of the eggs underneath the penguins match what you rolled. The first one to collect 6 penguins wins.
Pengoloo is great for color recognition (younger kids) and it helps develop the child’s memory skills.
The first time Luke was playing with this, he was just purely guessing and leaving it all to chance. Slowly, he started to realize that he remembered where certain colors were located and was able to change his strategy!
What I Personally Love About Pengoloo
- Can be played by kids of different ages: If you have multiple kids, this is a game they can all play together. The box says it’s for kids ages 4 and up but I believe it can be played even by kids younger than 4 because the game is very simple (although they might not get the memory part just yet!)
- You can make the game more challenging: There’s a version of the game where you can steal your opponents’ penguins. So if your older kids are getting bored, this little twist would make it a little more exciting!
- Sturdy, high quality wooden pieces: Just like Camelot Jr.! Definitely value for your money.
Why You Should Invest in Quality Games
As in most things, not all games are equal in terms of quality. I used to not be discerning about this and would buy cheap games for Luke. Then I noticed that either they break easily or they, quite frankly, just waste our time as we play.
I realized that there is value in investing in well thought-of developmental games that are also fun and aesthetically pleasing.
Games are fun, yes, but they can also serve as great learning tools for your kids.
In general, games teach kids to follow rules and sportsmanship. But if you choose the right kind of games for your kids, they can help enhance a wide spectrum of other skills such as logic, social, strategy, fine motor and visualization.
Personally, I don’t want to waste my kids’ time playing poorly made games. They don’t always have time to play so when they play, I want them to play with toys that will help them learn and develop skills at the same time. (That is the obsessively efficient and productive side of me speaking. Haha!)
Where to Buy
Camelot Jr. and Pengoloo are distributed by Marshmallow Toys. Marshmallow Toys carefully curates the best games for kids, even hard-to-find ones like Camelot Jr. and Pengoloo. They carry a lot of wonderful award-winning educational and developmental games.
You may purchase their games at Rustan’s, Toy Kingdom, Fully Booked, Gaming Library, The Parenting Emporium, AlterEgo, Homeschool Global, The Nest Attachment Parenting Hub, Ludo’s Board Game Bar and Cafe and Lazada. You can also purchase through their online store and if you use my code SHEENA5, you get a 5% discount!
Marshmallow Toys also host free play events at Rustans where you can come and try out the different games. In fact, I first saw these games while browsing through the toy section in Rustan’s at Shangri-La Mall. There wasn’t an official free play event at that time but they had a section where they encourage kids to try out the games and Luke didn’t wanna leave!
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And there you have it! Let me know if you guys have tried the games as well.
I’m so tempted to buy more games from the site! Next on my wishlist are the games Rush Hour Jr., which I’ll be getting when Luke turns 5 and Dr. Eureka, for when Luke turns 6! 😉