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Savvy Guest Jim Silver from TimeToPlayMag.com Discusses Games for Preschoolers

by Leticia

March 20, 2009

Family Game Nights are back!   5 year old Little Miss Techie has developed a love of Uno and Captain Computer enjoys putting together 20 piece puzzles which are challenging enough for him yet the large pieces are perfect for his 2 1/2 year old hands to manipulate.  
 
In this economy, Game Nights make sense; they're a fun, inexpensive way for families to bond and reconnect. But 4-year olds can hardly be expected to sit still for 5 minutes, let alone participate in classic Game Night standbys like Monopoly or Pictionary.  What sort of games should parents play with their preschoolers on Family Game Night or any night?

In today's guest post, toy expert Jim Silver discusses features that parents should look for when choosing games for their preschoolers. Jim is a widely recognized and often-resourced authority on the toy and licensing industries, having worked within the publishing and toy industries for more than 20 years.  He's also Editor in Chief for TimetoPlayMag.com, a great website parents can go to for toy, gaming and entertainment information.   Read below to learn 5 things parents should look for in a preschool game, then check out Jim's list of top preschool games for 2009.

Five Things to Look for in a Preschool Game
By Jim Silver, Editor in Chief, TimetoPlayMag.com

1. Easy to play right out of the box.
Instructions should be very simple and easy, so that you can open the box and play right away. Set up should be minimal, which also means clean up should be too. Young children don't have the patience for long instructions, and parents don't want a lot of mess.

2. Appropriate levels of reading, color matching, sequencing and
memory for the age group.
Playing the game should be fun...not frustrating. The great thing is that your children will let you know when they're ready for more advanced games. The child who loves Candy Land for months may suddenly realize he's too old for it, for instance.

3. Correct balance of chance and strategy.
For younger children, the balance should be more chance than strategy. They're learning counting, memory, and matching among other skills. As they get older, strategy-thinking a few moves ahead-can be introduced.
Kids also respond well to games that have a clear winner, even if it's not them. Children like the defined beginning and ending of a game with a clear objective.

4. 15 minutes or less.
The younger the child, the quicker a game needs to be completed before a child gets bored or loses focus. For a three-year-old, a game should be completed in less than 15 minutes. As a child gets a little older, 20 minutes is the magic number. Many game companies are now putting game playing times on their packages; look for these to help gauge what's right for your child.

5. Motor skills.
Many games greatly enhance motor skills through the need of hand-eye coordination. Many young children don't have enough opportunities to develop these skills, and games are a great occasion for younger kids to develop them through play.
 
Don't know what to play for your next Family Game Night?  Check out TimeToPlayMag's top family night games and top preschool games for 2009.
 Read more...

Favorite Memory Games for Preschoolers

by Leticia

January 12, 2009

Memory is a classic game for preschoolers. Not only is playing a great way to spend quality family time, but the game itself teaches non-verbal skills. Memory games force children to think and use visual reasoning skills in order to discriminate between similarities and differences of the objects they are seeing while also teaching social skills like turn taking and good sportsmanship. But if  Read more...

Product Review: Leapfrog Clickstart My First Computer

by Beth Hoffman

January 08, 2009

My three-and-a-half year old received a Leapfrog Clickstart My First Computer for Christmas. My husband and I decided to get her a "computer" because she is fascinated by our laptops and because she enjoys the games she can play on the stations set up in the children's section of our local library. So far, the gift has been a huge hit with her and with us. As with all things, there are pros  Read more...

Musical Holiday Traditions

by Beth Hoffman

December 19, 2008

We are a musical family. My husband is happiest with a guitar in his hands and I tend to sing all day long without even noticing that I am doing it. The children seem to be taking after us. They both love their father's guitars and the piano, my three year old daughter sings and dances from the moment she wakes up in the morning until she falls asleep at night, and even the baby is starting  Read more...

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The Voice of Being Savvy Washington:
Beth Hoffman, Leticia

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