Over the past few blogs, we have been unpacking some of the great choices of games from Orchard Toys. With various educational benefits, you can feel good about your children spending time playing these. With games for all ages and stages today we’ll be looking at older school ages children of 5 years old.
Counting – Dino-Snore-Us
A tense game where you must tread lightly not to wake the sleeping T-Rex. Player roll the dice moving up the track trying to collect as many eggs as possible. If you land on one of the footprints then the T-Rex wakes and ROARS! And everyone has to start again. A fun little mechanic to keep players engaged this game is targeted for 4 years and up. A more classic board game with dice rolling and turn taking, this game will certainly have a long shelf life.
As children look to enter school the skills learnt in Dino-Snore-Us will be invaluable. This game will give the opportunities to practice counting their collected eggs and checking if they have the right amount according to the spinner. Plus, they will be constantly counting spaces as they progress towards the sleeping T-Rex. These skills combine to help them be ready for number problems in school life.
With fun shouting and theming this game develops necessary skills for life. Parents will love the educational pluses and kids will be engaged and laughing throughout. Relationships will be strengthened as they organise the information correctly and respond to what other players are doing.
Colours – Troll in a Hole
A classic board game in an exciting and disgusting twist. Meet King Troll who loves smell and stinky ingredients in his stew. You’ll be making your way down some colourful roads with even more colourful characters. A roll and move game this one is fantastic as family get together game. The game also features and alternative side of where you spin a spinner and try and collect all the corresponding slime cards.
Troll in a Hole is an engaging and fun title slightly different from others in the Orchard Toys lineup. With colour recognition the main aim of the game, kids will be so engrossed in the theming of trolls, mud and bugs. Additionally, they will be using counting skills and of course learning to wait their turns as personal skills are enhanced and improved each smelly stew at a time.
Troll in a Hole, is certainly a fun title. With plenty of more complex symbols and mechanics this one is a more established board game than some of the others. Whilst the emphasis is on the fun, there is no denying the humour and excitement every time Troll in a Hole is constructed.
Matching – Fun Food Bingo
Meet your smiley tasty treats in Fun Food Bingo! Hot dogs to pizzas to carrots and corn all the foods will be covered in this fun twist on the classic bingo. Featuring all the rules you know and love about Bingo this game features carboard cut outs of all the different food which are drawn from a bag at random. These cards can also be used in the imaginative play flipped board experience, a nice touch adding longevity to this game.
Players as young as 3 will be enjoying this one but for 5-year-olds it still offers a lot of options. With memory skills tested as well as observation skills, this game still features the great teacher credentials of other titles. A quick game on holiday, when friends come to play this game will always be played in a variety of situations.
For conscience parents this game also is FSC certified with 100% recyclable cardboard and no plastic at any point. So what’s not to love with cute cupcakes and cheeky strawberries there is a variety of plates waiting to be served!
Social Skills – Counting Mountain
With a 3D mountain and basic arithmetic Counting Mountain is a fantastic Social game for siblings, friends and even parents to play together. Draw two yeti footprints each with a different number on them. Then player must add the two numbers and move that many spaces up the mountain. If you flip a yeti instead of a number, you’ll be sent backwards – all you hard effort gone! Each player takes turns until one player reaches the top and is the winner.
With opportunities to wait your turn this game is aimed at budding mathematicians 4–8-year-old. Using those maths skills not only will children need to add up but also be able to count the number of spaces they need to move along the mountain. The huge 3D mountain looks impressive as children practice motor skills hanging their little climbers higher and higher!
You’ll be chatting and counting together with children becoming more confident as they grow. A fun little themed game, more obvious in it educational benefits but no less fun because of the maths.
Conclusion
So, there you have it the penultimate instalment of Orchard Toy games. For the final blog we’ll be checking out games perfect for 6 years old (and older). Then we’ll be wrapping everything up in one showdown of the best games from Orchard Toys.
