Best Games for Preschoolers

Preschoolers have more energy that most parents. It's just a natural fact. When winter comes and you can't take your younger children to the park to play as often, you may want to find games to play indoors.

If you’re like most people, you remember playing board games with your brothers and sisters, maybe even your parents. This was before nights where families played games together became known as “Family Fun Night” or “Family Game Night”. You may remember hours spent playing Candyland, Chutes and Ladders, or Sorry. Maybe your family had Operation for when you got older, then you most likely graduated to games like Monopoly or Trivial Pursuit.

Those games are still around if you want to share them with your children, but you may also want to find newer games to play with them. These are some of the best games for preschoolers that are recommended by experts and parents alike:

* Goodnight Moon Game – This is a game based on the popular preschool book by the same name. Made by Briarpatch, it is recommended for children 3 to 6 years old. The game encourages the use of matching and remembering where things are. Children playing do not have to be able to recognize letters or numbers, so it’s good for very young children. Everyone wins in this game so you don’t have to worry about one of the children being a poor loser.

* I Spy Preschool Game, also developed by Briarpatch, is based upon the book series “I Spy”. It’s a matching game, but there are five ways that it can be played. It can also be played with rhymes. It was designed for 3 to 6 year olds and is an award-winning game.

* Chutes and Ladders – This board game has been around for years. Children move their game pieces up and down a board of 100 spaces that has chutes (slides) and ladders that the pieces land on. The game teaches beginning counting, taking turns, and the concept of losing.

Of course, there are other types of games to play with your preschooler. Children love to play games that allow them to move. Duck, Duck, Goose is one game that children enjoy. It teaches children to take turns and how to listen carefully. Another game you can play with your preschool child is Simon Says. Remember that game? You listen to what “Simon” says and do it. If “Simon” didn’t say to do something and you still do it, you’re out. This is a great game to teach taking turns and listening, and is a game you can play with your child.

Many experts recommend not allowing your young children to play computer games because it doesn’t develop a young child’s imagination. However, there are other aspects to a child’s mind that needs to be developed as well. Of course, you don’t want to plop your infant in front of a television or computer screen for long periods of time every day. However, there are many good quality computer games your child can play that will encourage their thinking, introduce them to learning concepts, and teach them skills they’ll need in the future.

The best games for preschoolers come in a variety of formats – board games, active games, and computer games. Your task as a parent is to find the best games for your child and to help them enjoy them.

Babies Love Boxes

Parents often go overboard when buying presents for their children, especially when that child is their first. What parents find out, after their babies are old enough to sit up and play, is that babies usually love boxes more than the toys that were originally in them.

Don’t become too discouraged. It happens to nearly every parent. When someone suggests that you may not want to spend so much on actual gifts because an infant won’t be able to appreciate them, you might want to listen. If they have children of their own, you may be able to avoid some of the same frustrations they’ve had.

What is it about boxes that draws the attention of babies? Part of the appeal may be that boxes are large and easily manipulated. Boxes are also lightweight so they won’t hurt if the baby drops them. Finally, as everyone knows, nothing tastes better than cardboard!

Since babies love boxes so much, don't fight it. Take advantage of their interest in boxes to begin to teach them to use their imagination. Your baby won't totally develop their sense of imaginative play until they are pre-school age, but there's no reason to wait too long before encouraging this type of play.

Actually, if you haven't looked at toys lately, you can buy pretend food to use in play kitchens. These are smaller than normal foods, so they're easy for little children to handle. There are also plastic foods that are safe for children to put in their mouths.

One box that parents probably have in large numbers is wipe boxes. Not only can they be used to store small things in, they can be used to build with like building blocks. If your baby is a boy, he can put his chunky cars in the box and then take them out and play with them. Little girls, once they start playing with baby dolls, can put their baby's clothes in the wipe boxes and even use the wipe box as a bed.

With babies, it seems that simple is best. They really don't need to have toys with all the bells and whistles. Lights and noises at this age may get their attention, but they may not hold that attention for long. Give them a couple of small boxes and they'll be happy for quite some time.

As your baby grows, they have the potential to turn almost anything into a toy. They'll find things in your home that you may not wish them to play with, so be concerned about baby-proofing your home.

Babies grow up so fast. One minute they're brand new, small, and helpless. The next thing you know, they're trying to get around on their own. Give them simple things to play with. Babies love boxes and they're great items to help them use their imagination.