Board Games in Unexpected Places

Nicky loves board games. I think he likes to go to Wimpy just because they have a board game. He seems to be going through a bit of a counting phase, so he likes to throw the dice and count the places. But he’s interested in all sorts of board games and some of the latest offerings from Prima Toys have been a lot of fun for him.  We just did not expect to be playing board games in hospital waiting rooms. But isn’t that how life is: the storms seem to be thrown at you when you least expect them. And if you have a kid in tow when these things happen, it’s helpful to bring some toys along.

We’ve been playing these games a few days before the incident happened, and I took some pictures.

The first is a matching game: The Lion Guard Matching Game. Nicky has actually also played these on his IPad (where you increase the level of difficulty). You have to remember where the pictures are so that you can pair them up. Of course this one is much better than the electronic version because you’re dealing with real cards that you turn over.

I thought the Lion Guard pictures were really beautiful and colourful. I especially liked the silhouette ones. This is a good game to enhance your child’s memory.

The other two games were similar: they are called “Surprise Slides”. They consist of a board where you move your Disney character around with a turntable instead of dice. So you spin the arrow and you move to where it lands. Then you move to the designated colour. But there are some special ones to land on too.

For instance, in the Lion Guard Surprise Slider, if you land on the lion head, you get to “slide” through a pathway that will take you further. (Almost like a ladder in Snakes and Ladders).  But you can also land on something which changes the pathways when you have to flip the slider over or swap it with another.

We really liked landing on those lions but we also enjoyed landing on the colours in between because that meant we could rescue an animal. Then you receive a point for that.

The other game had Disney Junior characters such as Mickey Mouse, Doc McStuffins, Sofia the First and Jake the Pirate.

Games are a good distraction and I surely needed distraction this week. My husband had a stroke on Saturday and we have been driving back and forth from the hospital, spending time in ICU and in doctor meetings, lurching between hope and despair. All along, if Nicky came with, I would ask him to bring some kind of toy with, as a kid in a waiting room with nothing to do is not much fun.

So on one of the days he brought the Lion Guard Surprise Slider game. We spun that arrow, we moved those animals, and we connected. And when I went into ICU and another family member took over looking after Nicky, they continued to play the game.

You see playing games as a family runs deeper than just giving a kid something to do. You show him that he’s worthy of your attention and that you want to play with him and spend time with him. At the end of the day, especially in the midst of a really hard week, that was what was needed.

How have toys helped you in times of a crisis?

Disclaimer: Prima Toys provided us with the board games. Here is a list they have of their games for the Prima Toys Games Festival or #PrimaGamesFest

Below is a list of the hottest Games Festival products:

For Toddlers and Children

• Twist & Turn
• Disney 4 in 1 Game
• Frozen Matching Game
• Frozen Activity Packs
• Lion Guard Surprise Slides
• Lion Guard Matching Game
• Peppa Pig Dominoes
• Disney Junior Surprise Slides
• Minnie Play & learn educational game
• Disney Princess Brainstorm
• Sofia the First my nail studio
• O.L. Surprise Game
• O.L. Puzzle

 

For Teenagers

• Flipside
• Boomblast
• Kingpong
• Rubik’s Cube

 

Family Games

• Wikipedia
• 20 Questions
• Rummikub
• Hotel Tycoon
• Anti-Monopoly

 

For more information go to www.primatoys.co.za or www.Facebook.com/primatoys

#Primagamesfest @Primatoys