Games for mixed ages (boys)?

In article ,
Rosalie B. wrote:

Would Uno work? I don't remember it well enough to know. What about
crazy 8s or Old Maids?

Thanks. Uno does work, and we've kind of forgotten about it lately.

The Spotta games does indeed sound a lot like a cute version of
concentration/memory, which we do play sometimes, but the 4yo hasn't quite
gotten to a point where he is competitive yet. While I'm at it, I'll
anti-recommend Husker-Du which is another concentration variant, but it
works by covering up the pieces with little "pawns" (standard playing
pieces for board games) instead of just being a card you flip over.
You rotate wheel under the holes to create new arrangements. This is
way more complicated than just using the cards, the pawns can fall over,
and you can't adjust the difficulty by using fewer pairs at first.
I've hidden it in the attic.

--Robyn
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Robyn Kozierok wrote:

Thanks. Uno does work, and we've kind of forgotten about it lately.

Uno Attack is also fun. The basic rules are the same,
but there are some additional specialty cards (e.g.,
trade entire hands with another player), and a
battery-operated unit dispenses additional cards on
an unpredictable basis.

--Molly

Tag.

Uno or Harry Potter Uno.

Monopoly Jr.

You can also play Marco Polo or Blind Man's bluff, with revised rules for
the younger kid (perhaps he can peak and close his eyes again).

Baseball or wiffle ball (with ghosties for runners).

Actually, you can adopt just about any game with special rules for the
younger kid.

Jeff

"Jeff" wrote:

Tag.

Uno or Harry Potter Uno.

Monopoly Jr.

You can also play Marco Polo or Blind Man's bluff, with revised rules for
the younger kid (perhaps he can peak and close his eyes again).

Baseball or wiffle ball (with ghosties for runners).

Actually, you can adopt just about any game with special rules for the
younger kid.

We used to play Dutchman's School. And Red Light Green Light.

Also I invented a game called Blind Man's Lead where one person is
blindfolded and is turned around to be made dizzy and then led or
carried to another location which they have to guess. If they guess
right, they get to be the leader the next time.

Also we played Sardines, which is a reverse hide and seek. One person
hides, and the rest seek. When someone finds the hider, they get into
the hiding place with them. Although that might work better when they
are older.



grandma Rosalie

Robyn Kozierok wrote:
Does anyone have any suggestions of games that work well with a wide
range of ages (at once)?


Our boys have enjoyed Sequence since they were 5 and 9, they are now 9
and 13. It's a card and board game--you attempt to cover a sequence of
five spots on the board based on cards you hold in your hand. It
requires some skill, and does have wild cards, so there is that revenge
aspect that can be hard for younger kids. We also "pass the garbage" a
card game that is almost all luck based. You each have one card and, in
turn, can trade with the person to your left, the object being not to
have the lowest card (the garbage). It is very easy to play, but fun.
I never played many card games as a kid, but my husband did and he has
taught the kids a whole range of them.

Chris

"Chris" wrote in message
oups.com...


Robyn Kozierok wrote:
Does anyone have any suggestions of games that work well with a wide
range of ages (at once)?


Our boys have enjoyed Sequence since they were 5 and 9, they are now 9
and 13. It's a card and board game--you attempt to cover a sequence
of
five spots on the board based on cards you hold in your hand. It
requires some skill, and does have wild cards, so there is that
revenge
aspect that can be hard for younger kids.

I'd suggest "Sequence for Kids". My husband and I really enjoyed
playing it with my daughter, and we should get it out again. It is a
simplified version of Sequence. We got that when my daughter turned 6
(I think) and it was too complex-- she had a good grasp of strategy with
the kids version, but with the added dimensions of complexity (lots more
cards, needing 5 in a row) of the regular game, she couldn't keep a plan
in her head anymore.

The box on "Sequence for Kids" says ages 3-6, I think simply because it
doesn't require reading. Most children I know didn't start to enjoy it
until 4 or so, and I think it is enjoyable well past 6.

Liz

In article .com,
Chris wrote:

Our boys have enjoyed Sequence since they were 5 and 9, they are now 9
and 13.

We have Sequence, but the 4yo doesn't like it (yet?). I like it

We also "pass the garbage" a
card game that is almost all luck based. You each have one card and, in
turn, can trade with the person to your left, the object being not to
have the lowest card (the garbage). It is very easy to play, but fun.

Is it just one turn per person? That sounds cute, and fast enough that
losing is not a big deal (the more time a child has invested in a game,
the worse losing seems to be, IME), since you can play many rounds and
everyone will have a chance to win and practice their "good loser"
behavior. (We use UNO for that too; played with certain variations
on the rules it tends to be fast enough to be a good one for kids to
practice losing, plus adults can tend to lose on purpose when it seems
prudent.)

The older boys are at camp now, so it's just us grownups and the 4yo
now. But keep sending the ideas if you think of any more, because with
our range of ages, it is likely to be an issue in our house for quite
some time!

Thanks for the replies so far!

--Robyn
..

In article ,
Elizabeth King wrote:


I'd suggest "Sequence for Kids". My husband and I really enjoyed
playing it with my daughter, and we should get it out again. It is a
simplified version of Sequence. We got that when my daughter turned 6
(I think) and it was too complex-- she had a good grasp of strategy with
the kids version, but with the added dimensions of complexity (lots more
cards, needing 5 in a row) of the regular game, she couldn't keep a plan
in her head anymore.

Could you modify the regular game to have simpler rules (require
fewer pieces in a row to win?) or is the complexity of the board
a major factor? (We already have the regular Sequence game.)

Thanks,
--Robyn
..

"Robyn Kozierok" wrote in message
...
Could you modify the regular game to have simpler rules (require
fewer pieces in a row to win?) or is the complexity of the board
a major factor? (We already have the regular Sequence game.)

A big part of the problem for my daughter was how many different cards
there are, and how large the board is-- she'd draw a card, and have a
terrible time finding where on the board it was, and then remembering
that for the next turn. She also had a much harder time remembering
what cards she was looking for to make progress-- the kids version has
animal cards rather than playing cards, so she could keep in her mind
she wanted a penguin more easily than that she needed a 4 of hearts.

If I was going to try regular Sequence with a small child, I'd consider:

1) playing for 4 in a row
2) eliminating suit, and just matching black or red and value (so a 3 of
hearts and 3 of diamonds are equivalent.)
3) limiting the cards each player has to 3 or 4

But you'd want to play it through with adults or older children to make
sure that the game works that way.

Or just get the kids version :-).

Liz

In article ,
Elizabeth King wrote:
A big part of the problem for my daughter was how many different cards
there are, and how large the board is-- she'd draw a card, and have a
terrible time finding where on the board it was, and then remembering
that for the next turn. She also had a much harder time remembering
what cards she was looking for to make progress-- the kids version has
animal cards rather than playing cards, so she could keep in her mind
she wanted a penguin more easily than that she needed a 4 of hearts.

If I was going to try regular Sequence with a small child, I'd consider:

1) playing for 4 in a row
2) eliminating suit, and just matching black or red and value (so a 3 of
hearts and 3 of diamonds are equivalent.)
3) limiting the cards each player has to 3 or 4

Thanks, those are good suggestions. I wonder if, once you have the red/black
rule instead if suits, you could fold the board over and use only half of
it. I'd have to take a good look at the board (or, play-test it that way,
as you suggested anyway) to see if that would work or leave certain cards
under-represented.

Are the wildcard rules the same in the junior version? That seems like
something else that could be simplified for the youngest players.

My older boys are actually pretty good at simplifying games so that
my youngest can play, but then the game usually becomes tedious for
the older ones. Oh well, they have been "babysitting" while I work
(from home) this summer, in exchange for screen time. When they
are "on the job" they don't mind playing games with him that they don't
really enjoy so much themselves.

--Robyn
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