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Junior Olympics ’08
By
Published: Jan 01, 2008
Category:
Baby and Children's Gifts and Toys
Every four years, the world amuses itself in the dog days of summer by watching superior athletes.
I can’t watch more than a few minutes of these “games” — the “only in America” propaganda is too thick for me to swallow. (Suggestion: If you can get a foreign broadcast, try it. You’ll be amazed at the difference.)
Though I’m big on encouraging kids to dream big, there are no expectations here that the little one will ever compete on the world athletic stage. But on the bigger stage? Oh, there’s no choice, she’ll definitely be competing. And as we confront that inevitability, what we want to emphasize is the fun of competition — it’s great to play, and play in a state of full engagement.
The summer is, for us, the best time to play games. Summers are too long for smart kids who like school; it’s easy to slack on bedtime reading, tempting to let her watch the Sponge Bob Marathon for the umpteenth time. So although we won’t do something as corny as an Opening Parade and Medal Ceremonies, I suspect we’ll call the coming competition the Junior Olympics.
The games we play often come in several versions, scaled to age and maturity. We’re in the 6-to-8 category. But as with all things involving children, it’s all about the individual kid.
These are some of the games we’ll be playing:
Gobblet
Tic-tac-toe is over; our daughter’s played enough to know how to make every game end in a tie. But four-in-a-row tic-tac-toe? With pieces of varying size that can cover smaller pieces and dramatically change the game? Delightful. [Bonus points: The manufacturer says it plants two trees for every tree used to produce its games.] Click here to order.
Gobblet Junior
Slightly simpler, and, in our experience, a good place to start. Click here to order.
Gobblet on the Go
A travel version. Click here to order.
Toot and Otto
I’m Toot. You’re Otto. The winner spells his/her name first — up, down, diagonally. Sounds simple. For ages 4-8. Then why did I lose 3 games in a row last night? Click here to order.
Rush Hour
Gridlock on the game board. Move vehicles out of the way so the ice cream truck can escape. With 40 “grids”. Click here to order.
Rush Hour Jr.
We’re starting here. Moving out of beginner stage and into intermediate, sharpening her eye with every game. Ages 6-8. Click here to order.
Blokus
A strategy board game for ages 5-12. I am too stupid to understand it. My wife, fortunately, can give our daughter a challenging experience. Click here to order.
Brain Quest
Because the brain is also a muscle. Many levels available. Our experience suggests getting two — one at the child’s present grade level, one at the next. Click here to order.
Wig Out!
What is life without card games? We’re teaching her poker — at the Best Schools, we hear, it’s a venerable tradition: playing cards to pay for your education — but we’re also playing a fast-paced matching game with unusual characters. (One looks very much like Tina Brown.) Click here to order.
