This giveaway is now closed. Congrats Cherice!

Do you have a regular family game night?  At present, we don’t. But I’d love to set aside one night every week or so where we unplug and take time to interact and have fun playing board games.

My son, who’s almost 4, is finally at an age where he can understand how to play simple board games. And those he’s too young for?  We simply make up our own rules!

Photo Credit: I Can Do That! Games

Lately we’ve been playing Chuggington’s new Traintastic Cargo Game by Wonder Forge.  During the preschool years, children tend to be drawn to toys, books, and games that feature characters they are familiar with.  Since my son is very familiar with the animated series that follows the adventures of young trainees Wilson, Brewster, and Koko, he couldn’t wait to learn how to play the game.

After a little explanation and a few “practice” rounds, we finally got it!  The game includes a board which is built into the box, 4 boards which feature characters from the show, 8 Boxcar doors, 32 teeny, tiny cargo pieces and 30 Vee cards.  Fortunately for parents, assembly is not required.  Simply mix up the cargo pieces, place a few of them in each of the containers,  and close the train car doors.  Decide which character you and your child would like to be and shuffle the Vee cards.  Each player then receives a card which will show him/her which type of cargo needs to be collected.

The first player spins and either selects a boxcar with the matching color, turns the train disk one or two spaces, or spins again.  The object of the game is to be the first to fill the game board with the cargo that matches the Vee card selected.  Cards vary and could either require that each number matches, each shape matches, or each color, number, and shape matches.

While the game is relatively easy to play, my son needed a few explanations and reminders.  He was able to grasp the concepts of matching the shapes or numbers but had a little more difficulty when it came to matching all three.  The game reinforces concepts such as memory pattern matching, number, shape, and color recognition.

I like the educational aspect of the game and can definitely see us altering the rules a bit to find new, imaginative ways to play.  The instruction sheet also offers an advanced set of rules for older children.

There are two specific things I’d like to see changed.  First, the cargo pieces are very small, and at 3, my son was still putting things in his mouth.  He’s almost four at this point and while it isn’t really a problem for him, we can’t play this game with my one year old daughter around.   Second, I think it would be fun if the game pieces actually included trains from the show (and my son would agree!).

Overall, we’ve enjoyed playing the new game put out by Wonder Forge and appreciate both the tie-in with the show and the educational value.

Win It! One of you will win a copy of Chuggington Traintastic Cargo Game.  Simply leave me a comment with the name of another Wonder Forge game you’d like to play with your child.  Comments will close on June 15th, 2011 at 11:59 PM PST.

US Residents only. Duplicates and comments not including the above information will be disqualified. Comments are moderated. If you don’t see your comment in a reasonable amount of time, send me an email. Bloggers and non-bloggers may enter. If you don’t want to leave your email address, please be sure to check back for my announcement on the winner. Please note that winners must respond within 48 hours of being announced/contacted or another winner will be drawn.

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