Board games for kids – Froggy Boogie

So much has been debated about the pros and cons of kids playing with IT gadgets like the iPad and iPhone at a young age. Some parents are for it while some stay a mile away from them. Personally, I feel that if you choose the right games, some of them can be educational and beneficial for learning. But I’m mindful that regardless of the benefits, the key is still maintaining a healthy balance as too much screen time is bad for their eye.

I’ve recently known another blogger mom, Pamela, who is a board game enthusiast. She’s since introduced me to a world of board games that is suitable for kids from as young as 3 years old.

You may be skeptical and wonder how kids at that young age would have the patience or even understanding to sit and complete a game. was initially apprehensive despite hearing how her then 18-months-old son started playing board games with her at such an young age. The key, she explained is in choosing age appropriate games that are suited to your kid’s interest.

Since Sophie is only a month shy of 3 years old, I picked out Froggy Boogie. While the recommended age for this game is 4 years and above, I feel that it’s definitely manageable for kids who are 3-year-old as this is a simple memory game.

What drew me to the game was the colorful painted games pieces and those lovable frogs with popping eyes! I also liked it that the pieces were not too small and were made of quality wood.

The objective of the game is for each player, represented by a baby frog, to hop around the pond without being spotted by the adult frogs. So players would have to guess or remember which adult frog popping eyes will freeze them in their race.

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Sophie preparing the game by placing the eyes into the adult frogs

When I explained the rules of the game to Sophie for the first time, she was rather impatient and wanted to get started. But as we played along, I could see that she understood how the game was played and waited patiently for her turn.

I was half expecting her to be a “sore loser” and kick up a fuss if she didn’t get her chance to move when she picked out the popping eye that was marked with a frog. (eye marked with a frog means that the adult frog has caught her moving) But instead she waited for the next round and learnt about taking turns and playing by the rules.

Sophie’s turn!

When we played the game the second time on another day, I made Sophie set the game by herself. I was surprised that she remembered how to place different eyes for each adult frog, that the starting lily pad is bigger than the rest and, in general the rules of the games.

Other learning points that you can incorporate into the game include identifying colors on the dice and matching it with the adult frogs, bilingual learning by asking her to identify the colors and counting in Chinese.

Game time as a family

After our board game session, I realized that what our children enjoys the most is when we are playing with them. They enjoy the face to face, human interaction which they can never get from any iPad game. So for parents who want to encourage your children to build up their social skills or even analytic skills, playing board games is one good avenue.
If you’re keen to get your kids started on board games, here’s a special offer for you. All A Juggling Mom Readers will get to enjoy a 10% discount when you purchase any games from Pamela’s online games store at www.MyFirstGames.sg. Simply quote “SMB-JUGGLING” from now till 31 July 2012 to enjoy this limited offer.

Pamela Tan is a board games enthusiast and is the founder of www.MyFirstGames.sg. She is a mom to 3 kids and blogs about her family’s adventures at Tan Family Chronicles. If you need any help in choosing a suitable game for your child, do drop Pamela an email at myfirstgames@rocketmail.com to ask for recommendations and she’ll be more than happy to recommend something for your kid.

Tagged: board games, games, Indoor, play, toddlers