I currently watch a little seven year old girl around the corner a few days a week after school. It’s a nice way to earn a little money and get out of the house, and it’s nice to work with a child that isn’t the same age as my own. As an only child like me, I can relate a lot to this little girl — she is growing up in the same town I did, as well as being raised culturally similarly to my own upbringing. She likes having someone to play games with, and many of her games are geared toward thinking and puzzles, which are the same type of toys I had growing up (Chinese Checkers anyone?). I started to take note of some of her games for when Drake gets a little older, and thought I would share the list for those with older children.


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Colorku– Like the popular Sudoku for adults, Colorku applies the same principles but instead of numbers you fill in each space with a colored ball. I think for kids the appeal is more fun since the board becomes an array of different colors vs just numbers on a paper. It’s a nice sturdy wooden board and there are 104 different puzzles ranging in difficulty.  We play one puzzle a day usually when I’m there and it’s nice to work together to reason out the puzzle.  I actually really enjoy this one and almost want it for myself.

Blokus– Blokus is a strategy game that has brightly colored tiles to attract young kids.  The goal of the game is to place all your pieces on the board, but the trick is they have to touch one corner of a similar colored piece but cannot lie against them. It requires some strategy knowing where to place your pieces so you don’t trap yourself in your own area, as well as spatial thinking as the board gets filled up and spaces become tougher to come by. I admit this game challenges me as an adult and I don’t always win.

Othello– This is a personal favorite of my own from my childhood.  I remember playing Othello at school on rainy days during recess.  The idea is to cover the board with your colored pieces, either white or black, by flanking the other person’s pieces and flipping them around to your color over and over until there are no more spaces and pieces to place.  The corners are the key to this game and it’s fun racing to the sides to try to be the one to make the entire row your solid color.

Trivial Pursuit– Trivial Pursuit is a childhood staple of Mr. Chocolate’s family. Even now as adults he and his siblings and parents will sometimes gather around the table to play. The extensive knowledge needed for the game (with topics ranging to geography to the latest pop idol) helps to create well roundedness as well as helps encourage team play when one member is well versed in a specific category. I am looking forward to family games when Drake and Juliet are older.

Chess– The ultimate strategy game; this is one that challenges me (a non-chess player) even when playing a seven year old. Since the little girl I watch has been taking chess lessons she has wanted to play this more often, and I admit I sometimes need her coaching now that she is more skilled than I am. Mr. Chocolate is a versed chess player and I do hope when Drake and Juliet get older they will also have this eager willingness to learn to play that I did not when I was younger and my father tried to teach me.

 Minecraft– Mr. Chocolate and I actually both play this game together.  There are so many different ways to play Minecraft, but the basics of the game I think are wonderful for children.  You can truly build anything you want, kind of like Legos for the computer, and you really are limited by your own imagination. It teaches planning, preparation, as well as patience as you work toward your creation. I was surprised there is a lot of math that can be involved in the game, as Mr. Chocolate has shown through the years when he has replicated buildings down to scale, used coordinates to map and find things, as well as worked out the amount of blocks needed before his builds. I do hope in time Drake and Juliet will join us in playing and maybe we can create something amazing together as a family.

What are some of your favorite childhood strategy games?