There’s a little company in Ontario called Family Pastimes. They make board games for kids that are a far cry from your Wii and your cut throat Candyland and Chutes and Ladders.
On the store shelves, Family Pastimes games are easy to spot. The graphics are pleasingly crude. Down home, is how I like to think of them. Sweet, not slick.
These games are all about cooperation. Players help each other meet a common goal rather than competing to win.
Max, who is the namesake of the first cooperative game we’ve ever owned, is a tomcat who chases mice, birds and chipmunks. Each player takes turns rolling dice trying to get the little creatures from a tree stump to the safety of their nests. Children consult to make logical decisions on when to move each animal and when to call Max back to the porch for a treat (freeing Max’s prey for the time being).
In Harvest Time, each player looks after a garden and tries to harvest as many vegetables as they can before winter comes. Only by helping each other, will all the neighbors be able to reap what they’ve sown.
Both games are gentle–good options for kids who’ve had a long day. Max, however, has a slight edge. It is a mild nail-biter that requires children to work together. Harvest Time, while also delightful, is not as innately cooperative as Max. Nor quite as exciting. (Substitute sweet tarts for the tomatoes, carrots, corn and peas, however, and you’ve got a game for which everyone will clamor!)
These games found their way into our home as gifts. And they are just as popular with my 6- and 4-year old, if not moreso, than anything we could find at the toy mega-chain.
Refreshing, friendly and heartwarming, I recommend these games for anyone looking to bring a little teamwork into their kids’ play.
Manufacturers ages: Max—4 to 7 years, Harvest Time–3 to 7 years
(I think these ages are about right)
Family Pastimes makes several other cooperative games we haven’t yet reviewed. http://www.familypastimes.com/
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