If there are two things our kids love its games and coloring. Walk into our house and the odds are you’ll have a pretty good chance at seeing crayons strewn on the table and a game on the counter (and probably socks, shoes, and other child paraphernalia because it’s impossible to keep my house clean.)
If your kids are like mine, then you’ll want to know a bit more about Color It from HABA which combines both of those loves into a simple game that is fun for kids ages 4 and up!
How Do You Play Color It?
Color it comes with four coloring sheet designs (20 sheets each) 10 colored pencils, 2 color dice, and 2 numbered dice.
There are two modes of play for Color It.
Mode 1: Paint the World Your Way
In this mode, players take turns rolling the two color dice and one number dice, they will then choose one of the colors rolled and color it in a space on their sheet that matches the number rolled.
The first person to color in their sheet is the winner.
Mode 2: Everything You Paint is Colorful
In this mode game play is simultaneous. All four dice are rolled and then all players choose a number and color from the dice and colors in one of the spaces on their sheet with that number.
In this mode, each flower, or row in the rainbow can only be one color and no two flowers or rainbow rows can be the same color. If using the house or hot-air balloon sheet, no two adjacent spaces can be the same color.
Again, the first person to color in their sheet wins.
What Do We Think?
Color It is a really cute and relaxing coloring game that is perfect for any family with kids who love to color.
In particular, my artistically inclined son can sit here and play for quite some time.
Color It is a perfect game for children starting at age 4. I love that not only do my kids enjoy playing the game with the family, but that it is simple enough that they can play it on their own and without my supervision. Any game that can help them foster independence at a young age gets a star in my book.
For younger colorers, I recommend playing with game mode 1 where there are less restrictions placed on them. This way they can focus on following the rules, learning how to choose which dice they’d like to use, and not worry about what they are able to color in a specific space.
Older children ages 6 and up I recommend giving Mode 2 a try! This is the more interesting game and I like that kids will learn how to make choices about which spaces to color in when they have the chance.
The main thing I recommend families do if they are going to play Color It is that they make sure each kid has their own coloring pencils or crayons. While the game comes with two of each color, it worked better when we gave each kid their own crayons to use so that way they weren’t waiting on someone else to finish with a color they needed to use. This helped speed up the game a bit and eliminated bickering. But if you have fewer players, the provided pencils may be just what you need!
Each coloring pad comes with 20 sheets so eventually you’ll run out of sheets to use. If you think that is going to be an issue for your family, I might recommend scanning the sheets into your computer so you can print them off later, or perhaps laminating them.
However, while we have worked our way through a good portion of the sheets, I don’t mind knowing my kids will eventually use all the materials. If we make it through all the sheets we’ll have played 20ish games which is a lot, so they’ll probably have gotten their fill.
Honestly, I like Color It in the same way I like coloring books. My kids enjoy coloring in them for a while, then, when it’s full, I get to get rid of it rather than it taking up space in the house like a forgotten toy. Win Win for everyone!
(If you have older children who you think might be a touch too old for Color It (think 7 years old) then you’ll want to check out our review of Once Upon a Castle, another roll and write/color game for kids in this next age group.)
Summary
Color It is a great game for any family with young kids who love to color. It offers two great game modes, one perfect for younger kids who are learning to follow rules, another perfect for slightly older kids ready for a bit more of a challenge.
It’s a relaxing and quiet game which is always welcome in my household. I love that kids are encouraged to peacefully sit with each other in an organized activity while enjoying the calming fun of coloring.
Color It gets an approval from us!
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Thank you to our friends at HABA for sending a copy of Color It for review. As always, our thoughts and opinions are our own.
Game Info:
Title: Color It
2-4 Players Ages 4+
Designer: Lena Burkhardt, Günter Burkhardt
Artist: Sandra Kretzmann
Publisher: HABA
