Off to Bed is a matching and memory game for toddlers.
In Off to Bed, players as young as two will help the rabbit, bear, and cat settle down for bed by helping them find their beds, pillows, and covers from tiles.
How Do You Play Off to Bed?
Off to Bed comes with three ways to play.
Off to Bed Game One: Making a Bed
The first is a collaborative game where players are trying to help all the animals get to bed. They’ll flip a tile over from the center. If it shows a bed, pillow, blanket, or stuffed animal they’ll place it next to the animal of the same color. Among the tiles are also bedtime routine tokens featuring. Potty, cup, book, and toothbrush. When one of these is revealed, it is added to the routine chart. Players are trying to make each animals bed before all routine tiles are revealed.
Off to Bed Game Two: Bedtime Matching
The second is a familiar memory style game where you’ll find the items your animal needs by flipping over one tile from the center. If it is a bed, blanket, pillow, or animal in your color then you take it and place it in front of you. If it is in another players color, you put it back for them to find on their turn. Among the tiles are also bedtime routine tokens featuring a potty, cup, book, and toothbrush. When a player flips one of these tiles over, they add it to the routine chart. Players are trying to get their animals to bed before the routine chart is filled.
Off to Bed Game Three: Sleepy Bingo
This third game combines the first and second. Players select an animal figure to place in front of them. Then tiles are revealed one at a time and placed next to the animal whose color they match. The player who gathers all four tiles for their animal first is the winner.
What Do We Think?
Off to Bed is a great game for the youngest of children. For toddlers, Off to Bed has the right combination of theme and mild structured rules to help them begin learning how to sit still for activities like game playing.
I applaud the use of simple matching and memory within the game. No need to find two matching tiles, locating one will do for this age. There also only three characters (which initially felt strange as the standard is four) so it is not overwhelming for young toddlers in that 2 year old group that are still learning colors. Limiting options means they will make fewer mistakes and can build confidence.
The first two games are my favorite ways to play this one, as well as just letting the kids free play with it, which is always a popular choice.
These simple, every day themes are exactly what I want to see more of in toddler games. While fantasy themes have their place, the 2-4 year old child really resonates with a theme that they can relate to their daily lives. This was the shining element of Off to Bed. My two and four year old children kept saying “we go potty before bed” or “where’s his pillow!? He needs a pillow for bed!” With a process so familiar to them, they love the chance to be the expert. They know what is needed before bed because each night they also have a routine and tuck in bed with their pillow, blanket, and stuffy.
For parents looking for a jumping off point as they begin to build their Child’s gaming library, I strongly suggest sticking with themes that are grounded in reality that kids visualize. I hope HABA and other companies continue to make more within this framework.
Summary
When looking for a first game for your toddler, Off to Bed is a great choice.
It is quick, simple on rules, and themed around a part of children’s every day lives so as to be instantly relatable. This is also a great option for parents who might be struggling with a bedtime routine in the evening. Playing this together during the day and talking about bedtime can help prime kids for settling down at night when their time to tuck in comes.
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A special thank you to our good friends at HABA for sending a copy of Off to Bed for review.
As always, our thoughts and opinions are our own.
Game Info:
Title: Off to Bed
1-3 Players Ages 2+
Designer: Kristin Dittmann
Artist: Sabine Kraushaar
Publisher: HABA
