It’s that time of the year again! The leaves are falling, the air is chilling, and parents everywhere are scrambling to put together costumes that somehow work over winter coats.
If you’re like me, the thing you’re most worried about is teaching your kids which candy to grab out of the bucket.
“See this, it’s a Snickers. Grab this first. See this one? It’s a Milky Way, designed to look like a Snickers but taste like trash. Do not grab that one. If you panic, a Twix or Kit-Kat work as a back up.”
Much like the struggle of digging for the good candy, so too is looking past the gimmicks to find a great kids game.
So in the spirit of the season, I thought it would be fun to write a follow up to last years popular Trick or Treat post!
(If you haven’t read that post, check it out HERE!)
What is a Trick?
A trick is a game that has a flashy toy factor or gimmicky mechanic designed to reel kids in. Yet these games lack the game play or production quality to make it one that will stand the test of time. (or your patience)
A treat is a game that might have a similar toy factor or gimmick appeal and has the game play to back it up. Basically the treats are the houses giving out full size candy bars.
Sticky Chameleons *TRICK*
This is kind of a tricky-treat. Your enjoyment of this game will probably relate highly to your personality type.
Sticky Chameleons is pure hilarious chaos. Everyone has a sticky, stretchy chameleon tongue that they are swinging towards a bunch of bugs, hoping to snag the required insect. I call it a Whoโs Line game because the rules are loose and the points donโt matter.
We have played this with a bunch of our friends and it always leads to a lots of laughs. Overall though, itโs a bit too insane for my liking. Here are the reasons why this game Iโve had fun with ultimately lands on the โtrickโ list:
Its too crazy for my kids.
Our kids love this game in a way that frightens me and turns them into wild animals. Tongues are flying everywhere and grabbing onto anything but the bug it needs to snag. Pieces are always hitting the floor. They are laughing like maniacs which is always fun to see, but it just gets out of hand.
Easy for pieces to get damaged:
This one is pretty obvious. Sticky Chameleons isnโt a game you play tenderly. Itโs wild and thatโs the point.
The tongues get really dirty:
This is to be expected as the flung tongues pick up dirt, dust, crumbs, and whatever else it finds on the table or floor. Call me crazy, but Iโm not a fan of cleaning my game after Iโve used it.
All that being said, this would make a great ice breaker for a youth group, college event, or even as a fun family activity during the holidays. Just know the game may not last too long. Luckily itโs sub $15 so itโs not a bad buy to use for this purpose.
Happy Salmon *TREAT*
If youโre looking for a bit more controlled chaos, go with Happy Salmon!
Happy Salmon is a silly, slap happy fish game where you must get rid of your cards by doing special handshakes with your opponents. This is perfect for every age group and is always brought to our family gatherings. Every game takes about a minute to play making it a perfect choice for youth groups or ice breakers. Buy one game to allow for 3-6 players, or, combine it with the Happy Salmon Blue Fish, giving you enough cards to take the game to a wild 12 players!
This is a must buy in our opinion. Itโs the perfect blend of chaotic fun that stays relatively contained.
Loopin’ Chewie/Loopin’ Louie *TRICK*
In theory, Loopinโ Chewie sounds like a fun game. Chewbacca wizzes around in the Millennium Falcon trying to take out all of the storm troopers. Kids play the role of the bad guys (interesting choice) and attempt to protect their troopers by flipping their lever to spin Chewie away towards their opponents.
The problem is that kids frequently hit the lever too hard and either dislodge it from the base, or knock their own or othersโ storm troopers off from the force. You donโt really have to flick the lever hard, either. Any movement more than a soft flick of the finger can do this.
So while I enjoy the dexterity, eye tracking, and timing required to hit Chewbacca accurately, it just requires too soft a touch for most kids and isnโt as fun as you hope itโs going to be.
Let’s Go Fishing *TREAT*
Here is an old school classic game that has stood the test of time for me and earns a thumbs up. Our kids love Letโs Go Fishing and it requires a good amount of focus, eye tracking, and timing to execute. This game is engaging for my toddlers who ask to play nearly every single week. Itโs also a fun activity for free play as well.
Wobble King *TRICK*
I really enjoy the idea of Wobble King. This is a small little game where kids can learn about weight distribution and balance. Without looking, you are trying to remove little silver nuggets from underneath King Leo the lion by using a thin wooden stick. Any pieces of silver you remove you place on top of the game board, needing to balance the structure so that it doesnโt hit the table or that the lion doesnโt wobble over. Whoever tips the board or the lion over ends the round and gains a rotten tomato. The first person to get two rotten tomatoes is the loser and the game is over.
Our kids enjoy playing this one, however there are a few things Iโm not a fan of. The first is that, for a game called Wobble King, the structure doesn’t ever really wobble. It stays pretty stable until it no longer is and hits the table. There’s not enough time to see how it is moving and how you might need to adjust where you place the pieces. It just falls.
Itโs also pretty difficult to get young kids to understand that not only should they not look at the objects they are trying to get (which are very easy to see for kids sitting low at the table,) but that they also shouldnโt try to get as many as they can. You donโt get points for getting silver nuggets, you just donโt want to tip the game over.
I am also not a fan of the โone loser many winnersโ style of play for children. As Iโve mentioned, teaching kids how to lose is a process, this style makes it a bit more difficult and really opens the door for the โhaha, you lostโ response from winners.
The last thing is Wobble King says its for ages 4 and up. By the time youโre really old enough to play this one, youโve matured past it. Wobble King doesnโt have a universal appeal in my opinion.
Animals Upon Animals *TREAT*
The game that does though is Animals Upon Animals.
Iโve probably played this game just as much with all adults as I have with children. I really love the straight forward game play of this Haba classic. Roll the dice and skillfully stack animals on top of the alligator. The winner is the first person to stack all of their animals.
Why I prefer this to Wobble King: 1. Thereโs a clear winner. 2. If the structure falls, you get to keep playing. 3. You can throw it in a zip lock bag and take it with you in your purse to the restaurant, bar, or just about anywhere.
My kids also love it for free play so thereโs that added bonus as well. Theyโll ask to play it by themselves to see how well they can stack all of the animals. Itโs pretty much perfect.
Spinderella *TRICK*
Spinderella is a great set piece that looks impressive with itโs three-dimensional board. The game itself however always leaves me a bit underwhelmed and wishing for more. I think the biggest struggle with this, beyond it being just a basic roll and move game, is that our kids just grow into and out of it too quickly. They’d also just rather play with it than worry about the game.
I just love the look of it though and every so often itโll get brought back out for another go. โMaybe this timeโฆโ
Fireball Island *TREAT*
When it comes to games with table presence, few can top Fireball Island.
This was an instant delight of nostalgic goodness. It explodes with personality and truly brings out the kid in everyone. This was our family Christmas gift last year and it was worth every penny. We all had so much fun playing this with our relatives and itโs still one of the kidsโ most requested games in our collection, both to play and just to play with.
Be honest, you want to drop fireballs down the island too.
If you enjoyed this post, be sure to check out:
10 Things We Look for in Kids Games
Tips for Teaching Kids to Lose without Losing It
And find all of our Game Reviews for Kids Here!
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