Thanks for the great game suggestions. My GD loves Pete the Car (and cupcakes). I ordered the game to take with us to the beach next week.
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I’ve put about 5 games recommended here in my Amazon cart!
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Excellent game tips! Thank you all who recommended games suitable for younger kids.
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Love the games.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07F2PVXTN/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0972QWZ11/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00GISG2VY/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0014BDYDE/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01BLL9TA8/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Any suggestions on how to handle a 16 month old who likes to pinch.
Maybe give him/her a squishy toy that they are allowed to pinch and redirect them to that?
Question- of all the great board games mentioned above, which one or two would be best for the 2.5 yr old and 5.5 yr old ?
2.5 year old GD doesn’t play games at this point. She likes pretend play - on Thursday, GD was a cat, and she had H & I play along with her. For more than an hour, we took turns being the cat. GD instructed us on being happy and sad cats, when we should get pets, etc. Later on, she requested “It’s Raining Tacos” on repeat, and she told H to play his guitar & me to play her keyboard. She pulled the guitar stand up to her like a mic stand & played her little plastic guitar as she sang at the top of her lungs. We put water in the water table & used our foam water blasters to shoot water at each other. We chased each other around the yard, played in the sandbox, colored on the driveway with chalk. She likes to paint and color, as well as “write” in her journal. Basically, she wears us out!
At 5, I would say games like Candyland and Chutes & Ladders will keep her entertained. She probably will want to draw/paint/color and be read too. IIRC, she is quite physical … trips to a playground will probably be a good way to pass the time.
I watched GD for the weekend last week. One morning, she had me chase her around the basement for more than an hour. And she’s fast! Good luck … you will probably be tired when you finish your stint watching your grandkids, but it will be the very best kind of tired.
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The simplier the better for the 2.5 year old. “Don’t break the Ice”, Candyland, even Trouble. The 2.5 year old may not ‘get’ the strategy or how to win, but will probably like popping the dice on Trouble and can learn counting. In Don’t Break the Ice you get to hammer out the ice cubes. The 2.5 year old may turn it into DO break the ice.
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They’ve got candy land. I liked those games listed above that I was unfamiliar with. Last month I bought a travel version of battleship. She loves it and we played it for a very long time. My s (her dad) even took over my spot later and then I finally finished it out with her. Was pleasantly surprised that was a hit! But it was flimsy and fell apart
I don’t remember seeing it mentioned upthread, but another early game our family liked was Snails Pace Race. It states age 3, but really an attentive 2 year old can participate.
https://www.amazon.com/Ravensburger-Snails-Pace-Race-Childrens/dp/B004KZ8P2Q/ref=asc_df_B004KZ8P2Q/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=241904421330&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=4703060685835236038&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9008162&hvtargid=pla-470039817084&psc=1
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I found Rat-a-Tat Cat a little advanced for my almost five year old GD. I can’t wait to play it with her though. The best game that she could play early on (almost 3) was Zingo. We didn’t play the sight word one. We just played the picture one. It saved us a couple of years ago on a rainy beach vacation. The whole family enjoyed it. The other game that she could play at that age was Old Maid. Memory games are good for the almost three year olds too.
The other two standout games for a child almost three are the Lady Bug Memory game from Fat Brain Toys and the Penguin game both above. She loves that picture charades game too.
I got the 5 yr old a memory game at passover that has…. 72 pieces!!! She loves it but it lasts forever!!! We divided it into 2 sets of 36 before they went home but three guesses how many pieces she pulled out to play the other day…
Yes we also have the Snails Pace Race from DDs. What is good about that game is the first one across and the last place are both winners. So we typically will play two games, or the two games might be played repeated. Candy Land. Hi Ho Cherry-O. We can include Snails Pace Race with GS2 at next visit.
Next visit I will see about the older three (ages 2, 4, and 5 by then) with the First Orchard game which got delivered to their new home.
I also had purchased two magnet/travel games - but we play them at hotel or home. One was Bingo (with the spinning wheel) which I played with the older two. I don’t remember what the other game was, but it also had a spinning wheel - I thought that game was IMHO too advanced for 4 YO to follow along. I believe I purchased them at Walgreen’s. When I am in stores with toy aisles, I tend to browse a bit.
The older two’s new school (GS1,4K and GD1,K) has the library open throughout the school day, and it sounds like they have a way for students to get home books and circulate back throughout the week. Will see more with my fall visit about the school and the family routine - if the K class even does much with the school library.
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Yes, playing DO Break the Ice was my youngest grandchild’s preferred mode of playing when he was 3. As soon as he actually learned to play the right way, he and his siblings lost all interest.
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One game that hasn’t been mentioned yet is Rummicube.It was one of my mom’s favorite games–it’s basically gin rummy with tiles instead of cards. My child liked playing it so it was a game we’d play when we visited Grandma. So, nostalgia was part of the reason I bought it for my grandchildren.
Kids understood the concept of a “run” of at least 3 in a row, at least 3 of a kind in different colors, and adding onto another player’s tiles quickly. Their parents held off on the “you need 30 points to open” rule for the first several months they played it, but now they play it the “right” way.
Another game you may disapprove of–bought by adult friends of my grandchildren’s parents who don’t have kids–is Poop Bingo. It’s basically bingo played with pictures of animal scat instead of numbers. There’s a stage in life when little kids are fascinated by poop. The weird thing is that the kids definitely learned to recognize animal poop! Take them hiking in the woods and they confidentally identify animal scat by species.
LOL, my grandchild’s parent (my child) bought this game for him! 
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My daughter was telling me she gave “Monkey Around” as a birthday gift for a two year old the other day. It’s a big hit with that age group.
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This playmat was a GIANT hit with our little Miss String Bean who is going to be 3 months old soon! The music and the flashing keyboard mesmerized her and kept her happy!
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0793G9MMP/
Highly recommend for anyone looking for a baby gift. 
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