Thomas' Great Race Game

Briarpatch
MSRP $24.99

Let Thomas the Train help your children improve their number and color recognition while playing this great new board game from Briarpatch. Intended for ages three and up, this game focuses on sorting, counting and color matching skills while the players race their trains to the station. Hey, it's fun and educational! That's real sneaky like.

A simple explanation on the game basics: Up to four players choose an engine (Thomas, James, Percy or Molly), which fit into slots on the track. Players take turns drawing cards and answering the simple questions. The questions are age appropriate such as "How many people in this picture?" or "How many red engines?" When a player answers a question correctly, they consult the back of the card which depicts which coal blocks they earn. They must select and count the appropriate blocks to insert the designated "coal block" into a slot on the back of their engine, which moves it up the track. And the race is on!

Get your kids counting, sorting and racing across the track with Thomas! It can be difficult to find games for this age range that don't have parents rolling their eyes and watching the clock. Be a devious parent and sneak in some learning on your unsuspecting children. Currently, Briarpatch offers more than a dozen different Thomas & Friends themed board and card games that have won multiple national awards.

For more information about all Briarpatch board, puzzle, card and travel games, visit www.briarpatch.com.

I Spy Private Eye

Briarpatch
$24.99

Increase your child's ability to memorize and recall information by playing I Spy! This is a great board game that isn't one bit boring. The rules are pretty simple and easy to explain, which meant our test group of kids caught on immediately. They were also immediately interested in memorizing the images so they could rack up points.

Place the eight dice (with such images as pumpkin, airplane, and star shown on each side) into the plastic tumbler and shake them up. Press the blue button on top to set the timer and unveil the dice. Players have 30 seconds to memorize all the images shown on the cubes. When the timer beeps, the dice are covered and each player must identify the images on his/her card that had been shown.

There are two sets of cards - beginner level with four images per card, and advanced level with fifteen. Children younger than five could easily enjoy this game at the lower level. As you may have guessed, players were excited to shake up the dice and set the timer. Those little "hands-on" activities provided a nice break from the memory challenge and got the the kids excited to play another round.

Memory is a skill that can be learned just like any other. The more opportunities your child gets to exercise the memory muscle, the easier it will be to handle the load of information in school. This game is a fun and easy way to build those memory skills.