Thank you to Art & Education for providing me with product, free of charge, in exchange for this honest blog review. All opinions are 100% my own.
In preparation for our upcoming vacation travels, I began a hunt for travel friendly games to keep everyone entertained during shuttles, airport wait, and for utilizing during down-time. During my search, I found the awesome United Art & Education site. Not only do they offer a variety of games, some great for travel, but they also have books, toys, furniture, decoratives, flashcards, resources, office supplies, and much more! Today, I’ll focus on three great games that are fun for home or on the go.
Bananagrams Game
While I had heard of Bananagrams, this was my first experience playing. What originally drew me to the game was the fact that it comes in a very small and portable cloth bag that closes with a zipper. Plus, it’s shaped like a banana! So for anyone else who is new to this fun game, it’s like a portable “Scrabble”. Each player starts out with the designated amount of tiles (21 in our 2 and 3 player games). Players continued building on their own tiles until they were stuck and exchanged one tile in return for three or utilized all of them, in which case they yelled “Peel” and everyone had to add one tile to their playing tiles. While geared for ages 7 and up, our 5 year old had a blast playing with my help as he is learning how to read and loved when he would make a word too. Overall, it’s a fast moving game in a race to use all your tiles.
Take ‘N Play Chess
Our son, who turned 5 in September, has been obsessed with Chess for months. My husband and 8 year old son taught him how to play this past Fall and it’s definitely his favorite game at the moment. This handy version comes in a square tin and includes foam playing pieces that have magnetic backs. I LOVE that they include instructions on the opposite cover as I am just learning how to play and can’t remember what piece moves where. This is truly a great game for travel as the tin is quite thin and will take up very little space in our bags.
Yikerz!
Yikerz! is another great travel or home game as it’s pouch is similar in size to Bananagrams. However, Yikerz has fewer pieces and is geared for only 2 players. Each player receives 10 magnets and the goal is to get all of your magnets placed onto the four game mats without causing a magnetic reaction. At any time, if any magnets connect, that player must add them to their pile. If the magnets push and any fall off the mats during a turn, that player also needs to collect those. It’s a very quick paced game that can be played in just minutes. It’s great for all ages (our 3 year old loves it!) and is really fun. The four game mats can be placed in different arrangements to keep the game fresh. NOTE: Yikerz! is discontinued and supplies are limited so if you are considering this game, get yours before they are gone!
Buy It: Head over to United Art & Education to see for yourself the great selection of products they offer.
Connect: Don’t forget to like United Art & Education on Facebook, follow them on Twitter and Pinterest, and subscribe to their You Tube Channel for all the latest news and promotions.
Win It: United Art & Education is generously offering TWO of our lucky readers a prize! One winner will receive Bananagrams and the other will receive Take ‘N Play Chess. This giveaway is open to the Continental US only and will end March 6th, 2016. For your chance to win, enter the Giveaway Tools below. Good luck! Entry Form
I’m a city girl turned country by my awesome husband and we have three busy boys and two darling daughters. I love spending time with my family, reading Karen Kingsbury novels, and catching up with friends while our kiddos have play dates. I’m blessed beyond measure and can’t wait to see what God has in store.
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Both of these are small enough to include in an Easter basket and would make great gifts. I almost bought the Banangrams as Staples last Christmas! Great for old and young to keep sharp.
I LOVE the magnetic chess set! This would have been so perfect when my brother and I were younger, and we took family trips. We had nothing to do in the back of the car except fight and annoy my parents. This would have kept us busy for hours, and made for a waaay more pleasant trip. Plus…chess is great for for kids, the way it teaches them how to look ahead and plan. I’d get this in a hearbeat if I had any kids (or plans for trips!)
Sandy Cain
Maryann D.
Both of these are small enough to include in an Easter basket and would make great gifts. I almost bought the Banangrams as Staples last Christmas! Great for old and young to keep sharp.