Tag Archives: games

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Toys to Appease Tweens

Have a child between the ages of 9 and 12? Congratulations! You have a “tween.”

Children this age have excellent gross motor skills and enjoy team sports. They also have excellent fine motor skills and are able to build, sew and write faster than ever. Their social and intellectual skills are really blossoming and they can pretty much do just about anything they put their mind to.

If you’re looking for a toy for a child in this age range, they love fast-paced games, musical instruments and toys that require problem solving, as well as toys that fall in line with their hobbies and interests.

Indianapolis Toy StoreEarth Explorer Toys has plenty of games, including Bananagrams ($15.99), which is a popular game right now. Kids will love this go-anywhere game, as it requires no pencil, no paper and no bulky board. Like Boggle, you make words. Like Scrabble, you create crosswords. Better yet, you all play at once. Draw letter tiles and start building, peeling (drawing) and dumping (discarding) until someone yells “Bananas!” It includes 144 letter tiles zipped into a banana bag. For 2-8 players.

Have a tween who likes gadgets? Inventions ($19.99) is a cool kit that will take him or her on a journey using everyday materials to build a spinning motor, a working radio, a clicking telegraph and generator. Directions are clear and highly visual and allow kids to learn the why as well as the how.

Indianapolis Toy StoreThe Carry Along Keyboard ($34.99) will satisfy your tween’s musical interest whether you’re at home or traveling. It has 24 keys and makes the sound of  eight and four percussion instruments. It also has pre-recorded melodies and record/playback functions. It all comes in a stylish, red, easy-to-carry case.

For toys that fall in line with a tween’s interest, how about giving a budding fashionista the Top of Form House of Fashion Design Studio ($44.99)? The House of Fashion Design Studio includes a light tablet, which forms the basis for all the work. It has a traceable silhouette, 45 clothing and accessory clings, colored pencils, graphite pencils, fabric finder, markers, sketchbook and an instruction book.

Now, if tweens only came with an instruction book. ;-)

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Family Game Night

Earth Explorer Toys in Zionsville, INHow many different directions is your family going each week? We feel your pain and have a suggestion for reeling everyone in for some family face time (and not of the iPhone variety).

We’re talking about scheduling a regular family game night. You can prepare yourself for a few “Awww, Mom!” reactions, especially from your tween or teen. But once you get going, they’ll love it. And family game night will be something they look forward to, eventually cherish and hopefully repeat with their own families some day.

Here are a few tips from Kaboose.com for pulling off a great family game night:

  1. Clear the books. Make this an important date. This sends a good message about family priorities and it gives everyone something to anticipate.
  2. Keep it to the family. You may want to make other game evenings when you invite guests, but for this night, make sure it’s all about your immediate family. This fosters communication, comfort and helps everyone build a strong sense of family identity.
  3. No interruptions. Let the machine get phone calls, turn off your cell and PDA, and make sure all homework is done beforehand.
  4. Choose the right game. Make sure that everyone can enjoy playing the game and let different family members choose the game. In fact, you might share the duties of being “in charge” of the night so that everyone gets a turn to create the event. (Of course Mom and Dad can assist the youngest players.)
  5. Vary the games you play. It doesn’t really matter what you play, as long as everyone can feel like a participant. But balance games of skill with games of luck so that everyone gets a chance to do something they’re good at — and improve the odds of having a winning night.
  6. Use this as a teaching time. Family game night is a great time to reinforce things like manners, being a good sport, taking turns and other social skills that children will need as they grow up and go out in the world. This can all be done with good humor in the context of game play and the family, and it gives kids a chance to practice these positive behaviors.

What games should you play?

Earth Explorer Toys loves Say Anything Family Edition ($19.99), a fun question-answer game the whole family can play. Everyone gets to answer questions like, “What should never be brought home as a pet,” and everyone takes turns being the “judge.” The one with the best (or most hilarious) answer wins.

The Amazing Labyrinth ($29.99) is another fun game. It contains a maze game board and 12 maze cards with encrypted messages. The first one to collect all their treasures and return to the starting point wins!

Earth Explorer Toys has so many games to choose from and you can click here to browse a few of our selections. Plus, we also have a game borrowing program, so if you’re sick of all the ones you have at home, come out browse our library of games and check one out.

What’s your favorite family game?