Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Smiley's First Board Game

What published games do I play with Smiley?  (My wife and I are now enjoying Arkham Horror.)

The only board game Smiley understands is Uncle Wiggly.  The game is a less well known simpler version of Chutes and Ladders, with only one ladder and all of the chutes only going back three spaces.  It uses number cards instead of a spinner.

When he was two years old it was two games.  We used the board and rabbit-characters that moved on its path as one activity for telling stories.  We used the number cards as another number-identification activity.

Now when Smiley plays he usually has his rabbit ignore the counting cards while my rabbit protagonist my play by the rules.  His rabbit hops about as he wishes, taunting my rabbit whenever it encounters trouble and must move back three spaces.

Sometimes Smiley uses is the only rabbit, and asks me to help him use the cards.  

Smiley does not know the books the game is based on, but he likes the plot of a rabbit going for a walk on a path and meeting "good guys" and "bad guys".  I have placed a hold request at the local library for the Uncle Wiggly Storybook so soon we can meet these characters.

In any case, since Smiley is finally interested in playing a game by the published rules I have added Candyland and Chutes and Ladders to his Amazon Wishlist.  Unfortunately, neither my wife nor I saved our childhood copies of those games.  Our relatives can get them for Smiley for the December holidays.

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