We tested a range of new board games and activity books that will help teach kids a thing or two, while they also have some fun
Mundo
What’s the N-E-W-S?
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Go on a trip around the world with Mundo, a simple geo-strategy game that can be played at two levels — Liberate and Surround. Besides improving your sense of direction, the trump card game with a big world map is a great way to explore various cities. As we've found with other Navneet games, the instructions on the booklet seem convoluted but the how-to-play YouTube video compensates on the clarity front. The game combines learning and play, and helps develop thinking skills, cognitive flexibility and life skills.
Ages: 9+
Log on to: Amazon, Flipkart and FirstCry
Cost: Rs 700
Keep guessing!
A bestseller in the US, and a current favourite with the family, Guess in 10 (Animal Planet), has players ask up to 10 yes-or-no questions to guess the animal on the card. It’s a bit like 20 Questions but without the actions. For instance, ‘Is it a carnivore? Does it live on land or in water?’ To win, you must ask intelligent questions, use your clue cards wisely, and have seven correct answers. You can play as an individual or a team. Very engaging for young learners, it develops social, communication, decision making, problem solving and creative thinking skills.
Ages 6+
Log on to: Amazon, Flipkart and FirstCry
Cost: Rs 350
Spray glitter on the Universe
Inspired by her love for the night sky and the questions she received from kids as an early childhood educator and grandma to a tiny tot, Erica Cunha came up with The Secrets Of Space, an activity book themed on space. “I first made a list of different space bodies and then composed child-friendly illustrations and easy-to-understand descriptions for each. Each of the 100 pages has a write up and a cut-paste fun sheet based on different space elements. The glitter pack of sequins is a popular add-on,” she says. Self-published and promoted via word-of-mouth, the books are topical, educational and give kids the perfect break from online school. They also make for great travel books and gifts.
Ages 5+
Log on to: @erika__cunha on Instagram
Cost: Rs 1,200
Removing barriers
Funded by the NGO Trinayani, each of the six card games and the workbook in the Towards Inclusion kit is designed to develop disability awareness and empathy towards the everyday barriers encountered by people with disabilities, and to find possible solutions. The Barriers Begone is a current favourite at home. Founder Ritika Sahni, says, “I’ve always strived to use non-clichéd ways to bring the topic of disability awareness into the public domain. Creating the content was easy; however, the execution required pilot sessions with varied groups in different cities. Changes were made for every valid suggestion.” Just like any other board or card game, winning is the motive, and that does the trick. The kit will never go out of fashion, because awareness is an ongoing process. The makers plan to digitise these games and also create regional language versions of the kit.
Ages 12+
Log on to: trinayani.org
Cost: Rs 1,500 (includes a workshop on inclusivity awareness)
Explore Hampi
Based on the historic city, Hampi and the Sun Jewel is for the creative, analytical and intuitive. Players must develop the landscape of Hampi tile by tile, with 96 uniquely illustrated hexagonal land tiles that depict farms, roads, temples, ponds, markets and tiny villages. They must also seek the lost Sun Jewel. The makers spent over a year on study, design, testing, and development. All the artwork and mechanics were hand-drawn, manually tested, and later digitised. With its simple yet rich game mechanics, this game will appeal to both beginners and veterans alike.
Ages 14+
Log on to: tacitgames.in
Cost: Rs 2,499
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