A little while ago a friend asked for suggestions of ways to
occupy her preschooler while she schooled her older children. I ended up with
an incredible list of suggestions, because let's face it I have been doing
"homeschool preschool" for awhile. So, one of the things I want to
include in my blog is what worked, what we loved, and what I skipped with the
next preschooler (No more dry bean sensory bins, I am still finding beans under
the furniture).
Today , I am reviewing one of my first logic/learning game
finds: "Bunny Peek A Boo". The game is published by Smart Games and
the suggested age range is 2yrs and up. And this game truly can be played by a
two year old.
So, what's inside this award winning game? The game comes
with four colorful, sturdy solid wood pieces in the shapes of a bunny, an open sided cube, arch, and a square
with a
round hole in it. The pieces are very sturdy, despite some very rambunctious
play the boys have failed to dent the wood or chip the paint. It also includes
30 double-sided cards, thus 60 challenges, which are color coded for difficult
level. There is also a solution sheet if
you get stumped (I will admit to getting stumped once..then the five year old
came over and solved it.) The game also has a wonderful insert that holds all
the pieces, and helped the boys with clean up and taking care of the game.
How do you play Bunny Peek A Boo? The game is very simple.
You give the child the blocks and a challenge card. The child has to
look at
the picture and recreate the image using the blocks. The challenges start off
very easy but as you can see eventually train the child to think outside the
box and uses the blocks in different ways. Once you recreate the image you, can
move on to the next challenge or level.
Why do I love Bunny Peek-a-Boo? Well, first because my boys
loved it, and it was easy enough to start with that it captured them. My middle
son, E, is a very busy little fella, and getting him to sit still and focus,
well it is not his super power. And yet the ability to focus and problem solve
are vital for learning. (I have found
sitting still is kind of optional if one can focus to the task at hand). Over
the course of playing the game, E developed the ability to analyze the image,
break it part into components, come up with a solution, and then recreate the
image. He was driven to figure the challenge out, and would
easily pass 30
minutes playing. The long-term result: He now notices subtle differences in an image, which
has translated over to letter recognition. He has also developed problem solving skills that has greatly increased his understanding
of numbers and basic math. And most importantly, he developed the ability to focus on a task, problem solve and see it
through.(Yes!!!) All while I taught his older brother phonics! (Mommy win!)
And the dismount: Bunny Peek A Boo is an awesome introduction to logic/learning
games. I would say the age range is
2-5yrs. Five years old is the max, in my opinion, and you might find you are not getting your
money's worth if you buy it for a 5 year old. There are just some better
options out there for an older preschooler/kindergartner. It can seem a little
pricey, but I have seen it on sale and honestly because it is sturdy, it resells
very well. All this to say, for younger kids, I have never seen another
toddler/ young preschool game like this. Totally age appropriate, incredibly sturdy,
and Bunny Peek A Boo develops vital problem-solving skills while your little
one is having fun...because admit it...Bunny is really cute!
And if you are wondering what I love for a 5 year old logic
game..stay tuned :)
You can find Bunny Peek A Boo here:
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