The Christmassy magic has begun in the mellow household and the girls are just beginning to feel that first spark of festive fun with this Christmas Surprises game from Orchard Toys.
We love a good family game, especially a game where even Holly, the littlest member of our family feels that she can play as an equal. Christmas Surprises is just as fun if you are 3, or 33 (or indeed a little more than that...) although it is recommended for children aged 3-6 years old.
Christmas Surprises comes with two different boards to play - Father Christmas or a Christmas Tree - this makes it feel like two different games. Bonus. If you play the Christmas Tree board then the aim of the game is to fill your board with coloured baubles by throwing the dice and revealing a different colour of bauble. On the Father Christmas board you throw the dice to select a shape of present to place into Santa's sack on your board. Lara and Holly very much enjoy this version of the game as, when it gets to the end, they like turning over their parcels to see what gifts are in them - from teddy bears to cookery equipment!
If you, like me, are a big Orchard Toys fan then you will recognise this game as a festive version of Dotty Dinosaurs (another family favourite). All four of us can play together so we can can all join in the seasonal fun - I'm quite looking forward to having this as an option to play together on our very first ever Christmas Day with just the four of us (no other family this year for a change).
For Holly, Christmas Surprises is a good exercise in practicing her colours and her shapes. Lara is currently learning 2D and 3D shapes at school so it is also good practice for her when naming the Christmas present shapes in Santa's sack.
If your are looking for an educational, fun way of getting the whole family into the Christmas mood then I highly recommend Christmas Surprises. The game costs around £9.50.
