These games are for children 3 years old, 4 years old, and up. I previously reviewed board games like Candyland and card and dice games like Uno for this age group. The games in this hub are more centered on dexterity and coordination and a different kind of strategy compared to board games. Games featured:

Cootie

Lucky Ducks

Bean Bag Toss

Honey Bee Tree

Hungry Hungry Hippos

What’s in Ned’s Head

Poppa’s Pizza Pile-Up

Squiggly Worms

Mr. Potato Head

Fishin Fun

NUMBER OF PLAYERS:  For 2 to 4 players.  Would also work well for individual play. 

AGE:  3 to 6

BRIEF OVERVIEW:  Classic game, almost 50 years old.  Build yourself a bug.  Players select Cootie parts according to a roll of the dice.  First player to complete their Cootie wins.  Cooties will vary each player or game.  Small parts require supervision of young children, who may also need help in placing the smallest features on their Cootie. 

AMAZON CUSTOMER RATING:  3 ½ of 5 stars from 41 reviews.  Comments include:  Updated Cootie parts are not as interesting as previous versions.  Small facial parts are too difficult for 3 year olds.  Many favorable comments. 

SKILLS:  Understanding of relationship between the number on the dice and which Cootie part it corresponds to.  Fine motor manipulation and coordination to handle dice and to attach Cootie parts. 

VERSIONS:  Updated current version has some parts such as the eyes paired not separate.  Miniature versions and key chains available. 

MODIFICATIONS:  Let youngest children or children with fine motor difficulty play with and assemble Cooties without dice or competition. 

NUMBER OF PLAYERS:  For 2 to 4 players.  Would also work well for individual play. 

AGE:  3 to 6 years old

BRIEF OVERVIEW:  Ducks rotate in their “pond”.  Players take turns selecting ducks from the pond.  They must determine if the shape and color on the bottom of the duck matches their duck pad. 

AMAZON CUSTOMER RATING:  3 ½ of 5 stars.  Complaints are primarily that the game does not repackage well back into the box.  Also that the game is loud and annoying, though the newest version is quieter.  One parent found that with the older version, one battery controlled the movement and the other controlled the quacking. 

SKILLS:  Color and shape recognition and matching.  Picking up and replacing ducks from a moving track. 

VERSIONS:  Latest version is quieter. 

MODIFICATIONS:  Children could practice color and shape matching without using the motorized track. 

NUMBER OF PLAYERS:  For 1 or more players. 

AGE:  3 and up

BRIEF OVERVIEW:  Players toss bean bags at the board which has circle cutouts.  Points scored may vary according to which hole a bean bag passes through. 

AMAZON CUSTOMER RATING:  limited data. 

SKILLS:  Aiming bean bags toward target holes and throwing bags. 

VERSIONS:  Pirate Ship, Jungle Animals, Tropical Fish, Baseball, others. 

MODIFICATIONS:  Young children can stand as close as necessary to target. 

NUMBER OF PLAYERS:  2 to 4 players. 

AGE:  4 and up

BRIEF OVERVIEW:  Base has 4 compartments for up to 4 players, and 30 honey bees and 32 leaves.  Players take turns pulling leaves out of the honey tree, trying not to disturb the bees.  Winner is the one with the least amount of bees in their tray at the end of the game.  Youngest children should be supervised due to small pieces. 

AMAZON CUSTOMER RATING:  3 ½ of 5 stars by 24 raters.  Chief complaints:  Set up takes longer than play and must be done by an adult.  Bees fall too quickly and easily.  Note however that 16 of 24 raters rated the game 4 (6 raters) or 5 (8 raters). 

SKILLS:  Delicate controlled movement to pull leaves from the tree. 

VERSIONS:  The Tumble game and Tumbling Monkeys are very similar games. 

MODIFICATIONS:  One child could engage in solitary play practicing their skill at removing leaves with the least displacement of the bees. 

NUMBER OF PLAYERS:  For 2 to 4 players. 

AGE:  4 and up. 

BRIEF OVERVIEW:  Players press their hippo’s tail lever to try to gobble marbles.  Marbles can be released 1 at a time, or all 20.  Play is fast and furious.  Player with the most gobbled marbles wins.  Supervision needed for youngest children due to small parts. 

AMAZON CUSTOMER RATING:  3 out of 5 stars from 158 raters.  Ratings are divided fairly evenly between ratings 34 ratings of 5, 33 ratings of 4, 27 ratings of 3, 29 ratings of 2 and 35 ratings of 1.  Primary complaint is of cheap construction of the game compared with the Hungry Hungry Hippos game of parents’ childhoods. 

SKILLS:  Hand grip and coordination to work the hippo.  Counting skills. 

VERSIONS:  Hungry Hungry Hippos Travel Game, Fun on the Run, and Keychain. 

NUMBER OF PLAYERS: For 2 to 4 players. Could also engage a child in individual play.

AGES: 4 to 7

BRIEF OVERVIEW: This game was specifically recommended to me by our own Lily Rose. Players draw cards and must reach into 1 of 4 openings in Ned’s head to find their designated item. Items include rat, spider, moldy cheese, lost lunch and apple.

AMAZON CUSTOMER RATING: 4 of 5 stars from 38 reviewers. Chief complaint is flimsiness and lack of form to Ned’s head and hollowness making it too easy to find objects. Cheap quality to some of the items to find such as large Q-tip.

SKILLS: Ability to recognize objects by touch (stereognosis).

MODIFICATIONS: Per Amazon reviewers, it would help to add stuffing to Ned’s head to give it form and make it more difficult to find objects.

NUMBER OF PLAYERS:  2 to 4 players

AGE:  4 and up

BRIEF OVERVIEW:  Players take turns rolling the dice and placing toppings on the pizza, trying not to allow any toppings to fall off. 

AMAZON CUSTOMER RATING:  3 of 5 stars from 22 raters.  Chief complaints:  Pizza tips too easily on chef’s finger, making it difficult even for adults to play.  One reviewer stated this was easily fixed with a little tape to the finger.  Some complained the pizza toppings were too slick to stay on, and roughing up the surface helped.  Many favorable reviews, with 6 ratings of 4 stars and 4 ratings of 5 stars. 

SKILLS:  Delicate controlled movement to place toppings on pizza. 

MODIFICATIONS:  Tape to chef’s finger and scratching topping backs to rough up the surface, both to make the game less frustrating to play.  As suggested by 1 reviewer, players can also play in reverse, removing toppings.  One player could play alone practicing their skills. 

NUMBER OF PLAYERS:  2 to 4 players

AGES:  4 and up

BRIEF OVERVIEW:  Game has 20 worms in a plastic base, with 24 instruction cards.  As worms move up and down, players pick worms up 1 at a time to try to find a worm whose tail color matches their card. 

AMAZON CUSTOMER RATING:  Limited at 4 reviews, with rating of 4 of 5 stars. 

SKILLS:  Dexterity and speed to grasp moving worms. 

NUMBER OF PLAYERS:  1 or more

AGE:  3 and up

BRIEF OVERVIEW:  Children create using the Mr. Potato Head pieces to attach facial features, arms, legs.  Create “aliens” by attaching nose where arm would be etc.  Youngest children should be supervised due to small pieces. 

AMAZON CUSTOMER RATING:  4 ½ of 5 stars from 14 raters. 

SKILLS:  Recognition Manipulation of Mr. Potato Head pieces, attaching them to the potato body. 

VERSIONS:  Many, many versions, clearly aimed at much older “kids”.  Classic Mr. Potato Head, Mr. & Mrs. Potato Head, Kiss Collector Set, Spider Spud & Friends, Darth Tater, Spud Trooper, Artoo Potatoo, Trick or Tater, Opti-Mash Prime, Transformers, NY Yankee, Indiana Spud and the Lost Ark, others. 

NUMBER OF PLAYERS:  1 to 4 players

AGES:  4 and up

BRIEF OVERVIEW:  Players use magnetized fishing rods to fish for fish and other underwater objects that have metal rings attached.  Each player has 2 attempts at fishing. 

AMAZON CUSTOMER RATING:  Limited at 2 reviews, with rating of 3 ½ of 5 stars. 

SKILLS:  Dexterity and coordination. 

My Game Review Hubs

Toys- Board Games for Children 3 to 8

Toys- Card and Dice Games for Children 3 to 8

Toys- Family Board Games for Children 8 and Up

Toys- Family Card and Dice Games for Children 8 and Up

Games That Promote Hand Skills for Ages 3 and 4

Games That Promote Hand Skills for Age 5 and Up

Family Games That Promote Motor Skills for Age 6 and Up

Family Games That Promote Motor Skills for Age 8 and Up

My Other Pediatric Topics

Interacting with Your Premature Infant:  Developmental Care in the NICU

Children’s Behavior- Sensory Regulation, A Different Perspective