I thought maybe every now and then I would post a game that I particularly liked or didn’t like. Though there are tons and tons of games out there, for every age, I think it is difficult to find a good child’s game.
My 9 year old son picked out What’s in Ned’s Head? for my 3 year old. I wasn’t thrilled…it didn’t seem like a great game. But after playing it with her a bunch of times, I really like it. And she likes it. It is one of the first games she picks when it is game time.
The description says “What’s in Ned’s Head’ In this silly game, take turns choosing a card and reaching into Ned’s ears, nostrils or face to find the object pictured. What you find might gross you out! His lost lunch (fake vomit)’ Moldy cheese’ A rat’ This wacky-fun game is guaranteed to keep kids giggling for hours!”
I wouldn’t say that River laughs for hours while playing this game…in fact, usually after one game she’s had enough! And I do agree that it is filled with many gross (fake and plastic) things….vomit, a dirty diaper, ear wax….but besides all that….I do think the game promotes sensory development in children. I am fascinated how hard it is for my 3 year old to figure out an object, simply by feeling it.
I like how the cards have a photo of the object. Before River sticks her hand in Ned’s Head, I have her talk about the different parts of the object..what they might feel like and what might make them different as compared to another object (soft vs. hard, big vs. large, etc.) Many times, she just wants to cheat and peek into the head, while she is digging around in there…..
Being able to only use your sense of touch to discern an object is not an easy skill for a three year old . River’s grandmother is blind, so we are constantly talking about how things feel and not only what an object looks like, but how we can describe it to someone else.
The other thing I like about Ned’s Head is that you can play the game with any type of objects. You can take out all the items it came with and put in letters or shapes or anything else you could think of……so, it is a very good learning tool in a fun package!
Though it does seem a bit gross, I do think What’s in Ned’s Head is a fun and imaginative game that my daughter loves and wants to play again and again.
