Dear Mummy, it’s nearly the summer and you are planning days away and camping trips for when you feel better and weather starts improving. Orchard Toys have launched a new collection of six mini travel games in 2017, perfect for keeping children entertained while at home or away.
We couldn’t wait to try one and see whether it really was that compact and entertaining to amuse a 4-year-old like me. It was small enough that the post man even dropped it through our letterbox and I was eager to empty the contents of the colourful box out on our dinning room table.
All Orchard Toys games are designed with education and fun in mind. They work with educational advisors to ensure that skills necessary in the National Curriculum Key Stages and Early Years Foundation Stages are built into the games and jigsaws. It’s nice to think that teachers and early learning practitioners are happy to have these games in their schools and nurseries. In turn my folks are happy and reassured to have these games at home.
As this game is portable and travel-sized it’s going to be a welcomed addition on our camping trips and in our backpack. We could see the game coming out at picnics and to break up boredom in restaurants. Much better than a tablet or an app as it encourages active play with family and friends. At just £4.99 it’s the same price as some kids magazines! I’m sure this would last longer than a one time flick through!
The game we are reviewing is called Animal Families, based on the classic game of Happy Families. Designed for children aged 4 and over, players use their matching and memory skills to collect a variety of different families, from familiar animals such as lions to the more unusual ostrich family. The first person to collect all of their animal families wins!
It’s really simple to play and really addictive! We played six times in a row on our last play session and I never seem to get bored at beating my mummy! I helps develop my memory skills as I try to remember where I put certain cards back and I also try to trick my mummy using my strategy skills by not going for the obvious choice all the time. I really have this game sussed out!
I watch like a hawk when it’s the other players turn and the game is great for encouraging my observational skills. I love the little animal characters and the illustrations are modern and fun. The box contains 30 animal cards (10 families) and 2 wild cards which are all made out of bright, laminated durable cardboard.
Setting up
- Shuffle the cards and spread them out, animal side down, in the centre of the table.
- For a more basic version of the game remove two sets of families and the wild cards.
- Take it in turns to pick up two cards from the centre.
- If the two cards are from the same family you may keep them but if they are different, show all players and return them face down to the centre of the table.
- If one of the cards you turn over matches a pair you have already collected, add that card to complete the family, returning the other card face down to the table.
- If a wild card is picked up, take a complete animal family from another player.
- The wild card is then taken out of the game.
- Continue to pick up and put down cards, two at a time, until all families of three have been collected.
- The winner is the player with the most sets of complete animal families.
The mini games would make great pocket-money toys, kids birthday gifts and Christmas stocking fillers. There are 12 more different versions too on their website and we can see us getting the whole mini range! They are available to buy at www.orchardtoys.com and all good retailers.
Love Bella x
Disclaimer: We were sent this game to play with and all thoughts are our own.
dearmummyblog.com 
What a lovely sounding kids game idea, I love how bright and colourful the pieces are. x
what a great game, i will have to get this for the girls!
My little sis has something similar and she loves it. I have used Orchard toys before but these mini games would be perfect for my sis x
What a great sounding game, and by the looks of it you had a great time playing x
We love Orchard Toys, they are brilliant learning games for the kids.
These look like the perfect toy to take on holiday with you too! x
I used to love playing with games like this when I was a kid and would definitely buy learning games like this for my own children when I have them xxx
Oh wow! These look amazing! My daughter would probably love them! And they’re not too small either, which is awesome 😀
This looks great, travel games are so useful at this time of year in time for the holiday season.
These look like a great idea for children – I am sure that they love them 🙂 x
My nephew would love to play this, he’s obsessed with games like this x
Oh nice, this would be a perfect and nice present for my cousins.
My girls used to have the orchard games when they wete younger, they are so goid and educational too.
Orchard toys do do some lovely products for children. That looks like a great game and I love that everything is so colourful and nicely decorated.
I used to love playing these games when I was a kid, and they’ve kept my little ones entertained for ages. Lovely illustrations on the card too!
We love Orchard Toys games and we have lots of them. Need to add this to our collection!
What a great kids game. My niece and nephew would love something like this – really colourful.
Wow this is so great and looks a fun game for my two boys, I bet they would love this
These sound like really interesting games for kids. My niece would love these.
Oh we love the Orchard games and have quite a few of them!!! So good and fun for the kids!
Oh Bella! This reminds me of when my children were small! They used to love Orchard Games and I think we still have some in the games cupboard!
I love the joy and happiness on your face as you play the games, it makes me wish for little ones in the house again! xxx
This looks so much fun! I love how happy your little girl is while playing the game!
When the kids were younger we used to play a similar Orchard Toys game, and they loved it! Their games are really great for the kids.
im guessing from that first picture of her, she had found a matching card??? haha adorable!
Aww we love Orchard Toys and this looks like a fab game 🙂
This game looks like lots of fun for the little ones. Great review 🙂
We absolutely LOVE Orchard Toys, and I think Oscar would enjoy playing Animal Families. Great review, and hope you’re feeling a bit better now, Dawn?
Louise
Feeling a bit better now after another hospital stay x
I love Orchard Toys, I recently got Dinosaur Dominoes for my kids birthday, they’re so fun for parents and kids! I’ll have to look into getting this one too