Having played over a hundred tabletop games with my kids, here are 5 tips for choosing tabletop games:

1、Single vs Multiplayer Tabletop Games:

  • Single-player games allow children to independently play through card challenges, hiding the mother’s trick of sneaking in educational content while freeing her hands.
  • Multiplayer games require parental involvement due to the player count threshold, but they offer much stronger interactivity and entertainment than single-player games.
    • Tip: When the mother feels lazy, it’s good to have some single-player games prepared according to age groups, such as the “Rabbit Baby Magic Box” for 2-year-olds or “Three Little Pigs,” as mentioned in my previous summary. For family days or outings with friends, multiplayer games can be arranged, freeing up the kids’ brains and enhancing relationships.

2、Cooperative vs Competitive Tabletop Games:

  • Cooperative games involve multiple players working together to achieve a common goal, such as “Ladybug Makeup Feast” or “Mystic Magic Lake.”
  • Competitive games require determining winners and losers, demanding higher levels of strategy and resilience.
    • Tip: The market has fewer types of cooperative games compared to competitive games, making them more beginner-friendly. Next time, I’ll compile cooperative games separately, so stay tuned.

3、Educational vs Other Tabletop Games:

  • Many mothers like to buy educational tabletop games because of their high openness and long usage time. However, since many educational tabletop games do not have clear game mechanisms, they may end up either completely unused or with a high flip rate in different families. The key lies in how you use them.
    • Tip: Prepare one educational tabletop game for each knowledge point, such as using dot cards for number sense enlightenment or tangrams for plane figure decomposition, as mentioned in my previous summary. For other types of games, choose according to the child’s current interests.

4、Big Box vs Portable Edition Tabletop Games:

  • Many award-winning tabletop games from abroad offer both big box and portable editions. The big box version fully retains the essence of the game, with excellent components, but the drawback is the higher price and difficulty in storage.
  • The portable edition reduces component costs, and certain game mechanisms may be weakened, but they are affordable and easy to carry and store.
    • Tip: If you care about the gaming experience, choose the big box. If you care about value for money and convenience, choose the portable edition. For example, I bought the portable editions of “Ghost Stairs” and “Magnetic Maze,” and the big box edition of “Magic Tower,” for your reference.

5、Foreign vs Domestic Tabletop Games:

  • Foreign tabletop games, due to their long history and strong brand accumulation, along with various awards and events, offer a wide range of fun games. However, the downside is their relatively high price and lack of Chinese instructions.
  • In recent years, domestic tabletop games have risen, making efforts to introduce Chinese versions while also focusing on independent research and development. Many domestic tabletop games are full of Chinese cultural sentiments, shining as a beacon of domestic products.
    • Tip: Whether it’s foreign or domestic, follow my lead; I’ve helped you navigate through them!

In reality, what tabletop games you choose doesn’t matter. What’s important is bringing family members together to do something. Moreover, it doesn’t matter how many skills children acquire through tabletop games; what’s important is sparking their interest. They crave immersion in the fun, participation, interaction, and exploration of the process, and this craving can drive your children for life.