My First Games – Bingo Link and SET Junior

Recently, we have been playing with more board games from My First Games, an online store set up by Singapore mumpreneur Pam, who has three kids of her own.  Read her story and how she was featured in the newspapers and on SimplyHer here, as well as on LittleDayOut here.

It’s not easy to venture out like that on one’s own, but she does it with such cheer because she believes in the value of encouraging Singaporean parents to bond with their kids over board games, which resonates with me too.

So how did we enjoy these two games?

Bingo Link ($35.90)

This is a game with a simple premise, but manages to capture the interest and attention of K&B. Which I am pleased with, since anything that can lure them away from the TV screen is super!

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The game boards have interesting little pictures of colourful objects that appeal to children. Each of the four game boards is unique in that it has these pictures arranged in different places. Players take turns to call out an object, cover it with a hexagonal green piece (that has a handy little knob), and the person who connects a line from one side of the board to another first, wins!

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3.5 year old B particularly took to this game. More than once, she’d ask to play it, and even insisted that her favourite grandpa play it with us!

Older kids can learn how to strategise with this game, since all the game boards are open, and you can check to see whether your choice will help or hinder your opponents, and then choose accordingly! Heh heh.  

SET Junior ($29.90)

This is a junior version of a popular adult card game, which I’d played before. It’s pretty intellectual (haha!) and enjoyed widely by geeky types. Basically, based on the shape, colour and number, a set of three cards is formed when 2 out of 3 criteria are identical, and the third criteria is unique.

Good training for GEP entrance, I’d say! Apart from that, the speed round trains mental acuity, and probably helps to stave of dementia too, hur hur hur.

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This game has a board with two sides. The first, which is pictured below, makes for a game that is easily played by those aged 3 and above. B & K enjoyed taking turns to match their cards in hand, with a spot on the board. The person who places the last piece that forms a straight or diagonal row (which are all SETs, see?), wins a chip point (the cute little circular thing). B particularly enjoyed counting her chip points as she accumulated them… quite the hoarder, this one!

The second side, which is pictured above, is a speed round, where players take turns to open cards and place them anywhere on the board. The first person to notice and pick up a complete SET, wins that SET.

Set Junior

The girls, esp B, have been asking to play these games, and I’m happy that they are an option for our activities in the evenings, as opposed to screen time with various gadgets.  It’s always interesting to interact over board games, and we get to chat about our day too.

If these games piqued your interest, here are more from My First Games that I’ve reviewed! : )

So if you’re looking for a good quality game set from the US or Europe that will last through many rounds of family bonding fun, or as Christmas gifts, these make great options. 

If you’d like to try out some of these games first, Pam does demo sessions of a variety of games, for groups with at least 10 adults.  She has already done a few of these interesting sessions for some homeschooling groups, so feel free to contact her at myfirstgames@rocketmail.com.  Enjoy!

 

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