Jan 17, 2012

Peaceable Kingdom Forecasts 2012 Game Trends – Cooperative Board Games & Preschool Skills-Builder Games

The basic lessons of childhood haven’t changed much over the years. Author Robert Fulghum said it best in his poem All I Really Need To Know I Learned in Kindergarten — share, play fair, clean up and so on. What has changed over the years are the array of educational toys and games that preschoolers can benefit from — before they enter school. Juvenile product development expert Peaceable Kingdom launches five games in the hot categories of cooperative and preschool skills-builder that makes playtime a time to share, play fair, and have fun. See and play all the games at Peaceable Kingdom’s Booth 6227 at the American International Toy Fair.

While in constant dialogue with educators, retailers and parents, Peaceable Kingdom forecasts demand for cooperative board games and early childhood developmental skills games for youngsters as young as three years. In 2012 the company will introduce a new category, Preschool Skills Builder games, where everyday tasks — like cutting with safety scissors or recognizing left from right — are mastered in a cooperative game. These new game titles are Feed The Woozle, Willy’s Wiggly Web and Snug As A Bug In A Rug. Peaceable Kingdom will also launch two captivating games — Seeds for the Birds and Race To The Treasure — to add to their expanding Cooperative Games for Kids! product line.

As it did last year with the launch of its first cooperative game titles that ultimately won many toy and game awards, the company sought outside toy inventors to make the best possible products. Peggy Brown, Gina Manola and Jim Deacove created five diverse games with child-centered themes like silly snacks for a Woozle and Mama Bird feeding her babies.

Feeding young minds is what Peaceable Kingdom does best. Cutting with scissors, distinguishing colors and taking turns are all skills needed for the earliest school years. The company launches its newest category in 2012, with a focus on mastering preschool skills in a cooperative game. None of the games require reading. Fun themes like bugs, spiders and hairy pickles (!) keep the attention span going and going!

“Our new line of preschool skills-builder games are divided into three age-appropriate levels: 3-4 years (Level 1), 4-5 years (Level 2) and 5-6 years (Level 3),” explains Donna Jaffe, Peaceable Kingdom President. “Each level focuses on the developmental capability of kids at that age. Parents quickly notice that each level adds complexity that is a fun challenge for the kids.”

Feed the Woozle and Snug as a Bug in a Rug are online and in stores now. Willy’s Wiggly Web will be available in Spring 2012. 

Feed The Woozle • Ages 3-6 • $20
Woozle is hungry and his mouth is wide open and ready to catch some silly snacks like chocolate covered flies or hairy pickles. Can you feed him 12 silly snacks without dropping them from the spoon? Two to 5 players start the game with a roll of the die to learn how many snacks to put in his big open mouth. With a spin of the colorful spinner they then determine which goofy gross motor movement they will do while walking across the room to feed him. Maybe it’s a Bunny Hop, maybe walk backwards! Be careful, kids, and don’t drop those snacks. If everyone together can feed the Woozle 12 snacks, everyone wins! And giggles are guaranteed.

The preschool game includes a stand-up Woozle, 24 silly snacks, a spoon, a die, a spinner and instructions for three different levels of play.

Level 1 introduces basic counting. Level 2 adds a gross motor movement a child must perform while making his way to the Woozle. In Level 3, players rely on guidance from teammates to find the Woozle because they must close their eyes!

Willy’s Wiggly Web • Ages 3-6 • $20
Child-safe scissors allow 2 to 4 players to cut all the little bugs free before Willy the Spider falls from the top of the web. But watch out because the web is well, wiggly. To get started, kids pick a card, follow the instructions to cut the web and pass the scissors either left or right. Work cooperatively to free all the bugs and everyone wins. Preschoolers master recognizing left from right, cutting with scissors, taking turns, counting, hand- eye coordination and working cooperatively.

Game includes stand-up web posts and platform, 50 paper webs, child-safe scissors, 10 bugs, 1 Willy spider, 30 cards, and instructions for 3 levels of game play.

Level 1 introduces cutting with scissors with the players passing the scissors in one direction only. Level 2 adds Left and Right passing and Level 3 challenges the players to get up and switch seats, moving themselves left and right accordingly.

Snug As A Bug In A Rug • Ages 3-6 • $20
Spin the spinner and find a matching bug. Then slip it under the rug. It’s okay, Moms, because it’s just a game! Everyone works together to get all the colorful bugs under the rug before the three stinkbugs release their smelliness around the room. Watch closely and make those matches. Each of the three levels of play adds a new challenge. The board game includes 24 bright bugs, three stink bugs, a die, instructions for three game levels and a game board with a built-in spinner. Once preschoolers complete the game they will have mastered visual discrimination, taking turns, rolling a die, recognizing colors and shapes, distinguishing big and little, and counting.

The focus in Level 1 is with a roll of the die that determines which 1 bug attribute will be matched for the entire game—color, number or shape. Players try to find matches to that attribute. In Level 2, both a roll of the die and a spin on the spinner complicate players’ abilities to find a match. Level 3 requires players to match two attributes in matches.

The two newest Cooperative Games for Kids! are online and in stores now. Both of these games, and all the games in the Cooperative Games for Kids! collection, are 100% green – the games are made from FSC-certified papers and wood, soy inks, water varnishes, and corn-based plastics. 

Seeds For The Birds • Ages 3+ • $16
Chirp, chirp! The baby birds are hungry. Players help Mama Bird by turning over cards one at a time and gathering seeds. But watch out. The squirrel with the bushy tail might take the seeds for his own supper. Gather more seeds for the birds than the squirrel and everyone wins! This game works for 2 to 4 players and includes a game board, 16 game cards and 15 seeds. When play is done, children will have learned shared decision-making, cooperation, counting, adding, number sets, taking turns and following directions!

Race To The Treasure • Ages 5+ • $16
By creating a path from Start to Finish, 2 to 4 players try to beat the Ogre to the treasure. Along the way they need to collect 3 keys to open the treasure’s lock before the Ogre gets there. Players strategize, cooperate and build the path as a team. If they make it down the path before you-know-who, they all win! By playing this game, children master math grid concepts, emotional development, shared decision making, strategy techniques and of course, have fun! Board game includes a pair of wooden dice, 37 game cards, 4 key tokens and an Ogre snack.

Playing cooperative games like Seeds For The Birds allows youngsters to work as a team: sharing, strategizing and building healthy relationships. No one is ever left out. The concept allows players to work together against a common obstacle, not their playmates. Other important skills learned may include taking turns, following directions, simple math, shared decision making and of course, cooperation. No reading is required for these games so everyone in the room can play. Best of all, both games are 100% green using soy-based inks on FSC paper.

Peaceable Kingdom’s five introductory cooperative games in 2011 couldn’t have been more successful. They were lauded as a Family Fun magazine Toy of the Year, two of the top 10 Preschooler Approved Toys for 2011 from the prestigious Goddard Schools, platinum honors from Oppenheim Toy Portfolio and won Parents’ Choice Foundation awards, among many others.

“Sales from our 2011 launch of our cooperative games were beyond expectations,” gushed Jaffe. “We know there is a real need for cooperative games for families and we are filling that need in a variety of unique games in a range of ages. Retailers tell us it’s the start of a trend and Peaceable Kingdom is thrilled to be able to offer a wonderfully designed mix of games.”

Mom and dad bloggers welcomed the concept of cooperative games. From Did You See That? blog writes one mother, “not only did they work TOGETHER to get the soup done before the fire went out, they actually encouraged each other. I was astonished. We played it over and over again and had a blast working together.”

These delightful games offer non-stressful play situations, promote self-esteem, offer a sense of community and initiate problem solving. To order these new games or any of Peaceable Kingdom’s catalog of products, visit their online store at www.peaceablekingdom.com.

ABOUT PEACEABLE KINGDOM
Peaceable Kingdom was founded in 1983 with a single product – a children’s poster based on the artwork from the classic children’s book Goodnight Moon. Twenty-eight years and more than 5,000 SKUs later, the company has grown to be a leader in juvenile stickers and greeting cards and forsees its future in cooperative games.

Peaceable Kingdom’s mission is to make good, do good, and be good. Which means: to create fresh, fun, award- winning products that educate, inspire, and tickle funny bones, to donate to charitable organizations that support the well-being of children, to remain committed to socially-conscious manufacturing practices and sustainable and eco- friendly materials, to maintain integrity in all business relationships and to support the people who support them! The Peaceable Kingdom philosophy – come into the kingdom and join the fun!