Orchard Toys for 5yo

[ImpYCelyn]

DSIL has said that DNephew is now interested in puzzles and board games. It's his 5th birthday soon so I thought I'd get him some Orchard Toys stuff. I remember playing some of the games when I was little, but DNephew is the eldest of our children, so I'm not sure about ages etc.

Would a 5yo like any of these:

Noah's Ark puzzle here
Shopping List game
Ladybirds Game
Insey Winsey Spider game?

I'm definitely planning on one puzzle and one game, but I have to admit that I've narrowed it down to the ones above as they are a bit cheaper on Amazon, which means I can get him two games + puzzle.

He has a 3.5 yo sister, so I was aiming for things she might be able to join in with sometimes to make up the numbers iyswim.

Thanks very much!

DS1 who is five likes shopping list, crazy chefs and one where the food is yucky

I think they are all really well designed games tbh.

He LOVES ELC travel sets of snakes and ladders and Guess Who - he prefers them to the big versions and they aren't too fiddly

4 year old DS has a few of the Orchard Toys games and he really likes them. He got some for his 3rd Birthday (Crazy Chefs and Incey Wincey Spider) and has been able to play them since then.
I don't really like Incey Wincey Spider and DS is not too keen either! It seems to go on forever and is a pretty simple concept really, so I can see a bright 5 year old getting quite bored with it quite quickly.
Our favourites are Crazy Chefs (memory game) and what we call The Flower Pot game (can't remember what it's actually called!) There's one about a bus that's quite good too, especially for slightly older children (4 and up).

Shopping list game is good for mixed ages. I think the Noah's Ark might be a bit young but the Bus puzzle is good.

We have a game called What a Performance which is hilarious but it's not great with pre-reading children unless there are other people who can be on the same team as them

to be honest, that list is more suitable for the younger sibling than the birthday boy, age wise.
The range is generally 3-5 and 5-8

DD1 is 3 and can easily do the noah's ark puzzle so would probably not be suitable for a 5 yo.

At 5, most of that list would be too young for him I should think. I would say that in general Orchard Toys tend towards the 'generous' in the top end of their age range so I would say that at 5 you should be looking at the 5-9 games and puzzles rather than the 3-6 ones.

Puzzles - Big racing Car has 45 pieces, Playground has 50 and that's probably the minimum number of peices for a 5 year old unless he's a real puzzle novice. DS had those as a pre-schooler. Dinosaur Discovery looks a great 'next step' - DD had 'Where in the Wood' at round about that age.

Shopping List is a good game, though. Bus Stop is one my DS was obsessed by. The yucky food one (Tummy Ache) is fun, too. Two by Two is one we never had (a bit too like the shopping list game) but a childminder did and DS liked it. Also liked Walk the Plank. As I say, though, our Orchard Yots 'heyday' was pre-school - 2-5 - rather than 5+

Ah ok, thanks everyone. It's been ages since I played them!

Which age range should I aim for for a 5yo then? Because I think those said either 3-6 or 3-7.

DN has some delay issues and has literally only just started puzzles and games, which is why I was looking more 3-6 than 4-8, but if they're that easy I might look for something a little more challenging.

Thanks again :)

Agree with what has been said above that your list is for the younger age. We have the Ark one and Shopping List - and 2yo DS is actually quite good at both. Almost 5yo DD does like to join in with them though. She also likes the Pirate Snakes and Ladders (which has ludo on the back), Dotty Dinosaurs (which DS also can play) and 'If you see a Crocodile'

For 5y I'd go for at least 100 piece puzzles.

Ok, I've had another look.

Has anyone tried Animal Safari?

I've also found reviews for the games and I'm now a bit shocked by the age ranges they put on them, seems like they're generally far too generous.

Oh well, glad I checked with you all :)

Yes we've got Animal Safari too We got it at Xmas so have only tried a couple of times. It is better for older ages (good for counting but needs concentration), DS tried to join in but got bored. DD likes it, but wasn't blown away, she prefers the other 3 I listed above.

Thanks Prisoner.

He likes pirates, so I'm going to get the Snakes and Ladders. And maybe Shopping List. And either the Creepy Castle puzzle, Dinosaurs or the World Map puzzle.

Do you think that would be better?

Thanks again!

Sounds like a plan - the Shopping List game is a favourite and is good for sharing with younger ones (you can get booster packs for it too when they get a bit bored with the cards it comes with). World Map puzzles looks very educational, but I suspect my kids would prefer the Dinosaur one.

Hope he has a lovely birthday!

Thanks :)

DH has just voted for Dinosaurs, so we're getting him that one.

Thanks so much for all your advice.

You sound like a really lovely Auntie :)

Thanks Patti, I try. Though for now DH seems to get all the credit :o

That's not right

Make sure that you make it clear that you did the research when your DN is delighted with his presents

I would say the general rule with orchard games is to go for one which has a suggested age higher than the childs actual age by a couple of years. They are very good but the age suggestion is for the average child, so bright ones will find them too easy and be bored.