Of Learning

While enjoying our daughter's favorite game of the moment, I glanced over at the Mouse Trap box and noted the recommended ages were 6+.  Inwardly, I scoffed.  Anyone who saw how much our two-year-old enjoys rooting through the box to find the next piece illustrated in the "Plan," and then attaching it as necessary, would see this game is definitely reaching a younger demographic than the intended audience. 

Through this wonderful game my toddler is practicing numbers and colors; she is enhancing her engineering abilities and honing her fine-motor skills.  She rolls the dice, she moves her mice and, much like her elder counterparts, she gets a little antsy toward the end when the trap is all set and we find ourselves circling the cheese wheel while her rules-stickler (when it comes to board games, anyway) mother makes her wait until someone is actually on the aptly-named "Turn Crank" space.

Of course, once the game is done, it would be wrong to simply pack away the trap without turning that crank another time or two (or seven) - that would simply be a waste of all our hard work.  And my precious little girl knows exactly what steps to take to re-set the trap before grasping the green handle to take it for another spin.

6+ my rear.