Moar games!
Another board game that’s good for kids is Takenoko. Takenoko is a bit more traditional than the games I’ve brought up so far? Actually, not really. It is friendly to the younger kids although, you may have to be a bit patient explaining all the rules and mechanics of the game. This isn’t a huge problem though because the game pieces themselves are often entertaining enough to keep them interested in the game during the learning curve. There isn’t much whininess about how the game is too hard and therefore boring.
In Takenoko, you try and fulfill objectives related to the panda eating bamboo, the gardener growing bamboo, or completing a particular plot formation in the garden. Objectives are drawn from the related decks of cards. The game board is modular and built with each game. There is a panda figurine and gardener figurine that can move across the board and eat or grow bamboo respectively. The bamboo growth is also physically shown, as you stack (or take away) bamboo pieces from the different garden plots.
Describing the game like this makes it seem kind of boring. But really, it’s more ridiculous than anything. And it actually is quite a bit of fun and lighthearted. I mean, the rules of the game are written partly in comic book form.
This is probably the game we’ve played the most with a variety of people after my brother and I test played. It’s not bad as a two player game. Three to four players would probably be best.
Random moosages as I see fit. 
2 Comments
Great game. I have yet to play this game with kids, but I imagine it would go over really well -as long as they understand it.
The objective isn’t too hard to understand, even for the youngest kids. The problem lies more in the fact that game play is intricate, with a lot of little steps. It takes a while for the younger ones to pick up. But since they’re also very interested in playing with the panda and making bamboo grow, they can normally catch on (with some prompting). This game is so wonderfully ridiculous.