TRM's Christmas Gift Guide :: Family Games From Bananagrams {Giveaway Ends 12/6} US/CAN

Games are a great Christmas gift idea, especially when they can involve a variety of ages! This next company has a fun collection of portable games that will not disappoint!

BANANAGRAMS Inc. are the makers of award-winning anagram tile games that create an endless amount of fun for the whole family. Their collection started with Bananagrams, which was created in 2005 by this family-run company. You've probably seen them at your local Target like I have. Along with Bananagrams, you can now play Appletters, Zip-It, PAIRSinPEARS, and Fruitominoes too. Growth has expanded this innovative, award-winning collection of games and now you can find them in many areas around the world! I had the pleasure of checking out three of their games for my family!

With Appletters there are 110 tiles in a zippered apple-shaped pouch. This game works great for 1-4 players, ages 5 and up. Players take turns building 'word worms' using tiles, and pick a new tile from the "core" of extra tiles in the middle on their turn and also discard one of their own (or the new tile they just picked up). The goal is to be the first to use up all your letters by building words with each turn. It's really quite simple but incredibly fun! Buddy is a bit young for this one, but it's great for early readers looking to strengthen their skills. Appletters encourages turn-taking, develops spelling skills, enhances strategic thinking, encourages cooperation and improves concentration. I love the additional game variations and challenges included in the directions and also that you can play this game by yourself. 

PAIRSinPEARS includes 104 tiles, is appropriate for ages 3 and up and for 1-4 players, and all is contained in a zippered pear-shaped pouch. There are two different games for everyone and eight skill-building activities for younger kids. This one presents an interesting twist compared to Appletters since there are four tile patterns: solid, outlined, dots and striped. The games include PAIRSinPEARS where players race to make grids of two intersecting words, and PairPoints which is the scoring version. Depending on the age of the players, you can choose to make grids using the same patterned tiles or not. The eight activities for pre-readers and beginner readers including pattern grouping, letter hunting, word pairs and more! I love all the variations of PAIRSinPEARS for young kids. They help teach the alphabet, enhance spelling skills, foster problem solving, build early reading skills and improve critical thinking.

Fruitominoes is a twist on classic dot dominoes. Just connect the fruit! There are 28 pieces, can be played with 2-4 players, and is apparently great for ages 5 and up. Actually, I think it's perfect for my 3 (almost 4) year-old. Buddy is great at matching so Fruitominoes is great for him and he enjoys getting a bit competitive with mom and dad! Play starts out with the highest double domino drawn and players take turns connecting their matching domino unless they don't have one at which point they draw from the pile. The goal is to be the first to use all your dominoes up. 

With Buddy getting a little older, we're starting to build our family collection of games. I'm so excited to add these from Bananagrams! Fruitominoes is definitely best for his age right now as far as actually playing a game, and PAIRSinPEARS is a valuable tool and a fun challenge as he begins to read and spell words. All the creative ideas of how to use the PAIRSiinPEARS tiles in an educational way are all right there in the directions which takes the pressure off mom. What is great about these games too is that they're portable and easily packed in a purse, carry-on, or luggage without much extra weight. They're perfect for bringing on trips to grandma's house too.

Sometimes we get in a rut and forget to stop and have fun. With Bananagrams family games you can quickly get out a game while the family is still at the dinner table so we can enjoy that special family time with some healthy competition and lots of laughter. I also love that with Appletters you can enjoy solo play to take time out for yourself and challenge your mind. Sometimes being a mom at home all day requires a little reset of time set aside for myself, and Appletters is a great way to do that!

Bananagrams games are the perfect size for stocking stuffers or added to a gift basket this Christmas. Put the fun back in your family with some interactive, innovative games from this fantastic company. 

Buy It: Check out Bananagrams.com to find a store near you!

 

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One winner will receive two games - Appletters and PAIRSinPEARS!

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Disclosure: I received the above mentioned product(s) to facilitate this review for free. No other compensation was received. This is my completely honest opinion above and may be different from yours. This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook.