Over the past 25 years the game has had not one, not two but five exciting makeovers! The food cards have evolved to reflect changing tastes – for instance at some point the decision was made that maybe Bovril wasn’t top of everyone’s shopping list and it was replaced with the nations favourite takeaway – pizza! This puzzle has been a firm favourite for all of our children. They love building the house and then discussing what’s happening to the family in each room. It also includes an activity guide. This includes questions to encourage observation, develop counting and promote imaginative play e.g. How many rooms are there in the house? What food is the doll in the kitchen making? It’s a great puzzle for building kids vocabulary. Orchard Toy Games Best Orchard Toy Games for 5 year olds

Match and Spell encourages letter recognition, teaches phonetic word building and promotes matching of pictures and words, from simple words like ‘cat’ to more complex four-letter words. There are two ways to play, and the game is designed for both guided and independent word building. There is also an extension kit which develops more advanced reading and spelling skills. Best Orchard Toy Games for 6 year olds Magic MathsThis meant Owen needed to remember the location of the card longer than when just the two of us played and he had to ignore any irrelevant items which may have come in between. This is no easy task for a child of three and a half and the increased complexity was evident in Owen's level of attentiveness.

The account below contains an account of some of the insights I gained from some my experiences playing Shopping List with my grandson. While I believe the narrative provides some worthwhile observations, it is a rather long account and so I have decided to separated from my review of the product.

Sledging Maze

Today, Owen and I played "Shopping List" with 3 players, rather than just the two of us. The inclusion of an additional player added a whole new dimension to the memory aspect of the game play that I am quite embarrassed to admit was one which I hadn't quite anticipated would have such a impact on Owen's level of engagement and determination. Our 3.5 year old grandson is not the most competitive little guys, and many of his favorite "games" focus on a corporative goal, such as Peaceable Kingdom Snug as a Bug in a Rug Award Winning Preschool Skills Builder Game . However he does enjoy playing Shopping List Memory Game and delights in "helping" everyone win. He will even remind me or his G-Pop which items we still need to gather and where the card is; often by saying "remember you need the ....." Then pointing to the card's location. Regardless of our grandson's preference for cooperative game play over games a more competitive focus, Shopping List is one of his all time favorite games to play. The items in this gift guide were gifted items but all thoughts words and love of Orchard toys are completely my own. I have only included toys that would make perfect gifts and that we genuinely love.* Shopping List has been enjoyed by children far and wide – it’s sold in over 40 countries! We also know that Shopping List has been passed down from generation to generation with many parents who played it as a child playing it with their own children now. Turn over the cards to see everyday items, from tomatoes to washing powder to pizza. If they match a picture on your shopping list, name the item out loud and add it to your trolley. Be the first to collect all the items on your shopping list in this fun Orchard Toys game. Older children can play this learning game more strategically by remembering where the cards from their list have been placed, encouraging memory and observation skills.