Monkeying Around

 Monkeying Around: 2 - 4 Players - Ages 4 and up - 5 minutes

Game Play: You set up a tree that is attached to a base with a spinner. Three leafy parts are added to the top of the tree and one has a magnet inside. You then hang the main playing piece which is a large circular part of the tree with a magnet at the center to the other magnet and you are ready to play.

Playing the winning monkey and beating Dad (legitimately!)

Each player gets 9 monkeys of their color but one of the monkeys is larger than the others. You take turns spinning the spinner on the base which tells you how many monkeys you need to place on the tree. If the spinner lands on the monkey face, you have to place your big monkey piece. The first player to place all of their monkeys on the tree without causing it to fall, wins.

Review: First, you can buy this game for a child before they are four years old. I got this game for my daughter right after her third birthday. The first few times we played it, she had trouble dealing with the balancing aspect of the game and we never actually finished because she kept stacking all of her pieces on the same spot causing the tree to fall. She also had trouble with the concept of hanging the monkeys on each other and just wanted to hang each one from her side of tree.

By the time she was three and half and we had tried playing a dozen times or so, we finally finished a game as she began to grasp the concept of balance. She still does not hang monkeys from other monkeys but she has won a few times (legitimately).



Overall: I would recommend this game for young children if you have patience to teach them before they are four years old. Lots of little pieces and set up will make things difficult before age three. Three rounds of this game and you will be ready for something else.