The Charlottesville Smart Mom’s Toybox 2024
The holiday season is here, and in partnership with Shenanigans Toy Store we’ve got a roundup of smart games & gifts for the whole family! The Charlottesville Smart Mom’s Toybox is packed with brain-boosting games, puzzles, and activities you can use to connect as a family, have fun, and exercise brain skills while you’re at it.
Cats & Boxes
These cats love hiding in boxes! Move the puzzle pieces – one by one – until all of the cats are in a cardboard box. Can you help them find their favourite hiding spot? This sequential puzzle game for kids and adults comes with a portable gameboard and lid, making it purrrrrfect to take with you on the go!
- Ages 7+
- Skills developed: attention, visualization, logic & reasoning, processing speed (if you try to beat your time!)
WordSnap Tin
WordSnap, the word-building, puzzle game that doesnt restrict your play with the confines of a gameboard. Octogonal soft-snap pieces let you craft words vertically, horizontally, and diagonally; creating a crossword puzzle-like grid. As you build words, unique patterns emerge, offering players unlimited scoring opportunities.
- Ages 8+
- Skills developed: phonemic awareness, processing speed, spelling
Icosa Sensa
Twist and turn the textured balls to make different patterns. Can you arrange them so that each color is in a group, or so that the same colors never touch?
- Ages 8+
- Skills developed: attention, visualization, logic & reasoning, processing speed if put on a timer
The Good Egg Book
Meet the good egg. He’s a verrrrrry good egg indeed.
But trying to be so good is hard when everyone else is plain ol’ rotten.
As the other eggs in the dozen behave badly, the good egg starts to crack from all the pressure of feeling like he has to be perfect.
So, he decides enough is enough! It’s time for him to make a change…
- Ages 3+
- Skills developed: reading skills, comprehension, values
Fast Push Game
Meet the Fast Push Game – the classic fidget toy reimagined for endless fun! Follow the pattern to advance to the next level in this thrilling memory game. Keep popping as fast as you can before the timer runs out. With exciting sound effects, every game is a sensory delight.
- Ages 3+
- Skills developed: attention, processing speed, visual span
Tiger TinkerTar Guitar
Get hooked on this guitar with this 1-string melody maker. Created by musicians Brian Calhoun, Dave Matthews, and John Alagia, TinkerTar is the best guitar for beginners.
- Ages 5+
- Skills developed: attention, processing, visualization
Snap Circuits Snap-2-It Board Game
1 to 4 players compete to create a winning circuit by snapping together a path of SNAP CIRCUITS® parts between their light and the communal battery pack.
- Ages 7+
- Skills developed: visualization, logic & reasoning, problem-solving, strategy
Tile Tango
Tile Tango is a fast-paced game for up to 4 players where players’ speed, pattern recognition, and spatial orientation skills are challenged. Players compete to match their set of 9 tiles to the 3×3 grid shown on the flipped match card. With a mix of colors and patterns, players must race against each other to be the first to correctly orient their tiles and slap the card to claim the card’s points.
- Ages 5+
- Skills developed: processing speed, visualization, spatial reasoning, logic
Prime Suspect
Prime Suspect is a captivating deduction game designed for 1 to 4 players. It challenges players to strategically arrange suspect tiles based on provided clues to unveil the “Prime Suspect.” With varying difficulty levels and two distinct gameplay modes, Prime Suspect promises hours of thrilling entertainment.
- Ages 8+
- Skills developed: attention, logic & reasoning, comprehension, problem-solving, strategy
HyperTiles Deluxe Set
A construction toy exploration into hyperbolic space! Endless possibilities, amazing structures, hours of open-ended adventure…All from one simple shape!
- Ages 8+
- Skills developed: attention, visualization, problem-solving
