Tulikko Board Game Review

Tulikko

Players: 2-4

Play Time: 30 minutes (much less with lower player counts)

Ages: 8+

Gorgeous artwork, a mystical firefox and tile laying meant I absolutely wanted to play as soon as I heard about Tulikko

Overview
Players adopt a Tulikko or other spirit animal, gain its corresponding board, tiles and tokens and then try to be the first to place all of their animal and river tokens. To explore your forest, you slide one of your forest tiles into the central board, taking the tile that comes out the opposite side. Then you place that tile on a corresponding symbol on your board. Placing two tiles of the same color next to each other lets you place an animal token and placing different tiles next to each other lets you place a river. 

Completing arrangements on various goal cards lets you place a couple extra tokens on them. Being the first to play a minimum number of tiles of the same color earns you an aurora tile, which each grants a one time bonus power.

Thoughts
The artwork is beautiful, especially on the iridescent cover. I loved the whimsical style on the trees and boards. The tiles are sturdy, the tokens are chunky and it is all put together with care. I had fun to learning the legend of the Tulikko and I would have loved to learn the lore behind the other spirit animals as well.

Gameplay is faster and simpler than expected. The central board definitely adds a new element over just straight drafting. Since there are only 12 turns, it is impossible to fill your entire board, meaning you have to be strategic as to which objectives you try to complete. Some of the aurora tiles grant pretty powerful rewards, so they’re pretty important to chase.

Our first game was over in about 15 minutes, so we reset and immediately played again. I like that there are a variety of objective cards, adding some variety while keeping it easy to learn. I was even able to teach my 7 year old, who enjoyed it (although we played without aurora tiles for the first game).

Overall, I think it is a lovely, family weight game for when you want something a little lighter or to be able to play multiple games in a night.

Game gifted by the publisher but all thoughts are always my own.

Check out my board game section of the blog:

Board Games for Toddlers

Update (2024):

Now I have a toddler again, so I'll be updating this page. I've deleted some of the games that didn't hold interest in our family and I'll be adding some more!

Tips for incorporating younger kids into family games:

• Let them "help" - We will often have my youngest roll dice for us. He feels like he's part of the game, but not actually making any decisions.
• Cooperative games - These games are great because everyone is working towards the same goal. Younger kids can be coached, while still taking the actions themselves. We started doing this with Forbidden Island when my oldest was about 4. Ghost Fighting Treasure Hunters could also easily work with older players helping a child as young as 3.
• Make it cooperative - do you have a competitive game you can make cooperative? We used to play Candyland and Chutes and Ladders cooperatively with my 2 year old. Now we play Math Dice Jr cooperatively with my 3 year old. Instead of seeing who can get to the end of the track first, work together to move the same piece.
• Gamer in Training - keep in mind a lot of games aimed at 2 year olds end up being more activities than true "games." However, they get little ones used to some game mechanics like taking turns, doing things in steps, working towards a goal, etc.
• Non-Toddler Games - so many games now have fun components and pieces. I've found several of the games we play with my oldest are interesting to the youngest. This ends up saving money on toddler specific games and gives us more bang for our buck on the older games (as long as pieces don't get lost). 

Non-Toddler Games

We have a lot of games that we play with my oldest, but my youngest has discovered some as activities for himself.

• Enchanted Cupcake Party - This gets used almost daily, but we've never actually played the game. She just finds all the pieces to match the card, which is an excellent toddler activity!
• Pancake Pileup - This is actually a racing game for older kids where you have to stack the pancakes in a particular order. We play without the racing component.
• Blokus - he loves arranging all the blocks in the tray. It keeps him busy for a long time and is great for visual/spacial skills!
• Qwirkle - we have used these for matching games. They also work well for shape or color sorting! You could even use them with Venn Diagram rings!
• Conezilla - my little guy loves putting numbers in order, so this game was perfect for that! As he gets older, we will be able to play the real game.

Toddler Board Games:

• Ruby's Gem Quest -  (Full review here) Toddler fine motor game
• Lucky Ducks - Classic shape matching game.
• Perfection (smaller version) - We started off using it without the timer that makes it pop. It makes a great little shape matching/orientation game.
• Frankie's Food Truck Fiasco - This is a good one to grow with the kids. We started playing at 2 without the spinner or tweezers as a simple shape matching activity. As he has gotten older, we have been able to add in the idea of the spinner and cat tweezers. 
• Sneaky Snacky Squirrel - Similar to Frankie's Food Truck Fiasco, this one uses squirrel tweezers and colored nuts instead of shapes.
• Honeybee Tree (or Kerplunk) - this is one of those games that both my kids have enjoyed across a wide range of ages. To be 100% honest, it isn't my favorite, because it does take a while to put all those sticks in!

• Building Site Game - This game has a little truck that drives around the building site to build a house. You have to match little icons to the stage of the "blueprint" to build the different components of the house. There really is no way to lose, it is more of an activity about accomplishing tasks in order.
• My First Orchard - This is a family favorite (toddler) game). It's a cooperative game where you try to gather all of the fruit from the trees before the raven gets to them. 
• Go Away Monster! - a cute little game where you pull pieces out of a bag to decorate your room. If you get a monster you yell "Go Away Monster!" and put it in the monster pile. You may be the first to complete your room, but not a strong way to lose. It is one of my daughter's current favorites

• Little Cooperation - an adorable little luck game. I like this one because it is a story that is really easy for little ones to grasp. The little animals want to go home to their igloo and you have to help them by getting them across the bridge. We do tend to lose this one often, though.
• Monkey Around - a cooperative action game where players get bananas by performing different actions. Once again, not a true "game" because there really is no way to lose.
• Raccoon Rumpus or Koala Capers (Full Review Here): These are pretty much the same game, expect in Raccoon  Rumpus you are matching colors and in Koala Capers you are matching patterns. We went with the Koala version, since we have lots of color games and I wanted some variety. My youngest really likes this one, but my 6 year old still enjoys it too!
• My First Animal Upon Animal - an adorable little animal stacking game that has multiple ways to play. 

• Little Bird Big Hunger - Another cute little HABA game. This game actually does have someone win. The nice thing is everyone has the potential to play on everyone else's turn as well, avoiding that lull for kids while waiting for it to be their turn.
• Shopping List Game - Orchard Games has a very popular version of this game that includes expansions. I actually went with this other version because it included "money" and prices, giving us more ways to play. So far, for us, it is more of an activity than a game, though. No one really wins or loses.
• Count Your Chickens - a cooperative game where you try to get all the baby chicks in the coop before the mama hen gets there. I like that it introduces the concept of a board where you progress from one end to the other. This one works on early counting skills.
• Hoot Owl Hoot - another cooperative game where you try to get the little owls back to their nest before the sun comes up. Similar to Count Your Chickens, it introduces the idea of progressing across a board, focusing on color recognition instead of counting. (A lot of times you can find a two pack of this and Count Your Chickens from places like Mindware or Amazon).

• Stone Soup - another cooperative Peacable Kingdom game. This one says ages 5+, but I think it might be too boring for a 5 year old. It is a memory matching game where you try to finish making the soup before the fire goes out. My 3 year old likes it now.
• Don't Break the Ice - another game I'm torn about putting on here. My son LOVES it and it is great for using an overhead marker to write words or numbers on. However, you spend most of your time setting it back up.
• Hiss -  in this game you match colors to make snakes. My little guy gets how to play, but doesn't get the strategy part of it, therefore my older son always wins. 
• Feed the Woozle - in this game you balance food on your little spoon and walk it across the room to put in the Woozle's mouth. It's simple and fun, although I think we did adjust the rules a bit at the beginning of playing.
• Dragomino - the junior version of Kingdomino. Players match terrains on "dominoes" to earn eggs and baby dragons. Simple, but should still be fun for older siblings playing with little ones.

Single Player Logic Games for Toddlers

I LOVE single player logic games for kids! Most are so good for developing visual spatial and/or deductive logic skills. I learned at a math conference years ago that being able to mentally manipulate objects is a huge predictor of success in math and it has really stuck with me. Here are some that are good for toddlers.

• Castle Logix
• Bunny Peak a Boo
• Trucky 3
• Three Little Pigs - my 3 year old can do this one, but needs a little help with setup.
• Penguins on Ice - This is actually intended for much older kids. I have found that my toddler can do it when I put the pieces in the correct positions (they slide to change shapes) and he just have to figure out how they fit into the tray together.

Check out my board game section of the blog:

Halloween Family Games

I know it is a little ways off, but I am getting so excited about Halloween homeschool activities! recently posted about some of the great Educational Halloween books. Another activity we plan to do for Halloween homeschool is play some board games (I love having a theme). I love board games, both for their educational value and for the family bonding time. Here are some ideas if you're looking to play some Halloween themed board games too!

 Go Away Monsters 

• Recommended age: 3+
• Everyone has a room board and draws tiles to complete their room. If you draw a monster, you yell "Go Away, Monster!" and banish it.
• This game is for very young kids. Archer has been playing since about 24 months. I included it for anyone else trying to work a toddler into game time, but would not recommend it solely for older kids. It is too simple.

Monster Chase Board Game

• Recommended age: 4+
• This is a cooperative memory game where players are trying to scare away monsters. Archer is still too young, but some reviewers said they play with 3 year olds.

Monster Factory

• Recommended age: 5+
• This is a competitive tile laying strategy game where you build monsters. If your kiddo

Ghost Fighting Treasure Hunters

• Recommended age: 8+ (Its cooperative so could definitely go lower)
• Another cooperative family favorite. There are four friends trying to retrieve treasure from a ghost infested house. You have to work together to get all of the treasure out before the house becomes too many Hauntings appear. We like that it has various levels of difficulty, so we can adjust depending on who is playing or how brave we're feeling. There is also an expansion available now.

Cauldron Quest

• Recommended age: 6+ (Its cooperative, so could probably go lower)
• A cooperative strategy game where everyone works together to save the kingdom from a dark spell. Components are cute and the reviews are great. I didn't discover this game until recently, so it is on my list to get when Archer is a little older.

Shaky Manor

• Recommended age: 7+
• A game with a unique mechanic, in this game you have little "manor" boxes that you have to shake to get objects into the correct rooms. Objects include snakes, eyeballs and spikers.

Shadows in the Forest

• Recommended age: 8+ (I think this seems a little high, younger players could play with the group of Shadowlings)
• A fun game to play in the dark. In this game multiple players move the cute little Shadowlings and another player moves the lantern trying to catch them. My family enjoys it, however, it does have to be fairly dark and you do have to trust your fellow players, it would be relatively easy to cheat.

Monster Fluxx

• Recommended age: 8+
• Fluxx games are card games where the rules and objective constantly change, depending on what has been played. Because of the changing rules, it sometimes takes 10 minutes and sometimes 40 or more. This version uses classic horror movie monsters for the theme.

Ghost Blitz

• Recommended age: 8+
• A ghost themed dexterity game where players race to grab the correct object. Since it can play up to 8, it would be good for bigger families or small parties. There are also a couple of expansions. 

Potion Explosion 

• Recommended age: 14+ (my 9 year old plays easily)
• This is a competitive potion creation game that has a nice tactile component. Your "ingredients" are different colored marbles you collect to make your potions. Once you complete your recipe, you can use those potions to help you in the game. How you select your marbles from the little rack can also cause "explosions" letting you take more ingredients. When I first got this for Xander, he wasn't all that interested. Then we played once, and it became his favorite game.

Broom Service

• Recommended Age: 10+
• This is a resource-delivery strategy game, where players are witches, druids or fairies. It is supposed to be a little bit "heavier" of a game, but is reviewed well. We have it on our list of games to try, but I wouldn't choose it if your family does not play a lot of games together. 

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