by Dawn Hawkins

Created on: December 21, 2008

Candyland is one of the best board games for children to start on the road to great fun. The game consists of colors, shapes and counting small numbers in order to get to the castle. Candyland has been around since 1949. Milton Bradley introduced the game in that year. The games creator, Eleanor Abbott , was recovering from polio and created game for children who had developed polio. The amazingly easy to play game has stood the test of time and so it will continue for many generations of pre-school children around the world.

This game is handed down from generation to generation. The reason is very clear. Parents can play the game with fond memories of when they were a child and are thus able to hand down a "tradition" of sorts. Any game that can create that much warmth in the heart deserves kudos for it's long standing ability to give joy to so many little children.

The game itself is played with shapes and colors. There are no numbers for a child to know nor do they have to know how to read. They simply pick up a card and match the shape and colors to figure out where they need to move. Where do the numbers come from that I mentioned above? They learn to count. That's right, counting is fun with Candyland. "Move two blue squares, one, two. Is that the right color? Does it look the same? Very good!" Thus the child learns several things from picking up a simple card. Counting, colors and shapes. They also get praise for moving their gingerbread man to the right place. How does a game for people that don't know how to read or write get any better than that?

If you have small children or grandchildren this is the game to get them. If you never had the chance to play Candyland as a child now is your big chance. You really can't lose with this game. If nothing else, you will create some fun memories for your child. The Milton Bradley Company was very aware of the potential for this game to be a great seller. I wonder if they knew that it would still be so well loved after nearly fifty years.

If rating Candyland on a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the best, I would truly have to give this game a 20. Thanks for the many smiles that you have put on the faces of millions of children throughout the years Milton Bradley and Eleanor Abbott. I have four grandchildren that I can't wait to play the Pre-school game of the century. Nothing else can compare to this children's game of choice.

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