by Dawn Hawkins

Created on: March 11, 2009   Last Updated: August 29, 2010

Candyland is a children's classic board game that gets kids everywhere overwhelmed with joy. The players are given little gingerbread people, each with a different color. Cards will then be chosen which have different shapes and colors on them. That is what decides how many spaces to move forward and in some cases backwards.

Candyland is the perfect board game for very young children for several reasons. They won't even realize that they are learning several lessons as the move from one spot to the other, their eyes filled with delight and awe over the colorful theme it represents.

Here are some of the things that young children learn while playing Candyland:

Colors

Your child will love learning colors this way. They will soon know that this color is green and that color is red. In fact, this is one of the fastest ways to teach your children different color names. Your child will be happy when they have accomplished saying the color name when they pick up the card. It's a rewarding experience for both parent and child.

Counting

Basic counting skills will be required for the game and your child will soon learn how to count so they can look at the card and count how many spaces they should move by how many shapes and colors are there. He/she won't even realize that they have learned it until you clap with delight saying "You did it, you counted all on your own".

Shapes

Shapes are a very big part of the Candyland experience. Circles, squares and triangles rule the day. Your child will be excited over learning these shape names as they see them on the card and compare them to the ones on the board. He/she will never look at shapes the same way after they have played their first game of Candyland.

Matching

The most fun part of the game is matching the cards with the board spaces. This is where all the learning comes together. It reinforces the learning experience so that your child will get the most fun and learning as possible. You may never have imagined that one little board game could teach so many things. You will be amazed at how quickly he/she is able to grasp this new knowledge.

Sportsmanship

Your child will learn the fine art of good sportsmanship. As with any other game, there has to be a loser as well as a winner. He/she will learn that you can't always win. That is when you have the chance to tell them about being a good sport and accepting the disappointment of a loss.

Candyland is a classic child's board game that will continue to stand the test of time. There are so many lessons to learn from this game that it couldn't possibly lose it's magic. This game has been handed down from generation to generation as a fun-filled learning experience. It is absolutely the perfect game for young children.

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