Finding the right game for preschoolers can be tricky. Pengoloo from Blue Orange Games is a memory-skills game that both my 4 and 8 year old enjoy playing. There are not a lot of games in our closet that they can both play equally well and Pengoloo is one of them; they like it so much I’m even considering adding it to my games for kids gift guide. Since my memory is like a sieve these days the kids beat me easily and they love that!
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The rules of Pengoloo are simple. 12 eggs in 6 colors are hidden under 12 penguins. Players take turn rolling 2 dice. The color on the dice determines which color egg the player wants to find. After rolling, he lifts up two penguins in hope of matching the eggs to the dice. If he makes a color match he acquires both the egg and penguin and places them on the iceberg in front of him. If there is no match, the penguin is replaced over the egg and the turn passes to the next player. The first player to make six matches or the player with the most penguins at the end of the game wins.
Tips and Thoughts:
- Pengoloo is recommended for ages 4-8. Personally, it is not a game I would purchase for kids 6 and up unless they will be playing it with younger siblings, simply because they will outgrow it in a few years. As I said above, however, my 8 year old does enjoy playing it.
- New Kid was newly 4 when we acquired this game, but I imagine 3 year olds could play with a bit of assistance and patience.
- When he first started playing, New Kid rushed to pick up penguins without thinking so before each turn I would stop him and we would remind ourselves which colors we knew to be under which penguins. This helped him understand game strategy, otherwise he simply lifted the same two penguins up over and over again!
- The game exercises memory and visualization skills.
- New Kid loves to use the penguins in pretend play. Win-Win!
- I love that all the pieces are wood! No plastic parts!
Have you ever played Pengoloo? What was your experience?
Take a peek at our previous game selections, or see all the games of the month here.
Qwirkle, Rummikub, Skippity, Chickyboom, Roads, Rivers and Rails, Tenzi, and more.
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mdott922 says
This looks like a great game! I think I’ll add it to my kids’ wishlists!
Ann says
Oh we have this game too! My 5 and now 8 year old still enjoy it. It is easy to play and I love that that the wooden pieces are easy to handle.
Erica MomandKiddo says
That’s one of my favorite things about the game, too.