I know not all mother in laws are awesome. Mine is kinda cool, she can say things that trip me out from time to time, but I'm learning to speak up more about things she says that I may not agree with, but over all we have a good relationship filled with mutual respect. Bless her heart, she always struggles to give gifts, she called me the day of my son's 7th birthday worried she'd get the wrong gift. I made suggestions but she wasn't keen on any. So, as a last resort, I suggested a gift card, "$20, or less," I said.
She got him a $50 Target gift card. So given Covid times, I told my son to go through the Target site and find some games and/or activities he'd like to buy.
These are the top 3 picks he (honestly WE ALL) most enjoyed!
Model Magic
Yes! Fun times, creativity, and under $8 for a starter pack. I would recommend getting a tub of Play-Doh or two for kids 3 and under. They want to smash and squish and can also eventually sculpt something out of Play-Doh.
My son really enjoyed using model magic! I often go to YouTube and put on tutorials about what ever we are to play with, so we all become familiar together. I found easy tutorials we could follow along, not too long, under 6 minutes is good. He made several figurines and told me he wants to get a larger started pack for next time.
I suggested we purchase some pins so we could glue on some figures to them and rock 'em on our clothes! Some art teachers do prefer to purchase white Model Magic and add color to the Model Magic using non toxic markers like Crayola or CraZart. You can find those tutorials on YouTube, too!
No Stress Chess (7+)
Well! Let me tell you some exciting news!! I know what a Rook is! lol, I learned how to play chess! I learned in 4 lessons, and feel confident enough to play chess with a few cheat cheats (cards come with the game to tell you each move).
No Stress Chess in an awesome board game that even experienced players will find interesting.
I recommend it for disciplined (that sit and find interest in things that take time to be explained) 6 year olds and up, you may get some tears if they loose, but it's history! This game is fun, and helps you to understand the game as you gain the confidence to move on to the next level. My son feels like a confident chess player. Since playing, he has won or drawn games on his chess app and on our MAC. Dope game.
Uno Flip
Lastly, we've been super duper into UNO Flip. It can make young ones frustrated due to the amount of cards you may end up collecting. My son has become frustrated with loosing and getting +5 cards in a row, but he is maturing with each game. The premise is the cards come in both dark and light colors. Light are the original Uno cards and the dark side or the flip is the harder version of Uno. It's a unique twist on a loved game. It's affordable, and it's fun! At home we have UNO flip, standard Uno and Uno Showdown. Of the three, UNO Flip and the original Uno are the best.
I hope you have games and activities you enjoy. If you don't, I promise these activities won't disappoint.
Have a wonderful day!!
Full of fun and play!
-Kathy
Not sponsored by any of the mentioned games or activities, honest reviews, always.