Noodleboro Games - playing and learning good manners!

My kids and I have recently stumbled into the town called "Noodleboro" - it is a place where kids practice sharing, using good manners, and listening well.  Don't you want to call your travel agent right now?  Well, I have good news - this is a place you get to visit while playing the new line of "Noodleboro" games.  Each game comes with a CD of silly audio fun, a storybook that introduces the characters & town and the social skill that will be honed while playing these fun games, and of course the game itself.  We like that the audio cd and storybook come with these games because it gives us multiple opportunities to practice these essential skills that we moms are always trying to hone with our kids.  We love that these games take two of our favorite things - books AND board games - and combines them to make practicing social skills really fun!  Aside from their fabulous games, there is also a great resource page on the Noodleboro website where I found some cute "incentive charts" to use when you want to reinforce positive behaviors in your kids.  Go here to see them.

Here are some of the choices:

Noodleboro Learning to Share Fun Park Game

In the corresponding story book, the kids learn that "The Fun Park" is in town and Curtis has his heart set on winning a special prize! But a shove from Pushy Pete sends his hopes down the drain. The friends rally and use their sharing to save the day!

Play the game: Come one, come all to the NOODLEBORO Fun Park – a place filled with games and carnival fun. In this game, kids play together to collect as many sharing stars as they can before the park closes. It’s all about having fun and helping friends by sharing. The whole team wins by collecting stars together. This is a great game to play when your kids are getting competitive with each other. It reinforces the values of working as a team, and offers a hands on way for our kids to practice sharing with each other. This is my favorite of all the Noodleboro games. I will say that I found the instructions to be a bit confusing, but push through your confusion, because it is worth it!  When one of my kids gets a little frustrated and starts to get a bit "pushy", the other now says to him, "Hey, please don't be like Pushy Pete!"

Noodleboro Learning About Manners Picnic Basket Game

Play the game:   It’s hard to have a perfect picnic party when ants keep trying to steal your food! Just say “please” and “thank you” to send those pesky ants packing and collect all the items that will make the picnic a success. After reading the story about Rachel, who does not use good manners with her friends, my kids were trying hard to use kind words and good manners with each other.  Playing this game helped them practice it, and they thought it was really fun!

Noodleboro Learning to Listen Pizza Palace

In the corresponding storybook, the kids learn about when Chef Listentino stubbed his toe and needs to rest. Avery and Earnest offer to run the pizza shop for him. Read the book to see how things go wrong when Avery doesn’t listen and does things his way.

Play the game :   Pepperoni, eggs, stinky socks – you never know what toppings your customer will order at the NOODLEBORO Pizza Palace. That’s why in this game it’s important for kids to listen and pay attention to orders before heading into the kitchen. My kids thought it was so silly that someone might order a pizza with ice cream or stinky socks on it.  And, playing this game did help them practicing listening to details and instructions that are sequential (kind of like when we say - "Go get your shoes, put them on, and meet my by the door."), and they LOVED it!

You can find these games at your local toy store, Target or Wal-Mart.  If you want to see an extensive list of retailers, click here.