Written by Stacy Payne, M.S., CCC-SLP

I just bought a fantastic new (well, new to me) board game for my pediatric practice that I absolutely love!  It’s called Balloon Lagoon and it’s from the Cranium family of games.  It’s billed as “The Four-in-One Carnival Game for Kids!” and is recommended for children five years and older.  Balloon Lagoon has already won the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Best Toy Award.  Kids LOVE this game; my clients ask to play it week after week.

The object of the game is to gather as many balloons as possible by winning carnival themed games.  At “Letter Lake,” a fishing pole is used to “fish” for letters needed to spell the selected word from a word book. This is great for literacy development.  I incorporate speech-sound work/phonics by having the child tell me what sound each letter makes.  Then there is the “Frog Pond” which is great for fine motor development and eye-hand coordination.  Kids have to hop flip-frogs back into their pond using their finger tips.  In “Tumble Tides” a picture is chosen from a flipbook and then four wheels must be spun to find the matching combination.  My favorite is the “Snack Hut,” a Yahtzee type game that requires reasoning, problem solving and quick thinking.  All of these games are timed by a great carnival tune that starts when you activate the merry-go-round.

The game is well made, with lots of attention to detail.  The Cranium folks have really captured the spirit of a carnival.  Balloon Lagoon will challenge your child’s linguistic, cognitive and fine motor skills.  They’ll be having so much fun that they won’t even know they’re learning.  By the way, you’ll have a blast, too!

You can find it at most retail stores that carry children’s games.  You can also visit their website at www.cranium.com.