Fun Family Chess {Review}

I cannot remember a time when one or more of my children was not begging to play chess. With me or with one another. I am not a fan of screen time but with the many different hats I wear, it can be hard to keep my children focused and active in positive ways. Some days we seem to just survive and I want so much for my kids to thrive. So we have begun collecting (again) puzzles and board games, card games, craft materials – whatever I can find that will get them inspired and creating while also learning. Needless to say when I saw that there was the opportunity to review Fun Family Chess by Brain Blox, I was SO excited. My kids were too,and trust me, they are not always excited about reviews. My youngest is four and my oldest just turned fourteen but we always looking for fun games that every one of us can be a part of.

Brain Blox is an amazing company! This is a family company – one that seeks to help others thrive and have those strong, special relationships that are so vital! And with games like this, it isn’t such a struggle to get those screens turned off after all! This company has some great blocks (will share more about those in an upcoming post) and amazing looking journals that I hope to explore with my kids in the near future. All of these are designed to encourage and inspire! I love how they say:

“Toys for Happy Brains!

Brain Blox offers toys, games, and journals to empower families toward a more conscious, vibrant lifestyle.”

These are exactly the sort of things we want for our kids, right? I love anything that brings us into a more vibrant and conscious lifestyle. As they say, play should be meaningful and our kids should be able to explore and engage when it comes to their play time. This is a family company too – one that seeks to help others to thrive and have those strong, special relationships that are so vital! With things like this, it isn’t such a struggle to get those screens turned off after all.

So what is Fun Family Chess? This is so much more than a chess board. Simply put this is a two person chess game BUT there are lots of other options that are a part of this game which make it super fun for everyone (they recommend ages 5 and up). Fun Family chess is color coded – you learn as you play and the set includes:

Folding Wooden Chess Board
32 Wooden Chess Pieces in a Soft Pouch
Full Color Chess Book
2 Reference Cards
Chess Cube

While this is a standard chess board, what’s really handy is that it folds up so you can keep everything inside the sturdy hinged box which is also the board.

Since we spend lots of time out and about lately this is great for when we are travelling or just away from home too. It’s something any one of my four kids can do no matter where we go. There are also two draw-string velvet bags for storing the chess pieces. My youngest (who is five) loves the dice. My older daughter loves the cards that help her to see and remember what move each piece makes. My two oldest boys just appreciate being able to play with “their” own set.

This also includes a full color illustrated instruction book that contains instructions for how to play Fun Family Chess as well as the standard chess game. There are reference cards that you can use as you play. These are great and very durable and colorful. The cards give both an image and a short description of how each piece can move. There are also some nice tips included on these, off to the side.

There are lots of great videos that they share to help you learn how to play because, as they say, “Chess is fun for everyone.” I tend to agree.

One of those fond memories I have from long ago is sitting in front of a chess board. There’s nothing quite like it for developing those critical thinking skills! I cannot wait for warmer weather (as we enter fall haha) so we can take this to the park and picnic and play for hours.

https://youtu.be/KvwUuoUQEZA

There are lots of great videos that they share to help you learn how to play because, as they say, “Chess is fun for everyone.” I tend to agree.

I am always impressed by something my kids enjoy for extended times. I lov not hearing about being bored. With this, there are so many ways to learn and continue growing in your ability as you play. It’s something that is bringing all of my kids together (how we need that). Play, learn, grow with chess!