2-3 Year Old Game: Hullabaloo

The kids have been doing so well with their colors and shapes I decided to put them to the test with this fun game.

We were introduced to Hullabaloo through a babysitter who played it with Bug. Don't be discouraged by the ages 4+ sign. If your child knows their shapes and colors, you can help them with the rest. We love this game so much I'm thinking about making my own version for other things like numbers and letters. I'll attach a link at the bottom for those who want to make their own.

Here's how you play. The game has 16 mats that are various shapes and colors (red, blue, green, purple, square, circle, and triangle, and a squiggly shape). There is a red circle, blue circle, green circle, etc. Each pad has a food, instrument, or animal printed on it. For instance, a red circle with a frog, a green triangle with a tiger, etc. Spread these mats around the room so there is at least a foot in between each pad. The game comes with a little player that plays music and shouts out directions to the children. At the beginning, everyone stands on a purple pad. The purple pads are only used for starting places. Then the game gives a command. For instance, "Stand on a blue pad. Spin to a triangle. Crawl to an animal." Eventually the game says something like, "Stand on a circle. Freeze! Whoever is standing on the ice cream wins!". The winner is then told to take a bow or do a silly dance.

I was surprised how quickly the kids picked it up. That being said, I would avoid playing it with kids under 2 1/2 years old. Our youngest player is still learning his shapes and colors and had a hard time grasping the game. Although he still had a blast running around the room and jumping on pads with his friends!

If you'd like to make your own, here is a site I found: Make Your Own Hullabaloo.