Dice, Decks, and Boards: Mermaid Island

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Our children love playing board games and board games that are cooperative are a big hit with my husband and me because they teach great team-building skills to our children. One game that our children enjoy playing is Mermaid Island from Peaceable Kingdom. It is a great game for any time of the year but especially for summertime!

What Is the Goal of the Game?

Children, ages five and up, work together to help the mermaids swim across the waves to reach Mermaid Island before the Sea Witch can get to the island. The game is perfect for 2 to 6 players and is very easy to set up and play.

How Do You Play the Game?

All three mermaids begin at the start area while the Sea Witch starts in Seaweed Triangle on the game board. The four wand tokens are placed on the appropriate spaces on the game board. Children take turns spinning to see if they move a mermaid one or two spaces or if the Sea Witch gets to move ahead one space. If the mermaid lands on a space with a wand, all players get the opportunity to use the wand to move the Sea Witch back one space. If the Sea Witch lands on the space, the wand is removed from the game. There is also the chance for a mermaid to skip spaces if she lands at a space leading to a bridge. The mermaid can immediately cross the bridge to skip spaces while the Sea Witch does not get to use the bridges at all.

Children work together to move all three of the mermaid tokens to Mermaid Island. If all three make it, everyone wins! If the Sea Witch gets to the Mermaid Island, the game is over and the mermaids lose.

Beyond the Game

What can you do after you are done playing the Mermaid Island game?

• Visit the beach 
• Build a sandcastle 
• Research manatees which have been compared to mermaids 
• Go for a swim 
• Mermaid shows at Weeki Wachee Springs State Park in Florida 

Mermaid Island is great for children who cannot read and beginning readers because there is no reading required. Even with reading being unnecessary, learning still takes place! Your children will practice strategy practices, learn to make decisions together, develop social and emotional skills, and cooperate.

Do Your Children Enjoy Games?

We have shared a number of board games, dice games, and card games at A Mom's Quest to Teach including:

• Tenzi Game – a fun fast-paced game of rolling dice – there are many ways to play using the Tenzi Card Deck 
• Koala Capers – an easy card game for young children that reviewing colors and patterns 
• Cauldron Quest – a cooperative game where everyone works together to beat the wizard