Janod Barnyard Dominoes
(Janod $24.99 Score:)

Cows, ducks, hens, tractors and farmer's hat and boots are easy to match on these wooden dominos. Turn them over and play a traditional match the dots domino game. Finished in smooth natural wood these are basic gear that will be used for naming and knowing as well as for matching, stacking, or collapsing games. 28 pieces. 

SNAP: Introduce the playing pieces by finding all the cows as a first game, finding all the sheep as another game...etc. Playing a traditional game of dominoes can wait. Knowing and naming and matching builds the readiness for the old-fashioined game. These are nice for stacking and lining up, too.

Age: Toddlers, Preschool. Award Year: 2013.

Animals! Matching Game
(Chronicle $14.99 Score:)

There are so many concentration style matching games and many of them have beautiful art work. This game is one of the winning choices. Bob Barber, an illustrator did this handsome set with pen, ink, watercolors, cut and torn paper and his computer. The result is a charming collection and each card is labeled with the names of the 36 animals. Though the animals are not realistically drawn they are easy to identify and good for developing language as well as matching skills.

Age: Preschool, Early School Years. Award Year: 2011.

Memory Game Sesame Street Edition
(Hasbro $16.99 Score:)

Our testers really enjoyed this new version of the classic game featuring their favorites: Big Bird, Elmo, Abby Cadabby, etc. The colorful cards are made of sturdy, easy-to-pick up stock that will hold up to lots of rounds. Comes with 36 picture cards. As you start introducing this game to younger players, use half the pairs to begin. This kind of memory game builds readiness for matching and recall, skills needed when they start learning to read more abstract symbols like letters and words. Better to start with pictures. 

Age: Preschool. Award Year: 2011. Click here to purchase the product on Amazon.com.

Flipover!
(ThinkFun $19.99 Score:)

Deal the cards and place on card in the Barnyard flipper. First player hits the flipper and that reveals half an animal. Players look at their cards. One player will have the other half of the animal and place it on the barn. Now, that player flips the card and reveals the next animal half. Play continues until one player uses up all of his cards. This can be played by 2-6 players. The name of the animal is printed on both halves for another form of matching. But this is a game that can be played by pre-readers and helps them see part whole relationships as well as learning to take turns. It's fast enough so that players get lots of chances to win a round. Testers liked the action of the card flipper, although sometimes the cards need a little straightening. 4 & up.

Age: Preschool, Early School Years. Award Year: 2010. Click here to purchase the product on Amazon.com.

Goodnight Moon Game
(Briarpatch $19.95 Score:) This utterly simple, but right on the mark, game features illustrations from M.W. Brown's classic GOODNIGHT MOON. Children take turns picking and matching cards with pictures on their lotto-style playing boards. There's no reading or counting, but this is good for developing language and recalling the story many kids can recite. 1-4 players. 2 and a half and up. SNAP INFO: A charming matching game that features illustrations from M.W. Brown's classic GOODNIGHT MOON. Children take turns picking and matching cards with pictures on their lotto-style playing boards. There's no reading or counting, but this is good for talking about what's happening in the pictures. 1-4 players.

Age: Preschool. Award Year: 1999.

Finders Keepers Game
(International Playthings $16.99 Score:) Players draw three small picture cards and race to be the first to find matching object on the playing board. Winner is first to find 15 objects. Don't be put off by the graphics on the box. The game illustrations are clear and not cartoonist. His is a challenging matching game that enlarged vocabulary, too. For two-four players. 4-8.

Age: Preschool. Award Year: 2002.

Touch N Play Lotto
(Guidecraft $32 Score:) SNAP INFO: Four wooden playing boards and matching Lotto pieces have raised textured shapes for sensory feedback through the fingertips. This is an excellent choice for children with visual disabilities. (800) 544-6526.

Age: Preschool,Early School Years. Award Year: 2000.

eeBoo I Never Forget A Face Memory Game
(eeBoo $12.95 Score:) Our almost-five-year-old tester proclaimed this the best memory and matching game ever (after resoundingly beating his grandma in several rounds). Features illustrated faces of kids from around the world. A classic concentration game for a new generation. 3 & up. The company has signed a verification form complying with our safety requirements. We did not independently test this toy in a lab.

Age: Preschool. Award Year: 2005.

IQ Preschool Around the Blocks
(Small World Toys $25 Score:) A high-quality set of 26 blocks with upper and lowercase letters, plus images to match the letters. All store in a big cloth bag. SNAP Activity: Use these blocks for playing sound games. Put blocks with three distinctive sounds in sight. Ask child to find the block that has the same sound as the word you say. (800) 421-4153.

Age: Preschool. Award Year: 2005.

Rainbow Race
(International Playthings $18 Score:)

Each player gets playing pieces that are the colors of the rainbow. A card is drawn that shows the colors in different order. Players race to stack their colors to match the rainbow card. This is a game that calls for visual memory, sequencing and speed, not to mention dexterity. They say 3 & up, we think this would be challenging but fun for older 4’s-7.
        The company has signed a verification form complying with our safety requirements. We did not independently test this toy in a lab.
 

Age: Preschool, Early School Years. Award Year: 2009. Click here to purchase the product on Amazon.com.