Remember when family game night meant everyone gathered around the table, laughing, getting slightly too competitive, and nobody asking where the iPad charger was?
If getting your crew away from their devices feels like a game in itself, we’ve found three Little Kids’ Games that could bring the fun back to the table. Think squishy pugs, wobbling chickens, exploding fireworks, and plenty of opportunities for Mum or Dad to get hilariously outplayed.
And because we think every family deserves a little more playtime together, six lucky Mum Central families will WIN all three games!
Meet Blue Orange Games
If Blue Orange Games is a new name in your games cupboard, consider this your introduction. The brand is all about creating clever, easy-to-learn games that bring kids and families together through play, with plenty of opportunities to practice skills like problem-solving, coordination, memory and quick thinking along the way. Best of all, the learning happens while everyone is busy playing, laughing, and trying very hard not to let Mum win.
From silly matching games for younger kids to balancing challenges and fast-paced games for older ones, there’s something for different ages and play styles. We’ve picked three Blue Orange games we love to introduce you to the range, and here’s why we think they deserve a spot in your family games cupboard.
Screen-Free Fun They’ll Actually Want to Play
We love a good family board game, especially one that sneaks a little learning into the fun without the kids cottoning on.
That’s exactly what caught our attention about these Little Kids’ Games from Blue Orange Games. Its games are designed around learning through play, with different options for different ages, personalities, and stages.
We’ve picked three Blue Orange games we think deserve a spot in the family games cupboard. One is silly and squishy, one requires a very steady hand, and the other could have the whole table shouting.
Ready? Let’s play.
1. Tongues Out: The One With the Very Cheeky Pugs
AGES: 4+
PLAYERS: 2–4
PLAY TIME: 10 minutes
RRP: $29.95
Someone has eaten all the lollipops. The suspects? A group of ridiculously cute pugs who have made one rather unfortunate mistake: their tongues have changed colour!
That’s the wonderfully silly premise behind Tongues Out, a matching game designed especially for younger players. And when your game involves squeezing chubby little pugs to make their colourful tongues pop out, convincing the kids to join in probably won’t be difficult.
The game is refreshingly easy to understand. Players roll two lollipop dice, check the colours they’ve rolled and then choose two pugs they think might have eaten the matching lollipops.
Now comes the bit little kids are going to LOVE.
Give each squishy pug a gentle squeeze and, blep! Its tongue pops out to reveal a colour. Find the two colours shown on the dice, and you’ve made a match. The first player to correctly match six pugs with their lollipop colours wins.
It’s simple, silly and wonderfully tactile, which makes it particularly appealing for kids who are only just discovering the fun of playing games with rules.
But while your four-year-old is busy interrogating a line-up of suspicious-looking pugs, there’s some clever learning happening in the background.
Players need to recognise and match colours, remember what they’ve discovered, and pay attention to where different coloured tongues might be hiding. That combination can help exercise memory, observation, and visual matching skills without turning playtime into a lesson.
There’s also the social side of playing together. Little ones get to practise following simple rules, taking turns, and dealing with the excitement of getting a match or the disappointment of squeezing the wrong pug. Those are useful early game-playing skills in themselves.
And because the concept is so straightforward, Tongues Out is a great introduction to more independent gameplay. Once children understand what they’re looking for, they can become much more involved in following the action themselves rather than needing Mum or Dad to explain every move.
The tactile element is another big win. Rather than simply moving pieces around a board, children get to pick up, investigate, and squeeze the little pug characters to reveal their tongues. It makes every guess feel like a tiny surprise.
And let’s be serious … what 4-year-old is going to turn down permission to squeeze a chubby pug until its tongue pops out?
With 2–4 players, Tongues Out works for sibling play, a playdate or a family game session with Mum and Dad. Its simple premise also makes it one of those handy games to bring out when younger kids want to join family game night but aren’t quite ready for complicated rules or lengthy rounds.
Why We Love It
- Easy for little ones to learn: The simple matching rules make Tongues Out a great introduction to family games for kids aged four and over.
- Wonderfully tactile: Kids get to squeeze the squishy pugs and watch their colourful tongues pop out, making every turn interactive and fun.
- Learning without feeling like learning: Colour recognition, matching, memory, and observation skills all get a workout while kids are busy playing.
- Encourages independent play: Once children understand the simple rules, they can become more confident playing without needing Mum or Dad to guide every move.
- Builds early social skills: Taking turns, following rules and celebrating (or missing!) a match help younger children learn how to play games with others.
- Seriously cute: Squishy pugs, colourful lollipops and surprise tongues? It has plenty of instant kid appeal.
2. Chickyboom: Steady Hands, Mums!
AGES: 4+
PLAYERS: 2–4
PLAY TIME: Around 10 minutes
RRP: $39.95
Everything is peaceful down on the farm… until somebody touches the chickens.
Chickyboom is a beautifully made wooden balancing game that looks deceptively simple. Chickens, hay bales, and wagon wheels are perched on a rocking wooden platform, and the challenge is to remove them one at a time without sending the whole lot tumbling down.
Sounds easy? Just wait until that perch starts wobbling.
Each player has to decide which piece they can safely remove next. Pick wisely, and the perch stays balanced. Make the wrong move, and suddenly those chickens look decidedly nervous.
That unpredictability is a big part of the fun. Kids can see the effect of every decision immediately as the balance shifts, helping them begin to understand cause and effect, weight and balance through hands-on play rather than having those concepts explained to them.
And because the pieces have different point values, there’s another clever layer to the game. Children aren’t simply trying to keep the chickens on their perch; they’re also collecting points, and the player with the highest score wins.
For younger players, that creates plenty of opportunities to practise counting and basic arithmetic without it feeling remotely like homework. Meanwhile, carefully lifting individual pieces from an increasingly wobbly perch puts hand-eye coordination, fine motor skills, and manual dexterity to work.
We also love that children can start thinking strategically. Do they grab the piece worth more points and risk upsetting the balance, or play it safe with something easier to remove?
It’s a wonderfully simple way to encourage problem-solving, patience and decision-making, especially for little ones who are beginning to understand that every move can have a consequence.
And then, of course, someone eventually makes the roost go CHICKYBOOM!
There’s plenty for parents to love about the game itself, too. Chickyboom is an all-wooden, sustainably made game, giving it the lovely tactile feel of a traditional wooden toy. The colourful farmyard pieces are super cute, and it’s the kind of game that looks just as inviting sitting on the table as it is fun to play.
With games lasting around 10 minutes, it’s also short enough to hold younger kids’ attention without becoming an afternoon-long commitment. Bring it out after school, on a rainy weekend or when you need something more engaging than another round of “Can I have the iPad?”
Best of all, the rules are straightforward enough for kids aged four and over, but the balancing challenge means Mum, Dad and older siblings can genuinely get involved too. And don’t assume being a grown-up gives you an advantage – one slightly overconfident move and those chickens are coming down.
Why We Love It
There’s a lot more going on here than simply trying not to topple a few chickens. Chickyboom packs plenty of developmental benefits into a game that still feels completely like play.
- Builds hand-eye coordination and dexterity: Carefully lifting chickens, wagon wheels and hay bales from a wobbly perch gives little hands plenty of fine-motor practice. The more precarious the balance becomes, the steadier those hands need to be.
- Teaches cause and effect: Every piece removed changes the balance of the perch. Kids can immediately see how one decision affects what happens next – especially when one ambitious move sends the whole roost crashing down.
- Sneaks in counting and basic maths: Each wooden piece has a point value, so children can practise recognising numbers, counting their points and working out who has the highest score without it feeling like a maths lesson.
- Encourages problem-solving and strategy: Which piece looks safest to remove? Is the higher-value chicken worth the risk? Children need to observe the perch, think ahead, and make their own decisions before committing to a move.
- Made for little hands: The chunky wooden pieces make Chickyboom particularly appealing for younger players aged four and over, while the simple premise means they can quickly understand what they need to do.
- Beautifully made for repeat play: We also love that it’s an all-wooden, sustainably made game. It has that tactile, traditional-toy feel parents love, while the unpredictable balancing challenge means no two rounds play out quite the same way.
And perhaps the biggest win? Kids are working on coordination, counting, patience and problem-solving, but they’re far too busy waiting for someone to make the chickens go CHICKYBOOM! to notice they’re learning.
3. Bing Bang Boom: Things Are About to Get LOUD
AGES: 7+
PLAYERS: 2–6
PLAY TIME: Around 10 minutes
RRP: $22.95
Got older kids who like their games fast, competitive, and just a little chaotic? Pull up a chair, because Bing Bang Boom is about to turn family game night into a race against the clock.
This one is all about speed, matching, and quick reflexes. Players have five cards in their hand and four spots in play, with one simple mission: launch those fireworks and get rid of your cards before they explode in your hand. Nobody wants to be the one left holding the dud!
Unlike a slower strategy game where everyone patiently waits for their turn, Bing Bang Boom keeps everyone involved and watching closely. Players need to recognise their opportunity, match their cards, and react quickly enough to get them down before someone else beats them to it.
And that’s when things can get wonderfully noisy.
Expect quick decisions. Expect shouting. Expect someone to celebrate a successful move as though they’ve just won an Olympic medal. And definitely expect at least one family member to become far more competitive than a 10-minute card game reasonably requires.
Underneath all that firework-themed chaos, however, kids are putting some useful skills to work. They need to recognise pairs, follow sequences, concentrate on what’s happening, and react quickly as the game changes around them.
That makes it a particularly good step up for older kids who are ready for something faster than the games they played when they were little. The recommended age is 7+, and with room for two to six players, siblings, parents, and friends can all pile in.
There’s also very little downtime. Everyone needs to pay attention because the next opportunity to play could appear at any moment. For kids who lose interest when games drag on between turns, that fast pace could be exactly what keeps them at the table.
Parents will appreciate the short play time too. A round takes around 10 minutes, making Bing Bang Boom easy to squeeze into an afternoon at home, after dinner, or whenever the kids announce they’re “boooored” five minutes after putting their screens away.
Of course, a 10-minute game doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll be finished in 10 minutes. Once somebody loses by getting stuck with the dud, there’s a fairly good chance you’ll hear those familiar words: “Again! Again!”
And because every round depends on how quickly players spot matches and respond, the game can feel different each time. One minute you’re confidently getting rid of your cards; the next, someone has beaten you to the play, and you’re scrambling to catch up.
Why We Love It
- Fast and action-packed: Around 10 minutes per round means there’s little chance for boredom to creep in.
- Great for older kids: Designed for ages 7+, it offers a faster, more competitive challenge for bigger kids.
- Builds quick-thinking skills: Players practise sequencing, recognising pairs, concentration and fast reflexes while trying to beat everyone else to the play.
- Keeps everyone involved: With 2–6 players, it works for siblings, friends or the whole family, and everyone needs to stay alert.
- Easy screen-free entertainment: No complicated setup or lengthy play session – just pull it out when you need a quick burst of family fun.
- Plenty of replay value: The fast-moving gameplay means every round can unfold differently, making “One more game!” almost inevitable.
- Big fun for $22.95: An affordable addition to the family games cupboard that can come out again and again.
Which Blue Orange Game Suits Your Little Player?
That’s perhaps our favourite thing about these three Little Kids’ Games: they don’t all ask children to play in the same way.
Got a younger child who loves tactile, silly fun? Tongues Out could be calling their name. Have a careful little thinker who loves building and balancing? Give Chickyboom a whirl.
And for older kids who love speed, shouting, and friendly competition, Bing Bang Boom brings the BOOM.
Or, of course, you could have all three…
WIN 1 of 6 Blue Orange Games Bundles!
Thanks to Blue Orange Games, we have SIX fabulous game bundles to give away, each valued at $93.
Each lucky winner will receive a prizepack containing a copy of Tongues Out, Chickyboom, and Bing Bang Boom, giving you three different ways to get the family around the table for some good old-fashioned screen-free fun. That’s a total prize pool of $558!
Simply complete the competition entry form below for your chance to win. Screens down. Game faces on. And may the least competitive parent survive.
GOOD LUCK!
This is a sponsored giveaway for Blue Orange Games.
