Favorite things: A cat puzzle and other games create hours of fun
Cat Stax, $15.99, brainwright.com (Brain Wright)
Cat Stax, $15.99, brainwright.com (Brain Wright)
Strike It, $39.00, blueorangegames.com. (Handout)
David Wiesner's Spot, for iOS. $6.99. (Handout)
Image from "Tales from Deep Space." $6.99. (Handout)
TRY TO HERD THESE CATS
Each Cat Stax card presents a challenge: arrange the colorful felines atop the grid so kitties cover every square. The solutions to the 48 puzzles range in complexity from groupings of flat cats to multi-cat layers.
Ages 8 and up $15.99
brainwright.com
WOOD YOU LIKE TO PLAY?
In Strike It, players take turns tossing the wooden Striker Stick, trying to knock down numbered pins. The winner? The first to topple a combination that totals exactly 25 — harder than you’d think!
Ages 7 and up $39.99
2 to 6 players
blueorangegames.com
DIGITAL GAMES WE LOVE
More classic video game than app, “Tales from Deep Space” has kids solve puzzles to help two characters escape from a space station. Parent-pleasing feature: all game levels and gadgets are included upfront, meaning no in-game purchases.
Amazon Fire and iOS
Ages 7 and up $6.99
David Wiesner’s Spot evokes wonder with its combination of art from the Caldecott Medal winner and familiar technology. Kids explore miniature worlds simply by pinching and zooming images on an iPad. A ladybug’s spot becomes an island, which in turn leads to a secret lab, and so on.
iOS
Ages 4 and up $6.99
