Mermaid Island

I first saw Peaceable Kingdom's cooperative board games as a preschool teacher, and knew that I wanted to get some for my children as they grew. I chose Mermaid Kingdom for my 4 year old who loves mermaids. We have been playing with it for over a year (she's now 5), and she still enjoys it. She has also taught her 2 year old sister to play, and it's simple enough that they can play together without adult input. Basically, the players work together to advance 3 mermaids along the board using a spinner. They have to get the mermaids to their kingdom before the sea witch (who has her own "slice" on the spinner). There are also "wands" that players can choose use if the sea witch is closing in. In terms of strategy, it's not too challenging-- it is geared for preschoolers, after all. I found it really helpful for teaching my girls how to take turns and move game pieces without the anxiety that winning or losing seems to cause them. As they get older, I imagine that they will start to use strategy and social cues to move their mermaids more intentionally (even now they talk about how the mermaids "feel" about being left behind or how happy they are to be together sharing a space. This would probably be a good opportunity to discuss friendships and feelings with them, but I haven't taken the time yet). The game is bright and appealing, without extraneous packaging or pieces (ie, it is easy to clean up). We have had it for a year and a half in a home daycare setting and it has been relatively durable. We did lose one part of the spinner, and the company was exremely pleasant to deal with and quickly replaced the spinner. Incidentally, although this is a cooperative game and is very fun and useful as such, it can also easily be modified into a more traditional competitive type board game for individuals or teams once your child is ready for or interested in practicing good sportsmanship. Or if grandpa just can't wrap his head around cooperative play. ;)

My kids love it. Simple, fun game. Kids are 7 and 4

It’s perfect and helpful

Combine a mermaid theme with cooperative play, and you've got an instant win for young children. My girls, ages 6 & 3, have played this game almost daily since getting it. That said, I'm somewhat baffled by the "5 and up" suggested age range. We own several Peaceable Kingdom board games, and this is actually one of the simpler ones. It requires considerably less strategy than both Hoot, Owl, Hoot! and Seeds for the Birds (both recommended for ages 4 and up) and significantly less than Lost Puppies (also rated for ages 5 and up). Mermaid Island is more a game of luck than strategy. If the mermaids get a head start on the sea witch, it is virtually impossible for her to catch up. If the sea witch gets a head start, the game becomes moderately challenging. But even then, since the mermaids may avail themselves of shortcuts and the sea witch is forced to take the longer route one square at a time, the mermaids quickly leave her behind. It's a fun game for the preschool crowd, but not necessarily one I would choose for older kids. I'll also mention that the plastic stand that's supposed to hold the sea witch character snapped in half the second time we used it. I'm not sure whether we got a defective one or whether the piece is just that weak, but we're a family of board gamers and have never before had a stand snap in half through routine use.

This game is the perfect game to play with my family! My daughter is 3 and my son is 5 and we have a great time working together to build the puzzles before all the shells get washed away! Would recommend this game to any family!

We had such a wonderful time playing the Peaceable Kingdom game "Stone Soup", that my daughters chose "Mermaid Island" to next add to our Family Game Night collection. Stone soup is a memory/chance game and this game has a good mix of strategy/chance - very different games, but with the same collaborative spirit! While it says it is for players aged 5 and up, my 2.5 year old was very capable of playing this game with her sister (Stone Soup is still a little difficult for her, so this was a perfect choice!) Her sister helped guide her to better choices for the team strategy, which was adorable to watch. Players have to work together to move the three mermaids collaboratively to Mermaid Island before the Sea Witch gets there. The night was filled with lots of laughing and squealing as the girls tried to evade the Sea Witch! As soon as we finished, they wanted to play again. The pieces are durable and we love that they are made of naturally sourced materials. This is a great game for the mermaid-obsessed set!

Girls (3,5,8) love this game. It’s a cooperative game which I enjoy because my girls are very competitive so it teaches them teamwork.

Very fun and cute game

All the games I’ve gotten from this company are well played and enjoyed by a 3 and 5 year old. I’d recommend to anyone with young kids, helps teach to play together.

My 5 years old daughter loves it. It's pretty simple so I wouldn't recommend it for older kids, 7+. It was hard to find board game that will be good for 5 years old. This one is the best I have seen so far. I love that it's truly cooperative game, without competition between players.

4歳女児のために購入しました。ボドゲは3歳から行っており、子供用の「果樹園」や「雲の上のユニコーン」などを好んで行っています。 幼児あるあるだとは思いますが、プレイヤー同士で順位がつくゲームは劣勢になると不機嫌になったり、負けると泣いてしまいますので、幼児でも出来る協力型のゲームを増やしたく、購入しました。 ディズニープリンセスに馴染みがありますので、すぐに「アリエルの仲間を助けるゲーム」と理解し、楽しく遊んでいます。 「魔女」に大きな差を付けられて負けてしまうこともありますが、ギリギリで逆転出来ることもあり、概ね良いゲームバランスだと感じます。 ※日本語訳のゲームルールブックは、橋やアイテムに関する記述が不十分と感じました。英語のルールブックを読むか、スマホカメラで翻訳して読むことをおすすめします。

I got this game for my 4 year old and she loves it. I really like how it is cooperative rather than competitive. You work together to beat the sea witch. It encourages problem solving and critical thinking skills.

Easy fun game to play with my 4 year old