Make 'n' Break - Building Block Game for Toddlers through Adults

Make 'N' Break is a simple and fun construction blocks game that builds spatial reasoning and logical skills, eye-hand coordination, gross and fine motor skills, and poise under pressure in your toddler or preschooler. And it's so fun that you'll want to take it back out after the little ones go to bed and play it with your older kids and adult friends.

Make 'n' Break is recommended for ages eight and up, with variations in the rules to even things out for players of mixed abilities. We simplified it even more for our three-year-old (pictured here), and I can imagine it even working for two-year-olds. Inside the box, you'll find ten colorful wooden building blocks, a timer, eighty cards with diagrams of structures to build, point counters, and a die.

This video will give you a glimpse of the simple, yet fast-paced action of Make 'N' Break.

My whole family, including our kids from age three to ten and their grandparents, love Make 'n' Break. It simple, fun, and fast-paced. We usually ditch the timer and take turns building the structures. The cards are numbered one, two, or three for level of difficulty. Our toddler plays with the level one cards. The rest of us use the others. Like Jenga, Make 'n' Break is a balancing game that uses blocks to build structures, but unlike Jenga, there really isn't the pressure of being the one to knock down the tower. Highly recommended!

Ravensburger actually makes five different Make 'n' Break Games including a mini version, a children's version, a challenge version, and an extreme version (which looks a little like analog tetris). You can check them out below. I haven't tried any but the "Family Game" version that I'm reviewing here. If you have played any of the others, please share in the comments section below.

• Team Make 'n' Break - To help your children learn to give and follow directions, or just to have more people in on the action simultaneously, play in teams. One player looks at the card and gives instructions. The other play doesn't get to see the card and builds based on the partner's instructions. (Teaches children to give and follow instructions with colors, left, right, on, under, etc.)
• No Timer - Take the time pressure off by having players take turns drawing a car and building a structure. This is the way we usually play in my family with the kids.
• Level the Playing Field - Use the timer to even things out. The player who is ahead after the first round gets less time in the next round. Adjust to fit your situation.

(photo by Eszter Hargittai CC2.0)