Ravensburger Hop, Waddle, Stomp! - An Active Animal Puzzle Game for Ages 2+

Both my 3 year old and 6 year old really enjoy this game!

We LOVE this game. It’s active bc you have to stand and move the pieces. Perfect game to learn how to play games. Ideal age is a 2-3 year old imo. My only complaint is the puzzles could be a bit more clear how they match. There’s really not much to guide a small kid unless they guess both spots it can go in the corresponding animal family. Highly recommend.

I bought this for my son's 3rd birthday. He was the perfect age to comprehend it right away and we've been loving the introduction of family game nights

My almost 3 yr old grandchild loves this game and it fun to see the interaction from it.

Such a fun, active game for my 3 year old

Hop, Waddle, and Stomp! is a game for ages 2 and up, and it plays 1-4 players. The point of the game is to complete the animal puzzles by uniting the animal families with their two babies. The family animal boards go in one area, such as the kitchen table, and the baby pictures are turned upside down in another area, say a small table just outside the kitchen table. Depending on the age of the child, the family boards can be very close to the baby puzzle pieces, such as at the other end of the same table. Or they could be in another room out of sight. That's one of the great things about this game -- it grows as the child grows. Younger players begin by talking about the animal families. What are they? What sounds do they make? How do they move? Then discuss the ball. What colors are on it? Then the small puzzle pieces (called animal cards) are placed in piles face down according to the colors on their backs. Ideally you then have four stacks to pull from: red, blue, yellow, and green. The child rolls the ball and then picks up a card that matches the color on the top of the ball. They turn it over and identify the animal -- "fish!" "horse!" and then make that sound and move the way that animal does as they move across the room to the parent pieces to complete part of the puzzle. (See photos for an idea of how the game works.) For younger children, the game is over when all the families have been reunited. Older children can divide the family boards evenly and the first one to finish their boards is the winner (but continue playing until everyone's boards are completed. We don't want any of the animal babies to be alone!) If a child in the older version draws a piece that doesn't match one of their own family boards, the piece goes back into the middle face down and the next player rolls. Very young children might not know their colors, or all the animals. What then? Play with the animals they know. Two of the photos I included show the eight cards divided into two sets. We'll call them Animals We Know and Animals Around the World. A two year old might not know what a penguin is. That can be taught later. Drop the penguins out of the game and play with the others. Or choose four of the animals the child does know to make a shorter game, and add in animals as they learn about them. Nonverbal children and children who don't know their colors will probably be able to point to the matching color if shown one. The photo with four cards and the ball explains this strategy. Before playing, set up four of the cards as shown, and then roll the ball. Point to the matching color. Do this until all the colors have been covered (duplicates are okay. Keep rolling). Then roll the ball and ask the child to show which color is on top. If the child can do that, and they know at least two animals, they can play this game. In single player mode, the child takes the animal cards, either face up or face down, and completes the animal families. This is a really nice game for families with young children and pre-readers. Have fun!

Pros: Good quality - thick puzzle pieces Clear instructions Most important: it gets kids moving Cons: not any so far As mentioned in the description the Hop, Waddle, Stomp is a fun and active game that helps toddlers learn about motor skills, animal recognition, color matching, direction following, and turn taking. One of the things I love about this game is the quality of the puzzle pieces. They are thick and sturdy, which means they can withstand plenty of use from little hands without getting bent or damaged. The game is built to last. The instructions are easy to follow, this is an important point because it makes it easy to teach young children how to play a new game. Without any complicated strategies, we can focus on having fun with my son. What really sets "Hop, Waddle, Stomp" apart is the way it gets kids moving around. Unlike many other games that involve sitting still, this game encourages kids to get up and be active. They'll have to hop like a frog, waddle like a penguin, and stomp like an elephant. To let them to learn important skills while having fun! I do recommend "Hop, Waddle, Stomp" to anyone looking for a fun and engaging game that promotes physical activity and learning. It's well-made, easy to play, and sure to provide hours of entertainment for the kids. So, 5 out of 5 stars!

I swear, I have bought so many games and activities that I later realized weren’t age appropriate. It’ll say 2+, but then it has so many parts, pieces and rules that it really isn’t age appropriate. This however, has been fantastic. The beanbag is extremely durable and has been thrown all around our house. The pieces are minimal (one big, two small, for each puzzle). This means you don’t have a 30 piece puzzle that your child gets bored off. The pieces are thick too and have held up to a toddler jamming the wrong pieces in place and being stepped on. The game is easy to learn, with just the right amount of fun and engagement to keep your toddler entertained. The game itself is fairly compact; a pretty small box to keep them all in. My pro-tip is to take a picture of the instruction (or make a copy), so the rules aren’t torn up or ripped. The game is awesome and would make a great gift for someone with a toddler, or for a parent who needs a new activity for their kid (that isn’t tv!)