Beet-iful Beetles

Our son loves digging around in the mud. He rescues woodlouse and finds the wriggliest worms to gift to our hens. And I think we have Build a Beetle to thank for that!

Build a Beetle is a mini-game from Orchard Toys which publish a great collection of games for younger players. Each one helps to reinforce kids’ learning in ways that is engaging, colourful, and fun!

Build a Beetle is a simple but fun set collection game for 2-4 players. Each player has a set of beetle parts which are numbered – they all get muddled together in the middle of the table, but you know the colour you’re hunting for. Each turn, the active player spins the spinner and if the right number comes up, they get to add that piece to the beetle they are building. But, like all good puzzles, certain pieces have to be in place first – you can’t for example spin and place a head if there’s no body below it! The winner is the first person to build their beetle!

Final Thoughts

This is a sweet, set collection, pattern matching game that helps to develop visual skills as well as perspective and logic. Spinning and finding the correct piece and then deciding if it can be added to the developing bug is a lovely, short chain of decisions. And definitely ones that players within the recommended age range (4-8) can own. Having to spin a 6 is a sneaky way to start too, as some players can be one or two parts into their beetle before the spinner lets others jump in! And that’s great for parents or older kids who are playing, but the littlest ones might benefit from a house-rule if the 6s just aren’t coming their way.

All the components are sturdy cardboard. The spinner arrow is plastic, and our wheel has lasted a fair few years now. It can be a bit of a squeeze fitting everything back in the wee box but it does make this an excellent game for travelling as it takes up hardly any space! With a short play time, it’s also a great one for playing anytime!

If you think Build a Beetle might be a good one for your family, check out the other mini-games in the Orchard Toys range too!

This blog was written by Favouritefoe