There cannot be many folk across the land that haven’t played Snakes and Ladders. What do you think? Have you played? I guess in this digital age and with so many different board games now available it could be very easy for this board game classic to be forgotten.

I’ve recently introduced my young children to this game. They are preschool age and I have been looking for ways to introduce them to board games within their capability and understanding. This one ticks those boxes.

Rules of play.

The board layout is a 10 by 10 square grid. The numbers 1 up to 100 printed on the 100 squares. As well as numerous snakes and ladders of all different lengths.

The game is for 2-6 players. Players take in turns rolling a single d6 dice. On their turn roll the dice and move that many squares along, If you hit a ladder, move your playing piece up the ladder. Hit the head of a snake and fall back down the board to the tip of the snake’s tail.

First player to square 100 is the winner. Some rules note you need the correct number to end otherwise if you roll too high you bounce back off the 100. We do not play that way, that is just a house will. If you get to 100, you win!

Problems with the game.

This game has huge flaws in it. It is a game purely driven off of the luck of a player’s dice roll. A player has no influence in the outcome. Strategy, tactics, choice, none of it exists in this game. The best you can do is different ways of rolling the dice.

This makes the game very painful to play and very uninteresting. Particularly if you repeatedly hit snakes and go backwards. There’s nothing you can do. Don’t get me wrong, hitting the base of a ladder is a lot of fun and climbing closer to the finish line.

The game can just drag though as no thought is required. Depending on your children also, patience can wear thin and frustrations set in as a result. So tread carefully here.

Why am I blogging about it?

Good question as my above section is hardly positive. I picked this game because it is also the perfect choice for introducing basic gaming mechanics to young children as there is not much happening that they need to think about. They are, however, learning to take turns in play, they are learning how to share.

They are learning to feel the elation and excitement when something goes well. Like climbing ladders. They are learning to feel disappointment when they hit a snake and fall.

Critically they are learning to win and lose and what that feels like. My children are not yet aware they have no choice to make in the game. They are enjoying the shared experience of a board game with family and all the excitement and social interaction that brings for them. They love it. It doesn’t matter that it is an awful board game. They are having fun playing and that is the only thing that matters for me as a parent. I want them to enjoy their experiences. I want them to learn and feel disappointment if the result doesn’t go their way, but if they had a great time along the way, then perhaps that outweighs the final result.

Final Thoughts

Snakes and Ladders is a classic board game for sure. It probably isn’t the family go to game any more due to how many better games are now out there and available to play. For young children just starting out in games, it is an absolute gem.