Orchard Toys + Kids Books

Orchard Toys creates bright, colourful games that are slightly educational but mostly a lot of fun to play with your 2-6-year-olds. They are edutainment resources for rainy days, homeschooling, intentional parenting, and those long days when your kid is ready for school, but still in kinder.

We have had a few of them over the years and they have been much loved. The skills children learn as they play include matching, counting, basic addition and subtraction, money handling, telling time, and rhyming. We had a bug bingo mini-game that came with Tobin and me on a hospital stay when he had pneumonia. We used a shopping game to supplement school tasks about money during a lockdown.

I’m always happy to recommend Orchard Toys games as I have found them to be very high quality and durable. We’ve used our games dozens of times and I’m starting to pass them on to other families to continue using for many more years. At the price point, it is very reasonable to pair one of these great games with an age-appropriate picture book. Below are some suggestions for matching books and games.

Pop to the Shops + Don’t Forget the Bacon, by Pat Hutchins

Pop to the Shops is a board game designed to give children the opportunity to begin to grasp the concepts and maths of money. Everyone starts with some coins and they must travel to other shops to buy items and fill their basket with groceries.

Pat Hutchin’s books are now quite old, but their longevity is a testament to the quality of her work. When we’ve read them none of my kids mentioned anything about how retro the illustrations looked, they simply enjoyed the books for what they are. Don’t Forget the Bacon is a bit of a classic, clearly written in days before helicopter parents were conceived of as a thing. A young boy is sent to the shops with a list of items for his mum. Along the way, he gets distracted by the goings-on in his neighbourhood but tries his best to remember everything, especially the bacon.

Bus Stop + Last Stop on Market Street, by Matt De La Pena and Christian Robinson

Bus Stop is a game that gives kids an basic introduction to addition and subtraction. Players roll a dice, move around the board and must either add or take away passengers from their bus. It’ll pretty straight forward, so is a fun way to begin those early recognition of maths symbols and concepts.

Last Stop on Market Street is an award-winning picture book about a young boy who takes a ride with his grandmother. Readers get to see the world through the eyes of a young child as he comments on the people, places, and things they see. He even astutely asks why they don’t have a car of their own.

Red Dog, Blue Dog + Red House, Blue House, Green House, Treehouse, by Jane Godwin and Jane Reiseger

Red Dog, Blue Dog is a simple enough matching game for young children who are starting to learn colours and shapes. I’ve paired with with a picture book for preschoolers from renowned children’s author, Jane Godwin. If you haven’t yet gone down the rabbit hole of trying to read all of Jane Godwin’s titles, good luck to you. It’s a long way down before you get to the end, luckily it’ll be a pleasant and edifying trip.

Shopping List + Shopping List, by Robin Gale

Playing shops is such a fun role-playing game for young children. They benefit so much from the chance to copy actions they have seen adults do. It gives them an opportunity to act out what’s in their heads.

For young children who like to play shops, this game has children find and match items to the items on their shopping list. The book I’ve matched it with is a fun board book with large pop-out items so that kids can continue to play shops at home.

Dinosaur Lotto + The Worrysaurus, The Hugasaurus and The Stompysaurus, by Rachel Bright and Chris Chatterton

This is a bingo-type game for very young children. Perfect for a dino-obsessed preschooler who wants everything with a prehistoric flavour.

There are hundreds of dinosaur books to choose from that would be perfect for this age group. I’ve chosen my favourite, an emotion-recognition series by Rachel Bright and Chris Chatterton. Each book has rhyming that is on point, illustrations that are sweet and delightful, and a message that is important.

Penguin Pairs + Plume: World Traveller and Plume: Global Nibbler, by Tania McCartney

Penguin Pairs is a very basic matching game that could be played with children as young as 18 months old. All they have to be able to do is look at a penguin and try to find the one that looks identical. The game can be made more difficult by turning the penguins over and having the child remember where they have seen their matching penguin.

The Plume series is a recent release from acclaimed Australian author/illustrator Tania McCartney. The series take readers around the world as Plume sets out on an adventure of discovery. The illustrations are brilliant and the concept is a fun way to introduce young children to new places.

Giraffes in Scarves + The Smartest Giant in Town, by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler

This is another fun game for preschoolers. They roll a dice, find a card to match the colour on the dice and add that section of ‘neck’ to their giraffe. The winner is the person with the most scarves on their giraffe. Just like all the other games, the graphics are silly, funny and colorful and will make kids excited to do some counting.

It was always going to be unlikely that I would put together a list this long of book and gift pairings that didn’t include a book by Julia Donaldson. The Smartest Giant in Town is one of her more obscure books, probably because it isn’t completely written in rhyme. the reason it’s paired with this game is because it features a giraffe in need of a scarf.

Spotty Sausage Dogs + Odd Dog Out, by Rob Biddulph

This was an easy paring to make. Other than Schnitzel Von Krumm, there aren’t many really good picture books about sausage dogs. Odd Dog Out has brilliant illustrations, rhymes, and a strong message about being true to yourself, even when it means you stand out.

Similar to the Giraffes in Scarves game, this is for young children who are learning colours and numbers under 6. This is such a perfect paring for a gift for a 3-5-year-old.

Wiggly Words + Superworm, by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler

Wiggly Worms is a game ideal for children just starting to learn about words and reading. Players connect worms to make different words. This helps children recognise patterns in spelling and read basic words.

I’ve coupled it with another Julia Donalson classic. Superworm is the perfect shape to become just about anything. He can be a line to rescue a trapped friend, a hat, a wheel, and a skipping rope. But what will happen when he is the one in need of saving?

Mammoth Maths + This Orq (He Cave Boy), by David Elliot and Lori Nichols

Mammoth Maths is for children ready to start attempting maths equations. Players will need to answer the sum correctly, checking it with a secret red flame, all with the help of a useful number line. Definitely for the 5+ age range, this is a great addition to a homeschooling family’s resources, or for those who want to give their children education options.

This Orq (he cave boy) is a sweet take on the “boy and his pet’ genre. What if the boy was prehistoric and what if his pet was enormous? I remember our family really enjoyed this one more than I thought they would. I think what sells it is the caveman language. So be prepared to put on your more neanderthal voice.

Counting Mountain + Mabel and the Mountain, by Kim Hillyard

Counting Mountain is a fun game that has children practicing low number sums. On their turn, players turn over two footprint cards, and move their climber that many space up the mountain. Kids will love the vertical aspect to this game as they try to be the first to the top of a 3D mountain.

Mabel and the Mountain fits into the ever-expanding ‘growth mindset’ genre of picture books. when everyone tells her she’s too small and can’t make it, Mabel decided to believe in herself. What makes this book super funny is that Mabel, though a fly, is determined to hike to the top of the mountain.

Cheeky Monkeys + Caps for Sale, by Esphyr Slobodkina

Caps for Sale is a classic book that I remember from my childhood (I think it must have been read on Playschool because I don’t think we ever had a copy in our house). A peddler walks around his village trying to sell his caps. After an unsuccessful morning, he takes a rest only to have all his caps stolen by a troop of cheeky monkeys.

Cheeky Monkeys is a game for primary school-aged children as it introduces basic decision-making skills and strategy. Players need to collect the most bananas but watch out because cheeky monkeys might steal them.

Smelly Wellies + Ellie’s Magic Wellies, by Amy Sparkes and Nick East

A matching game for preschoolers, Smelly Wellies helps kids with colour and shape recognition and introduces them to left and right. Ellies’s Magic Wellies are given to her by her grandmother. When she jumps into a puddle a magical friend appears. And funnily enough, this magical friend looks just like the cute little monsters in from the Smelly Wellies game.

Crazy Chefs + Monster Chef, by Nick Bland

This game for ages 3-7 years has children collect the ingredients they need and be the first to cook their meal. It will give families an opportunity to discuss healthy foods, recipes, and cooking. Monster Chef is a fun rhyming picture book by Nick Bland (The Very Cranky Bear) about a monster who seems unable to scare anyone. Until, that is, he begins to cook.

Jungle Heads and Tails + Monkey Puzzle, by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler

Jungle Heads and Tails is a matching game for children as young as 18 months old. As children begin to recognise animals they can start playing with this set which has them joining one half of an animal with another.

Monkey Puzzle is one of my favourite Julia Donaldson Axel Scheffler books. A young monkey has become separated from its mother and a kindly butterfly offers to help in the search. The young monkey gives clues about what its mother looks like, but the butterfly gets it wrong every time until the right clue is finally offered.

Jungle Heads and Tails would also be a great match for Axel Scheffler’s Flip Flap series, which allows readers to create new animals by joining the head of one to the tail of another.

Lunch Box Game + The Lighthouse Keeper’s Lunch, by Ronda and David Armitage

Lunch Box Game is a basic bingo/match style game for preschoolers. They need to be the first to find all the items in their lunch box. It’s a great way to introduce discussions of healthy foods and packing a lunch box for school starters.

The lighthouse Keeper’s Lunch is a classic picture book featuring an age-old tale of man against ravenous seagulls. Everyday the Lighthouse Keeper’s wife sends his lovingly prepared lunch down a line, but one day it is discovered by a hunger hoard of gulls. What can they do to keep the lunch safe and get the seagulls to move on?

Old MacDonald Lotto + The Farm, by Alain Gree

Another basic bingo/match game for preschoolers – this time farm-themed – helps children develop memory and matching skills. There are hundreds of children’s books about farms, there are probably dozens of versions just retelling the Old MacDonald Rhyme. I’ve selected one by a less well-known, but acclaimed illustrator, Alain Gree. While modern picture books, Gree’s illustrations have a distinctly retro feel which makes them stand out as unique and interesting.