Jabuka!

Jabuka! It can sometimes be hard to find things to do with an older grandchild that you both enjoy. During this pandemic time, I have really tried to find non-screen things we can do together. We can all benefit from this human interaction and break from the screen. It has been a while since I made recommendations for the grandkids on this blog but I am happy to introduce you to Jabuka today. Jabuka is a new coffee bean word game that is perfect for a holiday gift or long cold winter days. My grandson and I played it for the first time this afternoon and we both really enjoyed it. Besides making words from the beans, it has a lively action pace. It will be enjoyed by older kids and adults alike and makes a great intergenerational game. I will be playing with my grandson and my husband. If I am lucky it will be Girls Rule! However, having just played one game I learned that my grandson has a good vocabulary and he is a good speller. No wonder he is getting good grades in literacy. We used to call that subject English – in case you don’t know grandparents. 

Players spill the beans and start making words. No turn taking. Announce your word before making it. Make words and steal words at the same time from other players with clever word scrambles and adding letters. There is a twist – some letters can be used to make multiple letters. For instance an E is also a M or W. C can also be an u or an n. When you first spill the beans, some land face down, and latter get flipped 2 at a time so that new letters are available to make words. Play. Repeat. Count beans when the last 2 are filled. The player with the most beans that make words wins! 

Jabuka has been winning some impressive awards too. Jabuka received the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Seal Award 2020 and the 2020 PAL (Play On Words) Award, Best Game of the Year Award from Creative Play Magazine, Moms Choice Gold Award, ASTRA Top Toy of the Year Finalist, and the National Parenting Publications of America Winner.

At under $20 this is a good anytime gift.  Get it now for winter break afternoons.  Goes well with coffee, tea and hot cocoa. You can order Jabuka on Amazon.  Just click below: