SNAP Review – Off to Bed!

It’s time for bed, and we’re going to use a game. But Andrew’s too old to help with this review – so we get Elliot instead!

Game

Off to Bed! is a My Very First game from HABA. It was designed by Kristin Dittmann and is best for a parent to play with 1 or 2 children ages 2 and up.

Art

Because it’s a HABA “My Very First Game”, there are lots of bright colors and simple images.

The tiles are big enough to handle easily, and the wooden figures are big and chunky – perfect for little hands to hold.

Absolutely everything is this game color coded. The potty, sippy cup, book, and toothbrush all have a green background, showing that they are obviously different from the bed-related tiles of bed, blanket, pillow, and stuffed toy – and these come in yellow, pink, and blue.

Mechanics

There are rules for 3 games in the box, plus tips for parents to ask during each game or during free play.

In “Making a Bed”, work together to match items like a blanket and a stuffed toy with their correct animal. Try to put all 3 animals “to bed” before all 8 non-bed tiles have been revealed.

In “Bedtime Matching”, each child playing is looking only for the items specific to their animal. If anything else is on a tile, you have to turn it back over. The game ends when one player has found all 4 of their items. In the rulebook it then says, “Put your pet to bed and tell it a story. You are the winner, so your pet can fall asleep first.”

In “Sleepy Bingo”, follow the same rules as Bedtime Matching, except any time a tile is turned over with a blanket, cuddly toy, bed, or pillow, the matching item must be given to the correct pet, even if it’s not yours. (That’s Elliot’s favorite.)

Expectations

The box says “My Very First Games” and “Off to Bed”. It seems reasonable that this would be a game about getting ready for bed, suitable for very young children (18 months – 2 1/2 years old).

As always from “My Very First” games, we expected big chunky pieces, safe for little hands and mouths.

In my experience, HABA games for very young children tend to introduce matching and turn taking and develop fine motor skills.

Surprises

Elliot was not surprised, but had fun teaching mom how to play.

I (Anitra) had fun learning from Elliot how to match the tiles with their objects.

I had a hard time getting my young friend who’s 2 1/2 to play this game. He was too excited and amped up when we played! Matching and bedtime theme is best saved for a calm time.

I really liked all the suggestions to parents within the rulebook, starting with free play and identifying the sleepy time objects, moving on to prompting about bedtime routines (brushing teeth, reading a story), and even talking about animal habitats with slightly older children.

I found myself really wanting to get the various animals all snuggled up with their bedtime stuff. It’s fun to play with the pieces!

Recommended?

We’d recommend Off to Bed! for parents to play with children who need a little reinforcement around their bedtime routines. It’s best for kids ages 2-4, and they’ll probably outgrow it pretty quickly once they start actually knowing how to play it.

But it’s still a helpful resource, especially if your kids have a hard time settling into a bed time routine.

We rate Off to Bed! 3 cozy blankets out of 5.

Find it on Amazon, direct from HABA, or at your local toys & games store.

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The Family Gamers received a copy of Off to Bed! from HABA Games for this review.

This post contains affiliate links, which do not change your price, but help support The Family Gamers.

SNAP review music is Avalanche, provided courtesy of You Bred Raptors?