Don't Break the Ice

Do you remember playing the kid's game, Don't Break the Ice?  I vaguely remember playing this game as a kid.  It's a game that my five year old started playing when she was three.  She loved it then and she still loves to play it.  If you're not familiar with this game, below is a picture of the game "board". 

Don't Break the Ice game board.

The board consists of fake ice cubes holding a person.  The game begins with each player taking turns knocking down one of the ice cubes.  The goal is to NOT be the player who lets the person fall.  Believe it or not, there's quite a bit of strategy involved, making this an excellent game for young kids to work on their higher order critical thinking skills.  There's much more to this game than just randomly knocking out an ice cube.  Take a look at the in-game picture below.  

Don't Break the Ice in mid game.

This is my daughter and I in the middle of the game.  As you can see, we've knocked out several of the cubes.  Here's where the strategy comes into play.  If you can look ahead several turns you can put together a plan of attack.  Which cube should I knock out to give me the best chance of winning?  My daughter is getting pretty good at this.  Granted, she's not really using much strategy early in the game, but she's able to catch on with 3 or 4 turns left.  

The last two turns of our game.  I lost.

It's a fun game to play and it helps develop critical thinking skills.  If you have this game, the next time you play it with your kids, take time to ask them about their moves.  What made you choose that cube to knock out?  Which do you think is best to knock out next?  Have fun!