Do you recall those sweet childhood days of playing Candyland for hours with your favorite people? Well, why not skip the electronics for an afternoon and take a trip down memory lane with your kids.
Candyland is an engaging, educational, and timeless game that all children can enjoy. You too can get in there and enjoy that feeling of nostalgia.
This uncomplicated game will take you on the journey of a kidnapped king. If it’s been ages and you’ve forgotten how to play, you’ve come to the right place! This article will brief you regarding the board game, its features, and how you can play.
What is Candyland?
First introduced in 1949 by Milton Bradley, Candyland is a classic board game. Tailored to everyone from the age of 3 and up. It is a great interactive tool to teach the young ones how to take turns.
Suitable for 2 to 4 players, the sweet theme of the game is complemented by a captivating story. The journey starts with King Kandy’s disappearance. Participants, eager to find the king, move their gingerbread pawns through the land of candy characters in Kind Kandy’s realm.
Candyland can teach many things to children. It not only helps improve skills like color recognition and matching but also teaches kids to practice good sportsmanship.
How to Setup the Candyland Game Board
In addition to the game board, the box comes with a deck of cards, 4 Gingerbread pawns (in different colors), and instructions. After placing the board on a flat surface, you can shuffle the cards and stack them in a downward-facing pile.
After each player has chosen a color, the Gingerbread pawns must be placed on the start square. As simple as that, you are ready to begin the game.
This game does not require any reading. It is filled with fun illustrations and different destinations like the Chunky Chocolate Mountain, and the Cookie Commons. Players enjoy various delicious surprises while they race to the Castle.
For those who enjoy digital games, various versions of Candyland can be downloaded and enjoyed on mobile devices too.
Candyland: How to Play
When it is your turn, draw a card. Where the pawn will move depends on what card you draw. For a card with single-color squares, you can move your pawn to the first color space on the board that matches the color of your card.
If there are two color squares on the card, the pawn can be moved further to the second color space matching the card.
Similarly, the pawn will move forward and backward to match images on cards with a picture. If you land on one of the 3 licorice squares on the board, you will lose one turn.
The game is won when a player reaches the multi-colored rainbow space at the end of the board. If you avail in-board shortcuts - The Rainbow Trail and the Gumdrop Pass - your chances of winning can increase significantly.
How to Adjust Candyland’s Difficulty Level
The rules are very simple for young children, especially for those between ages 3 to 6. To cater to younger or older players, you can add variations and make the game easier or more difficult.
To make the game easier, you can discard cards that move gameplay backward. If a player draws such a card in the easier version, he has the option to discard it and draw a fresh card.
This is a good tip for families with very young children who would like to participate but cannot fully comprehend the concept of backward gameplay.
On the other hand, in a setting where adults want to play Candyland to relive priceless childhood memories, they might find the game to be too simple. In such cases, you can make the game more competitive for older players.
In this variation, players can choose two cards instead of one, and discard the one they deem unfavorable.
The Bottomline
Not only is Candyland a great game for kids who have not learned to read yet, but it is also a fun way to spend time for everyone else. Enjoy your race to the castle, and also cherish the fun-filled time spent with dear ones.
