1. Great States Junior. It’s a map of the US with three categories of questions: visual matching of state shapes, pictures of what is produced from the states and counting the number of states that have certain letters in them. The object of the game is to get as many cards as possible, but I like it because it has a CandyLand aspect of everyone winning by completing the trip around the US. Another reason this one’s a hit is because it’s got enough engagement for kids that are learning to read and those who are still iconographic learners. Buy it at Growing Tree Toys

2. Question of the Day. This game lives on our kitchen table. Each day we get to pick one of the 100 questions in 10 categories to ask the family. Questions range from “How do you feel when you go to school?” to “Do you remember your dreams?” Each person can pick from one of 8 icon answers or a blank card to give your own answer (you know the Things always use this one). The game comes with a big cloth board to put answers on, but we use it as dinner table conversation starters. The kids love it and so do we. Buy it at Lakeshore Learning

3. Spanish Bingo. I have to admit, this is not the easiest Bingo game to play, for one, there is no wheel to spin so the old schoolness is lost here, but this game is pretty. The shapes and pictures are beautiful the cards themselves are artistic and unique, making a relatively dumb game (unless it involves winning money), a lot more fun. We have the game in Spanish and there’s a huge bonus here too — they’re learning the words associated with the pictures in their newly adopted language. Buy it at Genius Babies.

Got any great kinder games for us to try out? Would love to hear!

1. Thing 2 stood at the door screaming, “Bye Mom, I’m going NOW to Kindergarten!” She did that for about a half-hour.

2. The class indeed is 100% in Spanish. The kids are already asking what this and that mean in Spanish. The word of the day? Helado! We got the kids ice cream sundaes at 31 Flavors after the first day today. (a nod to our own childhood special occasion place).

3. Thing 1 was a little shaky, but confident. His teacher is gorgeous, kind and smart. She’s perfect for him. He’s got three friends from preschool in his class.

4. Thing 2 found the most scared child around almost instantly and plastered herself to the girl. When the kids left the room, she took the crying girl by the hand and kept telling her, “Mommys always come back, don’t cry.” Later, when I praised her for her kindness, she smiled at me and told me, “That’s my job, mom.”

5. The Things teachers have very different styles. Somehow I expected a lot to be the same. One gave a PPT presentation while the other artistically floated between languages and conversation. I learned that not even the field trips will be the same — I’ve got a lot ahead of me as chief mom.

6. The Things were EXHAUSTED after just a couple of hours. They are hankering for school tomorrow already and have picked out their clothes.

7. It takes about 25 minutes to walk to school leisurely; a lot longer than I thought it would. Good to know!

I tried to let go gracefully today, but I paled in comparison to my children who took every moment of change from teachers to new rules, clothes and friends. Today is a day I will never, ever forget.