Review Monopoly Junior Edition

Not Too Bad., March 27, 2002 By tvtv3 "tvtv3" (Sorento, IL United States)

Normally I would suggest that a "junior" (meaning dumbed-down) version of a game isn't worth the time to play it or the money to buy it. However, I do recommend Monopoly Junior for families with children in K-3. The reason for this is that even though kids, with lots of help (which most don't usually get), can learn to play regular Monopoly, the game is brutal. I remember several times (when I was in the first and second grades) getting in fights with my parents and crying because I was just a kid and all these adults were kicking the tar out of me. Though there maybe some lessons there, they are still lost on me (did you ever notice that adults always like to play Monopoly with kids when they're in a bad mood). Anyway, with that said, Monopoly Junior is a really fun game for young children to play. It helps kids learn to take turns, follow directions, and learn basic counting skills. In many ways the game is just like Monopoly. The goal is to end the game with the most money. You have to have a strategy involved (if you don't play by rules included with the game). Properties are bought and there are a lot of money transactions. The major differences are that the game is set up as an amusement park; the money denominations are a lot smaller; the board is smaller; and it only takes about 20-30 minutes to finish one game. There is a bit of luck involved with the various chance cards, but that's no different than the chance cards in Monopoly. The kids I have worked with really seem to enjoy playing the game, and I really don't find that it is "dumbed down". The game is made with kids in mind instead of adults and cuts out a lot of the brutality common to the regular game. Kids see enough violence nowadays anyway.