We’ve been doing a lot of cleaning out of old toys and games. Some toys I can give away without hesitation. Others make me sad for the days when the toy was a favorite. And some, I’m keeping. Rivers, Roads, and Rails by Ravensburger is one I can’t bring myself to toss. Although our boys have moved on to much more complicated games, something about this one still charms me. And I’m sure we continue to break it out on sick or snow days.
Rivers, Roads, and Rails sells for under twenty dollars and is recommended for ages five and up. The game pieces are square tiles, each with a different combination of a river, or a road, or railroad tracks. Sometimes the rivers and roads and tracks go straight, sometimes one will turn off to the side, sometimes they will all veer off to the side. Some of the pieces have the start and end of the three, showing train depots, towns and lakes. Other pieces may show just a river, or just a river and a road.
The official rules have players taking turns matching the tiles so that the rivers flow, and the streets and railroads run on uninterrupted. We’ve always enjoyed playing the game more unofficially, more like putting a puzzle together. Instead of the table, we always play the game on the middle of the floor because you never know which directions you’ll need to place the tiles. We start with a few tiles and find others that match up with the directions of the rivers, roads and rails.
As a teacher, I know that this game reinforces sequencing and logic and helps children learn how to think their choices through. If they put the tile with the end of the railroad here, then they can’t use the tile with the railroad and river for the next tile. But as a mother, I’ve enjoyed the quiet of the game, the working cooperatively, no one winning or losing, but just having fun.
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