Top ideas for kids is something that you can really make a go of, or flop entirely.   I recently stayed with relatives who live in the States.  They have two children under ten and it’s a frantically busy but really happy household.  Games and learning go hand in hand and everything seems to involve some kind of friendly competition.   Be it racing to the washroom or to get the games out of the store cupboard.    We spend hours playing a form of the well known property tycoon board game – except it involved buying breeds of dog  instead of roads.  The piles of chance and community chest are replaced by good dog and bad dog . . . . . which are an equally haphazard selection of fun and unfun things.  But on the whole, we had a real hoot playing for hours after the evening meal.   Those kind of board games that involve counting out money and giving change are so amazingly effective – sheer brilliance.