How to Play – Candy Land

Part of the fun in raising Zoey is finding things that delight and educate her; I want to find fun, creative board games to play with her during our family game nights! This week we played Candy Land by Hasbro for up to 4 players! 

This is one of my childhood favorites that I hope will also be one of Zoey’s childhood favorites. Gameplay is relatively easy with movement based on drawing cards and associating colors, but the board is very busy to navigate. Zoey is currently more interested in playing independently with the gingerbread characters than progressing the game, but we’re hoping her attention will change over time!

Let’s play!

IN THE BOX

• A game-board
• 4 gingerbread character pawns
• 64 cards

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Open up the game board and place it on a flat surface.
2. Shuffle the cards and place them facedown in a pile with easy reach of all the players.
3. The youngest player takes the first turn. Play then passes to the left of that player and onward.
4. Each player picks a gingerbread character pawn and places it as the start of the path near the four children.
5. The youngest player goes first, play then passes to the left.
6. On your turn, draw one card from the deck and then move the gingerbread pawn as directed. Always move towards the castle, unless a picture directs you to move backwards on the path.
   • When you draw a picture card, move your pawn forward or backward on the path of to the pink picture space on the board that matches the pink pictures pace on your card. For example if you draw a lollypop card, move your pawn to the pink space on the board that shows the lollipop.
   • Two or more gingerbread pawns can be on the same space at the same time.
   • When you draw a card with one color block, move your pawn forward toward the castle to the first matching color space on the path.
   • When you draw card that has two color blocks, move your pawn forward toward the castle to the second matching color space on the path.
   • There are two shortcuts on the path, Gummy Pass and Peppermint Pass. If your gingerbread lands by exact count on the yellow space below Gummy pass, or the blue space below Peppermint Pass you can take the shortcut immediately to yellow space above Gummy Pass or the yellow space above Peppermint Pass.
   • There are two licorice spaces on the path. If you land on one of these sticky spaces by exact count, your gingerbread pawn is stuck there for one turn.
7. Your turn is over. Place the used card in a discard pile.
8. If you are the first person to reach the multi-colored rainbow space, you’ve reached King Kandy’s Castle. You win!

ENJOY!