Made For Trade, Enhancing Learning with Family Games

Years ago (it seems like forever) my mom got this game for my sister and I at a company called Learning Express.  The game was called Made for Trade.  I don't know if the company still exists, but that game has stayed with me forever.  I still remember all the days I used to play it with my sister!

As the game starts out, you're an indentured servant that is working off your passage to America.  I think there's some description in there about real indentured servants, but I don't remember for certain.  Then, once you've served out your time as an indentured servant, you make your way around the board trying to become a successful merchant and trader in the new world.

While I don't remember the game being incredibly historically accurate, it did help foster concepts of life in "the new world" back in the colonial era.  I think it would be a great addition to any lesson on colonial America.  It's also a great way to get back into family time, something that I know has been lacking in most American households!  What better way to both educate your children and spend some great family time together?  It can also be a lot of fun for older children to play alone, as my sister and I did.  I honestly don't think I ever remember my mother or father playing with us, but we did play with friends.

I think for many families they associate board games with being "bored".  I remember my boyfriend joking, "That's why they call them board games, because they're boring!"  However, his mood has since changed.  Board games are now starting to become things we do when we're bored and want to have some family fun.

Having done a little research on the game, I've found one wonderful piece of information!  The game is good for 2-6 players, which is more than your standard American board game, which is only good for up to four players.  With a family of five, it would be difficult in the future for everyone to sit down and play, not that it matters now as the baby is much to small to get in on board games!  My older son is a bit young for it as well, as it's recommended for ages 8 and up, but it's still nice to think of the future of our family when shopping, and for recommending games to other people with larger families.

On Amazon I've seen a variety of reviews, some good, some bad.  It seems the majority of the bad reviews have come from the company the product was ordered from, and not necessarily Amazon.  One of the reviews listed it as not being fun and very heavy-handed on history, but I don't remember that at all.  I remember loving the game and wanting to play it all the time!  I've also read that the directions are hard to understand, but I believe I was 10 when we got the game and my sister and I were able to understand and play the game without much help at all.  However, there was also some positive feedback from families that loved the game as my sister and I did.  I think it really depends on the family.

I'm looking forward to getting this game again to share the experience with my daughter.  It will be interesting to see if I still love the game as much now as I once did, and how my daughter takes to it.  Christmas is right around the corner!  I'm not going to say anything about knowing for certain, but that game was on my daughter's Christmas list...and I do believe I heard rumor on the breeze that she just might find one under the tree this year!