I was originally offered this product to review through Amazon’s Vine program.  I got it because I thought it would be a good option for a family with a wide age range, and Hot Potato did not disappoint.

One of the things I love about this game is that it has so few pieces.  There’s a plush hot potato with a musical component inside, and a small stack of potato cards (which my children call “potato chips”).  The cards are not critical to game play, which is a good thing because my children have already lost them.  (They’ll fit inside the potato, though, so you can store them that way.)

This is basically the classic game of hot potato.  Press the potato, and he shouts “Hot potato!  Here we go!” then begins to play music.  Toss him from person to person until the music stops.  Whoever is holding the potato when the music stops has to take a card.  When you’ve accumulated three cards, you’re out.  (This is why the cards are nonessential.  If necessary, you can just keep count.)

No reading is required, and any child coordinated enough to toss and catch the potato is old enough to play.  When we first got it, the youngest ones all sat down to play together — without my help — and as you can see, they had a blast.  Anything that has the children laughing together is a win in my book!

I personally don’t find the music too annoying or obnoxious, which is nice.  (Although it does get old if you’ve heard it for too long.  My husband eventually confiscated the noisemaker, because the kids were making it play just to make it play — that is, when they weren’t playing the game.)  The electronic component does have an off switch, and the batteries can be replaced but require a (very small) screwdriver.  We haven’t had to change the batteries yet, but the Amazon listing is incorrect when it says the product takes AA batteries; it takes three LR44 (button) batteries.

This is a great gift option for a family with children who don’t read yet.