What are the Pros and Cons of "Don't Break The Ice"?

Have you ever played the classic game Don't Break the? I remember sitting on my parent's shaggy burnt orange carpet and knocking out the plastic blocks of ice with my brothers. The older we got, the more strategic we became, forcing the other player to have no other choice but to knock over the little ice skater and lose the game. I had such fond memories of the game that I decided to borrow the game from the library for my kids. To my disappointment, the game was a lot different than I remember. What are the pros and cons of Don't Break the Ice?

Pros of Don't Break The Ice?

1. It is a hands-on game for kids to learn by actually experimenting. How many ice blocks will go down if they hit one block of ice? Gravity rediscovered!
2. It is different than most games you will play. The kids love it! What other game can you think of that you will set it up just to hit it down with a hammer?
3. Is your child angry? Set up, Don't Break the Ice, and let your child smack the ice down with their hammer. It is a great way to get out any built-up anger! The built-up irritation will quickly turn into giggles.
4. There are a lot of different varieties of Don't Break the Ice. You can choose what style fits your kid's personality, from frozen-themed to the original polar bear ice skater.
5. There isn't a limit on players. All you have to do is take turns with the hammer and hit down the blocks. So if you have four or five kids, playing it will not be a problem.
6. The old version of don't break the ice is heavy-duty! I don't know how many years ago my parents got the game, but it has lasted for years and years of hard-hitting boys and girls.

Cons of Don't Break The Ice?

1. It might be the most annoying thing to set up every single time! The other day my husband was playing with our two oldest kids; it took a couple of minutes for him to set up the game when he handed our two-year-old the hammer; our two-year-old went to town and destroyed the whole game within five seconds. Once again, he had to start over. Yay! Haha!
2. The new model of Don't Break the Ice is cheap! Instead of the hard plastic surrounding the ice rink, it is a cardboard cut-out that fits together. Good luck not destroying that within one round!
3. The game does not last for more than five minutes, so if you have 30 minutes to play the game, plan on setting up the game at least twelve times. This might be fun for many kids, but setting up the game more than three or four times as an adult can be frustrating!
4. The hammers are made of thin plastic. We borrowed Don't Break the Ice from the library. Literally two minutes after we opened the game, the hammer had snapped in two. We had to buy the game to replace the broken hammer. Bummer!
5. In the older version, it is hard to put the little ice skater in position without knocking down the rest of the game. Especially for an 8-year-old, it was tricky trying to fit all the pieces in, then putting the polar bear on the ice took some significant skills! 

"Our goal is to help the world make decisions with a list of Pros and Cons. We invite all to add to our lists to help others make the most educated decision possible. We are all in this world together to help each other and learn from what others have learned from their lives journey." 

-Pros and Cons Team

Written By: Sarah