Hobbies And Interests
Board Games
Kids match colored shapes to cupcake cards in Gamewright's "Take the Cake," recommended for ages 4 and up. After rolling the die, players shake the sprinkle shaker the number of times on the die and release it to see if any toppings come out. If kids match both the sprinkle shape and color to one of four face-up cupcake cards, they put the shape on the corresponding card. Kids matching all of the shapes on a card during their turn gain possession of the "cupcake." The player who collects the most cupcakes wins.
Kids perform activities such as charades, dancing, drawing and rhyming to collect cupcakes in Fundex's "Pinkalicious Cupcake Party Game," recommended for ages 5 and up. Players perform challenges and put cupcakes in the tray after successfully completing activities. For instance, a player earns one cupcake if he performs a charade and the other players guess correctly. The first kid to fill her tray wins the game.
Customer Satisfaction Games
Players create virtual cupcakes to satisfy customer demand in "Cupcake Frenzy" found at sites such as The Kidz Page. Kids choose the right cupcake base, cream or sauce, and toppings. Customers will not accept wrong orders. Players advance to the next level after reaching a monetary goal. Kids help transform a struggling family bakery into a successful chain of virtual cupcake cafes in "Jessica's Cupcake Cafe," accessible as a limited game or a free one-hour trial download at sites such as Gamehouse. Duties include preparing batter, baking the tray in the oven, frosting the cupcakes, and decorating cupcakes as needed. Customers who wait too long for orders leave the cafe in a huff. Players advance to the next level upon reaching monetary targets.
Pretend Play
Instead of an online or computer game, kids can make fantasy cupcake sweets with items International Playthings' "Whipple Cupcakes." Kids decorate six play cupcakes with a white crème-filled pastry bag and adorn the cupcake with assorted decorations, beads and rhinestones. Other pretend-play cupcake items include Melissa &Doug's "Bake and Decorate Cupcake Set," Smartlab's "Cupcake Decorating Studio" and Sassafras Enterprises' various cupcake kits.
Recipe Games
Kids learn how to make virtual cupcakes with faces in "How to Make Crazy Cupcakes," found at sites like Cooking Games. Players click and drag cooking tools and ingredients to perform specified duties. When it's time to decorate the cupcakes, kids use sweets for eyes, cherry glaze as a nose, "hundreds and thousands" sprinkle-type candies as hair and lemon slice as lips. To make real edible "crazy cupcakes" with adult supervision, kids click "Recipe" and follow the step-by-step instructions. Players score bonus points for making virtual cupcakes as quickly as possible in "Sara's Cooking Class: Cherry Cupcake," accessible at sites like Girl Games Plaza. Kids click baking tools and ingredients and follow the visual hints at the bottom of the screen. Upon finishing the cupcakes, players receive their score.