As a mum 3/4

As part of a four part series

Part 3: age validity/conversion potential

TLDR SYNOPSIS:
Read the box a a guideline, more grown up games can be adapted for younger kids thus extending their life spans within the family.

This is one of my favourite things.
Because while age recommendations on the box are a great guideline, they are not hard and fast rules and with a little imagination many games that are designed for an age range that far exceeds that of your own children can still be enjoyed by everyone.

So first of, age appropriateness  there are many games out there that are great for wee ones, my own girls are 3 and 4 years old we were able to play about 7 different games with them on International Table Top Day.   Jenga becomes a game of who can knock the tower over, and the three year old has trouble understanding why she can't roll both her pigs once she's rolled one of the desired configuration.  But it cane be done with patience ad perseverance.
But it's not just these games that can be played with small kids, Some of the games my husband an I play together can be shared with the children in a more simplified version.
Perfect example, 'Ticket to Ride'
Game play is pretty basic to begin with, collect cards of the right colour, place trains on the board to fulfill the route on your cards.  My 4 year old is just about able to move up to playing the game to its full level.  But until now and while her sister is playing it's been adapted, reveal a card, and place your trains on a route of that colour anywhere on the board, person who runs out of trains first wins.  Colour recognition, counting, waiting for your turn.
Next time we play we may just use the cards to collect the right number/colour of cards to make a route before playing the trains, and build up to playing the game according to all it's rules.  This effectively makes a game that according to the box is for 8+ year olds, easily accessible for a 3 or 4 year old, thus increasing the worth of the item.
There are many such ideas for all sorts of games to be found on www.boardgamegeek.com but these variants aren't particularly hard to devise when you really look at the game itself.

IN\n addition to this in terms of adult games, there are many that are 3-? players.  In a house where the adults like to play games at the end of the a day once the kids are in bed 3 player games are inconvenient.  However, that same site, www.boardgamegeek.com, can be used as a resource to find two player variants for these games, now i'm not saying that these games play at their best like this but sometimes it works out just as well or simply allows you to at least have a go at a game you otherwise would have to wait for others for.

Age appropriateness is variable, and if you can adapt or find an adaptation amongst other gamers then games can become life long memories for yur kids, and yourselves, loved memories.  Not just a shadow of  memory you played as a kid but never play anymore because it's too childlike.