Board Games for Toddlers - Hi Ho Cherry-O

Anna has several board games now. For Christmas I optimistically bought her Chutes and Ladders, but that game proved to be completely beyond her grasp. She is OK with taking turns, but cannot navigate a snaky board and doesn't get the concept of going up and down the ladder if you end up on the square that requires you to do so. Then there is a Memory Game. This one is more successful, and Anna gets the concept, but she loses interest pretty quickly, and can only do 4x3 sets on a good day.

We got a Hi Ho Cherry-O as a present from my colleague and her son who is now almost 4. She said it was one of her son's favorite games. I could easily see why. It has objects (little fruit and buckets) that toddlers can manipulate, and the rules are pretty simple. What is also important - the game is short, which works well with a limited attention span of a toddler crowd. What does it teach? Colors (well, we are so beyond that by now), taking turns, playing by the rules, sets of object, counting to 10, subtraction and addition to 10. I hope we will manage to keep all the pieces and enjoy this game for a year or two before it loses its appeal.