Kids on the road: How Zvídavci can help you never hear “Are we there yet?” again

When we travel with children, two things usually come up: how to keep the little passengers entertained and how to use the time in a meaningful way. The Czech brand Zvídavci was born from exactly this kind of parental experience  the wish to answer curious questions, while also encouraging children to think for themselves. Their motto is simple: “We want our children to have a healthy relationship with the world around them, to think critically, and to be emotionally resilient. And we want to teach them all that through play,”
says Lucie Rybová, founder of the brand and author of its games.

“All young mammals learn through play  they nudge each other, explore the world, and prepare for life that way. Only humans have turned play into something that often gives children nothing at all. That realization hit us when our daughter got a plastic spider for Christmas with six legs!  that sang a catchy tune. Try explaining to your child how Baby Jesus (who supposedly knows everything) doesn’t realize that spiders have eight legs!” laughs Rybová. That’s when she and her husband decided to create a few games for their own children games that would be fun but would also give them something of real value. Whether it’s a love of nature or support for critical thinking, these are the skills Zvídavci games are built around.

In a world full of screens and instant answers, the ability to ask questions, doubt, and verify information is more important than ever. Zvídavci games are designed precisely to nurture these abilities: children learn to think, reason, understand what they hear or read, and see connections  naturally, without rote memorization. These aren’t “school in a box” games, but playful challenges that spark curiosity. And the fact that kids also learn about traffic signs, fascinating animal facts, or basic English along the way? That’s just an extra bonus.

So what do these games look like in practice?
“We’re lazy parents, really,” Rybová says with a smile. “We don’t want big games that take hours and come with a thick rulebook. Our games are the size of a deck of cards, the rules are simple and intuitive, and you can stop the game whenever you need to  and still declare a winner. We didn’t want another complicated board game; we wanted something that adapts to the family, not the other way around.” The mechanics differ from one series to another. In Do You Know Who I Am?, for example, children guess animals based on fascinating facts about them such as: “I have blue blood and three hearts. Do you know who I am?” In another series, The Trickers (Žulíci), players have to decide whether a statement from their opponent is true or just a bluff. For instance: “I claim that a raven is the male of a crow. Am I telling the truth, or am I tricking you?”

https://www.zvidavci.cz