Comments on: Review: 4-Way Coundown Math Game

By: Danielle S

Danielle S — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 23:23:11 +0000

This looks like a great learning tool! Thanks for the heads up!

By: Kelly

Kelly — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 06:26:41 +0000

This is fantastic! As a kid I played with this version http://www.amazon.co.uk/Gibsons-Games-Shut-the-Box/dp/B00009R62G constantly. I loved the soothing repetitiveness of the game, a less messy solitaire of sorts. I think it will be a great way to intro my son to maths games. With the added benefit of only having the dice to chase down as the other pieces are attached.

By: AnjieNet

AnjieNet — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 20:38:37 +0000

This looks like a great game. I will look for it next time I'm in a game aisle.

In response to Summer's post, my 4 year old daughter loves Go Fish, Crazy Faces, Hi-Ho Cherrio, Candy Land, Chutes & Ladders, Cootie, Go Diego Go 1-2-3, Memory and Pretty Pretty Princess. Some are fairly educational and some clearly not. :)

Our newest family favorite is the card game BLINK. Recommended for ages 7 and up but if we play slow, our 4 year old can play too. It's matching of shapes, count and color on the cards. It's amazing how quicker she's gotten on recognizing matches.

By: Summer

Summer — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 18:20:54 +0000

AJ – Thanks for the response on Crazy Faces… it may be her attention span. She doesn’t have an attention span for TV more than sitting for 5-10 minutes and when we are building blocks or doing puzzles and she can’t figure it out she gets easily frustrated. We haven’t introduced any board games yet – (I’m thinking now – am I a bad parent?) Why haven’t I done this?

One of her favorite things we do is “workbook time” She can sit for an hour at a time with me and go through one of those preschool workbooks where she has to pick out the object that doesn’t belong or match colors or such. She loves it – so maybe she would love something like this… she does love counting things too lately. I guess I always assumed that board games were for older children. (That and I think I grew up too fast as a kid and don’t remember being one!) I might just have to go peruse the board game aisle at kmart down the street from us.

Have any other suggestions for great board games for 3 year olds? Go Fish? I’m going to make it a point to have game night once a week just me and her and her dad from here on out.

By: Melissa

Melissa — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 18:12:25 +0000

Very cool. I’m definitely going to look into this for my 5 year old who loves counting and simple math. Thanks for the review!

By: My Boaz's Ruth

My Boaz's Ruth — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 17:50:35 +0000

OOh! Sounds like a great game for my nephew (about to be 6)

By: Erica

Erica — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 17:44:09 +0000

My 2 1/2 year old is doing 25 piece puzzles in just a few minutes, and she loves playing games. I think she’d love this game if we played it with your “Adapted Toddler Rules”, but she’s obviously not capable of multiplying, dividing, etc. I like that when you change a few rules to make it age-appropriate, it can grow with her. I’m definitely tiring of Dora Candy Land, and she plays by the real rules (if you pull the card that sets you back, you gotta go back;it can make for a long game!) and some of her other kid games. Excuse me, but I think I need to get going to K-Mart…

By: Jessamyn

Jessamyn — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 16:30:41 +0000

I think a lot of it has to do with the parental temprament too. My husband gets very frustrated with my 4-year-old's game playing. She likes to make up new rules and try playing it that way. Which is very creative and results in games closer to "Calvin Ball" than "Chutes and Ladders" but makes him nuts. She'll play games by the rules but gets bored with them easily.

This countdown game sounds very neat. We may have to try it. We're always playing dinner math ("if you need to eat 7 bites and you've already had 3, how many do you have left", etc.)

By: Diana (Holes In My Shiny Veneer)

Diana (Holes In My Shiny Veneer) — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 16:23:03 +0000

This game sounds awesome! My 4yo loves games and math-- he started with Cariboo when he was 2 1/2 and we've never looked back. He's a puzzle fiend, too, by the way.

I'd agree it's a familiarity/experience thing-- he's been playing with adults for a long time and I attribute his comfort level with adults partly at least to his game playing. With his passion for games we've learned to take age levels as a rather broad suggestion since he is quite comfortable with games and puzzles for 5 and 6 year olds.

I do sometimes wonder if it all comes from his experience or if it's just the way God has wired him!

By: Barbara

Barbara — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 15:08:40 +0000

In most circumstances, I'd vote for experience. If their first exposure to games and puzzles is 3 or 4 they aren't going to be as ready for it as a child that's been playing with them since 1.

With assistance, a 12 month old can handle the wood cut out puzzles with the knob. Teach them to put the piece down and twist it until it falls into place. Repeated exposure from there on out moves them up to more complicated games as they get older.

I know that's not the case for all children, every child develops at their own pace.