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Game Review: PRIME CLIMB {Math}

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{This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our Disclosure Policy for details.} 

PRIME CLIMB is available on Amazon HERE.

{I purchased this game myself. All opinions are my own!}

I first learned about Prime Climb in a Homeschool FaceBook Group. It was promoted as being a good game to play if you wanted your kids to practice using all four operations {addition, subtraction, multiplication, division} in a fun way. Being a sucker for math games, I immediately bought it! And then it sat on our game shelf for months and months. I don’t know if it was the word “prime” in the title, the geometric-looking game board or the lengthy instruction booklet that intimidated me, but something sure did! But, eventually, my son asked enough times to play, that I relented and I am so glad I did!  {By the way, is it only my who forgets a daily chore like unloading the dishwasher but remembers things like unopened games and ….

Here’s my fun and fizzy review of Fraction Formula!

In addition to reviewing the

FUN FACTOR and the

EDUCATIONAL VALUE,

I will also include info on the

ORGANIZATIONAL COMPONENT,

TIME COMMITMENT, 

CLARITY LEVEL

and an OVERALL SCORE. 

NAME: Prime Climb

PUBLISHER: Math for Love

CATEGORY: Math

SUB CATEGORY: All four operations with an emphasis on factors

TIME COMMITMENT: Moderate {30+ minutes}

PLAYERS: 2-4

AGES: 10+ 

CLARITY LEVEL: ♥♥♥♥♥ I won’t mislead you and say this is the easiest of games to understand nor play because it’s not. But don’t let the 8 pages of instructions nor the spiral game board intimidate you. The instruction booklet is long only because it’s very ____ {detailed}  and includes a lot of images. And the board is super detailed only because it was designed to highlight prime factorization to increase the use of strategy. It truly is fairly simple to understand and play.  CLARITY LEVEL SCORE: 5/5 ♥♥♥♥♥

FUN FACTOR: ♥♥♥♥_ The tagline is “The Beautiful, Colorful, Mathematical Game, ” and it is! It has a very beautiful and bold appearance with its black background and color-coded spiral board. But, the tagline never mentions fun, though I think it should! No, it’s not fun enough that all of the neighborhood kids will want to come and play this instead of the PS4 but it is fun! It’s especially fun when you have played a few turns and players start to bump one another back to start. And the fun is significantly increased when players really start to strategize instead of just relying on luck.  FUN FACTOR SCORE: 4/5 ♥♥♥♥_

EDUCATIONAL LEVEL: ♥♥♥♥♥  If you are looking for a game that allows for practicing all four operations, pushes kids to strategize and really hounds the concept of factors and prime, this is a GREAT game! I would classify this as the math game with the HIGHEST EDUCATIONAL VALUE of every math game we have tried!  It’s a wee bit on the expensive side, but the depth of the EDUCATIONAL VALUE makes it well worth it, in my opinion.  EDUCATIONAL LEVEL SCORE: 5/5 ♥♥♥♥♥

ORGANIZATIONAL COMPONENT: ♥♥♥♥♥  Prime Climb is designed beautifully with quality pieces, though the pawns could probably take an upgrade.  The box is sturdy, but not small. It does have a divider insert which helps keep things neat. The board is the fold-out type and is very well-made and easy to fold/unfold.  ORGANIZATIONAL COMPONENT: 5/5 ♥♥♥♥♥ 

OVERALL SCORE: ♥♥♥♥♥ This game has ousted FLIP IT for the top spot and is now our favorite math game! Not only is it fun, but it offers the opportunity to push players to the next level of understanding math. It also offers practice with all four operations and allows players to strategize or just go with sheer luck! It’s especially great for older kids who need practice because it definitely gives off an older-kid vibe with its style and strategy.  OVERALL SCORE: 95% ♥♥♥♥♥ 

If you are ready to play “the beautiful, colorful, mathematical game,” you can grab it here on Amazon. 

If you want to look more closely at HOW to play Prime Climb, keep reading….

STEP ONE: Unfold the board and put it in the middle of the playing area. 

STEP TWO: Remove the blank cards from the pile, shuffle the remaining cards and place them in a pile so that all players have access. 

STEP THREE: Each player chooses their pawn color and places BOTH on “0”.  For our example, we only have two players {yellow and blue.}

STEP FOUR: Decide who will go first. 

TIP: A turn consists of four phases: ROLL, MOVE, BUMP, DRAW

STEP FIVE: Player One ROLLS the dice. 

STEP SIX: Player One needs to decide what to do with each die. Each die needs to be applied to a pawn. Each die is applied by either adding, subtracting, multiplying or dividing it with the number that pawn is on. Because it’s on 0, the only option is to add it. So, Player One adds the 7 die to one pawn and MOVES it to 7. Then Player One adds the 10 die to the other pawn and MOVES it to 10. 

NOTE: Player One could’ve applied both die to one pawn and moved to 17. 

STEP SEVEN: If another player’s pawns were on one of those new spots, Player One would BUMP it back to 0. But there are no pawns to BUMP so that part is done for this turn. 

STEP EIGHT: If Player One has a pawn on an entirely red space, he gets to DRAW a card. But he didn’t, so there is no card to DRAW this time. 

STEP NINE: Player Two takes a turn. ROLL. MOVE. BUMP. DRAW. 

STEP TEN: Player One takes another turn. This time he ROLLS 10 and 4.

STEP ELEVEN: Player One uses the 4 die and adds it to the 7 that it’s on and MOVES that pawn to 11. Then he uses the 10 die and multiplies it with the 10 spot and MOVES that pawn to 100. 

STEP TWELVE: No pawns to BUMP. 

STEP THIRTEEN: Because Player One has a pawn on an all-red spot {11}, he gets to DRAW a card. It’s a KEEPER card that he can use on a future turn. So, his turn is now over. 

STEP FOURTEEN: Player Two takes a turn. 

STEP FIFTEEN: Player One ROLLS a 3 and 11.  Player One adds the 11 to the 8 spot and MOVES to 19. He then subtracts the 3 from the 100 spot and MOVES to 97. 

NOTE: You MUST land on 101 exactly. Player One could not have added 3 to the 100 spot and moved to 101. It must be exact. 

STEP SIXTEEN: No pawns to BUMP. 

STEP SEVENTEEN: Because Player One landed on an all-red spot, he gets to DRAW a card. It’s another KEEPER card to use on a future turn. 

NOTE: Even though Player One was on TWO red spots, he only got to DRAW one card. Only one card can be drawn per turn. 

STEP EIGHTEEN: Player Two takes a turn. 

STEP NINETEEN: Player One ROLLS a 4 and 5.  Player One adds the 4 to the 97 spot and MOVES to 101! That pawn is done and can be removed from the board!  Player One is halfway to winning!

STEP TWENTY: He then subtracts the 5 from the 19 spot and MOVES to 14 where Player Two has a pawn. Player One BUMPS this pawn back to 0 and takes over the 14 spot. 

STEP TWENTY-ONE: Player One does not DRAW a card because he is not on an all-red spot. His turn is over. 

STEP TWENTY-TWO: Play continues until either Player One gets his remaining pawn to 101 or Player Two gets both of his pawns to 101. 

Game Review: FRACTION FORMULA {Math}

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{This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our Disclosure Policy for details.} 

Fraction Formula is available on Amazon HERE.

{I purchased this game myself. All opinions are my own!}

I cannot recall where I saw this game or why I even opted to purchase it. But I am glad I did! It’s SUPER DUPER fast and easy to play. Plus, if you have littles who need to learn about fractions AND/OR bigs who need to practice making equivalent fractions and adding them together, this game is PERFECT for you! 

Here’s my fun and fizzy review of Fraction Formula!

In addition to reviewing the

FUN FACTOR and the

EDUCATIONAL VALUE,

I will also include info on the

ORGANIZATIONAL COMPONENT,

TIME COMMITMENT, 

CLARITY LEVEL

and an OVERALL SCORE. 

NAME: Fraction Formula

PUBLISHER: Educational Insights

CATEGORY: Math

SUB CATEGORY: Fractions

TIME COMMITMENT: Minimal {15+ minutes}

PLAYERS: 2-4

AGES: 8+ 

CLARITY LEVEL: ♥♥♥♥♥ It’s a super simple game. Super duper simple. And the instructions are as clear as the game is simple. The object of the game is to fill your test tube as close to perfectly full as possible. Everything is color-coded and clearly labeled. CLARITY LEVEL: 5/5 ♥♥♥♥♥

FUN FACTOR: ♥♥♥♥_ The tagline is “The Fill It Up Fraction Game of Chance” and while I don’t think you’re going to convince your entire family that you need to play this on your next Friday Family Game Night,  it is fun! It’s super quick and there is just the right amount of chance mixed in with a need for strategy! And our baby Bearded Dragon, Blaze, liked it too! FUN FACTOR SCORE: 4/5 ♥♥♥♥_

EDUCATIONAL LEVEL: ♥♥♥♥♥  If you are wanting to teach or review your fractions, Fraction Formula is a great way to do just that! The entire goal is to try to get as close to making one whole out of various fractions. You do not get to choose which fraction you are given but you can choose when you want to halt. Because if you go over one whole, you lose. So, you do need to strategize somewhat as you go. The cylinders are marked to show where one whole is so young players can easily determine who was closest. But for older players, like my teen, I think expecting them to add the fractions up to see EXACTLY how much they got, bumps up the educational value to a new level.  EDUCATIONAL LEVEL: 5/5 ♥♥♥♥♥

ORGANIZATIONAL COMPONENT: ♥♥♥♥_   Fraction Formula is very well made with thick plastic cylinders and strong, colorful fraction pieces. The box is also very sturdy with a lid that is attached. Though there are no compartments to organize each item, the fact that they’re all just jumbled together does not distract from the quality or usability of the game. My ONLY concern would be for families with a tendency to lose things. Because it would be very hard to play correctly if you lose a fraction piece or two. But, the pieces are big, and like I said above, strong so it’s not likely they’ll end up in the vacuum or down the sink. Just be aware.  ORGANIZATIONAL COMPONENT: 4/5 ♥♥♥♥_  

OVERALL SCORE: ♥♥♥♥_  Though this game did not earn a perfect score in all areas, it is still well worth the money if you want to work on fractions in a fun way. And, it also serves as a bonus set of manipulatives for younger siblings just to play around with while the bigs do more serious work!    OVERALL SCORE: 90% ♥♥♥♥_ 

If you are ready to play “the fill-it-up fraction game of chance,” you can grab it here on Amazon. 

If you want to look more closely at HOW to play Fraction Formula, keep reading….

STEP ONE: Shuffle the fraction cards and put them facedown in a pile where everybody can reach them. 

STEP TWO: Give everybody an empty cylinder. 

STEP THREE: Place the “fizzy fraction tiles” in the center so everybody has access to them. {We leave them in the box just to keep them contained.}

STEP FOUR: Decide who will go first. 

STEP FIVE: The first player draws the top fraction card. 

STEP SIX: Player One finds the matching “fizzy fraction tile” and deposits it into his/her cylinder. 

STEP SEVEN: Player One returns the fraction card to the bottom of the pile. 

STEP EIGHT: Players Two-Four repeat Steps 5-7.

STEP NINE: Play continues. 

STEP TEN: Before drawing the next card, any player may decide to NOT draw a card. At that point, the player is done with that round. 

STEP ELEVEN: Any time a card is drawn, the “fizzy fraction tile” must be added to that player’s cylinder. 

STEP TWELVE: If a player’s cylinder is filled beyond, the “ONE” mark, that player is out and gets no points for that round. 

STEP THIRTEEN: At the end of the round, points are awarded based on the closest to “ONE”. 

STEP FOURTEEN: The player with the most points at the end of four rounds, wins! Blaze did not win but he’s so cute, I needed to include another picture! 

Game Review: SPEED {Math}

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{This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our Disclosure Policy for details.}

Speed is available on Amazon HERE.

{I purchased this game myself. All opinions are my own!}

My affinity for EDUCATIONAL GAMES began with this game, Speed! I bought it on the recommendation of a friend after discovering how unfun learning multiplication was going to be for my son. He was a young, wiggly boy who needed more than flashcards and worksheets. So, Speed it was!  

But that was years ago! As a matter of fact, I was shocked when I sat down to write this post, that I bought Speed seven years ago! But, guess what?!?! We still play it! Not because my son still needs to work on his multiplication facts but because we both find it fun! You might find it that fun too! 

Here’s my speedy review of Speed!

In addition to reviewing the

FUN FACTOR and the

EDUCATIONAL VALUE,

I will also include info on the

ORGANIZATIONAL COMPONENT,

TIME COMMITMENT, 

CLARITY LEVEL

and an OVERALL SCORE. 

NAME: Speed

PUBLISHER: Highhill Educational Supplies

CATEGORY: Math

SUB CATEGORY: Multiplication Facts

TIME COMMITMENT: Minimal {15+ minutes}

PLAYERS: 2

AGES: 3+ {that’s what the box says, but I’d say more like 5+}

CLARITY LEVEL: ♥♥♥♥_ It’s a very simple game. Very. It’s basically skip-counting up and down and playing cards that match those numbers. And trying to do it quickly. The instructions are clear and fairly concise. But there is one thing that is not very clear with this game…the font! They chose some rather fancy font for the numbers in the corners of each card, which is what you need to reference constantly and quickly. The combo of the fancy font, white text and thin black outline makes some of the numbers hard to read. And it was not just my tired, older eyes that found this true. My son, with his perfect vision and stellar sleep habits, had a hard time reading them too.   CLARITY LEVEL SCORE: 4/5 ♥♥♥♥_

 

FUN FACTOR: ♥♥♥♥♥ The tagline is “Learn Multiplication the Fun Way,” and I gotta say this is a fun way to practice those pesky multiplication facts! It’s speedy and simple! My son and his lack-luster multiplication skills would not have found it fun to be slaughtered by me each time we played but, because all of the increments are shown on each card, he could keep up with me quite easily!  FUN FACTOR SCORE: 5/5 ♥♥♥♥♥

EDUCATIONAL VALUE: ♥♥♥♥_  Speed bills itself as “a two-person game that uses skip counting to teach multiplication. Speed is perfect for anyone {ages 3 to adult} who is learning about multiplication or wishes to learn to multiply faster.” And, I would say they are accurate in their self-description. I’m not sure I’d put this game in a three-year-old’s Easter basket but I would agree that any child who is interested in learning or needs to improve their skip counting, would find this game helpful! It’s especially nice that kids can practice each set separately but I do wish they included 10’s, 11’s and 12’s.  EDUCATIONAL VALUE SCORE: 4/5 ♥♥♥♥_

ORGANIZATIONAL COMPONENT: ♥♥♥_ _   I am sad to give Speed such a low score in this area but there are three issues.  First,  though the game box is small, sturdy and offers perfect color-coded organization, the individual boxes that hold each set of cards are thin and flimsy. They basically came apart upon the first use and needed to be reinforced with duct tape.  It’s not just a matter of preference, it’s imperative for gameplay to have the cards separated by type. Also, the instructions are small and appear to have been copied on a home printer so their lack-luster appearance makes them easy to lose and hard to find. Lastly, we were actually missing some cards from one of the sets. Not sure if it was a printing or packaging error but not having some of the cards made that particular round kind of tricky….like, it would never end! Once we figured out the issue, we could work around it, but it’s not something anybody likes to see in a game that costs more than $20.  ORGANIZATIONAL COMPONENT SCORE: 3/5 ♥♥♥_ _ 

OVERALL SCORE: ♥♥♥♥_ Though this game earned some low points in a  couple of areas, it is still one we continue to play and one that I still recommend all the time!   OVERALL SCORE: 80% ♥♥♥♥_

If you are ready to “learn multiplication the fun way” with Speed, you can grab it here on Amazon. 

If you want to look more closely at HOW to play Speed, keep reading….

STEP ONE: Select which set you want to play with. Choices are 2-9. We’re going to play with the sixes for this example. 

STEP TWO: Shuffle the cards.

STEP THREE: Deal the entire deck out between the two players. 

STEP FOUR: Each player turns over four of their cards in front of them in a row. 

STEP FIVE: The game begins when each player flips one of the cards from his pile into the center of the two rows.

STEP SIX: From the row of four in front of them, each player uses cards to place on the two center cards. They can either go up one increment or down one increment. In the picture below, a player played a 42 on top of a 48 and then a 36 after that. Next, either a 42 could be played again or a 30. 

STEP SEVEN: As soon as a player plays a card from their row of four, they replace it from their pile. 

STEP EIGHT: Play continues until somebody uses all of the cards in their pile. 

And that’s it! Quick, easy and fun!

{If you come across a situation where nobody can play, there is a  fun way to get out of that jam but you can read about that in the instructions.} 

Game Review: FOUR WAY COUNTDOWN {Math}

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{This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our Disclosure Policy for details.} 

Four-Way Countdown has been renamed and repackaged as Shut the Box and is available on Amazon HERE. 

{I purchased this game myself. All opinions are my own!}

We LOVE nearly all types of board games and we will often spend a weekday afternoon playing an educational game. And since my son HATES math,  I often supplement his math lessons with a fun math game. Now, I won’t pretend that playing a math game is nearly as fun as playing Uno Dare or Uno Attack {because both of those games are super duper fun!} but I will say that playing Four Way Countdown is a rather enjoyable way to practice all four mathematical operations  at one time. 

So, let me tell you all about one of our favorite math games!

In addition to reviewing the

FUN FACTOR and the

EDUCATIONAL VALUE, I will also include info on the

ORGANIZATIONAL COMPONENT {because I cannot stand messy, broken down game boxes or games that include 8,000 pieces which then escape those boxes},

TIME COMMITMENT {because who has two hours to play a game on a Tuesday morning}, 

CLARITY LEVEL {because tears from the kids or Mom equals no fun}

and an OVERALL SCORE. 

NAME: Four Way Countdown

PUBLISHER: Ideal

CATEGORY: Math

SUB CATEGORY: Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication, Division

TIME COMMITMENT: Minimal {10-15 minutes}

PLAYERS: 2-4

HOW TO WIN: Be the first to flip all of your wooden keys down by solving simple math problems with the numbers rolled on the dice. 

CLARITY LEVEL: ♥♥♥♥♥ The instructions are concise and clear. The game is very simple and they keep the instructions simple as well. Score: 5/5 ♥♥♥♥♥

FUN FACTOR: ♥♥♥♥♥ One of the things that makes this a FUN game is the fact that it is NOT based on speed at all which means UNequally matched opponents can play well together. It does not matter how quickly a player identifies the possible answers to flip down a wooden key. As long as the opponents have some semblance of patience, each player can take as much time as needed. Plus, there is a way to sabotage an opponent so even the least-skilled player can easily dominate. But, be careful, there is also one way to sabotage yourself. Instead of skill, luck has a lot to do with who wins! So, it can truly be fun for ANYONE! FUN FACTOR SCORE: 5/5 ♥♥♥♥♥

EDUCATIONAL VALUE: ♥♥♥♥♥ The  best part of this game is that it allows practice of  all four  operations: ADDITION, SUBTRACTION, MULTIPLICATION and DIVISION. Few games can boast that players will be able to practice all four operations at once so this game definitely ranks as high as possible in its educational value. The instructions also include a Junior Version of the game which modifies it for younger kids so it truly would be educational for all. Additionally, we modified the game to be more challenging by adding numbers 11-20 to the wooden keys. This allowed us to utilize more complex math equations {but it did mean we permanently modified the game so it can only be played by two people, though there is probably a way to do add those numbers temporarily. More details on that below.} EDUCATIONAL VALUE SCORE: 5/5 ♥♥♥♥♥

ORGANIZATIONAL COMPONENT: ♥♥♥♥♥ The box is wooden with a great lid that easily slides on/off. The keys are built in and well made. The dice fit inside of the center of the box, along with the instructions. Granted, the dice roll around and the instructions could get lost but the box’s construction is outstanding and very secure. I seriously wish all of our games were contained in wooden boxes! ORGANIZATIONAL COMPONENT SCORE: 5/5 ♥♥♥♥♥

OVERALL SCORE: ♥♥♥♥♥ As I have shared before, math is not my son’s favorite subject so I try to implement math games as often as possible. This allows for practice of the necessary skills but in a fun, non-threatening  way. We have a variety of math games but Four Way Countdown is the only one that allows practice of all four operations {ADDITION, SUBTRACTION, MULTIPLICATION and DIVISION} at one time. The value of that is incredible! It is also a very fun and quick game that both my son and I enjoy so it receives the highest rating from us both! OVERALL SCORE: 100% ♥♥♥♥♥ 

If you are ready to offer your kids a really fun way to practice all four math operations while having fun, you can buy the game here on Amazon.

If you would like to read detailed instructions {with pics,} continue on….

{PLEASE NOTE: These instructions include our own modified version, which we created by simply assigning TWO rows of keys to each player. One row remains 1-10 but the other row is modified to include keys 11, 12, 15, 16, 18, 20 with 3, 4, 7, 9 staying untouched. This allowed for more complicated math calculations while adding another level of complexity due to the change in probability of rolling specific numbers. If you choose to do this, please note that ONLY TWO PLAYERS can play. If you choose to leave the game “as is,” the instructions below still remain applicable…you’ll just need to ignore the Sharpied-numbers on some of the keys.}

HOW TO PLAY: 

1. Open box.

2. Decide which row of keys will belong to each player.

3. Roll to see who will go first.

4. Player One rolls the dice. 

5. Player One rolled 5 and 2.

6. Player One needs to complete all four math operations using 5 and 2. 

2+5=7     5-2=3     2×5=10     5/2 = NA

7. Player One decides to flip up the 7 key. 

8. Player One’s turn is over. 

9. Player Two rolled 4 and 5.

10. Player Two needs to complete all four math operations using 4 and 5. 

4+5=9     5-4=1     4×5=20    5/4 = NA

11. Player Two decides to flip up the 9 key. 

12. Player Two’s turn is over. 

13. Player One rolled 4 and 6.

14. Player One needs to complete all four math operations using 4 and 6.  

4+6=10     6-4=2     4×6=NA    6/4 = NA

15. Player One decides to flip up the 10 key. 

16. Player One’s turn is over.

17. Play repeats until a player flips all of their keys up BUT….

18. if a player rolls 6 and 6, that player must flip ALL of his keys back down and start over.

19. But, watch out! Because if a player rolls 5 and 6, that player can choose     to flip up the 1 (6-5=1),

flip up an 11 (6+5=11) or

make another player flip ALL of his keys back down. 

20. The first player to flip all of his/her keys up, is the WINNER! 

Four-Way Countdown has been renamed and repackaged as Shut the Box, but it is the same game. Check it out below!


For more GAME REVIEWS, you might want to check out

Professor Noggin’s Presidents {History}

Wordical {Spelling}

GAME REVIEW: Flip It {Math}

by 46 Comments

{This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our Disclosure Policy for details.}

Flip It is available on Amazon HERE. 

My family has always loved board games so using them in our homeschool was a natural fit but finding good educational games  isn’t nearly as easy as one might think.

The Christmas toy catalogs and my FaceBook feed are always filled with fun, trendy board games for the family including new versions of classics  {Star Wars Monopoly} and weird, silly things {Pie Face Showdown} but it’s very rare to find  educational  games  being promoted outside of homeschool catalogs.  And, if you’re like me, when I am pouring over a big stack of homeschool catalogs, it’s agonizing enough to find the right curricula choices. I have no extra brain energy to find fun educational games too. 

So, let me make it easy for you and share some of our favorite educational games!

In addition to reviewing the

FUN FACTOR and the

EDUCATIONAL VALUE, I will also include info on the

ORGANIZATIONAL COMPONENT {because I cannot stand messy, broken down game boxes or games that include 8,000 pieces which then escape those boxes},

TIME COMMITMENT {because who has two hours to play a game on a Tuesday morning}, 

CLARITY LEVEL {because tears from the kids or Mom equals no fun}

and an OVERALL SCORE. 

NAME: Flip It

PUBLISHER: Card Board Learning 

CATEGORY: Math

SUB CATEGORY: Multiplication

TIME COMMITMENT: Minimal {10-15 minutes}

PLAYERS: 2 {no variations}

HOW TO WIN: Be the first to flip all 12 of your cards over by finding the matching multiplication factors. 

CLARITY LEVEL: ♥♥♥♥ _  The instructions are concise but only somewhat clear.  I did some research and discovered the company is based in India so I am assuming the lack of clarity is due to the fact that English is not the primary language. But the concept of the game is very simple and once you start playing, there is very little room for confusion which means kids can play without supervision. And once you learn how to play, the directions become a moot point and you won’t need to reference them again. It really is a simple concept with little to no allowance for misunderstanding, though it would be nice if the grammar was correct, of course. At the end of this post, I do provide detailed instructions on how to play, complete with pictures. CLARITY LEVEL SCORE: 4/5  ♥♥♥♥ _ 

FUN FACTOR: ♥♥♥♥♥ It’s a fast-paced game, which is always fun unless one person is a pro at the necessary skill and the other is an amateur. The beauty of FLIP IT is that your  skill set is put to use for yourself but is NOT in competition with the other person. So, if you have a great turn, it’s because you had good luck while practicing your multiplication facts. If you had a bad turn, it was simply bad luck {and you still practiced your facts} but it had nothing to do with the other person having better skills. And the multiplication facts can be found directly on the card so even the newest beginner can be successful. So, it is truly fun for EVERYONE! FUN FACTOR SCORE: 5/5 ♥♥♥♥♥

EDUCATIONAL VALUE: ♥♥♥♥♥ As the game promises, the entire focus is to practice multiplication facts. And it does just that! There is no fluff of earning points or twaddle of silly characters. It’s simply numbered on cards and multiplication facts. And it covers ALL of the multiplication facts {1-12}, which most games don’t. So, not only can you tailor it to different skill levels for different kids, but you also focus on ONLY one set of facts at a time. EDUCATIONAL VALUE SCORE: 5/5 ♥♥♥♥♥

ORGANIZATIONAL COMPONENT: ♥♥♥♥♥ The box is very sturdy with handy tabs to secure the lid. The individual boxes inside are color-coded, clearly labeled and fit snugly inside the main box. We’ve played this game dozens of times and none of the cards are bent, nothing has required duct tape repairs and everything still fits perfectly inside the pretty purple square box. There is no wasted space for things to roll around and get lost. It’s as close to perfect as you can get with a game! ORGANIZATIONAL COMPONENT SCORE: 5/5 ♥♥♥♥♥

OVERALL SCORE: ♥♥♥♥♥ Math does NOT come naturally to my son AT ALL. As a result, we’ve struggled to find the right math curriculum for years and we’ve had to play a lot of catch-up. In an attempt to help him not HATE math, we play a lot of games to make math fun while also trying to cement the imperative concepts along the way. We’ve tried out several different games and this one is, by far, the favorite of both of ours. I would recommend it for kids of all ages and skill levels. I would suggest it to families with multiple kids and families with only one at home. I believe it would make a great summer review game for public school kids but I also know it works perfectly for homeschool kids. Flip It is a great game for anyone and everyone! OVERALL SCORE: 95% ♥♥♥♥♥ 

If you are ready to offer your kids a really fun way to cement those pesky multiplication facts, you can buy the game here on Amazon.

If you would like to read detailed instructions {with pics,} continue on….

HOW TO PLAY:

1. Pick which facts to work on {1-12}. We’ll “play” with the 2 facts right now.

 2. Shuffle well.

3. Deal twelve cards to each player. 

4. Set the remaining cards aside. This will be the draw pile. 

5. Without looking at their cards, each player needs to make two rows of cards {six in each row} in front of them. Cards need to remain facing down. 

6. It helps to think about the cards as positions  1-12.   I labeled each position to help with these instructions. Now you are ready to play.

7. The first player flips over the top card from the draw pile. 

8. It’s a 10, which is the product of 2x5. So, the player now gets to flip over the card in the 5th position. 

9. It’s a 4, which is the product of 2x2. Now the player gets to flip over the card in the 2nd position. 

10. It’s a 14, which is the product of 2x7. Now the player gets to flip over the card in the 7th position. 

11. It’s a 12, which is the product of 2x6. Now the player gets to flip over the card in the 6th position. 

12. It’s a 2, which is the product of 2x1. Now the player gets to flip over the card in the 1st position. 

13. Uh oh! It’s a 2 which is the product of 2×1 and that position has already been flipped over. Player One’s turn is over for now. 

14. So, now Player Two gets a turn. He flips over the top card from the draw pile. 

15. It’s a 24, which is the product of 2x12. Now the player gets to flip over the card in the 12th position. 

16. It’s a 22, which is the product of 2x11. Now the player gets to flip over the card in the 11th position. 

17. In the 11th position, the player flips a 14 over. So, he now gets to flip over the card in the 7th position. 

18. In the 7th position, the player flips over a 2. So, now he gets to flip over the card in the 1st position. 

19. There he finds an 8 so he gets to flip over the card in the 4th position. 

20. There he finds a WILD card which means he can choose a card in ANY position to flip over. 

21. He chooses the 8th position where he finds an 18.

22. So, now he gets to flip over the card in the 9th position, where he finds a 16….and so forth and so on. 

23. The players take turns flipping cards over until somebody flips all of their cards over. That person wins! 


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