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After Words is available on Amazon HERE.
{I purchased this game myself. All opinions are my own!}
I’m always looking for fun games that are quick and easy to play but actually serve an educational purpose. So when I saw this new spelling game, After Words, advertised I decided to give it a try! And naturally, I needed to write a review about this new educational game!
In addition to reviewing the
FUN FACTOR and the
EDUCATIONAL VALUE, I will also include info on the
ORGANIZATIONAL COMPONENT {because who likes mess!?!?!},
TIME COMMITMENT {because we’ve gotta teach too, right?!?!?!},
CLARITY LEVEL {because confusion is no fun}
and an OVERALL SCORE.
NAME: After Words
PUBLISHER: Educational Insights
CATEGORY: Spelling and Vocabulary
SUB CATEGORY: Beginning and Ending Letters of Words
TIME COMMITMENT: Minimal+ {20-30 minutes}
HOW TO WIN: Be the first player to get rid of all your cards by thinking of words that begin with specific letters AND fit certain categories.
CLARITY LEVEL: ♥♥♥♥♥ When you first read the instructions, the game may seem confusing but it is not. The instructions are clear, concise and very simple. They explain how to start, what to do and how to win in very concrete terms. However, we modified the game to better fit our needs. {See below for details.} But, sticking with the included instructions would be just as fun and educational as our version. CLARITY LEVEL SCORE: 5/5 ♥♥♥♥♥
FUN FACTOR: ♥♥♥♥_ Speed, vocabulary and spelling are all factors in this game so unless all players are somewhat matched in their spelling skills and vocabulary knowledge, modifying the game will be necessary if fun is to occur. And the silly timer is super fun to play with….until it gets annoying! FUN FACTOR SCORE: 4/5 ♥♥♥♥_
EDUCATIONAL VALUE: ♥♥♥♥_ Promoted as a spelling game, I would say that it only fits that description to a degree. Players only need to identify the first and last letter of words and never need to spell entire words. It would be easy to modify, I suppose, by making the player spell the entire word {either verbally or in writing} before he can discard his card. It would add very little time but a lot of educational value. The vocabulary component is, in my opinion, a bonus but one that cannot be avoided if you play this game. Thinking of words that fit specific categories makes players dig deeper into their mental dictionaries than most games so that’s definitely a bonus to me! And, having a dictionary and/or a thesaurus on hand would certainly up the educational value as well. EDUCATIONAL VALUE SCORE: 4/5 ♥♥♥♥_
ORGANIZATIONAL COMPONENT: ♥♥♥♥♥ The storage box, cards, silly timer and fold-out board are all very sturdy and have held up well so far. Everything fits in the box, though not snugly so things can rattle around and become a jumbled mess. But because the box is strong and secure, nothing is going to escape and go missing. Just make sure you turn the silly timer off before you put everything away! The instructions are in a separate little booklet but if they get lost, there is a very simplified {but helpful} version on the back of the box. ORGANIZATIONAL COMPONENT SCORE: 5/5 ♥♥♥♥♥
OVERALL SCORE: ♥♥♥♥♥ Spelling is NOT a strong subject for my son, which is why we are always on the hunt for fun games to improve his spelling skills. This game does offer a fun way to work on his spelling skills, with some vocabulary thrown in for good measure. But, without some modifications, players only get to practice the beginning and ending sounds of words. Plus, it’s not a game that can be played very easily with mismatched players, unless at least one of them is a mature adult to help the other{s} along. OVERALL SCORE: 90% ♥♥♥♥♥
If you are ready to offer your kids a fast and fun way to work on spelling skills, you can buy After Words on Amazon by clicking here!
If you would like to read detailed instructions of our modified version {with pics,} continue on….
1. Unfold the game board and position it so all players can see.
2. Make sure the timer has batteries and is functioning. Decide how much time you want for the countdown and select that on the timer. This can be easily modified during the game. {NOTE: The timer is a funny little thing. Every time you place it down on the board, it starts the countdown. It took us way longer than I care to admit for us to figure this out!}
3. Deal seven cards to each player.
4. Cards can either be hidden in a hand or flipped face-up. We played with the cards face-up so I could help my son with the categories {and his horrible spelling!}
5. Have each player read through their categories to make sure they understand them. If they don’t, you can either explain or allow those categories to be traded in. {The rules also allow for a swap during play.}
6. Place the remaining cards in a pile where all can access it. This is the Draw Pile.
7. Flip over the top card of the Draw Pile.
8. The first player to think of a word that fits that category gets to go first. This category is Something That Makes You Happy. Somebody said “family” and becomes Player One.
9. Player One needs to move the timer to the LAST LETTER of the word he said {family.} So, he moves the timer to the letter “Y”.
10. As soon as Player One places the timer on the board, the countdown will begin {and make the most annoying sound!} During this time, all players need to be thinking of a word that STARTS with the letter “Y” that fits one of their categories.
11. Player One wins this round by using the category for Fictional Character and says, “Yoda”. He gets rid of that card.
12. Player One now needs to move the timer to the LAST LETTER of “Yoda” so moves the timer to the letter “A”.
13. As soon as he places the timer on the letter “A”, the countdown will begin. During the countdown, all players need to be thinking of a word that STARTS with the letter “A” and fits one of their categories.
14. Player Two shouts out “anchovies” to fit his Pizza Topping category.
15. Player Two discards his card and moves the timer to the LAST LETTER in the word “anchovies” {S}.
16. All players need to think of a word that STARTS WITH “S” and fits one of their categories.
17. Player One says “sink” to fit his Something in a Bathroom category.
18. He discards his card and moves the timer to the LAST LETTER in “sink” which is…
19. Play continues in this fashion until a player is able to discard all seven of his cards.
20. We play this modified way so that we can get through those cards faster and then deal seven new categories to each player and play again.
21. If there is ever a round where nobody can think of a word to fit the category before the timer goes off, we simply draw a new word from the Draw Pile. At that time, you would basically start again at Step 8.
This is adorable! I’m addicted to word games on my phone such as “Wordscapes” and “7 Little Words”, so I think even I would have fun with this one!!