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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!
Educational and fun! A win win!
Thanks for the reviews! We don’t have little kids in the house anymore sadly. We were always big board game/card players when our daughter was growing up. I loved that she loved playing and it made it easy to slip in educational games. Even as an adult, she still tries to get people over to play board games – little do they realize that most of them have some sort of educational factor.
What a great game! I wish I would have known about it at the beginning of the summer than my kids could keep share all summer!
These are my favorite types of games for my kids. They are still a little young for this one, but I like it!
I think my kids would have enjoyed this when they were younger. Cards and board games are always a hit with us
I remember one of my teachers having a homemade version of this game when I was in elementary school. It looks really fun and helpful for learning.
What a great review. Fellow homeschool mom as well and I’m always looking for fun games to help practice our facts. Will definitely have to check this one out. Thanks for sharing!
This looks like it might be complex to learn, but I think my granddaughter would love it!!!! She loves to play simple math games in the car, so I think she would think this was really fun.
I love this idea! I will see if I can get some for my nephew. I like to get him educational things but also want them to be fun.
This sounds like a lot of fun! And being educational is a bonus.
Love a good game! Great review!
Yay! Multiplication facts is one of the goals on my son’s IEP this year. He is rising to 8th, but lost so much ground early in life before he came to my home. He understands grade level concepts, but his lack of rote facts gets in the way and he loses his place in higher multistep rpoblems when he has to stop and count on his fingers. This sounds like a fun way to help him boost this!
This looks like such a fun game to play with kiddos! my baby cousins would love this!
Thank you for the overview of the game! Once learned it seems that it will be incredibly enjoyable for children at home or at school!
I love good family educational games. We play PIT a lot…it gets exciting and loud sometimes. ha. This one sounds great!
Why wasn’t this game around when I was a kid? This would have been such a fun way for me to learn math. I’ll definitely be playing this game with my nieces and nephews.
Great review! Educational fun was always a great learning tool when my B was little.
This is awesome!
Great way to get your kids to “study” while having fun.
What a smart way to learn math!!! Def need to try this.
I like this–thanks for the complete review. I am always looking for ways to get my kids to practice these so I will have to keep an eye out for it.
Amazon!
I have several therapy based games but none that are academic! Good to know. Thanks!!
My youngest son loves math. He has since he was 18 months old. He slept with a giant calculator for many years. Anytime we found a math game, we bought it. He would play games for hours.
I wish my son loved math like that! But these kinds of games surely help him “like” it a little bit at least.
I homeschooled my kids and we were always on the lookout for fun and educational games. This one looks like it’s both!
Anytime you can turn learning into fun, it’s a good thing. Thanks for the review!
Looks like a fun game. My kiddos are too young for this, but I’m certified to teach middle and high school math and I can definitely see a place for this game!
Blast from my past! I love educational board games and I like this better than electronic board games. More traditional and perfect way to bond with your family as well.
Absolutely a great family bonding experience!
Wow…this is the first time I’m actually reading a games review and like, I found it really interesting. This looks like a fun game really, but the closest I’ve come to a board game is playing monopoly. I’ll totally love to play something like this too.
Well, this is much easier and waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay less time consuming than Monopoly, ha ha! You should give it a try!
This is a really helpful game review. I’ve never heard of Flip It, but I’m always interested in trying out new educational games with my boys. Thanks!
I hope they enjoy it!
Oooh my niece would love this game! She loves all things STEM
My daughter doesn’t really homeschool her boys…they’re still pre-school ages, but she does ‘teach’ them and they’re already reading. So, educational games and toys are always high on the list of priorities.
Good for her for making learning at home fun!
I love reading reviews before investing in something! This game looks fun, thanks for sharing!
Me too! It helps make better purchasing decisions.
Well, this looks like a lot of fun! I’m going to have to see if the boys have heard of it and add it to our game night collection!
Thank you for having a clear and concise review. I truly helps my mind understand all of the elements. Also, I love that you labeled the positions. I am a teacher and try to incorporate games as much as possible. I will try this out!
You are very welcome! We really like this game and trying to explain it makes it sound confusing but it really isn’t! I bet you and your students will love it too!