I love the quality of SimplyFun games before I even start the game. The thick, sturdy gameboards and even the box say, “We’re ready to play over and over!” Players need to be at the top of their game, ready with quick recall of vocabulary within categories to score points. Flip over the top card from each of the four Letter Card decks and roll the dice to reveal their value. Draw a Category card, turn over the sand timer and start writing a word in your category that begins with each of the four letters. Once again I was reminded of the age difference between my little friends and me as they were more facile with “movies,” “reptiles and amphibians,” and “athletes and sportscasters” than I was but I stood out with “classroom materials” and “famous books!” The game is very adaptable to playing with all ages from 8 and up because you can simply select easier categories for younger players such as “articles of clothing,” “toys and games,” or “fruits and nuts.” “Sports” brought out Hockey, Football, Ice dancing, while N drew a blank (even though a player wrote Nintendo!). At the beginning of the game, players scan the dice and see which letters are more valuable and work on those answers first. What a fantastic way to build vocabulary, re-call, and phonemic skills related to literacy and language!
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