Sofia the First is new to Royal Prep Academy where magical princess lessons abound. She’s lost her dance shoes, teapot, school book, magical amulet and more throughout the enchanting building. Players help Sofia find her prized school supplies, swinging a window to the side to see if it is behind the opening, while learning fun lessons from the fairy headmistresses along the way. Assemble the impressive three paneled Royal Prep Academy and assign a player to be Princess Sofia, slipping on her charm bracelet, while the other player is the “Hider,” sitting on opposite sides of the building. (Although the game is designed for two players, we had an extra sister and found it worked fine to have a team of Hiders who talked strategy.) The Princess and Hider take turns while the Hider flips over a tile instructing to hide a charm or friend, and Princess Sofia opens the number of windows revealed on the spinner. If she finds “a swirly slipper” or teapot, it’s added to her charm bracelet. Girls giggled as they hid the charms with Princess Sofia turned away, and told her when she could look again. It had the air of Hide and Seek. Each Charm Tile reveals a lesson Princess Sofia is learning–to care for animals, be graceful, dance, or be friends. Extra language learning flourishes as players shared how they have learned these lessons, “I walked Duke,” or “I let Caroline go first,” Making connections and comparisons with personal experiences encourages critical thinking. Girls enjoyed playing both roles, of the hider and seeker and of course, the charm bracelet was a hit!
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