Tag: learn

How to Play – Pete the Cat: The Missing Cupcakes Game

Part of the fun in raising Zoey is finding things that delight and educate her; I want to find fun, creative board games to play with her during our family game nights! This week we played Pete the Cat: The Missing Cupcakes Game by Briarpatch for 2 to 4 players! 

Zoey loves Pete the Cat and loves cupcakes so this game is a perfect fit for her! It’s also enjoyable to play a cooperative game that we all work together to complete rather than always be competitive. Competition is great, but teamwork is a valuable skill too!

Let’s play!

IN THE BOX
  • 4 game pieces 
  • 14 colorful cupcakes
  • 20 birthday present cards
  • A Game board
  • A Game spinner
  • A Grumpy Toad & cupcake tray
INSTRUCTIONS
  1. Each player chooses a character pawn and places it on one of the four corners of the game board (it is ok for 2 players to share a space).
  2. Place all the cupcakes onto Grumpy Toad’s cupcake tray.
  3. Shuffle the present cards and place them all, face down, next to Pete the Cat.
  4. The youngest player goes first by spinning the spinner and moving clockwise around the board.
  5. Players move around the board performing one of the following activities, based on the space landed on:
    • Present spots-The player picks up one present card and performs one activity (playing like charades, but sounds are okay). If someone guesses successfully, then the player who performed the activity takes two cupcakes from Grumpy Toad’s cupcake tray and places them on two of the open slots (shaded circles) on Pete the Cat’s birthday party table on the game board.
    • Activity spots-(animal, food, letters, music) If a player successfully completes one of the four activities, the player takes a cupcake from Grumpy Toad’s cupcake tray and places it on one of the open spots on Pete the Cat’s birthday party table:
      • Dog – Name an animal and say its sound (i.e. cow…moo!).
      • Apple – Name a yummy food.
      • ABC’s – Think of a letter and name something that starts with that letter (i.e. T…table).
      • Musical note – Sing a verse from a song (i.e. Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star) or make up a new song!
      • (Once something has been named by a player, other players cannot name the same thing. They must remember what others said and say something new.)
    • Grumpy Toad spots – Grumpy Toad decides he’s still hungry and, if there is a cupcake on Pete the Cat’s birthday party table, takes one (any) cupcake off the table and back to his cupcake tray.
    • Home spots – Relax, you’re home, not activity is performed.
  6. After the player performs one of the above activities, his or her turn is over and play passes to the left.
  7. When all the cupcakes have been taken from Grumpy Toad’s cupcake tray, the game ends and ALL the players celebrate the team victory by singing Happy Birthday to Pete the Cat!

ENJOY!

How to Play – Boggle Jr.

Part of the fun in raising Zoey is finding things that delight and educate her; I want to find fun, creative board games to play with her during our family game nights! This week we played Boggle Jr. by Hasbro for 1 to 2 players! 

This game will help children with their spelling in a fun, rewarding way! If this means setting up a reward system for if they could finish all the 3 letter words, then the 4 letter words and then the combined deck, do it! Education should be fun and rewarding! I could see improvement in Zoey’s word recognition and spelling almost immediately.

Let’s play!

IN THE BOX
  • Boggle Jr. game tray
  • 8 letter cubes
  • 30 picture/word cards (double-sided)
INSTRUCTIONS

Game # 1: Match it-Spell it

  1. Shuffle and stack the picture/word cards so the 3-letter words are all face up and turned in the same direction.
  2. Place the stack in the tray above the cube slots, facing the child (the word cover is flipped down & out of use).
  3. Point to the picture on the card and ask the child what it is — i.e. a pig, a jar, a pie, the sun, etc.
  4. Point to the word below the picture and say the word, then spell the word out loud letter by letter.
  5. Go back to the first letter and have the child find that letter on one of the cubes and place the cube in the first slot of the tray, directly under the letter as it appears on the card.
  6. Proceed through the other two letters until the 3-letter word is spelled out in cubes under the card.
  7. Reinforce what the child has just accomplished by saying the word and spelling together. Give the child the top card and proceed through the rest of the remaining 3-letter words in the same manner.
  8. Next play with 4-letter word cards. Then shuffle the cards and play with 3 and 4 letter words mixed.

Game # 2: Cover it-Spell it

  1. Shuffle and stack the picture/word cards so the 3-letter words are all face up and turned in the same direction.
  2. Place the stack in the tray above the cube slots, facing the child (the word cover is flipped up & in use).
  3. The child glances at the word under the cover, then hides it again. Now he/she is no longer matching letters with letter, but is actually spelling the word from memory.
  4. Next play with 4-letter word cards. Then shuffle the cards and play with 3 and 4 letter words mixed.
  5. For two players the children take turns. Each time a child successfully spells a word from memory, he or she wins that card and continues to the next.
  6. If a child spells a word incorrectly, that card is placed on the bottom of the pile of cards and that child’s turn ends. When the card comes up again, the player whose turn it is attempts to spell the word.
  7. The children alternate turns until all the cards have been used, whoever has won more cards during the game wins!

ENJOY!