Game on: Snap!

Snap. It’s where a lot of us begin our game playing with kids.  No strategy, a little observation – and a lot of opportunity to shout loudly! Perfect.

Snap is a good game with kids because it’s a level playing field. Either side can do well if they can spot the matching cards quickly enough. That tends to encourage kids to keep going – and me too.

1) Know your moves to win

Here is the question: what is the move that gets you a win? Is it shouting ‘Snap!’ Is it banging your hand down on the matching cards?

It’s a moot point.  I go for the former; Dan goes for the latter.  House standard has therefore headed towards doing both, which makes it even more frenetic.

Junior player loves this, of course.  Sometimes combining your game-playing backgrounds means that the outcome is even better.

2) Disqualifying your opponent if they get the moves wrong

Pernickety game playing can start as early as snap.  I have seen serious arguing erupt – that a ‘Snap!’ was overruled because it wasn’t made with the correct move(s).

It is up to you whether you are a stringent rule keeper here or not. Mind you, junior players can be even more vigilant than adults, I find…

3) Pans!

I used to live near three sisters, elderly gentle ladies in the best terms.  They all lived together, and had a great sense of humour. Part of the humour included shaking things up a bit: you only won if you shouted ‘Pans!’ (ie ‘Snap’ backwards).

You may not get as many takers for this, but it can be good to see if others can adjust to a rule change for a round – and remember which thing to do to win.

4) Choosing your packs

The other nice thing about Snap is the opportunity for variety while essentially playing the same game. We played a Jungle Animals one a lot for a long time – it was essential packing for train journeys.

That’s part of the fun of simpler games – you can play them many times over, and they still work for you. If they’re familiar, that can be encouraging for those who find it hard to lose – because the cards may also remind them that they win too, at times.

We also picked up a large format set of cards with pirates on, at a school fair. These have alliterative names, so we learn a bit about language along the way. Plus it’s quite fun to say the names as we play the cards, particularly if it takes a while to get a matching pair.

5) When to stop

It’s a moot point.  Playing as a twosome, it’s rare to get to a point where one person wins all the cards.  Sometimes you feel it’s fairer to stop.  Sometimes junior player wants to risk it, even though they’ve not got many cards left to play.

It’s learning about games along the way, risking – or deciding to limit the damage. (It’s also a chance to count the cards to see who’s won, for a little more stealth maths.)

Snap. Pans. Any other suggestions?

 

Game on: something beginning with…

You can’t do a series on easy games, and not do I-Spy. It doesn’t matter if you are travelling or not – in fact, it’s probably best played at home, with lots of familiar objects you could select from.

1) I-Spy: the original

I-Spy is about observing – but it’s also about spelling:

I spy with my little eye something beginning with …(name of letter)

The other player(s) then look round the room/train compartment/bus interior etc to try and see things beginning with that letter.

B…could be balloon (at a party), boy (on a neighbouring seat of the bus), buggy (at the front of the bus), bag (on the seat beside you), and so on.

If you guess right first, you get to choose the item for the next round. Play for a short, or long time – whatever you prefer, or however long you are in transit/having to wait/letting your meal go down etc.

2) I-Spy variant: sounds not names of letters

For junior players, who are doing sounds but not yet the names of letters, play on sounds. Many words will begin with consonants, which tend to keep to the same sound.

However, if you get a sound beginning with ‘s’, the junior player can focus on the sound, rather than worry whether it starts with ‘s’ (sticker) or another letter (city).

3) I-Spy variant: play on colours

A version that can work for your junior player, if they are pre-letters, is to play on colours:

I spy with my little eye something that is…(colour).

This can be quite varied – something that is blue on a bus might be the back of a seat, a person’s coat, the suitcase on the rack, and so on. The child’s ability to pick something interesting can be fun for them, allowing them to cheerfully say ‘No!” to your first few choices.

4) I-Spy: some tips

If you are playing on the move, there’s nothing worse than continued guessing, only to be given the answer for an item that’s now half a mile behind you.

So we’ve gone for a similar rule to Hunt the Thimble – it needs to be visible, and within the room/vehicle, so that you still have time to guess.

5) I-Hear: guessing the origins of sounds

For a bit of variety, or if the people you’re playing with don’t all have the same level of sight, you can also play on sounds:

I hear with my little ear something that is…

It’s up to you how you take it from here. Adjectives can be good: something that is crackly/something that is whistle-y/something that is very quiet.  The guessers then have to identify the person/animal/object that’s making the noise.

The trick is to avoid giving too many clues that will mean the others guess too easily.

6) Playing on multiple words

Sometimes someone wants to identify their item, and it has more than one word:

…something beginning with…P S (pink suitcase)

You can decide if you allow for multiple words or not – it can be more exact, but it can also be harder to guess on.

I leave you with a (true) cautionary tale on multiple word I-Spy. A small person once came up with B O S as their clue.  The adults scratched their heads over this, tried various options and gave up.

The answer? Beast On Sarah a.k.a. a butterfly brooch worn by one of the ladies in the room. I’m not sure whether the wearer was entirely pleased to hear her brooch described as a beast.

If you’re going to play with kids, be prepared for some clues that are harder to figure out. Just saying.

Game on: practising numbers by stealth

In my primary school days, TopTrumps was limited to vehicles.  This tended to mean it was played by knots of boys in the corners of playgrounds. Girls tended to know the name, but not what it was (unless they had brothers who played it too).

TopTrumps has become a bit of a favourite, even for game-players who are late to the party. There are so many types, but they’re not expensive. Four or five pounds will buy you a set – but visit a second-hand shop or a school fair, and you may gain a set for a pound, or even less.

TopTrumps: the choices

For kids, you can be as current, or specific, as you like.  Cars, pets, films, TV shows, cartoon characters…you’ll find all these and more.  There are usually Specials, for sets that tie in with something current, like a film.

For adults, there’s also some nostalgia value. No need to be limited to the kids’ era, when there’s sets for (original) Star Wars, Dr Who, Indiana Jones, and more.

Yes, a certain level of geek awareness probably helps. But there’s also packs with animals, the Royal Wedding of 2009, wrestling…

But what are they, your great-aunt may enquire (if she’s in the same room while you’re playing)?

TopTrumps: the explanation

TopTrumps is a set of playing cards around a theme. There are 30 to a pack. They have the picture for the theme on the back, and on the front, a series of different characters/vehicles/animals etc.

Each character card has (usually) 5 different scores on it.  These may include things like: brains, skill, strength, age, speed, and so on.  Each character will then be assigned a number for each category e.g.

Brains: 20

Skill: 5

Strength: 7

Age: 120

Speed: 12

And so on. As in real life, one character may be better than the other (or ‘trump’ them) if compared on a particular category – but lose if compared on another.

TopTrumps particularly appeals to those who like to compare, and to work out which card is best.  It’s no surprise that it started with vehicles, but most themes will be based around the idea that characters have varying strengths.

The trick is to work out which of your categories you think you are strongest on: and to play that category on the turns when you get to go first.

TopTrumps: under way

Let’s say you’ve got the above scores on your card.  Age looks pretty big, so you play on that. Your opponent has to play on the same category: so if you call age first, they have to give their score on the same category.

A: Age: 120.

B: Age: 75.

A wins – so B has to hand over their card. You put the two used cards at the back of the pack, and your opponent gets to call the category on their next card.

B: Speed: 20.

A: Speed: 12.

B wins, and takes A’s card.

TopTrumps: practising numbers by stealth

The fun of TopTrumps, for an adult playing with a child, is two-fold.  The child is playing on a theme they (hopefully) like, and wants to win.  The adult may feel the same.  But for the adult’s inner educationalist, there’s a further plus point: you both have to read out numbers to take part.

The numbers are also a clue as to whether your child is reading their numbers correctly.  If your range on speed goes up to about 20, and your child suddenly reads off ’91’, it’s a little clue to suggest that they might be misreading ’19’.

TopTrumps: playing a simplified version

To make things easiest for your junior opponent, you may choose to play just on one category.  This can be good if you are playing with e.g. dinosaur cards, where ages of millions of years may be hard to read, but strength (up to 20) is manageable.

Reading also comes into this. So it can be good to choose a category that your child can read e.g. skill. Or you might pick the category at the top of the card (or bottom), so it’s easy to spot each time.

Ideally, you play until one person has all the cards. But if you’ve had enough, you can always stop and count up who’s got the most cards. (30 to a pack – so if you have more than 15, you win.)

TopTrumps: playing over time

Where TopTrumps gets particularly fun is when you play it over time.  You get to know the possible scores for a category, so you know wen you’re likely to win.

For example, playing Horrible Histories TopTrumps, I know that Henry VIII wins on one category – so it’s worth leading with that, particularly if you are losing. Equally, playing original Star Wars TopTrumps, and playing on height, you’re doing well if you have the Wampa.

TopTrumps: our favourites

What packs do we play the most?

– Original Star Wars (films IV-VI) is a good one (and highly educational, if you are of a science-fiction persuasion, and think your child may benefit from similar knowledge).

– Dinosaurs: lots of further discussions about carnivores vs herbivores, as well as opportunities to cry ‘Urgh!’ every time you see the picture of the T Rex with a rather bloody mouth.

– Dr Who: similarly educational for classic monsters, and former incarnations of Dr Who. Our junior opponent is not yet into current series Dr Who, but should we explore the back catalogue, it could prove useful. (Plus there’s nothing like monsters to inspire a little light comparison.)

– Indiana Jones: I pulled rank when we found these in a charity shop, and demanded that we buy them.  Junior Companion was less keen to part with a whole pound out of his fund, but has since agreed that it is worth the spend.

This also becomes a way to introduce the Indiana Jones canon before Junior Companion is old enough to be allowed to watch the films. After all, there is a progression of villains for Indy to take on, and a good opportunity to compare the attributes of baddiness.

I’ll stop there.  I think I have sufficiently convinced you of the benefits. It can be played in carparks, on trains, but also in bed (if you’ve had a crafty nap, and need something low impact to entertain Junior Companion while you’re waking up).

Biggest advantages: quick to pack. Easy to close up when you’ve had enough. Fits in Christmas stockings (so we observe). Job done.

Game on: hunt the miniscule object

You know the one. It’s usually Hunt the Thimble – but why limit it? It can really be any miniscule object of your choice. (Not too miniscule – you do want to find it again. Unless you don’t mind feeding the vacuum cleaner more than usual.)

1) Hunt the Thimble

We ended up with a plastic thimble from a Christmas cracker one time, so we do tend to play hunt the thimble. It’s of a size that it can sit on top of a door frame, ready and waiting (and spying out suitable places to hide).

One person hides the thimble – we usually count up to 10, or something similar, to give them time to hide it, but not too long. Everyone else has to close their eyes, or look away, so the hider can find a place to hide the thimble.

We’ve found that it’s best to do the following:

– agree that it must be hidden in the same room as everyone else (or you can’t see it)

– make sure it’s relatively in plain sight (no hiding it behind a cushion)

This gives the finders a sporting chance!

The finders guess a location, and can also get up and move around, looking.

The hider stays still and indicates how close you are. The fun generally comes in the description of hot (close) or cold (far away) e.g.

hot…hotter…burning…on fire! (ie. you’re pretty much on top of the item)

cold…colder…ice cold…freezing…etc.

If you are playing with a younger hider, you also have to help them be consistent about hot/cold signals. (You can be near an item, hear ‘hot’ – but then move a fraction away and hear ‘freezing’…)

Younger hiders like the sense of control, and keeping the adults guessing. Adult hiders can enjoy accurately guiding a child to the thimble, and their enjoyment of actually finding it.  Best to tailor it to the needs of your group.

When to play? Straight after a meal can be good – when the grown ups want to sit down and digest, and when the younger players want something to do.

2) Variant: hide another object of your choice

If you feel confident enough about hiding a treasured item (e.g. a Lego minifigure, or something of that kind), this can be fun. Animal figures can allow for hunting/stalking, especially those like dinosaur figures.

A human figure can be in different terrain (land/sea/forest/desert etc), which can allow for some verbal clues too if the finders get stuck.

Any figure you might be using as an alien can be exploring your planet e.g.

What is it doing?

It’s tasting brown grass… (the fibre of a carpet)

It’s scaling a tall building… (to one side of a piece of furniture)

It’s looking for intelligent life forms… (in the fruit bowl) etc.

Have you had any hunt the object successes? Or disasters?

 

Game on: hands and wits

Up to speed on Hand Sandwich? Good. You’re ready for the next stage: hands and wits. By this I mean using your hands in the game, but changing the look of the hand each time to outwit your opponent.

1) Scissors-Paper-Stone. Another familiar favourite. Whether you know it by this name, or as Rock-Paper-Scissors, it’s a classic face-off between two players.

Each player uses one hand, and hides it behind their hand. You both form a shape with your hidden hand. You count, ‘one, two, three’, and on ‘three’, you both bring out and show your hand.

You have the choice of the three shapes: rock (a fist), paper (flat hand) or scissors (thumb and forefinger apart, to suggest the blades of the scissors).

You’ll no doubt remember that the combinations of the two offer certain wins/losses:

Rock blunts scissors (rock wins)

Paper wraps rock (paper wins)

Scissors cut paper (scissors win)

If you both bring out the same shape, it’s a draw.

Here’s where the wits come in – you don’t know what your opponent will come up with. It might be the same as last time – it might be different.

This is a great game for flexibility – you can play it as many, or few, times as you like.  Best of 10 can be good – but it can keep going for longer if you want to.

It is an excellent game for bus journeys, if you are sitting together in a seat for two. It also works just fine on trains. I dare say it would be good for kids in the back of a car too.

I’ve recently discovered that it is great for a spot of sneak maths: getting used to keeping score e.g.

1 all.

1: 2.

1: 3.

2: 3. And so on.

2) Variant: Scissors-Paper-Stone-Dynamite.

I don’t know the origins of this one – maybe Dan can advise. But it can be fun to add in a fourth alternative shape to the hand:

Dynamite – ball your hand into a fist, but leave the index finger sticking out to look like a fuse.

Here are some of the new wins/losses:

Dynamite blows up stone (dynamite wins)

Scissors cut fuse off dynamite (scissors win)

Dynamite burns through paper (dynamite wins)

Plus all the above wins/losses. Kids particular like being able to blow up their opponent’s hand…as it were.

3) Variant: Madagascar version…

This was offered as an alternative, after a trip to the cinema (and a bus ride straight after). It’s not fully worked out, but you can give it a whirl, and see what you think.

The notion is to use the 4 positions of variant 2, but using the 4 main characters from the Madagascar films: a lion, a hippo, a giraffe and a zebra. Here are the hand positions:

Lion: make your hand look like a claw.

Hippo: make your hand into a fist. (The hippo is a tough cookie!)

Giraffe: put two fingers held up together, like a tall neck.

Zebra: four fingers held down, to look like stripes.

Who beats whom is the bit we’re still working on:

Lion beats everyone but Hippo, because he’s strongest

Hippo beats Lion (because she can sit on him)

Giraffe beats Hippo (because she often gives in and helps him with what he needs)

We’re still working out the zebra role.

Given that it works well for three or four characters, I’m sure there must be variations within a universe of your choice:

Orc – Elf- Dwarf – Goblin?

Let us know how you get on.