A good tip for getting the tiles back into the tube: Stack all the tiles up, and slip the tube on from the top!
Game rules and game varieties for Match Shapes and Colors,
Numbers and Quantities:
- Match tiles in groups of two, three or four:
The tiles should be matched according to their shapes, colors, numbers or quantities. For example: Can you find two heart-shaped figures? Can you find three pentagons or pentagon-shaped figures? Can you find four tiles that equal the number five?
- Mini Match:
Select only a few Matches from the box and play with these. This way you will get an easier game, which might be a good idea when you first introduce the game to your child. You can also select only a few tiles with all of the following game variations.
- Play with shapes:
Can you find one square, one triangle and one circle? Can you pick out two stars?
- Play with colors:
How many tiles with something yellow on them can you find? All the boats have got different colors on their sails; can you name some of the colors?
- Play with numbers:
Arrange the numbers. Say the name of each number out loud: “One, two, three…”. Can you find the number 4? Number 2 is orange; can you find number 2?
- Play with quantities:
Can you find a tile with five things on it? How many carrots has the bunny got? Can you find two tiles that add up to nine (for example 6 and 3)?
- Play with sizes:Can you arrange the squares from smallest to largest? Which circle is the smallest one? Which of the triangles is the biggest one? Which star is not the biggest and not the smallest, but in between?
- Talk about the pictures:
Pick out some of the picture tiles and talk about what you see. What shape is the ball? Who do you think might be playing with the ball? Where do you go to play with a ball?
- Sing a song:
Use the tiles as singing cards, for example:
Twinkle twinkle little star
Itsy bitsy spider
1, 2, Buckle My Shoe
- Make a story:
Pick out some of the picture tiles and make your own story. If there are several kids, each child can get one tile, and then they can all make up a story together: “Once upon a time there was a big brown bear who had been sleeping all Winter…”
- Count the sides of the shapes:
How many sides are there in a triangle? Can you count the sides of the squares?
- Play memory:
Pick out some of the tiles. Mix and turn them upside down. Find two and two matches.
- Work with concepts and opposites:
The bear is asleep, what is the opposite of being asleep? Do you think that it is cold or warm outside the bear’s lair? What about inside?
- Work with prepositions:
Which cakes are on the top shelf? Which ones are one the bottom shelf? Is the baker in front of the cakes or behind the cakes?
- Find your friends:
In a group with several children, you can hand out one tile to each child. The children should then walk around and try to find their partners, that is, the other children with the matching tiles to theirs.
- Find the number 10’s “friends” (i.e. 5+5 or 6+4) with Match Learner Numbers and Quantities:
Play with the tiles face up. The first player should find two tiles that equals 10 when added up, for instance the card with 5 frogs and the card with the number 5. When the first player has picked up two cards, the turn is passed on, and the next player should find two new cards that are 10’s friends (i.e. 6 and 4).
- Match Learner Numbers and Quantities with dice:
Use two dice with dots from 1 to 6. Put out all the tiles either face up or face down on the table. Throw the dice, count the dots, and find a tile on the table that equals this number. For instance, if the dice shows 3 dots, you can pick up the tile with the number 3, or the tile with three shapes. The turn is then passed on to the next player.
- Musical numbers with Match Learner Numbers and Quantities:
Pick out all the tiles with the numbers from 1 to 12, and put the tiles face up on the floor. The players should sit in a circle on the floor, with the 12 tiles in the center. The game master now starts playing the music. When the music stops, the first player to pick up the tile with the number 1 wins the tile. Then the music starts again, and when it stops, the first player to pick the tile with the number 2 wins, and so on. The game continues until all the tiles are taken, and the player with the most tiles in the end wins the game. You can also play by starting from 12 down to 1.
- Make a clock or a plan for the day with Match Learner Numbers and Quantities:
Pick out all the number tiles from 1 to 12. Pick up one tile (for instance 8), and ask the children what they might do at eight o’clock in the morning. The children might answer “Eat breakfast”. Put the tile in its right place to make a clock on the table or floor. Next, pick up the tile 9, and ask what they usually do at nine o’clock, and so on, until the clock is complete. This is a good way to talk about and work with the concept of time.
- Make up a new way to play:
Hand out the game to a group of children and/or adults, and tell them that this game has no rules yet. Ask if they can think of a fun way to play the game. We love to get new ideas for our games, and we will be happy to put out your brilliant ideas on this page. Please send an e-mail to email@example.com