I am not a teacher by nature. Sure being a mom has stretched that, but things like sight words and math with my five year old can be painful. In fact, usually our homework time is so frustrating for us both that my husband steps in and takes over. The reality is I cannot possibly be a mom and not teach, so thankfully there are tools and ideas out there to help moms like me who are not natural at it. That is why I LOVE these games by Super Duper Publications. They generously allowed me to try five of their different offerings and I have to say I was so impressed with the depth and quality of these games.
I cannot emphasize enough how well these games are made — far better than many of the other games you can pick up at your local retailer. For example, the money in the games is made out of heavy laminated card stock, as opposed to just plain paper. They’ve also thought above and beyond your usual games by providing items such as individual baggies for games that have many different pieces.
The games we received were Story Prediction Secret Decoder Deck, Photo Fish Magnetic Classifying Game, MagnetTalk Telling Time Game, Hopping Frogs Game, and my personal favorite Go for the Dough Game of Word Meanings. I will touch briefly on each game and why we loved it.
My oldest daughter is starting to get to the age where longer stories and chapter books are now interesting. She is also reaching an age where she can predict what might happen in a situation. When I chose this game, I thought it was just the cards but I was pleasantly surprised when I discovered the the secret decoder flashlight. This just goes to show the extra thought this company puts into their games; they could have stopped at the deck of cards, but they went one step further and it made all the difference. It also stores in a really nice tin (I’m a HUGE sucker for packaging!).
Photo Fish Magnetic Classifying Game
This game is great because (as the name suggests) it helps children classify objects into eleven different categories such as transportation, clothing, animals, food, and around the home. My kids love fishing games so this was an easy sell for them and I think the tackle box storage case is brilliant! This game is also fun for one or two kids or even a couple if you have a play date.
MagnetTalk Telling Time Game
I have to say that telling time on an analog clock seems to be a dying art (so does doing simple math in ones’ head, but I digress), and I think it is a very important skill. I spent years in healthcare and there you have to be able to read an analog clock and report in military time. While I do not know whether or not my daughters will go into healthcare, I think that these are skills that are important. Anyway, this is a fun way to teach this skill and it allows kids to track between digital and analog time. The best part about this game is that it is magnetic (there are many pieces so this helps keep them all together and it comes with a great little bag (packaging people, I love it!).
So you know those little plastic frogs that you make hop with your finger? Well this game comes with over 130 of them, and teaches children “earlier developing sounds (P, B, T, D, K, G, and F) in a fun and enjoyable way.” This game can also grow with your children teaching simple analogies, naming and building vocabulary. Of course this all comes with a colorful “pond” and “lily pads” where the game play takes place.
Go for the Dough Game of Word Meanings
Well, I’ve saved my favorite for last. This game is AWESOME! I love this one. My oldest daughter has always been about vocabulary; the kid talked at 7 months old. This game is right up her alley and will continue to grow with her. Some of the cards that we enjoy right now are rhyming words and opposites, but I feel like the other four categories: synonyms, categories, multiple meanings and definitions will soon be fun for us. Again the quality is remarkable and the game is well made.
These games are really fantastic and the Super Duper website is HUGE! I cannot even tell you how many games they have but if you have any specific skill you want to teach you children I am nearly certain that you will find it here.
Buy It
Super Duper Publications has offered The PennyWiseMama readers a 15% discount for using the code DS33NG8P before December 20, 2013. Shipping is FREE on orders over $20 within the US and Canada.
These games are a great holiday gift option, one that I am certain parents and children alike will appreciate!
karen medlin
Wednesday 27th of November 2013
wonderful website, I find a lot of games for special needs children.. makes it so much easier to shop when they have a section that you can browse through.