Reading With Your Kids Podcast
Helping Families Grow Closer Through Reading – An iHeartRadio Best Kids & Family Award Nominee
Reading With Your Kids Podcast
Helping Families Grow Closer Through Reading – An iHeartRadio Best Kids & Family Award Nominee
Thank you for tuning in listeners!
At ReadingWithYourKids, we firmly believe that spending time with family is so important whether you read a book together or play a fun family game, it will strengthen the bond between you and your kids and you’ll always cherish each moment spent together. Playing games as a family is not only fun—it can offer some important benefits for kids.
We wanted to introduce some fun and educational games to our listeners and decided to talk to Burke Schwartzman & Celia Niu, masters and creators of Goliath Games, that can be more than just entertainment for kids. Burke & Celia are joining us to talk about a variety of games Goliath has to offer and why having fun with family is important.
This episode is full of great insights. We’re so glad to bring these wonderful games to all our listeners and we hope you’ll check out more of their games in the future!
Goliath Games has been dedicated to creating toys and games that inspire young minds and adults alike to reach beyond their imagination. As one of the few remaining family-owned toy companies, Goliath truly understands the importance of quality family time and bringing people together.
Since 1980, Goliath has applied its slogan “Clever Together!” to every aspect of its company culture. Furthermore, Goliath Games is devoted to creating innovative products that reinforce child development, critical thinking, social skills, and curiosity.
Its iconic consumer brands range from Rummikub®, Tri-Ominos®, Wordsearch™, Pop the Pig®, Doggie Doo™, Gooey Looey™, Catch the Fox™, and many more. Goliath is active in many other toy categories, such as puzzles, arts & crafts, outdoor, activity, and novelties. These timeless classics span generations, inspire limitless play, and encourage children to explore the world around them.
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At first glance the family STEM Game Make 7 may remind you and your kids of the classic game Connect Four. Both Connect Four and Make 7 involve dropping playing pieces into the game unit. However, there is a lot more to Make 7 than just getting four of your game pieces lined up in a row.
In Make 7 the goal is to create a row of your playing pieces, which are numbered one, two or three, into a row that adds up to seven. Sounds easy? Wrong! Adding to the challenge, and fun, in this addition game is the fact that you can only use the #3 playing pieces in certain squares on the game unit.
My family and I loved playing Make 7. The fun begins when you open the box and start to “assemble” the playing unit. The game comes with stickers that must be attached in specific areas. The directions are easy to follow and fun for kids.
To be successful a player has to do some basic addition and think strategically. “Where should I drop my playing piece? What numbered piece do I play? Do I work on building my row or do I need to block my opponent?” It is a fast paced game that is lots of fun to play again and again.
As a teacher, my wife thought Make 7 is an excellent game to get kids thinking about numbers and could get kids excited about Math.
The game is for two players and is recommended for players age 7 and above.
Click here to get Make 7 at our Amazon store
Game Review By Chris DohertyLooking for a fun and exciting card game the whole family will love? Be sure to check out Doctor Who Fluxx, the newest addition from Looney Labs.
The game is set up so simple that it takes seconds for someone to understand the basic rules, but with the ever changing environment it takes good strategy and a bit of luck to outwit your opponents.
Let’s start by talking about the box; the color scheme is a nice galaxy tone which really makes the T.A.R.D.I.S. pop on the cover. It says that the game takes 5-30 minutes which seems fairly accurate in my opinion, usually the games take me about 20 minutes to complete. They say you can play with just two players, but due to the nature of the game it’s much easier for one person to completely dominate the game by luck of the draw in head to head competition. For a game that really is diverse and competitive you should try and have at least 3 people.
The box comes in at just 5 inches long and 4 inches wide, making this game not only portable but something that can live in your backpack without taking up too much room.
Now comes my favorite part of the game, the cards! Anyone who has ever met me knows that playing cards are one of my favorite things in the world. I have a giant personal collection. The cards themselves feel good; they’re cut smaller like a deck of bridge cards which makes it easier to hold especially when the rules can require you to draw up to 5 cards at a time! Kids sometimes have a hard time holding so many cards in their hand but this strategic move allows families to all participate without anyone feeling foolish.
The references on the cards are, pardon the Doctor Who reference, Fantastic, having all the numbered Doctors and some of the best companions from the current series, but don’t worry there are a few classic nods as well.
As a huge Whovian I loved that they chose to use the Classic Master, instead of the new series versions. They also showed 4 different Cybermen including the original Cyberman. Doctor Who Fluxx has been the game I’ve been waiting for since I started watching the show. It easy to learn, aesthetically pleasing and fun to play. It’s a great gift this holiday season for any Whovian, or a great introduction to anyone new to the series!