Spot it! : a card game. Blue Orange Games. $13.99
Annotation: Study the cards as quick as you can to be the first one to spot the one thing they have in common!
Summary: This card game for ages four and up is based on the concept of there being one and only one matching symbol between the eight symbols pictured on any two cards. Each player has a card, and there is a card on the master pile. Whoever spots the match between their card and the pile card gets to take it, and then the hunt for the match on the next card in the pile begins. Some matches are apparent right away, while others seem impossible to determine. There is always the added pressure of the other player finding a match before you do, which increases the excitement of the game.
When the pile of 55 cards has been exhausted, the player with the most cards is the winner. Rules for five versions of the game are included with the cards in a travel-friendly tin. Because reading ability is not a requirement to play the game, pre-readers can join in the fun with older players. This is a quick-paced game, well-suited for just two players or a group up to eight people in size.
Critical Evaluation: Spot it! allows children to increase their ability to focus and to develop visual perception skills while having fun. To determine which one of the symbols on their card matches one of the symbols on the pile card also aids them in their pattern recognition abilities. The symbols are sized and oriented differently on each card, which helps to add an adaptability to visual perception skills that would be helpful in many other educational tasks when they are older.
For children, playing a game against older children and adults where they are not at a disadvantage due to their age or logical skills can be extremely empowering. Spot it! gives every player an equal opportunity to win: the only requirement to do so is to be the quickest to recognize a match between cards.
Age or Interest Level: Ages 4 and up.
Awards: Parents’ Choice Foundation Gold Award 2010, Dr Toy: 10 Best Games 2010, Fat Brain Toy Awards 2011 WINNER in the Games category, Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Best Toy Award Gold Seal 2010, The National Parenting Center 2010 Seal of Approval, Creative Child 2011 Seal of Excellence Award, Mom’s Choice Awards 2012 Honoree
Why Included? My son received Spot it! for Christmas this past year, and we have enjoyed playing it many times. Unlike other games that languish in the game cabinet, Spot it! is still out on the coffee table, always ready for a quick round of matching.