roosterfin :: games so fun they won’t know they’re learning

At our house, we love a good game night. After a busy week, it’s nice to be able to have some family time. And instead of gathering around a screen, we like to be able to gather around the table and play a few games. And if I can sneak in some learning at the same time, it’s a definite bonus.

Joe RoosterFin was once a math teacher who started making games to help his students learn and practice math skills. Each of the RoosterFin games works on skills important in learning–from memory to making educated guesses to strategy and logic. Another huge bonus of these games? They can be played from start to finish in minutes–there is no elaborate set up, clean up is quick and easy and the directions are super straight forward. No spending your whole night explaining games, reviewing rules and waiting for long turns from other players. Our family just tried two RoosterFin games–Lumpy Cubes and Monkeys Up.

 

Lumpy Cubes is a set of fun, brightly colored cubes that have to be stacked exactly the same as a challenge card in order to move on. This game requires memory and quick reaction time. One thing I like about this game is that my older children (7 and 9) and I can play while my younger child (2) can use a set of cubes to stack and knock down while we play. And since the game plays so quickly, he can stay entertained long enough for the rest of us to actually finish a game. I also like teaching my kids some memory strategies that they can use beyond just Lumpy Cubes.

Monkeys Up is another RoosterFin game that works on memory, but uses strategy as well. Each monkey has a point value and each player has to flip, switch and steal their way to the highest point total they can get. This one is a bit more challenging than Lumpy Cubes because it requires more concentration and inference. Since most point values are hidden, you have a to remember other players moves and guess their motives before making your own move.

RoosterFin games have been a hit at our house. Check out the other RoosterFin games and let me know which ones look the most fun to you!