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  1. #1 by Cisco Kid on May 25, 2010 - 5:26 pm

    I bought this as a gift for someone else and was embarrassed by how cheap it looked when we opened it. To top it off, the sand in the timer was all glued or stuck together so that the only element of the game which you couldn’t make yourself didn’t even work. The parts look like they’re worth less than a $0.25 and the boards and pieces are ridiculously cheap. They could’ve at least put an extra nickel or two into the spinner, the key element of the game. As it is, I think a kindergartner could make this game in their arts and crafts hour. I’d recommend traditional word games like Scrabble or Boggle instead of this.

    Rating: 1 / 5

  2. #2 by John on May 25, 2010 - 7:50 pm

    This is a great game. Prior to purchasing it, I had to spend some time figuring out if this was the Travel Edition or the Regular Edition of Wordplay for Kids that won a Teacher’s Choice Award. It seems there are reviews for both here. What I found is that as of the year 2008 – Wordplay for Kids – comes only in the regular edition (the travel edition is no longer available). Some reviews here seem to refer to the smaller cheaper Travel Edition. Either way both games were great, you just need more space to store the regular edition as it comes in a bigger box with more components. The key though is that with either edition Kids love playing it.
    Rating: 5 / 5

  3. #3 by Reviewer on May 25, 2010 - 10:04 pm

    This game has won a Teacher’s Choice Award and when you see kids having fun playing and learning at the same time — you know why. We most recently played the new upgraded Deluxe version of the game (I owned the cheaper “travel version” priced at $[...], but I highly suggest paying extra and buying the new Deluxe version priced at $[...] — the new more expensive Deluxe game is made to last for years of play). We had the “travel version”, but prefer this new “Deluxe Version”. All kids play each round — so there is no turn waiting. The spinner is spun and two letters are picked. Kids write down the two letters spun on their game sheet. Then the timer is turned and kids have 60 seconds to come up with a word in a particular category. For instance, one category is “Object or Thing”, another is “Living Creature”, another is “Food or Drink”, etc. You get the picture. So the challenge for kids is not only to come up with a letter containing the two spun letters, but finding a word with the two letters in the chosen category. Keep in mind, the letters chosen can be used in any part of the word, not just the first and last letters. So, for instance, when the two letters spun are “G” and “A” and the category is “Food or Drink”, kids all try to find a word which contains a “G” and an “A” but which is also a “Food or Drink”. When time is up, all kids put down there pencil and reveal their word. Each players moves ahead by the number of letters in their word. Players only move ahead if the word is spelt correctly and if it is in the proper category. So, if a player formed the word “Orange”, they would move ahead 6 spaces on the board. But if another player formed the word “Grape”, they would only move ahead 5 spaces on the board. Whichever player reaches the finish line first wins the game. This is a terrific game. We love the new “Deluxe Version”, as our “travel version” was too, too well traveled. This game is fun for both kids and adults to play together. Highly recommended!
    Rating: 5 / 5

  4. #4 by Dr. Gayle Nicoll on May 25, 2010 - 11:21 pm

    We got this game for our 6 year old, not knowing what to expect. Turns out that it really challenges her to come up with good words! After a few times, though, we didn’t have to use the “adult rules” because (1) she was too good at it now, and (2) it was just as challanging for the adults as the children! Now, my 4 year old has joined in the game. We use a “stripped down” version of the rules for her: Now that she knows phonics, she came come up with a word that begins with one of the letters spun, and then writes down that word. Great practice for the whole family!
    Rating: 5 / 5

  5. #5 by Laura Russo on May 26, 2010 - 1:20 am

    So glad I bought this one. It’s fun, educational and we have as much fun playing as the kids do. The great thing is that everybody plays every round which prevents waiting for your turn. In a nutshell, all players are given a Word Sheet. The spinner on the board is spun to pick 2 letters that must be in the word. As an example, let’s say an “A” and “C” are the spun letters for the round. All the players write those letters on their own Word Sheet. Then the die is rolled to determine the category – say “living creatures”. Then the 30 second timer is turned and everybody has 30 seconds to form the LONGEST word possible. When the 30 seconds are up, players compare words to see who formed the longest word. Each player advances on the board by the number of letters in the word they formed. So the player with the longest word advances the furthest. The trick we do to make it fun for us parents is that while the kids just need to find a word containing an “A” and “C” (e.g. cat, caterpillar), we parents have a harder job and must form a word with the “A” as the FIRST LETTER and the “C” as the LAST LETTER. In this instance, both us parents could not think of anything beginning with an “A” and “ending” in a “C” so we both did not form a word and we both did not advance on the board. But the kids advanced by 3 spaces each because they both formed the word “CAT”. The kids were surprisingly enthralled with this game. They also love the spinner and always try to spin it the fastest and most. Anyway, this is a great family activity. The kids often play without us. We highly recommend it!
    Rating: 5 / 5