My Kids Love to 'Match 'em Up' with Discovery Toys! - SSWO
Written: May 01 '03
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Pros: Great way to reinforce various concepts, self-checking
Cons: Can be hard for younger children to change the cards
The Bottom Line: The Discovery Toys Match ‘Em Up is an excellent concept allowing children to work independently and reinforce various developmentally appropriate skills.
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| BearySweet's Full Review: Discovery Toys Match 'em Up |
I remember the very first time I saw the Discovery Toys Match 'Em Up. The consultant who got me started with Discovery Toys had it as part of her demo kit. The contrast of the bright yellow base and the red and blue squares caught my attention. She briefly showed me how it worked and the more I played with it the more I fell in love with it!! I only wish I had found it a few years earlier when I was a preschool teacher. At the time Jake was about 3 years too young for this toy and I had no preschool students, which meant I had no real reason to purchase the Match ‘Em Up. So of course being the sensible minded woman that I am, I snatched up this toy the first chance I got!! I don’t regret buying this toy ‘just for me’, I love the concept and I share it with great enthusiasm with anyone who will listen. I'm glad you are here to listen.
Checking it out
The Match ‘Em Up is 15 inches by 10 inches and almost 2 inches deep. This includes a convenient carrying handle on the right hand side. There are 24 sliding buttons on the front of this toy, 12 blue ones on the right and 12 red ones on the left. Each button slides up and down and has a slight concave on the top to make it easer to move them. The buttons are settled in a window that reveals the top picture in the down position and the bottom picture in the up position. Which pictures are showing through the windows depends on what card you are playing with.
Included with the Match ‘Em Up are 10 double-sided game cards which range greatly in concept and level of difficulty. This is one of the features that I love about Discovery Toys; they create their products to be useful and interesting to children over many phases of their life. The cards that are included with the Match ‘Em Up includes concepts such as, color matching, one to one counting, matching shapes to shadows, upper and lowercase letters, rhyming words, sight words, and telling time. There are just a few examples of the concepts this toy can reinforce. All 10 cards are stored inside the Match ‘Em Up game board which opens when you flip open the 2 latches at the top. I have had some trouble with the cards slipping a little now and then, but it is just a little bothersome. I really appreciate the fact that Discovery Toys created the Match ‘Em Up to be self-contained reducing the chance of lost and misplaced pieces.
How to play
To begin playing with the Match ‘Em Up, you first select the card you want to play. Place the card in the top position of the card pile then close and latch the game board. All 24 buttons should be in the down position. When playing you can begin in the top left-hand corner to start looking for matches or you can move randomly around the board. Choose one of the items on the left (red) side and try to find its match on the right (blue) side. When you found your match, slide the button up and you should find an exact match for the original item. When you find a match you know you have chosen correctly and you leave the button in the ‘up’ position. If the item you see when you slide the button up is not identical to the original item it is not correct and you slide it back down and choose again. I love that this game is self-checking! It allows children to play independently without having to run to you after every choice asking “Did I get it right??”.
For example, the card in the game board right now is the one to one counting card. There are numbers on one side and corresponding clusters of dots on the other. I choose the ֭’ from the red side and find the set of three dots on the blue side. When I slide the button up it shows me a ֭’, so I know I chose correctly. You are done when all the blue buttons are in the ‘up’ position. This sounds a bit complicated, but I assure, it is quite simple and young children pick the concept up quickly.
On each side of the handle is a recessed knob; one is red and the other is blue. If you look closely, you will see that there are numbers 1-12 molded into the plastic around each knob. The knobs are used for 2 player games. Each player takes turns trying to find a match. For each match they find they move their knob one place. When all the blue buttons are in the ‘up’ position, the one with the most points is the winner. I have not had the opportunity to use this as a 2 player game, but I am sure it would work well with elementary aged children.
My experience
Although Jake is still a bit young to appreciate the Match ‘Em Up, I did finally get a chance to use it with actual children!! I took a job as a preschool teacher last fall and this was one of the first toys I added to my classroom. Discovery Toys recommends this activity for children ages 4 and up, but my 3 year olds had no problem completing the cards with the concepts that were developmentally appropriate. My students really enjoy this activity, asking for it often when I rotate it out of the puzzle and game center. The younger 3s had a little trouble changing the cards on their own, but with a little help they were on their way again. I have not attempted it yet, but I am kicking around the idea of making my own cards. I think it would be pretty simple to trace the current pattern onto poster board and add items that relate to a concept my students are learning and also fit in with our current theme. I will update this review on the results when I get around to making my own cards.
Final thoughts….
I have been as happy with the Discovery Toys Match ‘Em Up as I thought I would be. The unit itself it nice and sturdy and the cards have held up well under the rough handling of a class full of 3-year-olds. My only problem with the unit itself is that one of the latches pops open if you lean on the game front, but it has not proven to be a problem since it doesn’t cause the game to open unexpectedly. The few minor glitches I have mentioned in this review are nothing compared to the excellent educational benefits children receive when interacting with the Match ‘Em Up. I just can’t wait for Jake to grow into it!!
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This review is part of the Super Secret Write-Off sponsored by Freak369, on toys that you secretly purchased for yourself instead of your child. Freak wanted to find a way to give a special THANK YOU to the Kids and Family CL’s MaryTara and SBlaydes! I know they have always been there for me adding products and offering support and always with a friendly attitude!
Hats off ladies, you do us proud!!
Check out the great reviews by the other participants:
KMINER, Melissasrn, MizGnomer, Bops_Mom, Lisa_J, Merlot, Shantel575, Kristinafh, Logimom, ned1, Staceys1, cathyjones
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 15.99
Type of Toy: Educational
Age Range of Child: 3 to 5 Years
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Epinions.com ID:
BearySweet
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Member: Michelle
Location: The Buckeye State
Reviews written: 85
Trusted by: 68 members
About Me:
Taking a break...life is a bit crazy right now.
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