november52002's Full Review: Hasbro: Nickelodeon Dora The Explorer Memory Game ...
My daughter was given the Hasbro Memory Game featuring Nickelodeon Dora The Explorer when she was just about three and a half years old. A friend of the family gave it to her knowing that she already had the original one. But she figured since our daughter is a big fan of Dora that this game would be fun for her. It was and still is a lot of fun for our daughter. Not only that but it teaches great memorizing skills. Even from the first time playing it begins teaching the child. That is what makes this game so great to begin with.
What you get and description:
You get the tray to hold the card board cards. There are 72 cards all together. These cards are coated to keep them from bending and breaking and are pretty thick. One side features Dora's face while the picture sides have all sorts of things. You may find that some have Backpack, some have Boots, some have Dora, some have Swiper the fox, some have out door stuff like flowers and things like that, some cards have Dora but in a different pose as the other one and so on. There are a lot of different pictures on the cards. They are very well done. the pictures are clear and easy to view.
With this game you also get detailed instructions that teach you how to play the game the right way. The instructions come in three languages. The main one is English. I only speak English so I am not sure what ones the other two are to be honest with you all. The instructions are short but like I said they are easy to follow. The game is very simple to play so there is not much to learning how to play it.
To play the game:
To play the Hasbro Memory Game featuring Nickelodeon Dora The Explorer, all you do is remove the cards from the tray. They will be in order so shuffle them up if you like. Then you place each card face down. It is best to place them on a flat dry surface! Make sure you have equal amounts of cards in each row that you place down. The game instructions do suggest that you remove one card from the box to prevent a tied game between two players. This just means that one card will be left with out a match.
Once the game is set up in equal rows of cards your children or you and your child are ready to play. My daughter and I played together the first few times that she played. I showed her that you flip a card over but leave it down. You do not hold it in your hand. That would be cheating. You then flip another card over. If they match each other you get to take the matched cards to your side. And you also take another turn. If they do not match each other you just turn them back over one at a time. But you have to try to remember where there were and what they are in case another card that matches them is flipped some where either by you or the other person playing the game.
Now you continue playing the game in that way. You each take turns flipping over two cards. You have to make sure that you only flip one at a time because other wise it will go to quick for the other person to see what card that you have flipped over. If you get a match you get another turn. If you do not get a match the other person goes. This just continues on and on until all of the cards have been found the match that goes to them. If you followed the instructions for the set up then you should have just one card left over. Make sure you return that card to the box so next time it can be part of the game and another card will be missing the match the next time.
To put the game away:
You have the box the game comes in and the tray to keep the cards. Stack the cards in any order in to the provided squares in side of the tray. Each box should be equal when you are done. This also shuffles the cards for you if you miss match the order of the square you place the pair in to. Now when you are done putting all 72 of the cards back in to the tray, you can then put the tray in to the box and you will be done with clean up. The whole thing takes just a minute or so to put away.
Learning:
This game is like having a learning tool right at your hands. It will help develop a young child's memory as they continue to learn to focus on where the last card was, when and where it was flipped over and where the match to that card showed up at another point of the game. It teaches the child not only to pay attention to what they are doing, but also to pay attention to what the other player is doing as well. My daughter learned quickly.
Age recommendation:
The Hasbro Memory Game featuring Nickelodeon Dora The Explorer is meant for use by children who are ages three years old and over. It is a great game to play with your child, and a great game for them to play with a sibling or a friend as well. It is fun and educational at the same time. It is not too often that you can still find that in a game today. I am glad that they are keeping this classic alive in newer more fun ways.
Our experience and my recommendation:
To be honest I have been beaten by my daughter many times. When she first started playing at three and a half years old she did a good job. It took her two games to get the real hang of the game. But once she knew what she had to do it was fun from then on out. At around age four she began beating me at it. I guess it is true that you don't focus as well as an adult then you did when you were a child. My daughter is now six years old. She can still beat me but I give her a good challenge. We play all the time.
I think it really helped her memorizing skills. She will flip two cards and not get a match. But if I flip the matching card a few times later she will get all exited because she knows where the first one was, even if it is clear across the other side of where I found the matching one. She flips both over with no trouble. Neither one of us get frustrated when the other one wins.
We just have fun playing the game together. It is a nice family thing to do together. She and I being of opposite gender don't get those kinds of times with other toys. It is not like I feel like playing Barbie like my wife does. So this is like our special game. We both love it and enjoy our time playing it together. I do recommend this game for every little girl.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 0.00 Type of Toy: Other
Age Range of Child: Other
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