Fantastic Farmyard Tales! (Usborne Picture Word Lotto (Farmyard Tales Board Games))

Member Name: caroline73

Product:	Usborne Picture Word Lotto (Farmyard Tales Board Games)
Date:	10/12/08 (119 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Fun, educational and durable. Lots of game play.

Disadvantages: None

I have a huge love for this game as it was the first board game we ever played properly with our youngest son. We started to play it when he was about 2 and half years old but it could be used for children much older.

Based on the ever popular Usborne Farmyard Tales, illustrated by the sadly deceased Stephen Cartwright, Picture Word Lotto is a game that can be played with the whole family on equal terms. The game was devised in association with Nottingham University's Child Development Unit.

The game consists of 4 durable playing boards (we have wiped ours clean too with babywipes!) each with nine Farmyard Tale related pictures to match. You would expect there to 36 cards to match but Usborne go one better.

Turn over the playing board and there is a Word Lotto game, the same words as on the first side just without the pictures. Usborne have included another 36 cards with just the words on. This extends the game play allowing for progression as the child's ability to read improves.

I really liked that the words and pictures used were everyday words and concrete objects, such as hat and horse. The only one my son (at the age of 2) didn't recognise was 'goat'. We soon got over this by reading him 'The Grumpy Goat' from the Farmyard Tales series and remembered for the next time we played.

Also included is a full instruction sheet with variations of the traditional lotto game, and information about how the game can aid a child's learning. The most interesting and useful part of the instruction sheet was a section showing the parent how to introduce the game to a child.

Other games in this range included Number Chains, Number Lotto, Alphabet Lotto and Snakes and Ladders. Picture Word Lotto is available in English, Welsh, Irish and French. I would really love to to see a Spanish version though!

Summary: A game for all the family.