So if you are looking for family games to play with your kids over the summer during the nice outdoor weather (or even inside in the rain), than you’ll need to get Boochie from Gamewright! To me it’s a modern, kid approved spin on the traditional game of bocce ball. The orange Boochie ball is thrown somewhere in the playing field, hallway or living room. Kids and parents alike take turns throwing both a ring and a bean bag ball as close to the Boochie ball as they can. Score is maintained on a wrist tracker. However, the best part of it, the wrist tracker suggests wacky ways the child is supposed to throw the ball and ring. Should they toss while sitting with two feet out straight, toss it between their legs, behind the back, or with eyes closed?! The closest item gets 2 points, and the second closest item 1 point. However, the Boochie also has additional ways to score points and this is my favorite feature. You can also get rewarded with points for the two closest items together, the furthest items away, etc. So this game works great with children of all ages and skill levels, because it can still give points to those who aren’t as accurate.
So from a motor perspective this game gets kids moving whether they play indoors or outdoors while it facilitates hand/eye coordination. Boochie also promotes visual spatial concepts of near/far/close, encourages simple math through it’s basic point system, and is most of all quick, fun and easy to play in a short time frame. Another tip over the summer to keep kids current in their measuring and math skills would be to encourage children to use a ruler or yard stick to measure the distance between items when it’s too close to call!
I had a great time using this game with children first grade and up. I did need to repeat various directions and assist with point scoring, so it would be beneficial to have an adult or older child who understands the point system nearby to act as a facilitator.
Gamewright provided this item free to facilitate my review, the opinions expressed are the bloggers own.
