Product Description

The race is on to find the "Top 25" - the world's most familiar words. Zoom to land on all your words then zip back home before anyone else and you win! Word Chase! familiarizes players with "sight words," the top 25 building block words in the English language known as the Dolch List and Fry's Instant Words. These words are common stumbling blocks to emerging readers and are essential for reading fluency. Age: 4 and up. Play time: about 15 minutes. Contents: 1 game board * 50 word cards (only 25 are used for game play; the additional cards can be used for matching games such as "Go Fish") * 4 game pieces. Special Features: Eco-Friendly! Printed with soy based ink, water based varnish, phthalate-free lamination on recycled board. Although most early learning games focus exclusively on upper-case letters, over 90% of the English language is written in lower-case, putting emerging readers who are only familiar with upper-case letters at a disadvantage. Word Chase! includes only lower-case letters. Orientation: Small touches like the bee buzzing along the bottom of each word card helps emerging readers instantly recognize when a word is right side up or upside down.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #120773 in Toys & Games
• Brand: Taraluna - Fair Trade, Organic & Green Gifts

Features

• Word Chase! familiarizes players with sight words, the top 25 building block words in the English language known as the Dolch List and Fry's Instant Words.
• These words are common stumbling blocks to emerging readers and are essential for reading fluency.
• Safe, non-toxic toy! Beyond Learning is the world's first company to offer reading and math games that are earth-friendly. Our products are printed with soy-based ink, phthalate-free lamination, water-based varnish on recycled paper.
• Although most early learning games focus exclusively on upper-case letters, over 90% of the English language is written in lower-case, putting emerging readers who are only familiar with upper-case letters at a disadvantage. Word Chase! includes only lower-case letters.
• Age: 4 and up. Play time: about 15 minutes. Contents: 1 game board * 50 word cards (only 25 are used for game play; the additional cards can be used for matching games such as "Go Fish") * 4 game pieces.

Customer Reviews

Had high hopes, but was very disappointed (not for beginners)
On a positive note, this board game is very well made. The cards, board, pieces and even the box are amazingly thick and strong, able to withstand abuse from little hands. It also benefits the Healthy Child, Healthy World which helps protect kids from enviornmental harm. However, I have to be blatantly honest and say that we couldn't be more disappointed in the game itself. It just doesn't work for our family. I'm a homeschooling mom and we love to learn through games, so when I saw this one, I thought it would be perfect to reinforce our phonics lessons. Well, I couldn't be more wrong. We bought it when my twins were 4 (it is for kids ages 4 & up) and they absolutely dreaded playing it. So, we put it away for a year and at 5.5 yrs old, they still don't like it one bit. It is a game that is supposed to reinforce reading success, but for beginning readers, it couldn't be worse. First of all, the gameboard is overwhelming and not engaging at all, with batches of three or four words written in white, fat lowercase letters, outlined in green on top of scattered pictures of various colors on the board. It is too busy and the words do not stand out enough. The youngest readers have trouble with this format. They need big block letters in dark colors, like black or red. Each player receives five cards with a word written on each and you move your token one space, have to look at the 3-4 words you landed on and compare them to the 5 cards you have in front of you, turning over any cards that are the same. It's just too much looking back and forth for young readers. By the time my twins look at the 4 words they landed on, when they look at their cards, they forget all the words they landed on. Also, the words they use seem to be randomly chosen, though they are words that are used often in the English language. The words used are a mixure of phonetically correct and sight words. When you're laying down phonics rules, throwing everything at them at once is a surefire way to inhibit their learning. There has to be a method and this game has none. This game does not inspire or excite my children to read. It frustrates them and constitutes as "work". I am very surprised by all the seals of approval this game received. I think the supporters didn't actually sit down and play it.

Perhaps this game would be suitable for older children who have mastered reading, but honestly, all of us found it unengaging. Perhaps it is just doesn't mesh with our learning/teaching styles. But I feel the game could have been so much better. Our brains feel jumbled after playing this and we never make it through without throwing in the chips, so to speak. I hope my review helps people on the fence about this game. I wish I would have looked at it closely before purchasing. We'll put it away for another year and try again. If it ends up working for us, I'll be back to update my review on a more positive note. I guess for now, I would say that it's not for children aged 4 or 5 - maybe 6 or 7 year olds would find it more rewarding.

good for kindergarteners
i am very pleased with the game. my son is 6 and half way through kindergarten. he already knows the sight words and this game not only helped reinforce them but also teaches strategy to be the first one to "gather" all your words and make it back home. the overall quality of the game (construction of box, board, slightly thicker cards and sturdy chips) combined with the appealing pictures, i am very pleased with this game and will recommend it to friends.