A Visual Perception Game my Son Keeps Asking to Play

Recently at a math professional development meeting I attended, I won a card game called SET. I had never heard of the game before, but the presenter commented that it was one of his favorite games.  On the front of the box it says that is is a game of Visual perception.  In general, you make a board out of whatever surface you want using 12 of the cards.  There are different shapes on the cards that differ because of their shapes, colors, shading, and the number of shapes on a card.  The goal is to create a set such that in a set, for each of the 4 characteristics, all 3 cards have that same characteristic or all 3 cards have a different version of that characteristic.  I know it sounds a bit confusing, but there are pictures on the box to help you get the gist of he game.

On this past Friday evening, my husband, two oldest kids, and I played it for the first time. It turned out to be a VERY thought provoking game, and guess what my 5-year old enjoyed it so much that he asked to play it again on Saturday.  And he asked to play it again on Sunday. He said he liked it because it made you think.  Those types of comments are music to a mom’s ears! I can definitely see it as a game we will be playing again and again.

Let me show you an example of some sets.  For example, the picture below is a set.  You have to check off all 4 characteristics.  Here the shading is the SAME on all three cards (because they all have solid shading).  The shapes are all DIFFERENT on the three cards.  The number of shapes on each cards are all DIFFERENT, and the colors are all DIFFERENT.  So because each of the 4 characteristics are all the SAME or all DIFFERENT, this is a set.

Here is another example of a set: Here the shading is DIFFERENT on all three cards.  The shapes are all the SAME on the three cards.  The number of shapes on each cards are all the SAME, and the colors are all SAME.  So because each of the 4 characteristics are all the SAME or all DIFFERENT, this is a set. So you can have a mixture of SAME and DIFFERENT but WITHIN a characteristic the three cards have to be either all the same or all different, and it has to satisfy this for all 4 characteristics.

Remember, if you think your child may someday want to be some type of mathematician, engineer, or scientist, it’s important to begin training his or her little mind now.  Teach your child early how to think logically, strategically, and to be a problem solver.  You can use games like set to help to exercise your child’s mind.

So if you’re looking for a fun way to help to get your kids thinking, try out the game SET.  And no worries, it’s suitable for children AND adults.  Trust me, this game will keep the moms and dads on their toes as well!.