We’ve been pulling out all the games that have any sort of connection at all to ROCKS, our science topic for the month. We’re finding there are a lot of games that have rock elements to them, like My First Castle Panic! (We’re also studying England, Ireland, and Scotland, so this is the perfect game to combine history, science, engineering, architecture…so much good stuff!)
The game is perfect for preschool/kindergarten/early elementary kids. It’s cooperative, has monsters storming a castle, and knights defending it! Games are the best way to gently involve the littlest learners in what the big kids are doing, and all it takes is some conversation and curiosity, talking and asking questions.
The board is set up with the castle on the last space of the playing board and the castle wall on the second to last space.
Three monsters start out on the first three spaces of the playing board.
On a turn, players do a couple of things:
- Draw a card
- Play a card to capture a monster (match the color and shape from the card to the color and shape of the space the monster is on) and THROW HIM IN THE DUNGEON!
- Move all remaining monsters one space forward
- Place a new monster on the first space of the board
If one player doesn’t have a card that can capture a monster, he can ask his fellow knights for help.
The monsters keep marching closer and closer to the castle. Will the knights catch them all in time?!?
If a monster reaches the wall, the wall and the monster get knocked down and placed out of the game. The next monster to escape capture and reach the castle wall wins the game!
BUT, if players capture the monsters before they reach the castle, GOOD defeats EVIL yet again!
There is one card in the game that allows the wall to be rebuilt. Make sure you use sturdy rocks and build it nice and high this time!
Little ones love playing this game together, fighting the monsters and protecting the castle. The shape and color recognition is a great early math skill and makes learning so much fun!
Some of the monsters have special abilities (none pictured here, oops!). One monster jumps ahead of the monster closest to the castle, one brings a friend with him (draw and place a second monster), and one moves all the monsters one space closer to the castle.
Castle Panic has been the best part of our rock unit with some castle history thrown in. Little learners will love to play again and again!
Thanks to Fireside Games for sharing a new favorite with us!
