Homeschool Reviews

Go=Figure - The Adding and Subtracting Game
For more information or to order: www.nomadsgames.com

When the math game GO=Figure arrived in my mailbox, I found myself wishing I had a game like this when my children were younger.  Designed to reinforce addition and subtraction skills, GO=Figure is an easy-to-understand game consisting of a deck of playing cards and a square spinner.  There are two ways to win, either “Everyone is a Winner” with the game being over when everyone has played all their cards, or “Individual Winner” with a winner being declared with they are the first player to have played all their cards.

To play, each player is dealt several cards (the number depends on how many are playing).  These cards are placed face up in front of them, so everyone can see each player’s cards.  The remaining cards are placed in a draw pile and the spinner is placed so players can spin to get their operational sign, either addition or subtraction.  On their turn, each player uses cards that have been used to make a starting math problem such as 1 + 2 = 3.  They must use the spinner with each turn to determine whether they are using their cards to create an addition or subtraction statement.  With a goal of getting rid of all your cards, players can use as many as three cards per turn, but each turn will rely on the number(s) used by the previous player.

The game moves fairly quickly, but patience will be needed for players as they wait for their opponents to “figure” what cards to use.  I like that the playing cards for each player are face up, that way an older sibling or parent can give suggestions so the child isn’t frustrated.

Sometimes educational games aren’t always FUN games.  Thankfully, the creators of GO=Figure have given us a game that is both!

Making the grade: A
Cost: $9.70 (including shipping)
Value for your homeschool dollar: 10