Tag: Spot It

Why Play is Important in Child Development

Why Play is Important in Child Development

image001 Parents want to give the best opportunities to their children. Music lessons, language lessons, extra tutoring, after school learning programs, the list can go on and on. We all want to give our kids the advantages and opportunities to succeed and/or perhaps we didn’t have as children. All of those activities are wonderful opportunities. However, play sometimes gets a bad reputation as being frivolous. On the contrary, play is very important in child development! If you want to learn more, the American Academy of Pediatrics released a report about the importance of play in promoting healthy child development (read here). Play can reduce stress and anxiety for kids AND adults so make some time to get silly! The National Lekotek Center , a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, provides an array of services to improve the lives of children with special needs through the utilization of toys and play. They have 20 wonderful reasons to encourage play for ALL Children.

Top 20 Reasons to Encourage Play for ALL children

  1. Play advances many cognitive skills like learning to focus and paying attention to details.
  2. Play produces an active, alert, but non-stressed frame of mind that benefits a child greatly.
  3. Play opportunities help a child develop problem-solving, organizational and planning skills.
  4. Play promotes both long-term and short-term memory.
  5. Play stimulates language, negotiation and communication skills.
  6. Play teaches a child how the world works from gravity to how things move, float or fly.
  7. Play experiences allow a child to explore symbolic play, imitation and his own creativity.
  8. Play allows a child to build confidence, one trip down a slide or throw of a ball at a time.
  9. Play provides the feedback a child needs to develop self-knowledge and self-esteem.
  10. Play is an excellent way for a child to connect to nature and to explore its many facets.
  11. Active play can enhance a child’s mood, coping abilities and defuse emotionally charged events.
  12. Play teaches the cornerstones of relationship building, cooperation and compromise.
  13. Leadership along with group skills are learned through team or collective play.
  14. Active play promotes a healthy body for children and lowers their risk of obesity.
  15. Play promotes brain development through the use of both the body and mind.
  16. Play can teach a child the lessons of strengthening and balancing his body and coordinating his hands and eyes.
  17. Play stimulates resiliency by prompting the child to try again and learn patience towards self and others.
  18. Play fosters courage to swing higher and jump farther.
  19. Play teaches empathy by allowing a child to explore the role of both winner and loser.
  20. Play leads to engagement and enjoyment that provides a child with both physical and emotional release.

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Frozen Fever

Frozen Fever

A game worth melting for!
A game worth melting for!

It has been 10 months since the release of Disney Frozen, and the craze has remained strong. The love of Frozen has expanded to tooth brushes, costumes, plush dolls, and Spot it!

All over the world, people, young and old, have been captivated by the story of two sisters, Elsa and Anna. Their story brings a bit of unexpected darkness to the expected Disney Fairy tale.

A relateable theme of two sisters who become estrange and their struggles to find their way back to each other. Elsa had been repressed by her parents and kept from her sister, but eventually emerges into her own after realizing her powers of freezing the objects around her.

The Disney Frozen craze has brought limitations and new ideas to the world of Disney. The demand of retail objects became so high that Disney ran out of merchandise online and inside of their stores. At one point, Disney had to restrict all consumers to two items of purchase for many weeks; that was if there were even 2 Frozen items left to buy.

A recent release by Disney states that ‘Frozen-world” will be the latest feature added to Epcot. The attraction will be opening in 2016 as the construction to the current Norway Pavilion will take place this fall. “Frozen-world” will be a hit with a boat ride, snow play areas, and of course an area to meet and greet Elsa and Anna. As if this is not enough, a short film will be released by Disney in the next year, called ‘Frozen Fever’.

Blue Orange Games has caught the Frozen fever and teamed up with Disney to bring you a new adventure. Spot it! Alphabet Disney Frozen is a matching game that features characters and iconic symbols from the hit movie. Between any two cards there is always one, and only one, match. What could be better than the #1 family card game teaming up with the winner of two Academy Awards®?! This is definitely a game worth melting for.

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The process of creating a Spot it! Alphabet Disney Frozen was a blast for the Blue Orange team. First, the marketing team gathered around and watched Disney’s Frozen together—and yes, Olaf made us laugh. Watching the movie helps to prepare the team to search through the Disney Database to find just the right images from Frozen. Once those symbols are selected, they are then tested by the toughest critics—children. This is to mostly check to see if the chosen images evoke memories from any part of the movie.

Whether you are caught singing ‘Let It Go” in your car or laughing with Olaf, chances are Frozen has warmed your heart. Young and old can relate to this theme of connecting with a loved one, coming into their own, or simply wanting to be loved. Throw in a funny snowman, great songs, and some sparkly dresses and you have a Frozen craze.

Spot it! Alphabet Disney Frozen is a great way to incorporate fun and learning with Elsa and Anna. It is a wonderful birthday gift and stocking stuffer too!

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DIY Spot it! Ice Breaker

DIY Spot it! Ice Breaker

Spot it! Ice Breaker

Hosting an event or party in the near future? Worried that conversation will be lacking early in the event? Blue Orange Games will take that worry away by sharing with you our favorite and most successful ice breaker!

Spot it! Ice Breaker Essentials

Your Checklist:

  • Your Favorite Spot it! Cards (Of Course!)
  • 2″ Cork-board DiscSemi Strong Adhesive Glue
  • 1″ Bar Pins
  • Laminating Machine (Optional)
  • Clothespins (Optional)

All of your crafting materials can be found at your local craft & hobby store and purchase Spot it! online or visit your local toy shop.

This simple craft will guarantee that your guests begin mingling from the beginning to the end of your party! Whether you are making Spot it! Ice Breaker tags for a kid or an adult party, your little ones will make great helpers.

Spot it! Ice Breaker Steps:

1. Pick your favorite Spot it! Edition

If you are having a themed event or party, choose from one of our many editions. This is an easy way to incorporate your theme into the event’s details. Spot it! MLB, NHL, and Halloween are just a few of our themed editions. However, you can never go wrong with our classic Spot it!

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          Check out our website to browse all of your options! 

2. Laminate your Spot it! Cards

This step is optional and depends on what type of look you are trying to achieve. If you choose NOT to laminate your Spot it! cards, this will not change your outcome of your Ice Breaker pins, lamination only increases the pin’s durability.

3. Time to Glue!

Blue Orange found that a strong adhesive was best for this project. Any type of rubber cement, Gorilla Glue, or a strong adhesive will work. Apply desired amount of glue to the cork board. Apply the cork board to the red side of the Spot it! card (shown in picture). Make sure you are not gluing to the side of the card with the matching symbols…

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Our next gluing adventure consists of adding the wearable pins to the middle of the g symbols…cork board. Do not worry about the placement of the pin, some images will be upside down and some will be normal.

Press down for a few seconds and move on to the next Spot it! card.

4. Wait! Let your Spot it! Pins dry

5. Party Time!

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Invite your guests to wear your Spot it! pins around your party and find a match on other guests’ cards. Remember this is a great Ice Breaker since every single Spot it! card has a match!

Want to add even more competition to your Spot it! Ice Breaker? Purchase small clothespins of your choice and attach 5 around each guest’s Spot it! card. Whoever is the first to find their match, collects a pin from their opponent. Players can only face each opponent once and whoever has the most pins wins a prize!

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Ice Breakers are always great, but are not limited to the first day of school, birthday party, company event, or a family reunion.

Be on the look out for new and exciting Spot it! editions coming soon!

Did you use Spot it! Ice Breakers at your party or event? If so, let us know on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook! @BlueOrangeGames

New Spot it! Unveiled at Annual SF Giants Event

New Spot it! Unveiled at Annual SF Giants Event

Blue Orange Games hosted its annual Giants Event this past weekend. We invited all of our Bay Area retailers to enjoy a night of games, food, drinks, and baseball…and most importantly—to unveil a new Spot it! game!

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The office slowly turned into a party space with games on every table, lots of snacks, and a rotating hot dog machine. Each table offered seating for guests, as well as many of our favorite Blue Orange Games. Toy store owners and workers were able to enjoy playing new games, such as Battle Sheep, Aztack, and Niya; while enjoying classics, such as Spot it! and Gobblet. The competition became intense when co-workers challenged each other to a game…which always followed with several rematches.

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Guests were also introduced to Blue Orange’s Spot it! San Francisco Giants edition. This Spot it! features images from all of your favorite sites and memories at and around AT&T Park. Each attendee was asked to grab a Spot it! San Francisco Giants edition Ice Breaker pin to get the party started. This ice breaker pin consists of a Spot it! card to wear on your shirt, you then go around to other guests to try and seek your match! To learn more about creating an Ice Breaker pin for your next party, keep your eye out for upcoming posts on our blog, Facebook, & Pinterest.

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Toy store guests walked into the world of Blue Orange and were able to connect with many Blue Orange workers and the atmosphere in which we work. Upon entering, guests checked in and received a ticket to the Giants game, as well as a chance to enter into a drawing. The drawing consisted of many Giants themed prizes—Giants flag, bobble head, hats, & best of all two tickets to the Virgin Mobile Suites. Drawing winners were announced toward the end of the event and headed to the ballpark!

We were excited to feature a photo booth for our Blue Orange team and guests to have some more fun. The photo booth consisted of a fun backdrop and many crazy props to create a fun and creative picture! Stores gathered their whole crew to squeeze into one picture and strike a pose.

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Once 7:15 hit, it was game time. The event moved down to AT&T Park to enjoy a beautiful night of baseball in San Francisco. This annual event is always a great way for Blue Orange to connect with their retailers and to appreciate them. We would like to thank all of those who attended our event, and to those who could not make it—we hope to see you next year!

Look for Spot it! San Francisco Giants edition coming your way soon. Go Giants!

Spot It Game Rules: Secret New Ways to Play Unveiled

Spot It Game Rules: Secret New Ways to Play Unveiled

When developing Spot it! Party, the latest expanded edition of the popular Spot It game, we toyed around with many new game rules. Of course, several variations (or mini-games as they’re called in the Spot It rule booklet) didn’t make the final cut, despite being a blast to play. As a blog exclusive, we want to share the one that came the closest to print! It’s called Ducks In A Row, and you’ll need the card holders that come in Spot It Party to play.

We know that many Spot It fans come up with their own ways to play or twist the rules. We would love to hear your ideas for Spot It game rules and share them on the blog! Please email marketing(at)blueorangegames(dot)com with your family’s way to play. Alright, let’s play! Cooking at home is as popular as ever, especially with the introduction of all sorts of new technologies and tools that make your time in the kitchen better and more effective than ever. Portioning, preparing, or just making sure your meal is immaculately prepared on a day to day basis, now is possible with the best digital kitchen scales.

Spot it! Party Game Rules – Ducks In A Row 

1. Preparing the game:

Depending on the number of players, take either 4 holders or 8 holders.

2 – 4 players: 4 holders 5 – 8 players: 8 holders

Line up 4 holders facing the same direction in a horizontal row. If you are playing with 8 holders, line up the other 4 holders in a horizontal row behind the first row. Example:

Spot It Game Rules

When playing with one row, everyone sits side by side facing the holders. When playing with two rows, one group sits on one side of the holders and the other group sits opposite them. It is okay if the sides are uneven by one player. Shuffle the cards and insert one card into each holder with the symbol side facing the players. Deal four cards face-down to each player. Place the rest of the cards in the tin and set aside.

2. Object of the game:

To be the first player to get rid of all your cards.

3. Playing the game:

At the same time, players flip over their stack of cards. Players try to spot a symbol that appears both on their top card and any one of the 4 cards in the holders facing them. If you spot it, call it out (example: “Magnet!”) and place your card face-up in front of the matching holder card. If another player finds a match between that same holder card and their own card, they place it in front of your card. Always look for matches with holder cards, not the cards in a line in front of them. Important: The number of cards in front of a holder cannot exceed the number of players on a side. Example: If there are 3 players, you cannot place a 4th card in front of a holder, but must look to another holder card for a match.

Spot It Game Rules

When playing with 4 people on a side, no more than 4 cards can be placed in a row on that side! If you are playing with 2 back to back rows of holder cards (and more than 4 players), both groups will be racing to get rid of their cards but half will be using one row of holder cards and the other half will be using the other row.

4. Winning the game

The first player to place their last card in front of a holder wins!