GOULA Fishing Game
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What is it
This wooden Fishing Game is sure to become a favourite with young children. It features a sturdy box base that becomes the base of the ‘sea’ and cardboard, fold-up walls to go inside the base to give some height to the edges of the fishing area. The base is decorated as the bottom of the sea and the walls are decorated with larger fishes, dolphin and other aquatic creatures. There are three green, three pink, three yellow and three blue chunky wooden fishes, each with a magnet – placed to look like an eye – on either side of their heads. Each colour is a different shape and pattern to add to the ‘fishing experience’. There is also a black wooden boot – the ‘booby’ prize for budding anglers! Two wooden fishing poles, complete with thin coloured rope and wooden (with magnet inside) ‘hook’ complete the set.
There are two game-plays described in the rules booklet: the first is a straightforward race – both player’s try to catch as many fish as possible. When they are all caught, the player with the most wins. The second game play is for each player to choose two colours. The first player to catch all their coloured fish is the winner. If a player catches the wrong colour fish it must be returned. In both game-plays, if a player catches the boot, they must put all their fish back in. As with a lot of games, the rules can be adapted to the experience, skill and age of the players to make it easier or harder. For example, to make it easier you might not include the boot; to make it more difficult you might make a rule that the players can’t look inside the fishing area.
What our team of testers said
"I got a puffa fish." - Boy aged 3
"One, two, three..." - Girl aged 2
Skills Developed
- Develops manual dexterity
- Promotes turn taking
- Encourages children to follow simple rules
What our experts think
A fun fishing game that is great for encouraging children to take turns and follow simple instructions. We liked that there were two different ways of playing the game – it encouraged children to count, as they added up the fish they had caught, and aided colour recognition, as they tried to hook certain coloured fish. This provides opportunities for building on basic numeracy skills, in preparation for school learning. Games that involve turn taking also promote communication, personal and social skills, important for collaborative activity and play.
As our testers played, they had to demonstrate patience and perseverance; it was interesting to watch the children concentrate as they tried to hook their catch! There were lots of smiles when our little testers were successful – it was lovely to see how proud they were of their achievements! The act of catching the fish also develops hand-eye coordination and dexterity, which strengthens hand and finger muscles. This is important for developing key life skills, such as holding a pencil and fastening buttons on clothes.
Features
- RRP: £14.99
- Brands: Jumbo Games
- Key Features:
- No batteries required
- Recommended
- Toy Types: Toys
Wooden toys - Types of skills developed: Cognitive
Colour, shape and pattern recognition
Fine motor skills
Following Instructions
Hand-eye coordination
Personal, social & emotional development
Physical & motor skills
Teamwork, turn taking & sharing
