Clumsy Thief Junior is a card game for kids that teaches them how to add two numbers to make 10 in a really fun way. For me, it was like a blend between Go Fish and Uno with a mathematical twist and a raccoon thief.
The goal of this game, other than to entertain, is to memorize the different combinations of addends of 10. It’s a fun game for young kids that teaches them important math skills and memorization.
You can purchase Clumsy Thief Junior individually on Timberdoodle.com as part of Timberdoodle’s Kindergarten curriculum kit.
In exchange for our honest review, we received a complimentary copy of Clumsy Thief Junior.
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How To Play Clumsy Thief Junior
Clumsy Thief Junior is intended for 2-4 players of ages 5 and up. There are a total of 76 cards: 70 food, 4 thief, and 2 trap.
Similar to Go Fish, players have to pair off as many cards as they can to win. With a hand of cards, each player has to make pairs that add to 10. And a lot like Uno, the thief and trap cards give you the opportunity to steal your opponents’ cards, which makes the game more sneaky and exciting.
Cards come in four different types of fruits. And because it’s for kids, they make it simple by making each food represent two addends of 10. For example, 1 and 9 are Grapes, 2 and 8 are Pears, 3 and 7 are Peaches, 4 and 6 are Lettuce, and 5 and are Corn.
Preparing For First Grade
I was thrilled to get this game for my soon-to-be first grader. My son did so well in Kindergarten this year. But by the end of the school year, it seemed that his math skills were at a bit of a halt. He was back to counting with his fingers, despite having learned how to ‘count on.’ So I wanted to focus a bit more on math facts and memorization within 5 and 10, a common skill for First Grade. But also with every intention of making it proactive and fun.
Playing For the First Time
Games like these can often be confusing for a young child, especially the first time.
I sat down with my 5-year-old to go through the rules and we worked together, and I guided him through it. To get the hang of it, we didn’t use the Thief and Trap cards the first few times. After a few plays, we both got the hang of it and loved stealing cards from each other.
The fact that each card has a number and the amount of fruit on each card made the game easier. As did the clarity and simplicity of the deck by having each fruit represent one set of addends. As a visual person myself, I could see how the logic of matching the fruits first would transition to remembering the numbers along with it.
Our Thoughts On Clumsy Thief Junior
My son loved the game! Together, we had a nice bonding moment while enjoying this fun game. And I got to watch his little mind go from counting to memorizing the addends. It was wonderful. Plus, the illustrations on the cards are super colorful which makes it more fun.
I love how much Clumsy Thief Junior has helped my child with quick math memorization. It was a great way to enforce quick thinking and math memorization for my kids.
Mental math is a skill that is hard to teach. Games are always the best way to teach tricky skills so this definitely served its purpose. Now he’ll be ready to take on First Grade. I no longer worry about him getting stuck at the start of a math question or counting on his fingers.
To make it more exciting down the line and practice different addition combinations as they get a little older, we will probably play around with the rules of the game.
You can purchase Clumsy Thief Junior individually on Timberdoodle.com as part of Timberdoodle’s Kindergarten curriculum kit.
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My name is Paula and I’m a mom of two scrumptious cuties. Thanks Mommy Blog became a project for me to help guide other new moms and current moms through any of my own personal experiences and struggles. My hobbies include singing, doing jigsaw puzzles, baking, designing and trying to stay creative.
My daughter would think this game was so fun!