A few years ago, I thought I would help out the parents of my gifted and talented students by writing about some games, toys, or books that I thought might make good purchases during the holiday season. I called the series of posts, “Gifts for the Gifted,” and I have continued to do it annually on every Friday in November and December. These gifts are suggestions for any child – not just those who qualify for a GT program. Sometimes I receive a free product for review, but I am not paid for these posts, and I never recommend a product that I wouldn’t buy for my own child. For past “Gifts for the Gifted” posts, you can visit this page.
This year, I have decided to do my annual “Gifts for the Gifted” posts all in one week. This should give anyone who likes to shop ahead of time a good start! For yesterday’s suggestion, click here.
While yesterday’s gift suggestion could conceivably be used with anyone over 4 years old – and with groups of 2 to whatever – today’s game is a bit more limited. Turing Tumble is a game I originally backed on Kickstarter, and was excited to finally receive this past summer. You definitely don’t want to buy it for any child who is still in the “I-see-it-so-I-can-eat-it” phase due to the many small parts. It’s also not very practical to use with large groups. You can read my full review here. (It appears that it is currently unavailable on Amazon, but the Turing Tumble website has it in stock.)
So, who should receive Turing Tumble for a gift? Children and adults who are interested in machines and logical challenges would be the most likely to enjoy Turing Tumble. I personally think that it is best played with a few family members taking turns with the challenges. My experience with similar games that could potentially be played alone is that children often give up too quickly. They need adults to model the perseverance and problem-solving needed – and to cheer them on when they succeed. Quite frankly, it’s kind of fun for the adults to get some encouragement, too 😉
