We received Timberdoodle’s Bata-Waf in exchange for an honest review. We have so much fun with this game and it also taught my three-year-old some important lessons. Read on to learn more about Bata-Waf!
Disclosure: I only recommend products I would use myself and all opinions expressed here are my own.
We have officially embarked on our homeschooling journey! In my search for a curriculum that balanced my desire for a STEM-based curriculum that incorporated gameschooling, I found Timberdoodle. It is a faith-based organization that also offers secular curriculum options as well. Their curriculum is robust, creative, and seems to check all of our boxes. So, I joined their blogging team! Which means that I’ll be regularly reviewing products that Timberdoodle carries, as well as reviewing their Preschool and Kindergarten curriculum kits. I’m incredibly excited about this and can’t wait for you all to learn about Timberdoodle as well!
Bata-Waf is a game from Timberdoodle that you can purchase on its own, or as part of the preschool curriculum kit. To learn more about Timberdoodle’s preschool curriculum kit, check out my unboxing video here.
How to play the game
Did you ever play the card game “War” as a kid? This is basically an even simpler version of War that incorporates adorably illustrated dogs. Each card has a dog and 6 lines on the side to show the height of the dog. Each player flips over one doggy card for each round, and the player with the biggest dog wins that round and takes all of the flipped over cards. The goal of the game is to end up with all of the cards (or the biggest stack).
If two players flip over the same sized dogs, then you go to “war.” (Remember: I. DE-CLARE. WAR.?!) Each player puts down one card (without turning it over) and then flips over another card on top of that. Whoever has the biggest dog wins all of the cards in the center. If you tie again, you repeat this same process.
What my kids thought of Bata-Waf
My 3yo loved the colorful, funny dogs and “the eating part” – when we played the game, the bigger dog would gobble up the smaller dog. We would make silly gobbling sounds and the kids thought it was hilarious. My 5yo said he liked the “war” part – if you have the same sized dog, you compete against one another and whoever has the next biggest dog wins all the cards. He enjoyed this part the most.
What we learned from Bata-Waf
The most critical lesson my preschooler learned from Bata-Waf is how to be a good loser. The tides turn quickly in this game – one minute you have almost all the cards, and then the next you’re handing over half your stack. My 3yo did great if he was winning, but the moment he started losing, he struggled. Which is a great opportunity for him to grow and learn! This game led to some good coaching moments.
This game also helps kids to be able to quickly compare sizes (“which dog is bigger?”) and even counting and number recognition, if you help them focus on the numbered lines.
Have you played Bata Waf before? If not, what’s your family’s favorite card game? Comment below and let me know!
To learn more about Bata Waf or to purchase, click here. If you’d like to learn more about Timberdoodle’s Preschool curriculum, click here.
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