In full disclosure, we received The Good Dinosaur Roarin’ River Game from Wonder Forge in exchange for our honest review.
Disney movies evoke a wide variety of emotions from happiness and sadness to anger and hope. They also offer life lessons about love, family and friendship. What I really love, however, is how Disney teaches kids (and parents) the importance of teamwork. When watching a Disney movie viewers learn that when people (or fun-loving toys) work together, anything is possible!
The new Disney Pixar film, The Good Dinosaur, is no exception. We can see just from the previews how an adorable dinosaur and little boy must work together to survive in a world full of obstacles and predators. They develop an unexpected bond that will bring them on an amazing journey. The new Wonder Forge game Roarin’ River, uses this message of teamwork to create a fun new gaming experience!
I have always been a big fan of Wonder Forge games. They offer wonderful learning experiences all while having fun. The Good Dinosaur Roarin’ River Game is no exception. Kids ages 4 and up will have a blast working together towards a common goal, beating the flood!
How To Play:
Roarin’ River is for 2-4 players, and each player chooses a dinosaur character to play with. To set up the game, the waterfall and mountain game boards are placed far apart from each other on your play space (table, floor or large ottoman like we used). The spinner board is placed over the bottom piece. The remaining 3 game boards are placed face down on the table for later use. Each player then places their dinosaur on the board on their matching start spaces. The 4 Help tokens are also placed on the side of the game board.
The youngest player goes first by spinning the spinner. If the player lands on a color, they move their dinosaur down the path to that color. BUT, if they land on a number, the Roarin’ River spinner slides up the game board that many white progress lines (on the side of the game board). As you reach the end of the path, you add another game board until the gap between the original pieces is gone. The Goal: Don’t get swept away by the flood!
The object of the game is to work together. If one player gets washed away, everyone loses. Players have to use teamwork to help get to the top of the mountain and escape the flood. The Help tokens can be used on yourself or your teammate which can be earned by landing on that space on the colored path.
Not only do I love how easy the game is to play and how simple, but wonderful, the premise is, I also love all the teachable moments. As my kids played, I loved seeing all the amazing skills they were developing!
4 Benefits of Playing Roarin’ River Game
Enhances Color Recognition
The Good Dinosaur Roarin’ River Game is a wonderful way to enhance color recognition. Not only do the players have to know the color they land on with the spinner, they also have to match that color on the board. In addition, they have to decipher between colors which helps with visual scanning and discrimination.
Players have to recognize the colors on the spinner then match them to the space on the board.
Boosts Understanding of Math Concepts
I love how The Good Dinosaur Roarin’ River Game enhances number sense. Kids have to identify the numbers 1 and 2 on the spinner and then use one-to-one correspondence to move the river the correct number of lines. Counting skills can also be enhanced as kids count the colored rocks as they hop to their correct color. Lastly, older kids can use basic calculation skills to decide how many lines are left until the end or how many lines until they will be washed away by the flood.
Increases Problem Solving Skills
As kids play, they have to decide which direction on the path would be the best way to escape the flood. They also have to pay close attention to their players moves as it can impact the entire game. When to use the Help token also comes into play when a player is about to be washed away by the flood.
Encourages Teamwork
As stated above, to win the game, kids must work together. In most games, players are concerned about themselves. They want to beat the other players in order to be the champion. With The Good Dinosaur Roarin’ River, however, kids must learn a new way to play. Kids learn the importance of helping each other and caring for the well-being of others. This lesson can be translated to everything they do in life as we can’t be successful in life without working with others.
Roarin’ River teaches kids to work together towards a common goal!
My kids LOVE playing The Good Dinosaur Roarin’ River Game with each other and as an entire family. We are excited for many more family game nights together! You can get your own Wonder Forge Roarin’ River Game on Amazon (affiliate link) for only $14.99!