Bark hello to SimplyFun's new Math & STEM game, Team Digger! Play cooperatively as a team to learn sequencing, spatial reasoning, and early coding skills while digging for bones! Team Digger can be played by 2-4 players ages 6 and up in 30 minutes or less.
Game Overview
As a member of Team Digger, your goal is to help find and dig up all the dog bones buried in the park. But beware, there may be some unwanted items hiding, like an old sock or a shoe. Each player creates a five-card sequence (string of commands) so that their dog travels from one dig site to another, digging up what is buried there. Everyone works together in Team Digger and is encouraged to talk about where they want their dogs to go, share ideas, and trade cards to help each other reach their goals! Players win as a team when they find all four bones before they dig up five unwanted items.
Let's Play!
Set the board game up according to the instructions, choose one of the four dog pawns, and place it on the center bone space facing any direction. Shuffle the cards and disperse seven cards to each player if playing with three or four players, or 10 cards if playing with two players. Place your cards face up in front of you.
Five different types of cards move your dog pawn along the board: walk, run, turn left, turn right, and dig.
Using the cards in front of them, each player creates a five-card sequence to lead their dog to the object they wish to dig up. Sometimes, the cards may not be quite right to get your dog to a dig spot. At any time, players can trade as many or as few cards as they'd like with another player to help them achieve their goals. When all players have created their five-card sequence, discuss with each other who should go first and then each player takes a turn to move their dog pawn according to their sequence.
There are other ways to take your turn if your cards are less helpful than you would like or you need a little extra help. A player may 'chase their tail' or change their plans based on what other players find. Find out more about these options when you play Team Digger!
Let's Dig!
Dogs can only dig up an object if they have landed on top of an object tile AND a 'dig' card is played. This can happen at any point in your card sequence, even more than once! Keep your fingers crossed to uncover a bone or a wanted object like a ball or squeaky toy. Otherwise, it could be a tv remote or baseball cap, which is an unwanted object. If five unwanted objects are dug up before all of the bones, the game ends, and you did not win. If all four bones are dug up before five unwanted objects, everyone wins!
Skills and Focus
One prominent skill learned in Team Digger is sequencing. As players choose a dig site, they need to plan how to get there using five cards at a time. This is great for early coding skills, as the cards need to be sequenced in order of movement. Spatial reasoning is another skill practiced in Team Digger. Players examine the board to figure out the best path for their dog pawns to reach their selected dig sides.
Is your little learner ready for more math? Check out all of SimplyFun's Math & STEM games to keep learning, playing, and having FUN! Or, do you have a younger child who wants to play alongside Digger as well? Then they'll love learning colors, shapes, and counting up to 50 in Digger's Garden Match. This game is great for ages 4 and up to help develop spatial reasoning skills.
Ready? Game on!