When you’re homeschooling with toddlers in the house, age-appropriate educational materials are essential. Fun games, activities, and supplies help young ones to feel included. My First Grab It!  Space Match was a game that helped fill this need.

Space Match is perfect for young learners, ages two and up. It’s hands-on, making it both developmentally and age appropriate for toddlers. The game costs $14.99. It comes in a sturdy box with a handle, that easily contains all the pieces. Included are four colorful game boards, 16 discs with a picture of a shape on each, and a disc dispenser. Directions for game play are also included.

The dispenser features a colorful picture of an astronaut on both sides. On the top, there is a hole for inserting the discs. A small lever is located on each side, and a slot is in the front, where the discs come out.

The discs and game boards held up well to toddler play. They’re thick, and the discs are large enough not to be a choking hazard. The dispenser still works after many, many rounds of game play. It’s constructed well.

Game play is simple, but engaging. Each player takes a game board, and someone loads the discs into the dispenser. One player slides the lever, and one of the discs comes flying out the front slot. Players quickly look at their board to see if they need that shape. If they do, they try to be the first person to grab it and put it on their board. The first person to cover all four shapes on their board is the winner.

My two- and three-year-old children enjoyed playing Space Match. The lever was a bit hard for my two-year-old at first, but she figured it out after a few rounds. Until then, I had a sibling help her. The older kids didn’t want to feel left out, so they each played a couple of rounds too. They enjoyed the flying disc aspect, and after a while, they set up a distance contest to see who could fling a disc the farthest.

The game encourages matching shapes. As they play, children will practice matching ovals, triangles, stars, diamonds, circles, and hexagons. Each shape is a different color, so you can also have your kids practice matching by colors. It’s a gentle way to develop some crucial early math skills.

My older kids also enjoyed the game, and they often pulled it out during sibling play time when they were with one of the younger kids. The game boards are engaging, with plenty of colorful space shapes on each. After playing the game, I’d have my kids count the stars, rockets, or planets. As they improved in their counting, I had them count objects on all four boards instead of just one.

My First Grab It! - Space Match was a winner among my children. It was perfect for toddlers, and I’d recommend it as a learning activity to help engage little ones. I plan on continuing to use this game with my toddlers as we start schooling again in the fall.

-Product review by Lisa Tanner, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC, July 2017