Today we are going to take a closer look at one of the math components in our 1st Grade Elite Curriculum Kit from Timberdoodle, Mobi Kids.
Our little blue whale pouch, Mobi Kids Game
Inside our whale are three groups of colorful tiles.
Our game contains 3 groups of tiles: 48 double-sided operation tiles in blue, 19 purple number tiles and 19 green number tiles (86 total tiles). The green and purple tiles have the exact same grouping of numbers ranging from 1-10, including 2 wild tiles in each color. There are 3 different blue operation tiles: +, -, and =. The 6 and the 9 tiles look identical and are interchangeable so use them as you wish!
I circled the wild tiles in yellow above, they contain the Mobi logo on them.
The wild tiles can be used to represent any number between 0 and 10.
How do you play? The goal is pretty simple. You are trying to connect all of your number tiles together using the blue operation tiles in a crossword style grid before the other player completes their own grid, that's it! When your grid is complete you shout "Mobi" and you win.
Game Set Up
How do you set up the game? Place the blue operation tiles in the middle of the players. They can be used by any player at any time during the game as needed to complete their grid. Each player picks a color and takes those tiles. One player will be purple and one player will be green. Place your colored tiles in front of you to begin. Ready, Set, Go! Start building your grid while racing your opponent at the same time.
Here is an example of a completed grid using the green tiles.
Likewise, here is an example of a completed grid using the purple tiles.
F starting his grid.
I started my grid as well.
Making more progress...
F's completed grid!!
D playing a round...
Mobi Kids is simple, fun, and helps children reinforce math skills while playing. Children will naturally improve their addition and subtraction math skills while playing this game and I'm all for that. Older kids can really race each other... 
Variety is the spice of life! This game is primarily designed for two players but it can be adapted. When playing solo, use one set or both sets if you wish and connect them together at your own pace, no need to rush. When playing with 3 people, one person will act as a helper for one of the other players - think of it like a 2 against 1 type of situation. When playing with 4 people, just form two teams of two and proceed as usual. Once you have mastered Mobi Kids, you can move onto original Mobi (we haven't done this yet but I see it in our future). If you find Mobi Kids too difficult, you can begin with the mini-games. Our Mobi Kids came with an activity booklet with some Mobi mini-game ideas.
Above is an example of one of the Mobi mini-games.
I like that this set is pretty portable, although we aren't really going anywhere these days. You just need the whale and contents and some sort of flat surface and you are good to go. Mobi Kids is geared for children 4+ and can be found in Timberdoodle's First Grade Curriculum Kit. We are really enjoying our game and I know that it will continue to be a favorite around here for awhile.
