Asymbol

Explore

What Does Child Do To Use Skill In The Game?
Players look for and at pieces as they think about possible combinations to make something that will prompt a correct guess from other players.

How Parents Can Assist Learning
Parent support is likely not required. However, parents may support children's exploration by suggesting they rotate pieces to reveal different perspectives and try out different combinations before selecting their final set up pieces to use.

Learning Implications and Educator Support
Asymbol is a great game for developing spatial reasoning skills as children need to examine different pieces and effects of placing them in certain directions. For example, a shape can look both like an M and W depending on orientation. Additionally, children are thinking how to assemble pieces in vertically and/or horizontally to create new objects for others to guess from.

Educators may support children's exploration by suggesting they rotate pieces to reveal different perspectives and try out different combinations before selecting their final set up pieces to use.

Determine

What Does Child Do To Use Skill In The Game?
Players need to decide what to create that other players will likely recognize, and which selection and assembly of pieces will work best to make their creation. They may also determine to make sounds to help others guess accurately.

How Parents Can Assist Learning
Determining and exploring happen simultaneously when playing Asymbol. Parents may want to encourage children to pick up and play around with different pieces to help them think about which pieces would work best to assemble together into the subject on their card.

Learning Implications and Educator Support
As children explore the game pieces, they will be thinking spatially and strategically about which may work best to create the subject on their card.

Educators may introduce the game to children in practice rounds by providing a few pieces that can be readily used to make a representation of a specific subject. This can help children learn how to assess and assemble pieces into objects others' will recognize. It also allows other players to practice guessing.

Compare

What Does Child Do To Use Skill In The Game?
Players will mentally compare options when selecting and assembling certain pieces prior to settling on the final set they will use in an attempt to make the subject on their Asymbol card that others will guess.

How Parents Can Assist Learning
Parents may want to encourage children to pick up and play around with different pieces to help them think about which pieces would work best to assemble together into the subject on their card.

Learning Implications and Educator Support
Educators may want to encourage children to pick up and play around with different pieces to help them think about which pieces would work best to assemble together into the subject on their card.

Remember

What Does Child Do To Use Skill In The Game?
When selecting a subject to assemble, players will need to recall what that subject is (ex: "the beach"), and which elements of the subject would be best to create (ex: waves, a surfer, big umbrella).

How Parents Can Assist Learning
No special parent support is required.

Learning Implications and Educator Support
No special educator support is required.

Predict

What Does Child Do To Use Skill In The Game?
When deciding what to create, players must think about how others may perceive their creation in order to increase probability of a successful guess.

How Parents Can Assist Learning
Parents can help children be more successful on their turn by asking open-ended questions like "what can you make that would make it easier for others to guess?" or "what is the most important feature of the subject you are trying to make?"

Learning Implications and Educator Support
In Asymbol, effective prediction requires changing perspective skills. Children will be more successful if they imagine being the other players, and think about what those players may know and be good a guessing.

Educators can help by asking open-ended questions like "what can you make that would make it easier for others to guess?" or "what is the most obvious feature of the subject you are trying to make?"

Plan

What Does Child Do To Use Skill In The Game?
Concurrent with using skills like exploring, determining and predicting, players plan how to combine and orient pieces so that others can guess what they have made. They also plan whether and when to add sound effects.

How Parents Can Assist Learning
To help children who are impulsive, encourage them to think first before assembling.

This can help them consider what others are most likely to guess, and to formulate a mental image of what they want to assemble, which can help create a more successful creation.

Learning Implications and Educator Support
Because other players can guess during the building of a subject, it is helpful for the child to mentally prepare how to assemble the Asymbol pieces together.

For example, if the subject is a surfer, the child may create "waves" first, then add a "surfboard", and then add a "surfer". Alternatively, the player could assemble everything at once, and then reveal the creation in the hopes that a complete object will be easier to guess than during the building process.

Experiment

What Does Child Do To Use Skill In The Game?
In Asymbol, effective prediction requires changing perspective skills. Children will be more successful if they imagine being the other players, and think about what those players may know and be good a guessing.

Educators can help by asking open-ended questions like "what can you make that would make it easier for others to guess?" or "what is the most obvious feature of the subject you are trying to make?"

How Parents Can Assist Learning
There is no special parent support needed.

Learning Implications and Educator Support
There is no special educator support needed.

Solve

What Does Child Do To Use Skill In The Game?
All players are problem-solving on each turn. The Asymboler picks a subject, selects pieces and then constructs their solution. Simultaneously, all the other players look and listen in order to guess what the Asymbler is making.

How Parents Can Assist Learning
The more children play, the more they will develop varied strategies and approaches for selecting and assembling pieces along with adding sound effects and motion.

The ability to shift strategies based on new information can help children cope with the stresses of change in other areas of their life.

Parents can encourage problem-solving by asking children to explain why they made certain choices and discuss options with other players to determine why a creation did or did not work in eliciting a correct guess.

Learning Implications and Educator Support
Asymbol involves complex spatial reasoning, logic and fine motor skills, as well as perspective changing, strategy and curiosity. Playing also builds empathy, imagination and creativity.

The more children play, the more they will develop varied strategies and approaches for selecting and assembling pieces along with adding sound effects and motion.

Educators may want to explore children's thinking by asking them to explain why they made certain choices and to evaluate the consequences of those choices. This can help children develop stronger empathy, logic, analytical and reasoning skills more quickly.

Review

What Does Child Do To Use Skill In The Game?
While not required, players may review what they did after a turn ends.

How Parents Can Assist Learning
Parents can encourage problem-solving by asking children to explain why they made certain choices and discuss with other players to determine why a creation did or did not work in eliciting a correct guess.

Learning Implications and Educator Support
Educators may want to explore children's thinking by asking them to explain why they made certain choices and to evaluate the consequences of those choices. This can help children develop stronger empathy, logic, analytical and reasoning skills more quickly.

Imagine

What Does Child Do To Use Skill In The Game?
Players need to imagine a way to represent the subject using the abstract Asymbol shapes so that others will guess correctly.

How Parents Can Assist Learning
Imagination can be sparked by playing around with pieces. Encourage children to pick up and rotate pieces to reveal different perspectives and try out different combinations to help fuel their imagination.

Because the goal is to get other players' to guess accurately, children also need to imagine how others will perceive what they create. Parents can help children be more successful by asking open-ended questions like "what can you make that would make it easier for others to guess?" or "what is the most important feature of the subject you are trying to make?"

Learning Implications and Educator Support
Imagination can be sparked by playing around with pieces. Encourage children to pick up and rotate pieces to reveal different perspectives and try out different combinations to help fuel their imagination.

Because the goal is to get other players' to guess accurately, children also need to imagine how others will perceive what they create. Educators can help children be more successful by asking open-ended questions like "what can you make that would make it easier for others to guess?" or "what is the most important feature of the subject you are trying to make?"

Create

What Does Child Do To Use Skill In The Game?
Once a player has thought up what to make and selected the desired pieces, they get to create what they imagined by assembling the pieces together and, perhaps, add sound effects and motion.

How Parents Can Assist Learning
Creating what you have imagined can be challenging. If children are having a difficult time, discuss what that are trying to create and ask guiding questions such as "can you see another piece that looks more like the object you want to make?" or "what would happen if you built your creation, rather than laid it out flat on the table?"

Learning Implications and Educator Support
Because of the array of pieces, Asymbol provides children many options to imagine and create objects that match or evoke the subject on their card.

If children are having a difficult time, discuss what that are trying to create and ask guiding questions such as "can you see another piece that looks more like the object you want to make?" or "what would happen if you built your creation upward, rather than laid it out flat on the table?"

Cognitive

Suggestions for How to Modify Play Experience
Sort through the cards to find simple subjects (e.g., house, headphones, kite) that require just a few pieces to create. Events and beings may be harder to envision and create, so omit them.

Allow the child to have a “guessing partner.” Guessing others’ constructions may be harder than making your own figure.

Have a partner for reading the card and creating the selected figure. This is an additional challenge as it requires discussion between the partners. However, it might tip off the other players. Possibly allow partners to create their figure on the box lid out of hearing-range of the other players.

Communication

Suggestions for How to Modify Play Experience
This is a great game for children with communication issues, as they don’t need to talk (just read the card). They can point to the appropriate symbol on their pass token to announce what they are making, and they can use gestures to encourage or deter wrong responses.

Sensorimotor

Suggestions for How to Modify Play Experience
Children with fine motor control problems may have problems manipulating the small pieces. Asymbol may be too challenging for them to build figures, but they can partner with someone to build their structure. This is challenging it requires discussion between the partners that would tip off the other players. Possibly allow partners to create their figure on the box lid out of hearing-range of the other players.

Social Emotional/Behavioral

Suggestions for How to Modify Play Experience
Children with low frustration tolerance may have difficulty with Asymbol if other players have cannot guess what they constructed. These children may also become frustrated if they don’t have the ability to imagine what other people have made. Start with easier cards and work up to harder ones.

To reduce frustration for children who are impatient, use a timer and set an agreed upon time limit for guessing what the figure is that a player created.

Vision

Suggestions for How to Modify Play Experience
The pieces are small and neutrally colored, so they may be difficult for children with low vision to see. Asymbol is not recommended for these children or children who are blind.

Hearing

Suggestions for How to Modify Play Experience
Asymbol may be difficult for children with hearing impairment, particularly if players are shouting or signing words at the same time. Players may take turns by raising their hand if they have a guess.

*Data compiled from CCSSI ELA Standards, WA Science Standards, and Washington Social Studies Standards

Extra Ways to Play the Game
Eliminate the cards. Rather, picking one of the categories from the game, a player writes on a piece of paper what they will try to get others to guess. The player then Asymbles the creation and the other players guess. Each succeeding player also makes up a word from one of the categories. The player needs to be able to demonstrate a solution. This will keep players from providing "impossible" words.

Materials Needed
Pencil and paper.

Developmental Benefits
Having players create their own ideas to represent makes them think about what can be made and what pieces might be able to be used. Using the categories requires players to search their memories for different types of figures that can be created.

Extra Ways to Play the Game
Eliminate the cards. Rather, picking one of the categories from the game, a player writes on a piece of paper what they will try to get others to guess. The player then Asymbles the creation and the other players guess. The person who guesses correctly then creates something that “goes with” or is associated with the previous item. This continues until all of the pieces are used.

Materials Needed
Paper and pencil.

Developmental Benefits
This expansion adds an element of associational thinking and logic. Players must think of something related to the previous concept.