Swish...a Very Cool Math Game

My husband says that Swish has "coolness factor." He's not easily impressed, so take that into consideration. :)

Swish is a new, transparent card game by ThinkFun. Basically, you layer cards so that "balls" go into "hoops" of the same color. In order to make cards fit together, you have to mentally flip/reflect or turn/rotate. When you call "Swish" you put the cards together to test your theory; if they fit, you keep the cards and earn that many points. If they don't fit, you have to return them and lose that number of cards/points already in your hand.

But there's more...

It's not necessarily that hard to find a Swish with two cards. But you can layer MULTIPLE cards to produce a Swish. Try finding 3, 4 or more cards that go together to form a Swish. The more cards you stack, the more points you get.

If you've ever played SET (a favorite math game for looking at patterns), this reminds me of it in some ways. The cards are dealt onto the playing surface and everyone tries to find a SWISH at once. Last night, we played with two adults, a 9yo, and a 5yo. I was shocked that the 5yo was able to play; he could find SWISHes with two cards. At the same time, my husband and I competed to find SWISHes with three cards or more. I'd no sooner than think I had a SWISH and my 5yo would take a card off the playing surface to complete his own 2-card SWISH.

It's a great group game and would make a terrific Math Station in school (what a great way to explore geometric transformations!!!) and a great Math Workbox at home. Oh...[chuckle]...and it would probably work for a fun family game as well. At least we think so.

Are you starting a holiday gift list? Swish would be a great addition!

Disclosure: I received a free Swish game in exchange for a frank and unbiased review. Thank you to ThinkFun for the opportunity! I was not paid for this review, nor was I required to write a positive review.  If you purchase this product through my Amazon link, all commissions go toward foster care through Grace and Hope at no additional cost to you. I do not keep any money myself; I am hoping to be able to sponsor an additional child in foster care through commissions on this site.