Play to Learn: Tenzi and More!

Today in the Play to Learn series, we are deep diving into the TENZI family of games!

We will begin with the original TENZI game, that began this collection of games.

TENZI is an exciting and quick-paced dice game that promotes fast reactions and is very easy to learn. To play TENZI, you roll your 10 dice as quickly as possible. The game comes with instructions for eight additional variations, including SPLITZI, MEGA TENZI, and TENZI TOWER.

Playing TENZI helps children develop rapid and confident number recognition while being highly enjoyable and straightforward to play. It’s ideal for early finishers and team-building activities.

 

BUILDZI is a fast-paced building block game that encourages creativity and quick problem-solving skills. It’s easy to learn and quick to play. Simply flip over your Tower Card or Block Card and race to be the first to build your block tower. For a greater challenge, try using the yellow/black side of the Tower Card—these towers are more difficult to construct and lack color cues for the blocks. BUILDZI includes instructions for seven different gameplay variations! Together BUILDZI, where you use your STEM skills to collaborate and build a tower. Playing BUILDZI helps develop and reinforce numerous STEM skills, including problem-solving, creativity, communication, inquiry, engineering/design thinking, critical thinking, and collaboration.

 

ITZI is an easy-to-learn, fast-paced word-based card game that rewards creativity and quick thinking. Quick, name a drink with bubbles that starts with “C.” If you said “Champagne” or “Cola,” you’re already getting the hang of it! ITZI is super simple to learn and lightning fast to play. Be the first to match your five letter cards to the ITZI cards to win. The game includes instructions for five additional variations, such as COLOR ITZI, ICON ITZI, and EITHER ITZI. Playing ITZI helps kids develop pronunciation and projection skills while being immensely fun and easy to play.

 

SLAPZI is all about speed—it’s super simple to learn and incredibly fast to play. Be the first to match the correct picture card to the corresponding clue card. The game includes 120 unique double-sided picture cards and 65 clue cards for fast-paced, card-slapping fun. There is more than one way to play= there are instructions for seven additional games, including SUPER SLAPZI, REVERSE SLAPZI, and TWISTED SLAPZI. Playing SLAPZI helps develop quick and confident cognitive flexibility and abstract reasoning while being highly enjoyable and easy to play.

Combine SLAPZI clue cards with ITZI clue cards for two new variations of SLAPZI and ITZI!

 

 

PAIRZI is an easy-to-learn, fast-paced card matching game with a unique twist. Speed is the name of the game. To win, be the first to find matching pairs of Critter Cards. But here’s the twist: before you can search for Critter Cards, you must roll a pair with your dice, like two 3’s. Roll a pair, find a pair, and repeat. The game includes instructions for five different variations, such as PUSHOUT PAIRZI, SNAKE EYES PAIRZI, and PARTNER PAIRZI. Playing PAIRZI can help develop cognitive flexibility, speed, working memory, and directional skills.

 

 

How about some expansions to the original games?

 

Want to play TENZI in more ways? Grab the expansion for the base game, TENZI 77 Ways to Play. This card set is the ideal complement to the fast and fun dice game TENZI 77 Ways to Play offers 77 unique variations across three different game categories. Just like the original TENZI game, speed is key, but you can also slow it down, take turns, or roll together.

 

BUILDZI also has an expansion! 99 More BUILDZI Towers introduces 99 MORE BUILDZI Towers cards- featuring five new styles of tower cards. These new card types include Crazi-Colors, 3D Builds, Flip-Flop, One Hand, and Build By Numbers cards, along with the BUILDZI Challenge. BUILDZI is an addicting fun game that you won’t want to stop playing!

 

 

Enhance SLAPZI with SNAPZI, a new way to make the original game even more fun and challenging. SNAPZI is all about speed, super simple to learn, and incredibly fast to play. The first player to get rid of all five of their cards wins. The set includes instructions for eight different ways to use SNAPZI with the original SLAPZI game. Playing SLAPZI with SNAPZI helps kids develop cognitive flexibility and abstract reasoning skills while being immensely fun and easy to play.

 

My family LOVES TENZI and BULDIZ and cannot wait to try the rest of the collection! These games can be used in various ways in the classroom! Let us know different ways YOU will or have used them in you classroom!