Here’s a game that gives both you and your mind a stretch! Ready to get twisted and tangled at the same time?

Twangled, from MindWare, is “knot your average game” (as noted on the box) and we’ve unraveled several reasons why. To start, the only materials this game comes with is a spinner and eight stretchy, colorful cords. Second, there is no specific winner—getting twangled is a team effort. Kids will either revel in their glory together or accept defeat, squad style.

Here’s how it works:

Players work as a team—in groups of four to eight—to first tangle themselves up. They begin by standing in a circle facing the spinner. Each player grabs a different colored cord and hands the other end of the cord to someone either next to them or across from them. If there are more than four players, double up on colors. The first player will then kick the spinner (since both hands will be busy gripping the cords) to determine his or her twangled fate.

Phase 1: Get Twangled!

The spinner will indicate on which color cord players should focus, and whether to step over or under it. An “over” and “under” section, as well as color-coded sections are all marked on the spinner.

For example, if a player lands on green in the “over” section, that player must move his or her entire body over the green cord. Each player will kick the spinner twice. After all players have taken their turns, the result should basically depict a web of body parts and colorful cords – a twangled mess!

 

Phase 2: Get Untwangled!

Now comes the fun part, where children will really hone in on their communication skills. At this point, the spinner has become obsolete as the only way to win the game now is for the team to untwangle themselves successfully by returning to their starting positions (without fights or injuries, please!). This puts children in a position where they really have to listen to each other and delegate directions. Mission impossible or a no-brainer? That’s for them to decide.

A couple things we noticed:

  • The spinner is a little stiff and hard to kick. It might be helpful if someone on the sideline spun it and told each player where to move.
  • Parents, you might need to sit this game out, as the cords are designed for smaller bodies.
  • Lastly, the instruction booklet offers different variations for your kids to play to twangle the rules even more.

Would you play Twangled? Or are you still clinging to your decades-old Twister mat?

 

About the author

Kelly Corbett

Kelly Corbett

Kelly is an editorial assistant at Adventure Publishing Group. When she's not writing/playing/thinking about toys, she's probably spilling coffee on herself, laughing at her own jokes, or doing something awkward somewhere. As a quirky redhead, she one time tricked her friends into thinking she was the new face of Wendy's fast-food franchise as a prank. She's not, but a chili lover can dream right? You can follow her on Twitter @kcorbzz.

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