Design
The design of Yeti In My Spaghetti is quite simple. The game comes with a bowl, a package of fake spaghetti strings, and a small Yeti. The bowl is wide enough for the strings of spaghetti to rest on as the strings have all been designed to be longer than the diameter of the bowl. When all the
strings of spaghetti are placed across the bowl, sit the small Yeti figurine on top of the spaghetti. That’s basically all it takes to start the game. The spaghetti strings are durable enough to hold the weight of the Yeti figurine, and the spaghetti strings are also durable enough to be pulled on and played with by young hands that may not have learned yet how to take care of toys. All the
pieces are made out of hard plastic so the pieces won’t easily break or snap.
Safety
Because the pieces of the toy are designed to look like real food, some toddlers may try to put the spaghetti strings into their
mouths, so adult supervision with younger children is recommended when younger children are playing with Yeti In My Spaghetti. The pieces, although they are long, can poke the inside of a child’s mouth or the back of the throat causing injury or bleeding. Younger children also run the risk of attempting to
chew on the fake spaghetti, and in the event they bite down on the hard plastic and swallow it, the pieces can cause a choking hazard. It may be in a parent’s best interest to remind younger children that they are playing a game and that the toys are not to be eaten or played with as if they were real food because the child could choke, cut themselves, or injure themselves. There is also the safety concern of the spaghetti strings poking a child in the eye if the pieces are waved about or if another child tries to sword fight or poke one of the other players with a spaghetti string. Most children will know how to safely play the game, but parental supervision will guarantee an extra level of safety for your child and their friends.
Game Rules
Yeti In My Spaghetti is a very simple game to play. The rules of the game are easy to learn. Place the bowl in the middle of the play area. Take all the strings of spaghetti and place them over the
bowl in a variety of different directions and ways. The game becomes more interesting and more difficult to play the more scattered the spaghetti strings are placed. Stack strings on top of other strings, crisscross spaghetti strings in various directions making slight openings that the Yeti may fall into, and make it slightly but not too difficult for the strings to be pulled out from underneath the Yeti. Once all of the spaghetti strings have been placed across the top of the bowl, strategically place the Yeti on top of the crisscrossed spaghetti strings and then begin play by choosing which person goes first. Once the first player has been chosen that person will pull out the first spaghetti string. Play will continue to the left with each person pulling out a string of spaghetti, but remember that each time you pull out a string of spaghetti the Yeti comes closer and closer to potentially
falling into the bowl. Play will continue around in a circle until eventually the Yeti falls into the bowl. When the Yeti falls in, the game is over and play can either be reset with the remaining players until there is only one person standing, or a brand new game can be restarted with all players as they once again go around in a circle and try not to have the Yeti fall into the spaghetti bowl.
Playing With Others
Games like Yeti In My Spaghetti are essential in helping young kids learn how to follow the rules of a game and play well with others.
Board games are a great way to teach children social skills like talking, communicating, sharing, and following rules. These basic social skills are expected to have been developed for when children enter their educational years and enter school. Yeti In My Spaghetti was designed for children four-years-old and older, which are the ages where social skills are developed. Because Yeti In My Spaghetti is also a competition game, young children are also exposed to how to win and how to lose. Because Yeti In My Spaghetti also requires that children take equal turns in playing the game, they are also taught patience and waiting their turn. These concept also enhances their skills at paying attention to the game and being involved with what is going on around them. Although the game is simple in its rules and how it is played, what is experienced outside of the actual playing of the game is essential to development. The simple rules also teach children how to learn the rules of a game and play them according to how the game was designed. This also teaches children lessons in cheating, and how it’s wrong to cheat. Yeti In My Spaghetti promotes fair play and with parental supervision or a parent or grandparent playing the game with their child these lessons can be learned while having fun.
Motor Skills
Not only does Yeti In My Spaghetti promote social skills for children like playing fair and learning rules, but it also helps kids develop and learn motor skills. In order to effectively play Yeti In My Spaghetti, a certain level of dexterity must exist to make the game worth playing. The dexterity required is a steady hand, hand-eye coordination, and grounded body to move the strings slowly or quickly through the other strings of
spaghetti and out from under the Yeti. Young kids will be able use their hands to grip the strings in the proper manner as to not cause the Yeti to fall. Their steady hand will pull the string out, and their hand-eye coordination, which is also useful in sports, will help them choose the proper piece and give them the ability to pull it out fast or slow depending on the position of the piece.
Reasoning Skills
Along with motor skills, reasoning skills are another facet of development that Yeti In My Spaghetti will help develop. The game is very much like a puzzle. If you feel that your child is up to the task of learning how to decipher puzzles, then this could be the game for them. The puzzle begins at the very beginning when the spaghetti strings are placed on top of the bowl. Children can learn how to effectively place the pieces on the rim of the bowl so that they don’t fall into the bowl, but will make for a strong foundation for the Yeti to sit on. Children will learn early building skills of how to crisscross the strings in such a way that they are strong and will be able to be built upon with the other strings. After the Yeti has been placed on
top of the spaghetti the puzzle continues. In the next phase of the game, children will now have the task of being able to figure out which pieces are pullable and which pieces should remain on top of the bowl. It is a good idea to have one child build the spaghetti while the other child places the yeti on top of the bowl in order to even the reasoning scales and have both or all four or five or however many children are playing the game start on the same level. These reasoning skills will also help children build confidence in their abilities to figure out puzzles and win a game.
What Is a Yeti?
The main star of Yeti In My Spaghetti is the titular character of the Yeti. But what exactly is the Yeti? The Yeti is a mythological creature better known as the Abominable Snowman. It is believed that the Yeti resides in the mountains of the Himalayas and is covered in white fur. He walks on two
feet and is larger than a human. The Yeti roams the glaciers and snowy areas of Nepal in search of food. In this particular game, he has found a bowl of spaghetti, and while he is trying his best to indulge and eat dinner, young children are pulling the spaghetti out from under him until the poor, hungry Yeti falls into an empty bowl of pasta. Hopefully, some leftover pasta will fall into the bowl with him.
Toy Of the Year Award
Yeti In My Spaghetti was given the Toy Of the Year (TOTY) Award in 2017 not only for its popularity, but also for its ability to teach children while they play. The Toy Of the Year Award is the highest award that can be given to a toy, which demonstrates how Yeti In My Spaghetti works as more than just a game when it is played by a group of children or a mix of children and adults.
Price
Yeti In My Spaghetti is quite affordable. This price seems right on target considering the game is not only simple to play, but it also does not come with a lot of parts. There are several strings of spaghetti, but once they are collected into one package, the game only has three parts: the Yeti, the bowl, and the spaghetti. The overall quality of the parts is middle of the road. The parts will not fall apart, but at the same time there is some fragility to them as they can break if stepped on or snapped if played with too rough, but overall they can stand the test of time and young hands playing with them. The retail price seems just right for Yeti In My Spaghetti.
Conclusion
Although it seems like a simple game, Yeti In My Spaghetti offers more than meets the eye. The game is easy to play in the same style as a Jenga game or any other kids game that requires the removal of pieces and the threat of
collapse. Where the game really excels is in its ability to teach skills that would not otherwise be taught by other board games. Yeti In My Spaghetti teaches kids how to play well together, how to follow rules, and how to decipher puzzles and make a plan in order to survive the game. There is a complex lesson to be learned in its simplicity. The game can also be enjoyed by adults allowing for family play where these social skills and motor skills can be learned with the parent present. Yeti In My Spaghetti is a great game to add to your board game collection or family game night as it is entertaining for any age group and promotes group play and group learning.