My daughter who is 5 years old has special needs, this means that her learning is a lot slower than a child of the same age. She is rapidly approaching the final weeks of her reception year. Due to her problems she has great difficulty counting and easily gets her numbers mixed up.

This game is brilliant because what she doesn’t realise that while she is having fun she is actually learning. The idea behind the game is that it teaches numbers so that the child can not only count them, but recognise how the number is actually written.

You place all the pieces on the floor and you have numbers 1-20 but you can include as many numbers as you like that is what I like about this game it is so versatile. I started off with with just 1-5 then increased it slowly as she got used to the numbers so as not to overwhelm her at first. Each piece has different pictures so they are not only learning to count but also recognising what different pictures look like. For examples umbrellas, rockets etc. The object of the game is to match the number to the corresponding card of objects.

The pieces of Match and Count are big enough for little hands to hold and not too small and fiddly. As with all Orchard Toys games, the pieces are brightly coloured to grab the attention of the child. The correct pieces fit easily together which is great as the child is also learning problem solving, that is if one piece doesn’t fit then to try another, until it does.

This game could last as long as you want, it is a very versatile game. You can adapt it to the child’s ability. Another way you could use this game is to make the animal noises to match the pictures on the puzzle.

For me Match and count is a great versatile, educational game that has helped my daughter on the road to counting.