Praise Aplenty for The Presidential

I've said it before, and I'll say it again (and again and again)--you can learn a lot from a game. 

We're learning a lot about Unites States Government this year. Right now we're focusing on the Presidential election, watching debates and discussing candidates, ideas, laws, campaigns, etc. I came across a game that I got really excited about. It arrived today and we've already plaid it twice! 

The Presidential is a contest between Republicans and Democrats for the Electoral College votes of the States. This game quickly teaches so much! The visual board makes it so obvious why even if one party wins the majority of states, certain states matter more than others and win an election. (Thus explaining why a candidate will campaign hard in Florida or New York and might not even give the time of day to North Dakota.) 

The Politics Cards can wreak havoc with votes, and they also prompt a LOT of interesting discussion about why certain people might vote the way they do, and whether or not those reasons are good ones. They also provide a lot of laughs.

Strategy is huge in this game. That doesn't mean that younger kids can't play it. Even if they don't fully understand, they can play. But it provides a great strategy challenge for those who do understand.

An educational bonus is that this game involves CONSTANT math. Votes change parties every turn and it's a race to get those 270 Electoral votes by then end of the campaign. 

No two rounds will be the same. Even if the same players use the same strategy every time, the dice keep things uncertain as well as the cards. 

One final bonus is that the game comes with blank Politics Cards that you can fill in with political choices and consequences yourself, helping players understand politics even better.

Middle of the game.

Republicans won!