ZOCH: Board games on educational mission

Board games by Zoch GmbH, the Munich-based games company, received great interest at the education trade fair didacta in Cologne. Especially the games for preschool and primary school children like “Wer wohnt wo” (Who Lives Where), “Alles Tomate” (Everything Tomatoes!) or “Bamboleo” convinced educators and educationalists at the same time.

On occasion of the education fair Zoch for the first time created a detailed brochure for educationalists that compiles teaching and learning material. Doing so, the company seeks to inform about possible fields of application including areas like speech therapy, mnemonic training and the promotion of team spirit. For questions visitors were able to approach educationalist Sylvia Näger, who has years of experience in professional trainings at playschools. For the special brochure and more information to the games, please contact Zoch Company: www.zoch-verlag.com .

"Wer wohnt wo" (Who Lives Where) by Klaus Zoch is an exquisite three-dimensional memory game made of fine hand-sawn wooden pieces for children aged 4+. In the farmyard players try to bring pairs of animals into the house. The game is perfectly suited for speech training and language promotion, as moving the animals happens in the context of talking about it. And the game is also a joyful haptic experience!

"Alles Tomate!" (Everything Tomatoes!) – from cows to potatoes: The quick memory game by Reiner Knizia for children aged 6+ won the "Deutschen Lernspielpreis" (German Education Games) award in 2008. The funny language game revolves around quick recognition and memory training: cherries, potatoes, geese, tools, buildings and much more have to be recognized and named. All objects are matched with the appropriate theme card. The entertaining language game is especially suited to learn words and the natural rhythm of speech – particularly for children with a native language other than German.

“Bamboleo” by Jacques Zeimet is a creative game for preschool children, primary school students and even for senior citizens. The moving board playfully trains physical laws and the courage to take risks. The beautifully designed game inspires children to watch, measure, compare and experiment. Wooden pieces of different shapes and weights have to be placed upon or taken from a wooden disc. This continuously changes the disc’s position, as it is balanced on top of a cork ball. Children learn what happens when they remove or add one of the wooden pieces.