Set

Set Card Game

Set is the ultimate visual discrimination game. As the name implies, this is a quick game of finding sets. The cards feature simple images with 4 different attributes: color (red, green, blue), shape (diamond, oval, squiggle), number (one, two, three), and fill (solid, striped, outlined). A "set" is three cards that have a single attribute that is all the same or all different. For instance, ANY three red cards, no matter the shape, fill or number would be a set for color. And, a red card, a blue card and a green card,, no matter the shape, fill or number, would also be a set for color because they are all different.

This Set card game has won a ridiculous number of awards (check out the official site and their other games by clicking here). My game has purple cards and I think it is just an older version as the cards are the same as in the red box. Set also comes in Set Dice and Set Cubes.

Object:

Have the most sets at the end of the game.

Set up:

The dealer lays 12 cards face-up in a 3 x 4 grid (see image above). The dealer can either play or sit out.

Play:

All players play at once. Looking over the face-up cards, find three that have the same attribute or three that all have a different attribute. For example, look at the three cards to the left in the image above. Those three cards could win in several ways: 1) they are all different shapes, or 2) they are all different colors, or 3) they are all a different number, or 4) they are all a different fill. Any one of these would satisfy the requirement for a set. As players spot a set they call "set". They name the attribute as they quickly pick up the three cards. The dealer fills in the three empty spaces with three new cards and the game keeps going. When the deck is depleted and all the sets that can be made have been made, players count the sets they have won. The person with the most sets is the winner. 

Try this:

• Play alone, eliminate the need for speed.
• Play an easier game by just using cards with solid symbols. This will eliminate one of the attributes (fill) so you will only need to consider three attributes (shape, number, color).
• Sort the cards into piles of three. First, sort the cards into three piles by color. Then sort the cards into three piles by shape, etc.
• Set up a large grid of face-up cards, maybe 25. Players take turns naming one attribute and picking up all the cards with that single attribute. Scan the cards to see which attribute will get you the most cards before calling it. Keep going until all cards have been claimed. Count the cards, the person with the most is the winner.
• Set up a large grid of face-up cards, maybe 25. Call a single attribute and ask the player to pick up all the cards with that attribute. Play until all the cards have been picked up.
• Work on visual discrimination, figure ground, visual scanning, visual closure, manual dexterity, coordinated use of both hands, process skills, socialization skills, executive functioning skills, play and leisure exploration and participation

In the box: 81 cards

If you would like to purchase this game, or just want more information, click on the image below.