Rainbow Ball Strategy Game — Match Three or Four

Parent guides: 15 Group Games for Kids With No Equipment: Running, Word and Pen-and-Paper Games · Brain Games for Kids by Age: 2, 3, 4–5, 6–7 and 8+

1. Agree which game you are playing — three in a colour, or a square of four.
2. Look at the board and find where your colour is already grouped.
3. On your turn, move a ball to build your group.
4. Watch what your opponent is close to, and block it if you can.
5. The first to complete the required group wins.

• Planning a move ahead instead of taking the first one available
• Reading the board from the other player's side as well as your own
• Spotting colour groups quickly across a busy board
• Losing a round to a better move, and seeing why it was better

• Play the three-ball game until it is easy, then move up to the square
• For a first game, play with everything face up and talk each move through
• Play alone: set a target group and count the fewest moves that reach it