Candy crush saga

Candy crush is a great game. Difficulty increases with every level and although it starts of with very simple rules – get three candy stones of the same kind next to each other – you will need to add more and more of strategical thinking as you move up to later levels.

The few very first levels are literally child easy. So our kids found them and started to play. They liked it. They were successful.
They wanted to show us how well they can play candy crush.

I had a look and rewarded them by saying “yes, guys, you are doing great“.

And then… They could not get through the next level.
They lingered there for a couple of hours and could not move. I have been waiting if they will get desperate, frustrated or give up. None of this happened.

They kept playing but did not manage to move to the next level. Even then, the game was interesting enough.
Obviously, I don’t want them to play all day long, so I sat next to them and had a look.

It turns out, they were just shifting stones and completely ignored the goal of that level.

One of my mentors once said: “If you want any progress at all, focus on your goals“.

So I have asked the kids, what’s the goal of this level? Certainly, they did not know

We had a look together and then played together having the goal of the level in the mind.
They were looking for possible moves and when I have seen a move that did not contribute towards the goal I have pointed that out. Pointed it out by asking what was the goal of that move.
Whenever they have made a move that improved their situation towards the goal I made sure they know I was happy with the move. And gradually, they got the point.
They had to work towards the goal and not only mechanically shift stones wherever it was possible. In a few minutes, they learned to focus on the goal. Great achievement. I am sure it will show also later in their lives.
So now you know it Our kids also play computer games. But mostly, we play them together.
They learn how to play games and very often I learn how to play with kids.

And as there were more people around me playing Candy Crush Saga who could not make it through one level or another, we have decided to write the How to play Candy Crush Saga Guide. Check it out!