Tommy the Tomato Playing Cards
Below is a list of directions on how to use the Tommy the Tomato playing cards. If you would like to purchase a set of your own click here. For a downloadable version of these directions click here.
"Tommy the Tomato" Playing cards 3 Games in one
Matching game
Learn the easy rules of Concentration
In the game of Concentration, players try to collect pairs of matching cards.
- All of the cards are placed face down on a flat surface so only Tommy’s picture shows.
- A player turns up two cards; if they match, they are collected by the player and he or she goes again.
- If they don't match, the cards are flipped over and it's the next player's turn.
- The player with the most matching sets of cards after the cards are gone wins.
Trivia Card Game
How To Play
- Objective: Correctly answer the following two questions for each card.
1) What nutrient does this contain? And
2) What is it good for?
- Show the face of the card to your opponent while covering the bottom of the card with your fingers to hide the answers. Ask the above questions to your opponent.
- You only need one set of Tommy the Tomato cards for this game. If you see matching cards, place one of the cards to the side.
- Place the question cards in a pile.
- Decide who will go first.
- Read the question on the card to your opponent or ask a parent to help you read the question on the card.
- After you have a turn, let the other player choose a card for you to answer the two questions.
- Continue until you’ve used all the question cards.
- The person with the most cards answered correctly is the winner!
Go Fish Card Game
Go Fish is a classic card game that many of us learned to play as kids. Go Fish is simple to teach and learn, since the instructions and rules are minimal. All you need to play is two to six people and a deck of 52 playing cards.
1. Shuffle the “Tommy the Tomato” cards and deal them out. If you are playing with two or three people, each player will get seven cards. If you are playing with four to six people, each player is dealt five cards. Players should hold the cards so that other players can't see them. Place the leftover cards either face-down in the middle of the table or spread out face-down on the table or floor, like fish in a pond.
Play
2. The goal of “Tommy the Tomato” Go Fish is to be the player with the most sets of two cards. Players need to match number cards or suit cards in groups of two and place them on the table, face up, once the two cards are acquired.
Decide who goes first by either starting to the left of the dealer or choosing who is oldest or youngest. Each player starts off by deciding which number or suit of cards he is working to collect from opponents. For example, if you decide you want to try to collect all the April Asparagus cards, you ask the person next in turn if she has an April the Asparagus cards. If she says yes, then she must give you the April the Asparagus card. Your turn continues, and you can ask the next person if he has a Phil the Fish card as well, or another card if you desire. If that person does not have the card you ask for, he says, "Go Fish!" and you draw a card from the fish pond, or deck. If the card was not the value you asked for from your opponent, your turn ends there. If you draw the card you asked for from the pond, you say, "I fished my wish!" and your turn will continue until you do not get the card you are asking for.
If the player being asked for a certain number or suit has more than one of that card--for example, two “April the Asparagus”--, then both of the “April the Asparagus” cards must be given to the person asking for the specific card value.
Win
3. Each player continues taking turns until there are no more cards left in the fish pond. To win Go Fish, you need to acquire the most groups of cards with the same value. A player can also win by running out of cards in her hand, so long as she still has the most sets of two or if no one else has cards face-up on the table.