Skillmatics' Newton's Tree (item SKILL28NTB), the box our link goes toPhoto: Skillmatics
What's in the box: 8 trunks, 8 branches, 60 apples, Newton and 54 cardsPhoto: Skillmatics
The tree grows taller and wobblier as you buildPhoto: Skillmatics
Draw a card, do what it says, and don't let the tree fallPhoto: Skillmatics
Video

Family game

Newton's Tree

Add apples and branches to a wobbly wooden tree without toppling it

2–6players · best with 3-4
15–30 minplaying time
6+recommended age
Learning curve
Very easy1 / 5
EasyDemanding
Luck & skill
Luck and skill
LuckSkill
Interaction
Medium
Set-up
About 2 min
Reading
Little

The quick verdict

Full verdict ↓

Great for Children from 6 who love building towers and watching them wobble

Think twice if Toddlers share the play area: there are 60 small apples and a small Newton piece to keep track of

How we rate it

Learning curve. Play a card, do what it says, don't knock the tree over. A six-year-old picks it up in one round, so it sits with Jenga at 1 on our scale.

Luck & skill. Steady hands and smart placement matter most, but the cards you draw decide what you must do, and a bad card at the wrong moment can bring the tree down.

Interaction. Everyone builds the same tree, so each apple you hang can leave a nastier, wobblier tree for the next player.

Set-up. Stack a trunk, a branch and another trunk as the base, deal three cards to each player and put Newton at the foot of the tree.

Reading. The cards show colours, numbers and a few words; only the rules leaflet needs real reading.

Learning curve: 1 = UNO or Connect 4; 3 = Catan; 5 = a heavy strategy game. These describe the experience, not an overall score.

Is Newton's Tree right for you?

Great if

  • Children from 6 who love building towers and watching them wobble
  • Family evenings with 2 to 6 players, from cousins to grandparents
  • Parents who like a hands-on game with a little science about balance behind it
  • A birthday or Diwali gift for a child of about 6 to 9

Skip it if

  • Toddlers share the play area: there are 60 small apples and a small Newton piece to keep track of
  • You want a game of deep choices; steady hands and the luck of the cards decide most rounds
  • You already own a stacking game such as Jenga and want something that plays very differently

How Newton's Tree plays

Set-up: stand one wooden trunk in the middle of the table, rest a branch on top of it and add a second trunk above the branch. That is the base of the tree. Shuffle the 54 cards, deal three to each player and leave the rest face down. Newton starts at the foot of the tree, and the 60 apples wait in a pile.

  • Time to teach: about 5 minutes.
  • Reading and language: The action cards use colours, numbers and a few English words (such as 'Add 2 apples'), so children who are just starting to read can follow them after a round or two. The rules leaflet is in English; the game itself can be played in any language.
The tree grows taller and wobblier as you build · Photo: Skillmatics

Newtons Tree!! | Are You Ready To Play The Most Exciting Balancing Game? | Exciting and Fun |Ages 6+ · Skillmatics · Official

Choose a video · Watch right here

If this creator doesn’t allow embedded playback, watch on YouTube ↗.

A turn, step by step

  1. 1
    Play

    Choose one of the three cards in your hand and show it to everyone.

  2. 2
    Build

    Do what the card says: hang apples on spots of its colour, pluck apples, add a branch and trunk, or move Newton. Then draw a new card.

  3. 3
    Win

    Whoever topples the tree loses the round; the player who knocks it down least often, or the last one left, wins.

Read the official rulesNewton's Tree: how to play (Skillmatics India product page) · English
The full explanation: how a game of Newton's Tree goes

A turn: the youngest player starts and play goes clockwise. Choose one of your three cards, show it to everyone and do what it says. Apple cards tell you how many apples to hang and on which colour of spot (the branches have blue, yellow and orange circles). Other cards make you pluck apples off any branch, add a new branch with a trunk on top, or move Newton up or down to a coloured spot on another branch. Then draw a new card. You may use only one hand.

If none of your cards can be played, put one at the bottom of the pile and keep drawing until you can make a move. The round ends when someone knocks the tree over.

How you win: in the full rules, two or three players play five rounds, and whoever toppled the tree the fewest times wins. With more players, whoever topples it drops out, and the last player left wins. Skillmatics India's product page puts the goal more simply, as building the tallest tree without it falling, so agree which way you are playing before you start.

Tip: keep the weight even on both sides and hang apples close to the trunk; on the upper branches the blue spots sit nearest the middle, so they upset the balance least. For a solo challenge, try to build the whole tree with all 8 trunks, 8 branches and 60 apples.

What's in the box

What's in the box: 8 trunks, 8 branches, 60 apples, Newton and 54 cards · Photo: Skillmatics
  • 8Wooden trunks
    real wood, says Skillmatics
  • 8Branches
    with blue, yellow and orange spots where apples and Newton are placed
  • 60Weighted apples
  • 1Newton piece
    moves up and down the tree when a Newton card is played
  • 54Game cards
    add apples, pluck apples, add a branch, or move Newton
  • 1Instruction manual

Box: 23 × 4.5 × 36.3 cm, 0.52 kg. Handy to know for gifting and travel.

Contents are from Skillmatics India's Newton's Tree page and product data (item SKILL28NTB, barcode 8904279500440); Indian store listings and the Amazon.in listing give the same list, and Skillmatics' international manual shows the same pieces. The card types are described from that manual. There is only one edition. Count the 60 apples back into the box after each game so none go missing.

Where to buy

Check price on Amazon.in
How to make sure you get a genuine copyEditions and the details worth checking.

About the editions

Newton's Tree is a game from the Indian company Skillmatics, and Skillmatics' product page gives India as the country of origin, with Grasper Global Private Limited, its Mumbai company, as the manufacturer. There is no imported edition to look for. Our Amazon.in link goes to Skillmatics' own box.

Before you choose

  • The box should say Skillmatics and Newton's Tree, with the line 'The Super Fun Game of Balance & Skill'.
  • Check the contents: 8 real wood trunks, 8 branches, 60 weighted apples, 1 Newton piece and 54 game cards.
  • Skillmatics' barcode for this box is 8904279500440 and its item code is SKILL28NTB.
  • Skillmatics names Grasper Global Private Limited as the manufacturer; look for that name on the box.
  • Unbranded balancing-tree toys are sold under similar names; if the listing doesn't name Skillmatics, it is a different product.

What reviewers and players say

We found no independent written reviews or forum threads about Newton's Tree, so this rests on Skillmatics' own information and two short videos. On paper it is a simple building-and-balancing game: cards tell you to hang apples, pluck them, add branches or move Newton, and the tree gets wobblier as it grows. It looks best for children from about 6 playing with family, with the cards adding variety that a plain stacking game lacks. Skillmatics pitches it as a STEM toy; treat that as the maker's claim and enjoy it as a hands-on family game.

What people love

  • Real wooden trunks and a tree that gets wobblier as it grows, so the tension builds every turn
  • Cards change what you must do each turn, so no two games build the same tree
  • Plays 2 to 6, with a drop-out rule that keeps bigger family groups moving
  • The box and rules introduce balance and centre of gravity in simple terms for curious children

Common complaints

  • No independent reviews yet, so it is hard to say how the branches and apples hold up after many games
  • Sixty small apples and a small Newton piece to keep track of, and to keep away from toddlers
  • A bad card can force a risky move however careful you are
  • Skillmatics India's page and the full rules describe the winner differently, so agree the scoring first
Based on 6 reviews and discussions

Summarised in our own words from the sources above. We don't use Amazon reviews or ratings.

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Questions people ask about Newton's Tree

How do you play Newton's Tree?

Each player holds three cards. On your turn you play one and do what it says: hang apples on spots of a certain colour, pluck apples off, add a branch and trunk, or move Newton up or down the tree. Then you draw a new card, and whoever knocks the tree over loses the round.

What age is Newton's Tree for, and how many can play?

Skillmatics lists it for 2 to 6 players aged 6 and up. With two or three players the full rules have you play five rounds; with more, anyone who topples the tree drops out until one player is left.

Is Newton's Tree like Jenga?

Both need steady hands, but they work the other way round. In Jenga you pull blocks out of a tower; in Newton's Tree you build the tree up, and cards tell you what to add, remove or move each turn, which brings in a little luck and makes every game different.

Is Newton's Tree made in India?

Skillmatics' product page for the game gives India as the country of origin and names Grasper Global Private Limited, Skillmatics' Mumbai-based company, as the manufacturer.

Does Newton's Tree teach science?

Skillmatics sells it as a STEM toy, and the box names balancing masses, static equilibrium and centre of gravity as the ideas behind it; that is the maker's pitch. In practice, children soon learn that apples near the middle of a branch keep the tree steadier than apples at the ends.

Game facts

Publisher
Skillmatics (Grasper Global Pvt Ltd, Mumbai, India)
In India
Skillmatics (Grasper Global Private Limited, Mumbai), which makes the game
Players
2–6
Barcode
8904279500440
Language
Little reading – The action cards use colours, numbers and a few English words (such as 'Add 2 apples'), so children who are just starting to read can follow them after a round or two. The rules leaflet is in English; the game itself can be played in any language.
Box size and weight
23 × 4.5 × 36.3 cm, 0.52 kg
Sources & photo creditsThe references behind this guide.

Facts on this page come from the publisher, the Indian maker or distributor, and the sources below. Photos are credited under each one.