The Sneaky, Snarky Squirrel Game

 Sneaky, Snacky Squirrel is a great therapy game for speech therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy, and special education.  The Sneaky Snacky Squirrel Game by Educational Insights comes with a Gameboard, 4 Logs, 20 Acorns (4 each of green, blue, red, yellow and purple), a Squirrel Squeezer, a Spinner and directions. During the game, the therapist can incorporate many objectives into the activity.

Fine Motor: Practice spinning the spinner using just your index finger, going either forwards or backwards. Use your finger and thumb to flick the spinner. Make sure the child is holding the spinner down with the other hand to encourage using two hands together. Have the child use the squirrel squeezer to pick up the acorn of the color that they spun on the spinner. Reinforce using one hand, modeling how to hold the squirrel squeezer on the top of the squirrel’s body. Have the child match the colored acorn to the same colored ring on the tree. When cleaning up the game, have the child pick up given colored acorns using a pincer grip and hold the bag in the other hand; reinforce crossing the midline as they put them away.

Gross Motor: Reinforce sitting position for improved stability. Practice midline activities. Have the child reach across their body to pick up the squirrel squeezer or spin the spinner. The therapist can also place the gameboard at a distance. In order to take a turn, the child has to do a gross motor movement (jumping, hopping, standing on one foot, walking like a given animal). 

Special Education:  Practice following the directions. Have the child spin the spinner and retell you what the space they landed on means. See if they follow the direction according to the spinner. Have the child label colors and match colors. Have the child sort acorns by color. Have them count how many purple acorns they have (do this for each color). Ask questions like if you have 5 red acorns and you have the same amount of blue acorns, how many blue acorns do you have?  Practice concepts like more or less. If I have 3 acorns and you have 4 acorns, who has more? Who has less? Who has the least? Who has the most? Have them count the total number of acorns. If they are older, have them count by 2’s or count by 5’s.   

Speech Therapy: When using this game for speech therapy, cards can be incorporated to practice articulation sounds. Reinforce placement and production for target sounds. Cue the child where the sound is in the word (this has your sound at the end of the word). Depending on their progress, modeling, cueing, or independent production can be used.  After they produce their sound (word, phrase or sentence level), have them spin the spinner. As speech is a motor function, it is important to reinforce trunk stability (appropriate sitting: side, or criss cross), crossing midline and hand use. Following directions can be incorporated by asking questions, what do you do after you say your sound… (spin the spinner, identify where the spinner stopped, pick up the squirrel squeezer, find the correct color acorn and match to the correct ring on the tree). Reinforce color matching and identification. Have the child sort  the acorns by colors. Count how many in each color group. Incorporate concepts like same and different. (Here are 2 blue acorns and 1 red.) Which one is different? Which two are the same. 

These are just some ideas that can be incorporated into a simple game! Happy Therapy!

Scoop Up

Using games in therapy sessions

Scoop Up is a great fun activity that can be used by speech & language therapists, occupational therapists, and special education teachers.  Games can make therapy fun and engaging for the child while the therapist can elicit responses and actions that meet therapy goals. 

Scoop Up

Scoop Up has 4 starting ice cream cones with one scoop and 48 scoop pieces (6 each of 8 flavors), numbered 2 to 49.

Suggested lesson for Scoop Up

“Today we’re going to play Scoop Up and build some yummy ice cream cones. Pick a scoop from all the scoops of ice cream. Turn it over and read the number. It is a number 5. 5 is larger than 1, so we can put the scoop on the ice cream cone.

“Now, it is my turn. I turn over a 10. 10 is larger than 1, so I put the scoop on my ice cream cone.

“Now, it is your turn. Pick a scoop and turn it over. It is a number 3. 3 is not larger than 5, so we have to turn the scoop back over.

“My turn. I turn over a 25. 25 is larger, so I put the scoop on my ice cream cone.

“Now, it is your turn. Pick a scoop and turn it over. It is a number 12. 12 is larger than 5, so we can put the scoop on the ice cream cone.”

The first player to get 10 scoops of ice cream on their cone is the winner.

For children who are able to follow these directions, add another step. You can incorporate vocabulary cards or articulation cards. If you are working on particular sounds, reinforce the correct placement and production of the sounds.

If the child is more proficient with sound production, have them use the word in a sentence. Start with a carrier sentence, then go to a more complicated sentence.

If the goals are to improve receptive and expressive language, incorporate WH questions.

Speech & Language Therapy

• Practice prepositions (on top of, in front of, next to, etc)
• Describe the colors of the scoop
• Describe what flavor you think the scoop is

Occupational Therapy

• Reinforce crossing the midline
• Place the pieces (during set up) in groups by “flavor”

Special Education

• Arrange the scoops in rising numerical order
• Arrange the scoops by numbers with “odds” together, “evens” together

 

Threading Game

Using games in therapy sessions

Threading Game by HABA is a great fun activity that can be used by occupational therapists, speech & language therapists, and special education teachers.  Games can make therapy fun and engaging for the child while the therapist can elicit responses and actions that meet therapy goals. 

Threading

This is a great, very unusual game from the German manufacturer HABA. This game includes 1 thread with police station, 1 thread with police car, 1 bank, 2 police officers, 1 police dog, 1 thief, 1 stop sign, 1 pr of handcuffs, 1 moneybag, 4 2-sided templates (self-correcting 2 pieces), 1 cloth bag, and instruction booklet.

Suggested lesson for Threading

“Take two matching template pieces and fit them together to make a scene. Look at the template and find the starting place of the scene (left side). Is it the Police station or the Police wagon?  It is the Police station – the building where the police work. Find the block that matches it – it will have yarn and a wooden needle attached.” 

“Now, let’s look at the next image on the template? It is the Stop sign. Find the Stop sign block and, using the needle and yarn, push the needle through the Stop sign block so the yarn goes through.” 

“What is the next image on the template? It is the Police officer. Find the Police officer block and, using the needle and yarn, push the needle through the police officer block so the yarn goes through.”

“What is the next thing that happened in the scene? We see the Thief. Find the Thief block and, using the needle and yarn, push the needle through the Thief block so the yarn goes through adding it to the line.” 

“Let’s compare our thread with the picture shown on the template. Do they look the same?” 

Speech & Language Therapy

• Practice sequencing from the 2-sided templates
• Name different kinds of money

• Name different kinds of dogs

Occupational Therapy

• Improve motor skills by threading the different pieces together

• Reinforce midline crossing
• Reach into the bag and identify the piece you need by feel alone, without peeking
• Assemble the template with self-correcting halves

Special Education

• Practice threading in sequence from the template
• Group pieces by colors

• Group pieces by kind (people, objects, etc)

 

 

 

Candy Land was one of the most popular games ever in America. Everyone knows Candy Land, but here are some things about Candy Land that maybe you didn't know. It has its uses as a game for therapy, but is a timeless game that anyone can enjoy. Candy Land has been around for a long time, but there are always more things to learn.

1. Candy Land requires no reading by the players.

Other than the directions that would require an adult or older child, there is no need to read cards for answers or directions. Preschool children can play this game after a rudimentary explaining of the rules.

2. Candy Land sells about one million games per year.

Candy Land has been one of the most popular games in modern times. Candy Land has sold more 50 million games in the 70 years since it was first published. Candy Land has been a perennial favorite of Baby Boomers, GenXers and subsequent generations. 

3. Candy Land's game track is made up of 134 red, blue, yellow, green, orange, purple and pink spaces.

The track is often described a "rainbow colored" though it does not include Indigo and Violet, it does include Purple and Pink.

4. You move by drawing cards with a colored square and you move to the nearest square of that color.

This unique method of moving means reading is not necessary. Children can draw a card and scan the board to see a matching color, which tells them where to put their token. In 2013, new games have a spinner to randomly select a color instead of a deck of color cards.

5. Candy Land was designed by Eleanor Abbott while she was in the hospital recovering from polio. and was first sold by the Milton Bradley company in 1949.

Eleanor Abbott, a school teacher, contracted polio at age 36 and was hospitalized as was the common practice for polio. In the polio ward were several children who spent their days in the grim hospital setting. Eleanor wanted to give the children something to occupy their time during the long endless hours. The home-made game was extremely popular and Eleanor's friends suggested she show the game to the Milton Bradley company. 

6. In 2005, Candy Land was inducted in to The National Toy Hall of Fame at the Strong Museum of Play.

Candy Land was the thirty-second inductee into the National Toy Hall of Fame, and the fourth game inducted (after Monopoly, checkers, and Scrabble).

 

Race to the Roof

Using games in therapy sessions

Race to the Roof is a board game from Ravensberger. The game can be played by two to four players. The object of the game is to be the first player to get from the front door to the attic window. Race to the Roof is a great fun activity that can be used by speech & language therapists, occupational therapists, and special education teachers.  Games can make therapy fun and engaging for the child while the therapist can elicit responses and actions that meet therapy goals. 

Race to the Roof

Race to the Roof includes a game board (in two interlocking pieces), 16 Room cards, 20 Object (chance) cards, 4 playing tokens, game rules, and a die. The room tiles can be arranged in any order you choose. 

Suggested lesson for Race to the Roof

“Today we’re going to play Race to the Roof.”

“Let’s assemble the game board and place the 16 Room cards in the open spaces on the board. And we place the Object cards in a face-down pile.”

“It is your turn. Roll the die. What did you roll? You rolled a four, so move your game token four spaces into the first room.”

“Now it is my turn. I roll a three. I move three spaces.”

“It is your turn again. Roll the die. You roll a six. When you roll a six, you get to pick a card from the pile of Object cards.”

“Your card is the Jam Jar. Look at the different rooms for a Jam Jar. It is in the Kitchen on top of the Refrigerator. You can move your token to the red circle on the Kitchen room card.”

To win the game, the player must roll the exact number on the die to match the spaces remaining to reach the Attic window.

Speech & Language Therapy

• Practice prepositions (on top of, in front of, next to, etc) when describing the different rooms
• Identify an object and describe its appearance
• Describe its use (function)
• Locate and name the room that contains the object
• Explain why that object is in that room

Occupational Therapy

• Reinforce midline crossing
• Roll the die using two hands to “shake” the die
• Move the token landing on every circle, counting as you go

Special Education

• If you roll a four (for example), count out loud one, two, three, four as you land on each circle
• When you draw an object card, what color is the object?
• What would you do with this object?
• Would you have more than one of this object?

 

1, 2, 3, 4-Bean Salad

Cooking and baking are great ways to interact with your children. It is a way to spend time together, develop appropriate skills, and, of course, have a finished product. There are many emerging skills that can be incorporated into cooking and baking.

Some ground rules for cooking with children

1. Be consistent. Children learn best from consistency.  It teaches them what to expect. 

2. Limit your time. Don’t make it long and tedious. Children do not have the same attention span as adults.  Younger children (3-6) are less focused than older children (7-10). 

3. Stop if either you or your child becomes bored or frustrated; otherwise, this will become a dreaded time. Inform your child of the estimated time so they will have appropriate expectations. “This will take us 15 minutes to put together.” Before you begin, have all of your ingredients ready so you can keep within expectations.

4. Get your child’s attention before you speak and give them your full attention when s/he speaks. Have your child repeat the direction back to you to make sure they heard and processed the information.

5. Talk about what you are doing (self talk) and what your child is doing (parallel talk). An example of self-talk would be “I am mixing the butter and sugar together.” An example of parallel talk would be “you are cracking the eggs.” 

6. Use short phrases. “Count out 2 eggs” or “Unwrap one stick of butter”

7. Repeat key words and phrases.

8. Expand on your child’s comments by adding comments of your own. “The broccoli is green.” “Yes, the broccoli is green and has a bumpy texture.”

9. Make statements about similarities and differences as they come up.
“The flour and sugar are both white.”
“The egg shell is white and hard and the flour is white and soft.” 

10. Explain cause and effect.
“When butter melts it goes from a solid to a liquid.”
“Touch a hot stove and you can burn your finger.”

1, 2, 3, 4-BEAN SALAD

Ingredients

1 can wax beans

1 can green beans

1 can chick peas

1 can kidney beans

1 small red onion

Italian dressing

Directions

Open all cans, drain liquid, and empty into a bowl.

Reinforce using two hands to open the cans and mix in the bowl.

Cut up onion and toss with the beans.

Have your child describe how the beans are alike and different.

Mix well.

Reinforce using two hands: working hand and helper hand.

Toss with Italian dressing and mix well.

Use a wooden spoon to stir and mix thoroughly.

Cover and refrigerate.

The activities suggested here are designed to reinforce in children some very basic skills. This is not intended as a substitute for therapy by licensed therapists. If you have concerns about your child’s physical or language development, consult your pediatrician or a licensed therapist in your area.

Supervise your child when using sharp knives and other potentially dangerous utensils.

© 2012  The Therapist's Cookbook by Jacqueline Messineo-Cowles

 

Slamwich

Using games in therapy sessions

Slamwich is a great fun activity that can be used by speech & language therapists, occupational therapists, and special education teachers.  Games can make therapy fun and engaging for the child while the therapist can elicit responses and actions that meet therapy goals. 

Slamwich

Slamwich is a fast moving card game from Gamewright that can be played by two to six players. Slamwich contains a deck of 55 which include 40 Food cards, 12 Muncher cards, and 3 Thief cards. Slamwich can be played by two to six players for ages six and up.  

How to play Slamwich

Deal an even number of cards to all players. Place the leftover cards in a pile in the center, face up.

Start with the player to the left of the dealer. On their turn, each player quickly flips the top card from their hand onto the center pile. When a player recognizes that a double decker sandwich (two identical cards in a row) or Slamwich (two identical cards separated by one different card) has been built, they slam the pile – putting their hand on top of the pile. The first to slam the pile keeps all the cards.

Watch out for a Thief card or a Muncher card. If there is a Thief card played, you want to slam the pile and say “Stop Thief.” The first one to slam the pile and say “Stop Thief,”  stops the Thief and gets to keep all cards in the pile. 

Muncher cards have a number on them, the next players can play up to this number of cards from their pile in hopes of making a Double Decker or Slamwich, or playing another Muncher or Thief card. If the Muncher is not stopped (by a Slam, a Thief card or another Muncher card), the pile is taken by the player who played the original Muncher card.

If a player slams the pile at any other time, they must place the top card from their pile on the bottom of the center pile and their turn ends.

For children who are able to follow those directions, add another step. You can incorporate vocabulary of the food cards.

If the child is more proficient with sound production, have them use the word in a sentence. Start with a carrier sentence, then go to a more complicated sentence.

If the goals are to improve receptive and expressive language, incorporate WH questions.

 

Speech & Language Therapy

• Say the name of the ingredient on the top of the pile
• Reinforce correct sound production of target sound

Occupational Therapy

• Reinforce crossing the midline
• Take and place the cards with appropriate grip

Special Education

• Count the number of cards in a stack
• Describe the food item on the card