Category: Toys and Games

Visual Supports for ‘Simon Says’

Boardmaker Simon Says

Yesterday at work, I made up this board for Simon Says – I got the .pdfs of the visuals from Therapy Games at the Speaking of Speech materials exchange.

I blew them up to A3 for printing, and did one as is, and one with pull off visuals. While, as the adult, I would use it receptively to help the students to understand the instructions – passing the pull off to a child if he needed it – I find this sort of board comes into its own when the kids are being Simon. Having ideas there to help them generate the instruction, or the pull offs there for the non/less-verbal kids gets them in control of the game, increasing participation.

Old Macdonald’s Lotto Game (Orchard Toys)

Old macdonald bingo

Ahh, love getting new toys!

This one came today (much to my mother in law’s disappointment who hoped I’d bought shoes online!) via spending my QANTAS frequent flyer points on it. I know, such as nerd, but it will be awesome! I LOVE the Orchard products… my poor Shopping List Memory Game has had a good workout. I’d love to get the extension packs one day! (I need to start at speechie Amazon wishlist, don’t I? Ask clients to get me something there rather than a box of chocolates at Xmas time!! hehe)

So, how will I use the Old Macdonald’s Lotto Game in the clinic? Aside from the matching and sorting potential, naming animals and the like, there’s grammatical potential with he and she, plurals and more. We can do some describing, positional concepts, colours and the like. Oh and don’t forget stimulus for stuttering therapy, or simple, old reinforcement (aka bribery!)!

How could you use this game in your work?

The gift of Pop-Up Pirate

This post first appeared on littlelioness.net in December 2007

Pop-Up PirateWorking with kids, you have to have sure-fire ways to keep them on track.

One of those ways is the simple, yet very effective Pop-Up Pirate.

The idea is simple. Kid does something you want, you give verbal praise and then a plastic sword to them to stab into the barrel to see if they can make the pirate leap out and up into the air. Basic extrinsic rewards. Usually, I use it with articulation therapy. Kid attempts their target sound at their level e.g. /k/. They have a go, if they get it great! I give them a sword “well done, that was such a lovely /k/ sound”, then step it up a notch, e.g. two /k/ sounds. The kids love the pirate, so in group sessions we tend to have it as the final group activity where the kids come back into the circle and then we reinforce to them and their parents what they are to work on until the next session.

So, when Carmen tells me this afternoon that Big W has them on sale for $10, I decide that I must get a couple to wrap and put under the giving tree someplace. It’s a fun game even if you’re not doing therapy with it… and if they are doing some sort of reward system, then I’m sure it’s a welcome bonus! :) If you have kids under about 8, I’d certainly recommend it for an inexpensive gift. Or for a niece and nephew! :)

Do you have a favourite ‘reinforcer’?