Connect 4 Launchers

Connect 4 Launchers - My favorite Connect 4 version.

Kids like Connect 4 Launchers a lot, and so do I. There's just something fun about launching a disc into the air and watching it to see where it lands. Like the original Connect 4 game, get four in a row to win. Unlike the original game, you launch checkers onto a horizontal surface, not drop them into the vertical plastic grid, and there are two levels to watch. Connect 4 Launchers also give directions for three levels of play and includes markings on several of the checkers for playing the advanced power launch game.

The launchers are a good quality, not flimsy. Good if you are working on using a stabilizing hand. Pushing the launcher lever all the way down will make the checkers really fly. Depending on how close the launcher is sitting to the game, this could mean a launcher will fly completely over the structure and behind the dog. Pressing down softly will make the checkers fly shorter distances. How far you push down on the launcher lever, how close you place the launcher to the structure, and the angle you place the launcher will all be critical to where the checker will land. The launcher is angled up from the bottom, toward the nose. This is so you can tip the launcher forward before shooting so it is easier to hit the bottom level.  The launcher also has a scoring device on the handle, out of the way of play, that goes from 0 to 5.

There are six pieces to the structure, the four blue legs and the two trays. Each corner of the plastic trays pushes into a slotted hole in a blue leg. Easy to assemble and take down and it's sturdy.

The two clear plastic trays have "cups" where you see the discs sitting. Up to four discs can land in each "cup". So once you have gotten three in a row and while you are trying for the fourth in your line to win, someone may come along and land a disc on top of one you already have in place. Then you will have to work to reclaim it by landing one on top of theirs.

Game set up and ready to go.

Each player also gets an identical set of power checkers, to be used during the advanced power launch version of the game. Here are descriptions and rules for these special checkers:

• A checker with a white ring - Go again. Right away.
• A checker with a black ring - Mega blast. Remove all checkers from every space touching the space where it lands.
• A checker with 4 black dashes at (N, E, S, W) - Remove a row. Remove ALL checkers from the other spaces in the row it lands in - either pick the row that goes front to back OR the row that goes side to side.
• A check with one black dash - Space erase. Pick any one space touching the space where it lands, and remove ALL the checkers from the chosen space.

Place all checkers that are removed to the side. They cannot be launched again during the game. 

I also play this game with kids who cannot understand and follow the rules. Just the act of holding, aiming, loading and shooting the launcher offers a lot of opportunities to practice different skills. Even without actually playing a game, it is still fun for these kids to launch and watch a checker fly through the air. 

There are three ways to play:

1. Basic Frantic Launch

Object:

First player to get four in a row in either tray wins.

Play:

Both players play at the same time, launching checkers fast and furious. The checker that counts is the one on the top. Once someone has four in a row, either on the top or the bottom, the game is over and they are the winner.

2. Championship Frantic Launch

Object:

Be the first to score 5 points (win 5 rounds).

Play:

This plays like the game above. Play until someone gets four in a row or both players run out of checkers. This is called a round. If there is a winner, they push the scoring lever up one notch on the launcher. Keep playing rounds until  someone has scored 5 points on the scoring lever.

3. Advanced Power Launch

Object:

Be the first player to score at least three points.

Play:

Game is played in rounds. Players take turns launching one checker per turn, using the special discs and the rules (above) for them. In the games above, only the checker on top of a stack counts. In this game, you have to have the majority of the checkers in a stack to count it as yours. If a stack has two checkers from each team, that stack will not count for anyone. 

Try this:

• Start hand-over-hand if necessary.  If kids can't see a pattern or understand the rules, play to see if you can just get the discs onto the grid. I have used this activity with many kids who could not play by the rules, but enjoyed shooting the discs.
• Demonstrate how pressing the lever all the way down will make the disc fly farther than pressing only part way down. Practice grading. 
• When clearing the board, put the index finger through a disc stack in one section of the grid and pick up several, opposing to the thumb.
• Shoot for only the bottom level, then for only the top, to illustrate the difference in grading pressure and positioning the launcher.
• Watch for four in a row in only one direction at a time, either horizontal, vertical, or diagonal. Then watch two directions, and work up to three.
• Start with connect three for an easier game.
• Try for other combinations, such as a four square, stack four in one cup, or four corners (that's a tough one).
• Skip playing a game. Use both color discs with one individual and call the color he must launch each time.
• Place the grid at different distances from the individual to practice grading pressure on the launcher lever.
• Allow a win to include the upper and lower trays. Example: first disc in the row on the top, second and third discs in the row on the bottom. Last disc in the row on the top.
• Stop the game periodically and ask the player to look over the grid and show you places where he needs only one to win.
• Ask the player to determine if he pushed the lever down too far or not far enough after missed efforts. Then adjust and try again.
• Work on fine motor skills, manual dexterity, grasp, using both hands in a coordinated manner, finger isolation, grading pressure, visual discrimination, visual closure, figure ground, spatial relations, eye hand coordination, visual tracking, executive functioning skills, process skills, socialization skills, play and leisure exploration and participation

If you are interested in purchasing this game or just want more information, click on the image below to go to Amazon.com.