-->

Children learn through play. As an occupational therapist who works with children and youth, I use games and toys almost every day to help develop important cognitive, visual perceptual, motor, sensory, social, play and leisure skills. While many different types of activities can be used in therapy, this blog focuses on off-the-shelf games and toys that are accessible to most. Whether you are a therapist, parent, teacher, or a game lover like me, I hope you discover something useful while you are here. Learn a different way to play a game you already own or discover a new game for your next family game night. Either way, just go play. It's good for you!

The OT Magazine named The Playful Otter one of the Top 5 Pediatric OT Blogs.


May 5, 2019

Wink

Win in the wink of an eye.
Covertly Wink at your secret partner without being detected by the other players. If any of the players cannot Wink, you will need to agree on another form of communication before you start the game, such as blinking. Wink will require a minimum of four people to play, so may be a difficult game to use in therapy if going by the rules.

Object:
Score the most points by successfully communicating with your partners without getting caught, while correctly catching and accusing other players of doing so.

Set up:
Separate the two decks according to the colors of the backs of the cards (black in one pile, white in the other). Place one deck of cards, face-up, in a 6 x 6 grid on the table top. Deal the other deck of cards, face-down, to the players. Each player receives four accuse cards to use to accuse other players they catch winking. Each player chooses one colored pawn and takes the matching play card (the card that shows the same colored pawn).

Play:
The first player places his pawn on any of the face-up cards in the grid, that he does not have a match for in his hand, and loudly announces the number on the card. Play continues until each player has done this. During this round of play, the person who is holding another player's matching card must get their attention and wink at them to let them know. When the first round of placing pawns is over, there is a round of guessing. The player who started the game now must guess which player has the matching card in his hand. If that player has successfully communicated with the player, the player announces his name. If he is correct, he picks up his pawn and the card it was sitting on. He places the card under his play card. The player who was his partner (had the matching card in his hand) takes the matching card out of his hand and places it under his own play card. IF the first player guesses wrong, he takes his pawn, turns the card in the grid face-down, and his partner must hold the matching card in his hand for the rest of the game. The play now moves to the next player for a chance to guess his partner. Continue until all players have had a chance to play. This is the end of the guessing round. Now round continues like the first round, where each player will place a pawn on one of the cards left in the grid.

ACCUSE - If a player thinks he has seen one of the players communicating with another player, he can play one of his accuse cards. This can be played any time during the game. For instance, he feels he has seen player A winking at the player who is looking for number 12. He can say "Player A, you are holding card number 12." If he is correct, he collects both the card PLUS the matching card on the tabletop and places them under his play card. If he is incorrect, nothing happens and the play that was interrupted continues. Either way, the accuse card is discarded from the game. Be careful about accusing people, as any accuse cards you are holding at the end of the game will be worth a point toward your score. 

The game ends when one of the players runs out of cards or all of the cards from the grid have been picked up. Players count the cards under their play card, scoring one point per card. They also score one point for every accuse card they are still holding. The person with the most points is the winner.

Try this:
  • Skip the game. Use one deck of face cards, turning them face-up one at a time. As each card is turned face-up, try to make the face that is on the card. There are 36 different faces. They vary in mouth and eyes and a few have eyebrows. If the player has trouble telling the face they are making, let them use a mirror or cell phone and see their face. Take a picture and then match it to the card and see how they did.
  • Skip the game. Place all of the white cards in a grid, face-up. Choose one of the faces and make it. The other player must look at the cards and successfully choose the face you are making. Add photo props if you have them for more fun. Faces include a mustache, sunglasses, regular glasses, a patch, a bow tie and a monocle.
  • Mix all 72 face cards and make a large grid of face-down cards. Play a game of face memory. Make it interesting by using a calculator and scoring the points for each set printed on the cards.
  • Place all the cards from the white deck face-up on the table top. Then give the player one card at a time from the black deck and ask them to point out the match on the grid of cards. Start with fewer cards if that is too many to look over and try to work up to all 36. All the player to remove each matching card as they find it. As the cards are taken, the matches will be easier and quicker to make. Or leave each card after it is pointed out to require the player to continue to look over them all.
  • Work on visual discrimination, figure ground, manual dexterity, in-hand manipulation, visual memory, winking, reading facial expressions, executive functioning skills, process skills, socialization skills, play and leisure exploration and participation
In the box: 2 decks of 36 numbered face cards, 32 accuse cards, 8 player cards, 8 wooden pawns

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

No comments:

Post a Comment

Thank you for taking the time to comment.