Banana Slap

Banana Slap - Monkey see, monkey do

 

 

A fun monkey see, monkey do, motor planning game that will make a monkey out of every player. There are 72 cards total: 48 "monkey do" cards, 16 "slap the banana" cards, and 8 "banana" cards. Included is also a wooden banana.

           "Monkey do" cards.                              "Banana" card.                       "Slap the banana" card.

Object:

Play can end in one of two ways: 

1) When the cards from the initial pile have all been played and the one with the most cards wins.

2) Play until any one person runs out of cards. He is out of the game and either the other person wins in a two-person game, or the rest keep playing until all have dropped out but one - the winner. 

Set up:

Place the wooden banana in the middle of the players, then mix and deal all the cards equally to the players. Players stack their cards face down in a pile in front of them. 

Play:

Players takes turns flipping their top card face up, to form his own discard pile. Watch as each person turns over his card because as soon as there are two identical cards face up on the discard piles, it's time to go into action. Do one of the following:

• If they are identical monkey do cards, the first player to do exactly what the monkeys are doing while grunting, screeching, and howling like a monkey, gets all the discards piles.
• If two matching bananas show up, all the discard piles are placed on the wooden banana and play resumes with players taking turns turning up one card at a time.
• If two slap the banana cards appear, the first one to slap the banana wins any cards that may be on it.  

 Note that since you are facing the monkey when you look at the card, everything the monkey is doing will have to be reversed on your when you act it out.

Try this:

• Look through the cards and practice some of the different monkey positions to get familiar with the game before playing.
• Use it as a motor planning activity, not a game. Take out one of each different monkey position and then present only those cards. One at a time, ask the individual to imitate each position.
• Take a break and teach the individual how to peel a banana like a monkey - holding the long hard end in your hand and peeling down from the other end. Literally no strings will stay attached!
• Remove the banana cards and the banana. All players flip their top card simultaneously until a match is made and the action starts. Play out the cards until someone runs out of cards.
• Serve hard, crunchy banana chips as a calming, organizing snack while playing.
• Practice shuffling, dealing cards, fanning and holding cards.
• Ask the individual dealing the cards to hold the pile in his non-dominant hand while pushing the top card off with the thumb. Pick each one up from there with the dominant hand to deal.
• Work on motor planning, visual discrimination, bilateral coordination, spatial relations/position in space, manual dexterity, shuffling/dealing/fanning/holding cards, in-hand manipulation, executive functioning skills, socialization skills, process skills, play and leisure exploration and participation  

In the box: 72 playing cards, 1 wooden banana
Ages 5+, 2-6 players