Chop Sticks

Chop Sticks

Concentration and the steady, coordinated use of both hands and arms will be necessary to succeed with the game of Chop Sticks. All pieces are made of wood and painted and even though they are not slippery, they are smooth. Figuring out how to hold the chopsticks, the pressure to apply to the sticks to hold the disc between them and then lifting them exactly together so the thin disc does not fall out will take some practice. 

With practice, and steadying my arms against my body for stability, I learned to pick up the disc. Raising the disc to the tower, which required moving my arms away from my body, was my next challenge. If you place the tower close, and move your whole body forward instead of moving your arms away from your body, it's easier, but somehow feels like cheating. It may take many practice trials to move just one. Not for the easily frustrated.

Object:
Be the first to stack all your discs on the towers.

Set up:
Choose a color, take all the pieces of that color. Set the tower in front of you.

Play:
Use two chop sticks to pick up a disc and place it on top of the tower. Take turns stacking a piece until someone drops one. That person is out for the rest of the game. Keep playing until all players have been eliminated except one. Or, give each player a colored tower and the matching color discs. Players race to see who can use their chopsticks to place all four of their color discs onto their tower first.

Try this:

• Place the chop sticks flat against the table to pick up a disc. They have to be kept straight and parallel to each other. If the tips come to a point, the disc will just slide down. Play at the edge of the table to start. Because of the balls at the end of the sticks, you will have to let that end of the chop sticks extend off the table as you pick up the disc. This will ensure that the chop sticks are both flat against the table top and even.
• Start by placing the discs on the table top and picking them up and moving them off to the side, without lifting them too high. Attempt the tower after you can successfully transfer the discs.
• Move the towers back an inch at a time between games. The further back the towers, the farther you will have to reach without dropping the disc and the less you will be able to use your body for stability.
• Forget the chop sticks, just stack the discs with your fingers, grasp/reach/release. Make a color pattern on one tower as an example and ask the person to stack the other three towers in the same pattern.
• Skip the game. Scatter the discs randomly on the tabletop, or use just four, one of each color. Ask the player to pick up two chopsticks and hit the colored discs in the color order that you give, such as red and yellow. Player can tap them one at a time or simultaneously. Add specific hand by saying "right yellow, red left".
• Work on eye-hand coordination, visual discrimination, manual dexterity, coordinated use of both hands, shoulder stabilization, balance, grading pressure, socialization skills, executive functioning skills, process skills, play and leisure exploration and participation, tool use 

In the box: 8 chop sticks, 4 towers, 16 discs
Ages 6+

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