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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.


Sep 19, 2023

Bunny Boo

Bunny Boo - 60 challenges that increase in difficulty


Bunny Boo is a Smart Game for beginners to help teach, among other things, logic reasoning and problem solving. There are not a lot of games of this type for individuals with a moderate cognitive disability, and this one comes with 60 challenges!

Bunny Boo is a fun activity for beginners to also work on spatial orientation, visual closure, and building a 3D model from a 2D pattern card. There are only four pieces and they are pictured in the challenges from the top, the side, the front, or the back. You will be able to see each piece from many views and learn how one piece can look very different depending on how you turn it. It might be hard to believe that only four pieces can possibly pose this much of a challenge, but the way the pieces are designed, with different attributes depending on the way you are looking at them, has made this set very useful to me. Below are three challenge cards, showing the red piece from three different views.


Challenge cards show the same red piece from three different views.


Challenge cards are numbered and rated as starter, junior, expert, and master, and increase in difficulty as you go. The cards are numbered and there are four different card colors. The easiest cards are green. As they get more difficult the color changes to orange, then burgundy, and the hardest cards are blue. Puzzles will use from two pieces to all four pieces. 

Challenges increase in difficulty.

 

The answers are included on a separate folded sheet. Cards are loose and not in the spiral book form that Smart Games usually uses. There are 30 cards and each has a challenge on the front and a different challenge on the back, 60 challenges in all. 

When I lay a challenge card on the table and ask an individual to build the model, some have tried to build the model flat against the table, not standing, as that is how the model looks in 2D. So I either hold the card upright or stand it against something so that it is upright while they work from it, to reduce this confusion. This game has turned out to be a great investment for me. Kids of many ages have loved it and with only a few pieces, it is not intimidating to most.

Wooden pieces are large and easy to handle.

 

SmartGames is a brand that makes a lot of one-person logic games that also help build visual perceptual skills over multiple challenges that increase in difficulty as you go. If you would like to read more about these kid-friendly, fun games, check out my post called One-Player SmartGames.You can also see a longer list of the logic games I have blogged about, from multiple game creators, by clicking here.

Try this:

  • Start by showing the child the red piece and challenge cards that show the piece in different orientations, like I did above. Talk about how looking at something from different directions makes it look different. Let them play with the pieces and turn them to match the different cards to help understand the concept.
  • Spend extra time with the blue piece. My kids had extra trouble with this one because it has open and closed sides. And the closed side has different open shapes on it. 
  • Choose a challenge and build the model while the child watches. Talk out loud as you problem solve to teach them the process. Then take it apart and give them the pieces and let them build it.
  • Allow the child to identify the error if they build it incorrectly. After building something I usually ask the individual to check the card and make sure their model is correct. Sometimes it is, sometimes it isn't, but I want them to learn when it is wrong without having to have someone else always point it out. If it is wrong, I encourage them to determine how/where it is wrong. If they cannot correct it without help, I verbally state the problem and help them walk through problem solving a solution. If they still cannot correct it, I remove the piece, orient it correctly and place it on the model as the individual watches. Then remove it and hand it to the individual to place.
  • Build the models on a flat, elevated surface, like a tabletop, instead of the floor. Some of the models are easier to "see" if you are looking straight into them from the front instead of angled down from the top.
  • Use consistent directional and positional language as you work to avoid confusion. Add variations later as the child progresses.
  • Hand the child each piece as it is needed to guide them as they build if they cannot plan ahead or don't know where to start.
  • Work on visual discrimination, spatial relations, visual closure, manual dexterity, problem solving, logic, executive functioning skills, process skills, play and leisure exploration and participation
In the box: Wooden rabbit, 3 wooden building blocks (blue, yellow, red), 60 challenges
 
If you are interested in purchasing this or just want more information, click on the image below.

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