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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.


Jun 21, 2016

Fastrack

Fastrack

Ready, aim, fire! Kids like Fastrack and it plays well with a wide range of cognitive and skill levels. The game board is rectangular with a divider across the middle. At each end is an elastic band. Put a disc in front of the band, pull it back toward you and then let it go. 

In the middle of the divider is a small hole, just big enough for one of the discs to fly through, if your aim is good enough. Even though the hole that you shoot through is not much wider than the disc (see below), all have succeeded to get some through with a little practice. If you miss, the disc will hit the wall and bounce back to your side and you can try again. There is a player at each end of the board and the first one who gets all of the discs on the other player's side at the same time is the winner. I have put a blue circle around a disk going through the center hole.

Object:
Get all 10 discs on your opponents side and none on your side.

Set up:
Place the game between two players and give each player five discs.

Play:
Players play at the same time, trying to shoot their discs, and any discs that make it to their side, back to their opponents side as quickly as possible. To play, line up a disc in the middle front of the black elastic band, aiming toward the hole, pull the disc back against the flexible band (back toward you) and let go. Keep playing until all 10 discs are on one side of the board.

Try this:
  • Play hand over hand, it works well with this game.
  • Put a little pencil mark or sticker on the board by the elastic band to mark where to center the disc. Erase after practicing.
  • Place all 10 discs on one side and see how many tries it takes one player to get them all through the hole. Let him play again and try to beat his score.
  • Put the pieces away by asking the individual to cup his hand and hold the position while you drop the discs in one by one and count. It's a natural activity because I always count the pieces before I put them away to make sure that I haven't lost any.
  • Set the game up by putting five discs on each player's side. Place two or three discs in the players palm and ask him to bring them to his fingertips one at a time and place them on the board, alternating between the players.
  • Try isolating and shooting with different fingers. 
  • Work on finger isolation, manual dexterity, in-hand manipulation, eye-hand coordination, palmar arch development, spatial relations, visual tracking, aiming, hitting a target, socialization skills, executive functioning skills, process skills, play and leisure exploration and participation
In the box: 1 board, 10 discs

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

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