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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.


Aug 25, 2018

Cover Up

Four-in-a-row game with depth.

CoverUp is a four-in-a-row game with depth. There are three levels to each depth and three different size disks for each player (3 large - top level, 4 medium - middle level, 5 small - bottom level). Because of the depth you can cover an opponents disc with yours to claim their space. All the pieces store under a sliding door on the bottom of the game board. 

Object:
Be the first player with four of your color disks in a row.

Set Up:
Place the game board between the 2 players. Give one player 12 maroon disks and the other player 12 gray disks.

Play:
The first player places one of his disks into any disk space except the spaces in the center well. The next player places a disk anywhere on the game board. Play continues to alternate until one player has four discs in a row - horizontal, diagonal or vertical.

A play consists of:
  • A player places one of any size disk on the board.
  • A player cannot lift up a disk and place one underneath.
  • A player may move one of his large disks already on the board to a new space.
  • A player may place a disk in the center well on any turn but the first turn of the game.
Try this:
  • Save the large disks for strategic moves and blocking your opponent's wins.
  • Hold one disk of each size in your hand during your play. Separate the one you want to use in-hand and move to the fingertips for placement. 
  • Work on visual discrimination, spatial relations, visual closure, visual memory, figure ground, manual dexterity, logic, strategy, executive functioning skills, process skills, socialization skills, play and leisure exploration and participation
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  •  In the box: Game board with storage, 12 maroon disks, 12 grey disks

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