Colored Wooden Block Stacking Game

Cards and die offer many ways to play.

In the box: 51 blocks, 24 cards, 1 die

Different from the traditional wood stacking JENGA games, Colored Wooden Block Stacking Game includes whimsical animals, cards and a die. The cards and die offer the opportunity to play many ways and engage many skills.

The game pieces and die are made of wood and the animals are painted on. The wood game pieces are 2.95 x 0.98 x 0.59". Anytime wood is painted in games I find that those pieces may be smooth and that smoothness may impact the outcome. It is true with this one. As you are pulling out one block, others may want to move also. It may take a bit of getting used to, but the kids I work with have adjusted.

There are six different animals: mouse, frog, dog, bear, cow and lion. The wooden die has one different animal head on each side of the die. For each animal there are four different cards. One shows the full animal, one shows a white silhouette of the animal, one shows just a partial picture of the animal and one shows food for that animal. A fun visual perceptual twist.

Object:

Don't be the person who pulls the piece that makes the tower fall. This is one of those games with the loser is the person who gets all the attention.

Set up:

Stack the 51 wooden pieces as shown, alternating every three pieces. Mix the cards and place near the stack if using. Place the die near the stack if using.

Play:

Go first and show the individual how to gently tap/push the pieces on the end to find one that is already loose (therefore less likely to make the stack fall if removed) before pulling out just any block.

• Blocks only - Players take turns taking one block out of the stack at a time and placing it on the top of the stack. Play until the stack falls.
• Blocks and cards -Players take turns flipping the top card. Remove a block that matches the animal. Place it on the top of the stack. Play until the stack falls.
• Blocks and die - Players take turns throwing the die. Remove a block that matches the animal that came up on the die. Place it on the top of the stack. Play until the stack falls.

Try this:

• Cup the hand before adding the die. Shake or roll it in the palm for several seconds before throwing.
• Sort through the cards before playing and play all of only one type, such as all silhouettes or all partial images.
• Sort the cards without playing the game. Place the six cards with the whole animal picture on them in a row on the table. Then sort the remaining cards under the appropriate animal.
• Stack the blocks for a game without separating by animal. Make stacking part of the game or have it stacked beforehand if it would be too time consuming.
• Present one card at a time and ask the individual to sort out all the animal blocks for that animal.
• Remove the colored whole-animals cards from the deck. Mix the rest and place face-up in a grid formation on the table. Present one animal at a time and ask the individual to point out or collect all the cards that belong to that animal. Or, mix all the cards, lay them out, and present one block and ask them to identify all cards for that animal.
• Mix all the cards and ask the individual to hold them in the non-dominant hand. Present one block and ask the individual to sort through all the cards and find the four that belong to that animal. Separate and push the cards off the top of the stack with the thumb, one at a time, and take with the dominant hand for sorting into a 'yes' pile or a 'no' pile.
• Place all the blocks on the table in a pile. Ask the individual to build one stack for each animal. Count the blocks for each animal.
• Reinforce colors and animals by always referring to the yellow cow block or the purple pig block, etc.
• Start with half the blocks. Once the player gets used to pulling out the blocks, add a few more. Work your way up to the tallest version. 
• Work on visual discrimination, visual closure, visual form constancy, figure ground, eye-hand coordination, manual dexterity, isolating a finger, graded pressure, executive functioning skills, process skills, play and leisure exploration and participation
  

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