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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!

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Mar 10, 2019

I SPY Find it Fast Game

I SPY Find it Fast makes figure ground fun.

Pick a card, roll the dice and Find it Fast. Pretty straightforward. As you can see from the cards in the image above, there are many items on each card, but not all of those items are pictured on the dice. I chose one random card and it pictured 17 different items, and only six of those items are pictured on the dice. The cards measure 1.5" x 3.5" and the dice measure .75" x .75". The pictures on the dice are stickers and are everyday items including an apple, a bat, an airplane, a flower, a shell, a basketball, fake teeth and an acorn. The items on the dice are repeated, so you may throw nine dice and get three bats.

Object:
Have the most cards at the end of the game.

Set up:
Shuffle the cards and place the deck face-down on the table. Place the nine dice nearby.

Play:
In turn, each player will turn the top card face-up and then will shake and throw all nine dice at once. All players scan together, looking for any match between any die and the card. The first person that finds one match calls out the item. They get the card and play passes to the next player who repeats the process. When all the cards have been collected, the game is over. Player with the most cards is the winner.

Check out more fun figure ground games at I SPY Games.

Try this:
  • View the images on the dice before playing and make sure all players know what to call each item.  
  • Turn over a card, throw the dice, and players look for all matches, not just one. When a player feels he knows how many there are, he calls out, such as "there are three matches". The other players continue to look over the card and see if they can spot any other matches. If someone finds another, they call out "there are four matches". Players look until they are satisfied that all matches have been found. The last person to call a number points out the matches on the card and then gets the card. Play through all cards, person with the most cards at the end is the winner.
  • Place a card face-up on the table. Place the dice nearby. Ask the player to pick up and turn each die in-hand and if they find a match, to place the die picture-side-up.
  • Play with just the cards. Shuffle the deck and place it picture-side-up on the table. Choose any one item, such as an airplane, then scan each card to look for that item. Make two piles, a yes and a no. Sort through the cards. Pick them up off the deck one at a time as you sort, being careful not to topple the pile or pick more than one card at a time.
  • Place a card in the middle of the players. Player one names an item from the card. Player two names that item plus one more. Player three names those two items, in order, and one more. Keep going until someone misses. The person who went last before the person who misses gets the card. Player with the most cards at the end is the winner.
  • Cup the hand before adding the dice. If the player has difficulty, place a ball in his palm, ask him to form his fingers around it and then remove the ball. Drop the dice in his hand. Cup the other hand and place on the top before shaking. Alternate which hand holds the dice between turns.
  • Work on visual discrimination, figure ground, manual dexterity, visual memory, in-hand manipulation, executive functioning skills, process skills, socialization skills, play and leisure exploration and participation
In the box: 40 picture cards, 9 picture dice

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


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