Fingatoi

Fingatoi - Stretchy rings and a bell add to the fun of this game.

Horizontal or vertical, one layer or two, be the first to slip the flexible plastic rings onto your fingers to match the pattern and win the card.

Fingatoi is a game similar to Tricky Hands, the game that has gotten by far the most views on my blog. I'm not sure where the name Fingatoi came from as I could not find a definition and it does not translate that I could find. The only thing I could think of was it's just kind of a slurred pronunciation of "finger toy".

This game comes with 54 pattern cards, each with a different pattern, each pattern made up of five different colors. The five colors on the cards match the five colors of rings. The goal is to be the fastest person to stack the rings on your fingers in the order that is presented on the pattern card and be the first to ring the bell.

The pattern cards are a regular deck of playing cards. By that I mean that besides the pattern you will be playing with, there is a number (2-10) or a letter (A, K, Q, J) and a suit (diamonds, clubs, hearts, spades). There are also 2 jokers. These have nothing to do with the game and need to be ignored. It's odd that they couldn't find a deck of blank cards to have these printed on. Anyway, each card pictures a different object(s) made up of the five colors. You can see examples of the cards in the images above and below. In some of the images colors are stacked vertically, so the five rings will be stacked on one finger in that particular order. It doesn't matter which finger you choose. Other cards show five images lined up horizontally and you will place the rings on five fingers of one hand. The third possibility are the cards that stack items horizontally and vertically. Of this particular pattern, there are never more than three fingers used and never more than two stacked vertically on one finger.

The finger rings are plastic, coiled and flexible. I am not sure if they will permanently stretch out over time. If they do, I will come back and comment. The pink and red colors are pretty close, so you will need to play in a well lit area.

Object:

Be the player with the most cards at the end of the game.

Set up:

Mix the deck of cards and place them face-down in the middle of the players. Players should be facing the deck so that the cards are right-side-up as they look at them for building. Give each player one ring of each color (red, pink, blue, purple, yellow)

Play:

Taking turns, each player will turn over the top card on the deck. All players race to to be the first to put the rings on their fingers and then ring the bell. This ends the round. The other players will check the order of the rings, and if correct, the player who rang the bell will claim the card. Repeat until all cards have been claimed. Each player counts his cards to see who is the winner. 

Try this:

• Skip the game and the need for speed. Just flip the cards one at a time and place the rings on your fingers. Check each other's hands for correctness. If you are working on the other player catching and correcting their mistakes, make a mistake once in a while on your hand so he can recognize it.
• Place two cards on the table, face-up, in front of the player. Put the rings on your fingers to match one card. Ask the player to pick the matching card. Add more cards to choose from as the player improves.
• Skip the game. Place one card face-up in front of the player. Ask him to memorize the order of the colors. Repeat the pattern out loud several times to help fix it in the memory. Turn the card over and ask the player to place the rings on their hand in order. Flip the card back and check if they are correct.
• Start by working on cards in only one direction. Vertical patterns seem to be the easiest. Some may be confused by skipping from one orientation to the other until they are used to the game. After all different orientations are practiced, then combine them during a game.
• Place the pattern card in a different orientation to work from. This will take longer to interpret and may be very difficult for some to work from. Since speed is involved with this game, if you are working with someone who is super fast and wins every round, you could ask them to sit in a place at the table that will make him look at the card upside-down or sideways. This may slow them down a little as they interpret the pattern from a different angle.
• Choose a card that has a horizontal pattern and place the rings on your fingers to match that card. Place that card and several more face-up in front of the player. Flip your hand, so that now the rings are in the opposite direction. Can he still find the matching card?
• Use a piece of white paper to cover the items on the card that you are not working on if the player has trouble separating them out.
• Use a piece of white paper to cover the items on the card that you are not working on if the individual does not have the concept of building a vertical pattern from the bottom up. I also use the word "stack", and that sometimes help them get the idea of starting at the bottom and putting one of top of the other.
• Place a card with a horizontal pattern on the table. Ask the person to hold the hand palm up and build the pattern so that when they flip their hand it will be in the correct order.
• Work on spatial relations/position in space, visual discrimination, visualization, visual closure, visual memory, eye-hand coordination, finger isolation, fine motor skills, manual dexterity, coordinated use of both hands, executive functions, socialization skills, process skills, play exploration and participation

In the box: 54 pattern cards, 1 bell, 20 colorful rings (enough for 4 players)