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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.


Nov 12, 2019

Fundomino


Fundomino - The twist isn't just in the shape
Fundomino is a domino game with an UNO-type twist. The tiles themselves are curved and the game will twist around on the playing surface in unusual directions.

Dominoes was one of the games I learned to play with my grandma when I was growing up. Fundomino is a long way from those rectangular wooden black tiles with the white pips. This game even has a game board and pawns!

The 32 domino tiles are curved, made of a weighty plastic material and colorful, as you can see in the image above. During play, the tiles will have to match by color as well as fit together. The tile numbers go from 1 - 6 and there are also special action tiles with a star, a plus sign and a rounded arrow. The game board is a heavy card stock and there are four game pawns, one each of blue, yellow, red and white.

Game board.

This game also comes in a portable, pocket version called Pocket Fundomino. I have not seen it, but to learn more about it click here.

Object:
Be the first person to score 120 points.

Set up:
Turn the tiles face-down and mix them randomly on a flat playing surface. Each player chooses tiles and stands them on their edges, so that only he can see the numbers/symbols/colors. Place the rest of the tiles off to the side, this is called the stock. Place the game board off to the the side and each player chooses a colored pawn and places it on the start area on the board.

Play:
The game is played in rounds. The player with the highest double places that tile in the middle of the table. If no one has a double then the highest number tile is played (example 5/6). 

Taking turns, players will place one domino on either end of the chain. Dominoes have to match by color, but also need to fit. Special action tiles are followed only if they end up on the very end space of the chain. The special actions include:
  • Plus sign - Once played, the next player will draw one tile before he plays. If there are no more dominoes in the stock, they draw one from the player that played it.
  • Curved arrow - The person who plays this symbol must play again. If he cannot play, he must draw tiles from the stock pile until he picks one he can play. If there are no more tiles in the stock pile, his turn ends.
  • Star - This is a wild card and can be played next to any other domino.
When a player is down to only one domino, he must say "Domino!" If he forgets and another player notices and comments, the first player must take a domino from the second player. The game ends when either:
  • Only one player has tiles remaining OR
  • The game is blocked (no stock and no playable tiles)
The scoring depends on different things including how many people are playing, whether people are playing in teams, why the game ended, and the point value of tiles players still have. Based on the score at the end of a round, players move their tokens forward on the game board. First player to reach 120 points wins the game.
 
Try this:
  • Skip the game, just line up the tiles. Place them all face-up on the table to start. Can you include all of them in one long line?
  • Turn the domino in-hand if you need to reorient it for placement. 
  • Forget the scoring and the game board, winner per game is the first person to play all of his dominoes.
  • Skip the game and play tiles that make closed circles (3 tiles each). How many circles can you make?
  • Start the game with a different tile such as lowest double, lowest number, symbol only, rock/paper/scissors winner plays any tile from his hand, etc. Determine which method to use before players pick their dominoes.
  • Work on visual discrimination, visual form constancy, manual dexterity, in-hand manipulation, decision making, simple mental math, process skills, socialization skills, play and leisure exploration and participation
In the tin: Game board, 4 game pawns, 32 dominoes

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

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