3 Little Pigs and the Big Bad Wolf

3 Little Pigs and the Big Bad Wolf -Includes a huffing and puffing wolf.

Players (pigs) race to build their houses in the order of the fairy tale - straw, sticks and then brick - before the big bad wolf can come along and blow them down. The big bad wolf is always a threat and if he happens to blow down your house, you must start over. 

3 Little Pigs and the Big Bad Wolf game includes all the pieces show below:

The houses and pigs are flat laminated cardboard-type stock. There are three pigs (up to three people can play) and each pig has a different color shirt. The houses each have a window cut out and each window has a different colored border, and there will be one border that will match each pig shirt color. There are three straw houses, three stick houses and one brick house. The straw house is the smallest and the house types get bigger as the material (straw, brick) get stronger. The smaller straw house will be easier to blow down than the stick house, although the wolf is pretty hard to squeeze. You cannot blow down the biggest brick house with the wolf blower. 

There is a sheet with six stickers and you will place one sticker per side on the the die before you start playing. The six sides are wolf, pig, straw, straw, stick, brick. You will be progressing per your die rolls, so it is based on luck and not strategy or anything you can control.

There are three green plastic bases, each with a groove in it that runs the length of the base. This is where you will stand your pig and house as you build and play. The blue wolf is stiff plastic and those with weak hands may not be able to squeeze it. It reminds me of the Pig Poppers material, but a little stiffer. The wolf has a small round opening for his mouth. Squeeze him softly and slowly and you will get a small burst of air. Squeeze him fast and hard and you will get a bigger burst of air. 

So honestly, if someone asked me if I would recommend this game for the squeeze toy as a means to help strengthen hands, I would have to say no. The plastic is just too hard and it is too hard to squeeze, and when someone has weak hands, you can't start out with the hardest toy to use.

The 3 Little Pigs story is written in the instructions if you want to read it for context before you play. If you like the 3 Little Pigs story, I have also blogged about a one-person logic game by Smart Games called Three Little Piggies. I have used it quite a bit and the kids like it.

Object:

Be the first player to build a house of brick.

Set up:

Put the stickers on the die the first time you play. Give each player a stand and a pig. Place the other pieces near the players.

Play:

Player take turns. Throw the die once per turn. You must throw for items in order. To start building, you must throw a pig and straw, in either order. You only get one throw per turn, so it may take a few turns. After you have your pig and straw house up, you will be throwing for sticks. When you get sticks on the die, take down your straw house and replace it with your sticks house. After you have your sticks house you will be racing to throw the bricks. Any time you throw a wolf on the die you are allowed to pick up the blue wolf and squeeze it one time in front of another player's house. If you end up knocking it down, that person must start the game over. If you don't, they are safe. Keep playing until someone builds a brick house and wins the game.

Try this:

• Work on visual discrimination, sequencing, manual dexterity, hand strength, socialization skills, process skills, executive functioning skills, play and leisure exploration and participation
• Practice aiming the wolf and squeezing it before playing.
• Allow multiple chances to squeeze the wolf.
• Skip the game. Set up the houses in the bases, tell the story, and squeeze the wolf to try and knock down the houses. Hands may get tired quickly as the wolf is somewhat hard to squeeze.
• Skip the wolf and look for something else to blow the houses down with. Blow on them yourself and they will fall easily if you are close enough. See how back you can sit and still know them over. Try using different things like a straw to blow through or squeeze an empty plastic bottle next to the house. Brainstorm different things. What works, what doesn't? 

In the box: 3 bases, 3 pigs, 7 houses, 1 die with sticker sheet, 1 plastic wolf blower

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