Press & Spin Birthday Bear Game

Press and Spin Game - Help Birthday Bear get ready for the big party.

I'm not really a fan of Melissa & Doug's Press & Spin Games because they are so... well, flimsy. It looks like there are five other games in this line and they all contain this spinner and paper pieces. Birthday Bear is different in that we will be tracing and coloring.

The spinner is a lightweight plastic and different from most other spinners you'll see. You push down the whole top of the unit to get it to go. The spinner shows number 1-6 and behind each number is a different color. 

The pencils are small, like the ones you get when you play miniature golf, and they are colored - Red, green, blue and orange. There are four drawing pads, each measuring 3 5/8" x 5 1/8"  and containing about 15 sheets. The picture on all sheets is the same - Birthday Bear. Most of the bear is made up of lightly printed, dashed shapes which are numbered 1-6. There are two sections for each number. For example, the two areas with a number 1 are the balloon and the party hat. You can see the bear in the image above.

The instructions outline four simple versions for playing this game. They are:

• Birthday Bear - Be the first to complete your picture. Give each person a tablet and pencil. Players take turns pressing the spinner. The player checks the number on the spinner and looks for an uncolored space with that number on their picture. If they find one, they will trace and color it in. If they have already colored in those spaces, their turn ends. Keep playing until someone has finished their picture and wins the game.
• Spin-a-Color - This version will not result in a winner, so just have fun coloring. Player presses the spinner, checks the color the arrow stops on, and traces and colors in any space with that color. Since there are six colors and only four pencils, two colors, purple and yellow, don't have matching colored pencils. These two colors are "wild", meaning that you get to pick any color to use. Keep spinning until you have colored in the whole picture.
• Coloring Pages - Similar to Spin-a-Color, instead of coloring in each section as you spin, only outline it with the colored pencils. When you are done, then go back and fill in the sections with any colors that you want. You can even go get your crayons and have more color choices if you want.
• Switcheroo - Follow the instructions for Birthday Bear (above) with the exception that if the same number comes up twice in a row, everybody switches their picture with another player. Continue filling in their picture.

Try this:

• Use crayons instead of the pencils. Some of the spaces are kind of small, but if your crayons are still fairly pointed, it should work. Not sure how you will sharpen the colored pencils as they wear down.
• Call out a body/clothing part for the player to outline. For instance pants or head. If appropriate add in a particular piece such as right pant leg or left ear.
• Make a banner after you have finished playing, using the bear pictures for a birthday party decoration. 
• Try making copies of the bear before you run out of tablets. You will be able to get four on a page. The dashes are very light, so not sure how they will copy.
• Work on visual discrimination, recognizing numbers 1-6 and four colors, spatial relations, tracing, using a pencil, efficient grasp on a writing tool, manual dexterity, fine motor precision, process skills, executive functioning skills, socialization skills, play and leisure exploration and participation 

In the box: Spinner, 4 drawing pads, 4 pencils

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