Charades In-A-Box American Edition

 

Charades In-A-Box: American Edition

 

The rules for charades are simple: One person acts out something and the other players guess what he is doing until someone gets it right. If you are the type of person who does not like to be the center of attention, charades is probably not one of your favorite games. However, playing charades in a safe and supportive therapy setting can be a great way to work on motor planning.

Often charade games are a mix of random topics, some specific, some more general. The reason I picked this one up, even though I have others, is because of the theme - American. The fourth of July is coming up and all the topics in this game are related to Americana. I will put some examples below so you can determine if this game would be right for you. 

Examples of topics from this game:

• Grand Canyon
• Thanksgiving Day
• Benjamin Franklin
• Tailgate party
• John Wayne
• Covered wagon
• 13 red and white stripes
• Rosa Parks
• Green Bay Packers
• Everything is bigger in Texas
• Dollywood
• A chicken in every pot and two cars in every garage.
• Wall Street
• I have a dream.
  

Here are other charade games I have blogged about:

• Dance Charades
• Thanksgiving Charades
• Hedbanz
• Holiday Charades
• Reverse Charades
  

One quick thought about charade games before I go further: You don't really need to buy a game. Just brainstorm ideas and make your own cards:)

Object:

Determine how long you will play. Be the person/team who has guessed correctly the most times, and therefore earned the most points, by the game end.

Set up:

Choose teams if you are playing with teams. Divide the cards evenly between the players/teams. Use the enclosed 1 minutes sand timer or have a different timer handy, your cell phone will do. Decide how long per turn, usually 2-3 minutes.

Play: 

One person picks a card and reads what it says to himself. He then acts it out - no talking/pointing/making noises, etc. If someone guesses what he is doing before the time runs out, they get 1 point. Player/team with the most points at the end is the winner.

Try this:

• Let the individual choose another card to act out if they can't figure out what to do. We're not out to embarrass anybody and we would like their full participation.
• Work side by side with the individual. You move as they watch and then ask them to copy you. Use props if necessary.
• Act out as a team. Take a minute to plan out what each person will do. Be supportive if someone is hesitant or doesn't have the skill needed. After all, who wants to get up in front of people and do things they feel they can't do.
• Use half the cards to play charades and the other half to play a  version of Pictionary (drawing instead of acting).
• After a minute add sounds (not words) if no one is guessing.
• Ask the individual to visualize the action before doing it. For instance if you are setting the table for the big meal, ask the person to visualize what it looks like when a person sets the table. If they have trouble, go set a place at a table, then try to perform the actions without the table setting.
• Help the individual by verbalizing each step, such as take the plate out of the cupboard, put the plate on the table, fold the napkin and put it by the plate. 
• Make a house rule that no one can guess for the first minute. This will give the individual time to do the movements and motor planning that you want.
• Work on motor planning, body awareness, balance, core strengthening, executive functioning skills, socialization skills, process skills, play and leisure exploration and participation, visualization, spatial relations, creativity  

In the box: 60 cards, three subjects per card, 180 subjects total, 1 minutes timer, score pad.