Celebrating 1,000,000 Page Views

 

Graphic by Mason from MKE Mason clipart store. Click here to check it out.

 

A few weeks ago I was tickled to note that I had passed 1,000,000 page views. For this I have all of you to thank. I know that people stop by my blog for a number of reasons, because I have received many comments. Many are occupational therapists looking for ideas, some are looking for instructions that they have lost or never had, and others have left some of the funniest comments you could ever wish to read. They have all been kind, they have all made me smile, and I have appreciated every one of them.

With that said, I have to apologize for not keeping up so well since the pandemic. I have a stack of new games to add and promise to get back to it.

BTW - For the past few years Blogger had not let me add anything to the Games by Image page. As soon as I posted a new game on this page, the image would be uploaded to that page. I have tried to figure it out and have gotten nowhere. I have checked into switching to a website, but been told by Go Daddy that I have far too much content for that. I have also checked into moving this blog to another platform, such as WordPress, but with over 1,000 posts, what a lot of work that would be! So for now, it is what it is. But if/when I change, YOU will be the first to know. So for now, you can see new posts by scrolling to the bottom of a page and clicking on "older posts".

Thank you again for your interest. I hope you continue to enjoy my blog and I hope to hear from more of you in the future.

Christmas Games & Toys

Have holiday fun with Christmas games and toys

Christmas Bingo, Snowball Fight, Bellz, Nativity Lacing Cards, what a great time of year to be able to use holiday games and toys in therapy. Here are some of my favorites with ideas for using them in therapy. Just click on the title to go to that item and get more information.

Christmas Vacation Twinkling Lights Game - A simple card game based on National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation movie. Bake a Christmas treat based on lights (check out Pinterest), watch the movie, then play the card game. Make a real evening of it.

Christmas Rush - A fast moving game that plays like musical chairs, or spoons. Players are eliminated one at a time until the winner grabs the last token. Requires 3 or more players.

A Charlie Brown Christmas Family Bingo - A 4 x 4 grid with actual scenes from A Charlie Brown Christmas TV show. Small red ornaments for markers.

Barrel of Monkeys - Candy Cane Edition - Pick up 10 dangling red and green monkeys. Harder than you think.

Ed Emberley's Christmas Drawing Book - Simple drawings, step-by-step. Work on spatial skills, encouraging precision while drawing and writing.

Holiday UNO Card Game - There are no special instruction cards but the cards have holiday graphics in the background.

Santa Claus Go Fish - Four cards games in one box - Go Fish, Slap Jack, Memory Match and Old Maid. Colorful and whimsical graphics.

UNO Frozen and Holiday Card Games - The same UNO game we know and love, different themes.

Clue - North Pole Holiday Edition - Somebody made off with Santa's gifts on Christmas Eve. Be the first to figure out who, with what and where.

Christmas Sticker By Number - Complete Christmas pictures with mosaic shaped stickers. Not your typical simple sticker book. 28 projects per book, a good value. 

Christmas Lights Card Game - 12 games in one box! Festive, colorful graphics. I can't wait til December.

Bellz - Use a magnetic wand to separate your colored jingle bells from the pack. Takes some skill! A unique game.

Happy Holidays! The Christmas Carols and Songs Game - A trivia game that's all about the classics.

Ned's Head - I know I put this one on almost every list but just think of all the Christmas themed items you could put into it this time of year: a bell, a ribbon or bow, a candy cane, a small wrapped box, a Christmas ornament (perhaps with a nativity design), an old-fashioned Christmas light bulb, a snowball in a Ziplock bag, a small stocking, a star (check out your local dollar store for ideas). Or put in several plastic cookie cutters and try to guess each shape.

Merry Merry Christmas Bingo - A charming Christmas bingo game to put you in the spirit. Note: There are only 6 bingo cards in this game. More bingo games are listed below.

Lap Harp - Take it out of the box and play, without learning to read notes. Christmas tunes available.

Snowman Jokes - 24 free snowman jokes. Print them out, pass them around, spread the cheer. 

I SPY Holiday Wishes - A non-traditional I SPY card game.

Inflatable Snow Shield - An indoor snowball fight.

Snowball Fight Card Game - A snowball fight without the cold and snow.

I SPY Holiday Wishes - A non-traditional I SPY memory card game for Christmas.

All-Family Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer - A portable Rudolph-themed trivia game.

A Charlie Brown Christmas Tic-Tac-Toe and Checkers - Teach tic-tac-toe with a children's favorite.

Peanuts Christmas BINGO - Some of our favorite cartoon characters (Charlie Brown, Lucy, Snoopy) are featured in this game. A 33 card set.

Nativity Lacing Cards - A set of 12 sturdy lacing cards with nativity pictures. Comes with laces.

Operation Rudolph - Operation now has a Christmas theme. Rudolph is the theme, but not the patient. Whew!

LEGO Build Up - Christmas and winter models are small, just right for a beginner in therapy. Pieces per model range from around 15 pieces to 30+ pieces.

Memory Challenge Holiday Edition - One of the first I pull out each year. Sets include many Christmas, a few Hanukkah (dreidle, candles) and a variety that could just be considered winter (snowman, hot chocolate, etc.). This game also includes extra challenge cards for a fun holiday twist (optional, don't have to use them). Inexpensive, family fun. 

Reindeer, Santa, Elf, Snowman Poppers - Hog Wild sells poppers in lots of different seasonal shapes, including Santa Claus, snowman, and elf. Kids love these.

Indoor Snowballs - A kid pleaser. Lightweight, but not flimsy, these plush snowballs are for indoor play. I get a lot of mileage out of this one from December through February. Would probably be longer if I lived in the Midwest.

Scrabble Holiday Edition (Christmas) - Time for a party! Bring together your Scrabble friends for holiday treats and a Christmas themed Scrabble game. This one is for me!

Holiday Fluxx Card Game - Covers holidays from Halloween to New Year's. If you are working on following directions and adapting to change, you may like this one. 

Spot it Holiday - My favorite card game goes Christmas.

Jesus is Born Nativity Wooden Puzzle - 30 piece wooden puzzle depicting Jesus' birth.

Holiday Charades - Another of my favorites for motor planning fun. Can just turn into role playing also if it is just another person and me in a therapy session.

LEGO Decorating the Tree - LEGO offers small holiday and seasonal sets. They sell out fast and kids love them.

Christmas Bingo - Most kids like Bingo and you can work on numerous skills with this one too. Grab a few inexpensive prizes and bring on the fun.

It's a Charlie Brown Christmas Android app - My favorite cartoon kids explain the true meaning of Christmas. Lots of interactive fun.

It's a Charlie Brown Christmas Look and Find - Find the pictures hidden in the backgrounds from this Christmas classic. Figure ground fun.

Charlie Brown Christmas Board Game - Spend time with the Peanuts gang while they get ready for Christmas.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas! Game - Recover the Christmas presents from the Grinch to help save Christmas for the Whos in Who-ville.

Angry Bird Christmas Dice Game - A holiday-decorated, card/dice game based on the popular app.

Find It - Elf on the Shelf - Twist and turn the tube to find the 40 Christmas/winter related items hidden inside. Search-and-find cards add extra fun.

Scaventure Kids - Sort through the cards and pick out a few Christmas themed activities such as:

• Locate three different types of Christmas tree ornaments.
• Find a cone from a coniferous tree.
• Recite the items that someone's true love gave for every day of Christmas.
• Draw a holiday symbol.
• Track down a candy cane.
• Make up your own!

Candy Memory by eeBoo - This memory game is all about candy and has several holiday matches I associate with Christmas including candy canes and ribbon candy. 

Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer Dominoes - Traditional domino game with Rudolph themed characters. Each tile has a picture to match as well as a number for keeping score. Does not show the usual dots.

Let's Match! Merry and Bright Memory Game - Round cards, 24 sets, 12 could be used as winter without Christmas.

Christmas Sticker Scenes - I have used sticker scenes from Oriental Trading for years. They come in everyday scenes as well as holiday and seasonal. Inexpensive fine motor and visual perceptual fun.