Pixy Cubes

Pixy Cubes - 124 colorful patterns

 Pixy Cubes offers a lot of fun in the therapy setting and kids have responded well to it. These cubes are solid and brightly colored (blue, green, red, yellow) and each side of a cube has a different design or color combination. The colors are part of the cube, not a sticker that will fall off. Designs on the cubes include 2-color 1/4 circle, solid color, 2-color diagonals, and 4-color triangles. I love almost any game with small dice sized cubes so that I can include cupping the hand and in-hand manipulation, and this one does not disappoint. 

 

4 patterns per side. On the left, there is a grid printed over the squares. On the right there is no grid.

This game includes 4-cube designs printed on a grid, 16-cube designs printed on a grid, and 16-cube designs not printed on a grid. You can grade the activity by using the cards in that order. By the time you get to the 16 cube side with no grid, you will have to be able to mentally separate the squares.

All cards are printed front and back. The small cards have 1 pattern on each side and the large cards have 4 patterns on each side. This is a total of 20 patterns on the small cards and 104 patterns on the large cards. The large cards are too small to build on top of, although I did go to Staples and enlarge the cards on their color copier so that they are the correct size to build on for those who have trouble building in a free space. I like this game for spatial orientation as 12 of the cubes will always have to be placed in specific directions (the other four are solid colors).

The box is metal and the lid does not stay on very tightly and so I just put a rubber band around mine.

Try this:

• Separate out and sort the cubes to the correct sides for the individual if you want to decrease the difficulty or concentrate on another aspect, such as spatially orienting the cubes or hand skills.
• Ask the individual to turn one cube at a time, in his fingers and using only one hand, to find the correct side of each cube for placement.
• Study a 4 cube design, then turn it over and build it from memory.
• Ask the individual to cup the hands and shake the cubes before starting. If he has trouble cupping the hand, place a small ball in the palm and ask him to curl the fingers. Ask him to hold that position as you remove and ball. Add the cubes and ask him to shake and throw. Use all the cubes that apply to the design, then pick up the remainder and shake again. Continue these steps until the image is complete.
• Cover all but the line you are working on if using the card without a grid and the individual is having trouble "seeing" each cube. If the individual gets stuck, I will even cover the whole design except the one cube.
• Place the cubes for a design on the table so that the wrong side is up, requiring the individual to pick up and rotate each cube in-hand, in the fingertips to place.
• Place a cube in the individual's palm. Ask him to bring it to the fingertips and rotate for placement using only that hand.
• Start by placing the cubes directly on top of the 4-cube cards and then move to creating the design next to the card.
• Ask the individual to cup the hand and place one cube at a time in the hand. How many can he hold? Try the other hand, try to hold one more.
• Place several cubes in the individual's non-dominant hand while putting the game away. Have him hold his hand in this cupped position as he removes the cubes one at a time to place in the box. Next switch hands.
• Clean up by picking up one cube at a time and squirreling it in the palm. How many can you hold without dropping any? Try again for one more. Put cubes away in the box by the handfuls.
• Work on in-hand manipulation, manual dexterity, distal finger control, palmar arch development, in-hand manipulation, fine motor precision, visual discrimination, visual memory, figure ground, spatial relations, visual closure, visual form constancy, visual scanning, sequencing, process skills, executive functioning skills, play and leisure exploration and participation

In the box: 16 brightly colored cubes, 10 small design cards, 13 large design cards

If you would like to purchase this game or just want more information, click on the image below.

Get a Grip on Patterns

Get A Grip on Patterns - Mini clothespins and pattern cards included.

Get a Grip on Patterns is a simple clip board activity that is great for working on many areas. The clips (clothespins) are small but easy to handle, and take some strength to squeeze open.



 

The grid is white solid plastic and has raised tabs, five across and five down. The pattern cards have holes so that you can place the card on top of the grid, the holes fitting over the tabs. To work with the pattern cards, simply lay one on the grid before beginning to clip. Each tab will now be surrounded by a color. Attach a color-matching clip on each tab.

There are 10 patterns cards and some of the patterns are symmetrical and some are not. The backs are all blank, so you can make a new pattern on the back of each card and go from 10 patterns to 20! I just used the standard color Crayola markers and the colors matched just right. I made the colored circles on the pattern card pictured above. Even though this activity is kind of pricey, I think I paid about $35 for it, I have used this a lot and it turned out to be well worth the money for me.

There are 30 clips and only 25 tabs, but don't lose any clips as some of the patterns use all of one color. Colors are purple, yellow, blue, red, green, and orange.

If you like the idea of the small clothespins check out Peg Domino. Same company, same small clips in a game format.

Try this:

• Stand the clip(s) on the tabletop, upside down. Ask the individual to pick up and turn each clip in-hand as he orients it for placement.
• Remove clips when done by pulling them off, one at a time, turning the hand over, and dropping it into the palm. Hold the grid still with the other hand. How many can the individual pull off and hold without dropping any?
• Remove clips when done by pulling them off, one at a time, and squirreling them into the palm without turning the hand over. How many can the individual pull off and hold without dropping any?
• Ask the individual to cup the non-dominant hand, squeezing the fingers to form a hollow. Drop the clips one at a time into the hand. Can he keep the hand in that position and hold all the clips? Reverse hands and do again.
• Start by completing patterns with the card on the grid, then complete patterns with the card next to the grid, then complete patterns with the card propped up in front of the grid.
• Stand the card up in front of the grid. Give the individual one clip at a time and ask him to place it anywhere that color appears on the pattern (requires counting rows and columns).
• Place one clip at a time in the palm of the dominant hand. Ask the individual to move the clip to the fingertips, orient and place on the grid using only that hand.
• Show one row of colors to the individual and ask him to memorize the order. Repeat the colors out loud to help remember. Turn the card over and see if the individual can complete the row from memory.
• Ask the individual to cup the non-dominant hand, squeezing the fingers to form a hollow. Place several clips in the hand and ask the individual to hold them as he uses them one at a time.
• Ask the individual to make up his own pattern, calling out each color as he places it on the grid.
• Work on manual dexterity, in-hand manipulation, grasp, pinch, finger strength, palmar arch development, thumb opposition, coordinated use of both hands, motor planning, visual discrimination, visual memory, figure ground, spatial relations, sequencing, executive functioning skills, process skills, play and leisure exploration and participation

In the box: 1 plastic grid, 10 pattern cards, 30 colored clips (5 each of 6 colors)