First Hand

First Hand - Motor planning and body awareness fun.

I have used this First Hand card game a lot, but I have never played it as an actual game. It's great for those with difficulty motor planning and kids have been very open to it. 

The pictures on the cards grade in difficulty from one hand, to two hands doing the same thing, to two hands doing different things, to arms crossed and hands doing the same thing, to arms crossed and hands doing different things, to hands in positions that are not possible (see below). The last card is an example of a position that is impossible.



There is nothing on the cards that indicate order of difficulty, so I just sort them. All four versions on each card are the same, as the game is meant for more than one player. Since I don't play this as a game, I simply place one card (or the pile) in front of the person and ask him to put their hand(s)/arm(s) in the same position as they see on the card. If the person you are working with is distracted by the other 3 sets of hands, cut a square the same size as the card from white paper, cut out a small square that will let only one hand view show, and place it on top of the card to block the other three. 

Blocking the other three views to reduce distraction.

 If the individual is able to work his way up to identifying the impossible cards, I ask him to model each card (if he can) and then put the card into one of two piles - possible or impossible. If kids can't read, I put two signs on the table for sorting - a smiley face for possible and a frowning face for impossible. Kids have liked this game, always a big plus!

Object:
Have the least amount of cards in front of you at the end of the game.
 
Set up:
Shuffle the cards and put them in a face-down pile in the middle of the players. Players keep their hands close to their bodies. Choose a referee for the first round.
 
Play:
Players all play at the same time, except for the referee, who does not play the round. Referees will change with each new card. The referee flips the top card. All players race to place their hands on the table in the same position as on the card. The slowest player gets the card. The referee checks to make sure that all hands are in the correct position. If the referee cannot decided who was the slowest, the card is not given this round, but is given to the loser of the next round. If am impossible card is turned, players must keep their hands crossed or close to the body. The instructions do not give any idea what to do if someone is wrong or places their hands on the table during an impossible card. The referee job moves to the next person to the left and a new card is turned. Keep playing until all the cards have been turned. The player with the least amount of cards is the winner.

Try this:

• Sort the cards before you start to focus on what you are working on and to avoid flipping cards that the individual will not be able to complete. I usually keep the impossible cards separated, as not all can understand them, and only add them in when I want them.
• Number the cards in groups in order of difficulty to save time sorting. 
• Model for those who have difficulty, let them follow your actions.
• Sit side-by-side with the individual so that what you do will be the same direction for them to repeat. Sitting across from them will result in them seeing the movements opposite from what they should do. 
• Start with the same hand each time on two-handed cards to make it easier for those who have difficulty motor planning. Then gradually move up to two when they are ready.
• Determine if the position is possible or impossible by visualizing your hands in that position. Keep hands below the table and just think about it, then call out the answer. Good for kids who have already mastered the game using their hands.
• Show the individual a possible card and ask him to look and remember it. Turn it over and put hands in the same position from memory.
• Pick cards up, one at a time, from a flat surface, or lift one at a time off the pile without sliding other cards off the pile.
• Work on in-hand manipulation, manual dexterity, finger isolation, spatial relations, visual discrimination, visualization, visual memory, body awareness, motor planning, pronation, supination, crossing midline, proprioception, symmetrical bilateral integration, asymmetrical bilateral integration, executive functioning skills, play and leisure exploration and participation

In the box:   60 cards (some possible, some impossible)

Race to the Roof

 

Exercise visual/visual perceptual skills as you race to the roof for the win.

Exercise visual/visual perceptual skills as you race through the house, from the basement apartment to the attic skylight, for the win.

The game board holds four levels, each with four rooms (16 rooms total). You will put the rooms in randomly each time you play, so the game board will look different each time. Each room card will show a different room (living room, kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, etc.) and lots of items that you may see in that room. Items in the pictures will be smaller than the pictures on the cards. They may be in different orientations and part of an item may be hidden. At the bottom of the room cards are several empty circles and one red circle. When the cards are placed side by side in the game board these circles create a path. Follow this path as you move across, forward and/or backward on your turn. Here is an example:

Setting up the board.

 

Chance (item) cards each show one item, such as a bucket, lamp, balloon, rabbit, hat and teapot. These are the items you will be searching for throughout the house. I suppose after you play the game a few times, if you have a decent memory, you will remember right where these items are. That's OK, you'll still have to move to the location (like Chutes and Ladders), which is a big part of the game.

 

The bucket is partially hidden by the shelf in the picture. Most items are NOT partially hidden.

Object:

Be the first player to make it to the skylight in the attic at the very top of the board.

Set Up:

Place the house-shaped game board in the middle of the players. Arrange the 16 rooms in the house randomly. Players each pick a pawn and line them up near the black arrow at the bottom left of the board. Place the die near the board. Shuffle the chance cards and place them in a pile, face-down, near the board.

Play:

Players take turns. First player throws the die and moves ahead the number of spaces indicated on the die. Other players follow suit. If any player throws a six on his turn, he does not advance six spaces but instead takes the top chance card off the pile. Whatever picture is on the card is the item the player needs to find on the game board. All players can help him look. When the item is found, the player moves to the red circle in the path of that room. You may be lucky and move forward, or not so lucky and have to move backward. Continue playing until someone reaches the attic skylight and wins. 

Game in play.

 

Try this:

• Skip the game. Work on items that might be found in a particular room of the house. Let the individual study one card. Then turn the card over and see how many items they can remember.
• Place the room cards randomly on the table. Ask the individual to look for one item on a chance card after another until they have found them all. If looking at 16 room cards is too many, start with fewer and add more in as the individual's skills improve. Just make sure that you look ahead of time and know which item card goes with each room card (several of the rooms will have more than one item).
• Stack the item cards in a pile and pick the top one off the pile without disturbing the other cards or knocking the pile over.
• Cup the hand and hold it in this position while shaking the die. If the individual has trouble cupping the hand, place a ball in the hand to shape it and ask the individual to keep the hand in that position as you remove the ball and add the die. Try to keep the hand in that position a little longer by counting to 10 or singing a verse of Home on the Range as the individual shakes the die.
• Hold the room cards in the non-dominant hand and take them one at a time with the dominant hand to place on the board as you set up. 
• Work on visual discrimination, figure ground, visual form constancy, visual closure, visual scanning, visual memory, eye-hand coordination, palmar arch development, manual dexterity, executive functioning skills, socialization skills, process skills, play and leisure exploration and participation
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• In the box: House-shaped game board, 16 room cards, 20 chance cards, 1 die, 4 pawns