Melissa & Doug Mix-Up 'N Match Wooden Bear Family Dress-Up Puzzle

3-bear puzzle with mix-n-match outfits and multiple expressions.

In the box: 45 pieces

This 3-bear puzzle (mama, papa, and baby) comes with lots of pieces so you can dress them in a variety of mix and match outfits. Each bear is made of up three pieces - head, top, and bottom.

The wooden box stores all the pieces and the large rectangular piece where you see the three bears assembled (above) is the box lid. There are cut out shapes on the lid where you assemble the puzzles. The pieces do not fit tight enough to leave them on the lid when you are done unless you are not going to tip the box, as they would fall out. The lid slides on and off through groves, but does not lock in place in any way. I just put a rubber band around it when if I carry it with me. 

There is a variety of clothing for the bears including casual, dressy, pajamas, long-sleeved, short-sleeved, sweaters, sandals, boots etc. Most of mama bears bottoms are skirts. Each bear will only use his or her specific pieces, so clothing and heads are not interchangeable between characters. The bear faces show a variety of expressions and emotions. Good for a starting point if you are working on reading facial expressions.

Happy, angry, sad, surprised, worried.

Try this:

• After assembling the puzzle, tell a story based on the bears faces (emotions) and clothing.
• Tell a story and ask the individual to build each bear as you describe it, with an appropriate facial expression and outfit.
• Describe an outing and ask the individual to dress the bears, such as going shopping or going for a hike in the woods on a chilly morning.
• Ask the individual to dress each bear so that they are all wearing a specific color, such as all wearing something with red.
• Sort the clothing by different attributes: by bear, by common color, by shape, tops and bottoms.
• Line the bear heads up and name the emotion on each face. Tell something each face might be thinking about.
• Line the bear heads up and describe an occurrence, such as you just walked in on your surprise birthday party or your brother won't share the last piece of cake with you, and ask the individual to choose the expression that best fits how he would feel.
• Sort the pieces into the box by character when putting them away.
• Scatter all the pieces on the playing surface and ask the individual to look them over to find the appropriate pieces.
• Put only the necessary pieces near the individual for assembling if he cannot start out sorting through different shapes and sizes in a large grouping.
• Place the pieces on the table up-side down (colored side up) and ask the individual to turn each piece in-hand to orient for placement.
• Work on visual discrimination, figure ground, eye-hand coordination, in-hand manipulation, manual dexterity, interpreting facial expressions, dressing for different occasions, executive functioning skills, process skills, creative play, play and leisure exploration and participation
  

Ice Cream Crazy

Ice Cream Crazy - Build 5-part ice cream cones to match pattern cards.

From the makers of Wash My Pants comes Ice Cream Crazy. You are working in an ice cream shop and it is your job to fill the orders. Each order will consist of one ice cream cone, three ice cream scoops and 1 topping.

The ice cream pieces are all a heavier card stock and the orders are a lighter card stock. The pieces are all laminated and would wipe clean. There are three each of eight different ice cream scoops. Each cone comes with one scoop which matches three other cards.

For more summer-themed games, follow this link to Adapting Games and Toys for Therapy - Summer Edition.

Object:

Be the first player to finish your ice cream order.

Set up:

Each player chooses an ice cream cone and an order card. Spread the ice cream scoops, toppings, and 6 suns, picture-side down, on the playing surface.

Play:

Each player will pick up and look at one piece on his turn. If it matches a piece they need for their order, they add it to their cone. If it does not, they show the piece to the other players and place it, picture-side down, back on the table. Scoops can be added to a cone in any order except that the toppings must be the last card picked and go on the top. If a player picks his topping card before he needs it, he must return it to the table. If the player picks a sun, his ice cream melts and he must return one of his ice cream scoops to the table, picture-side down. Take the sun out of play. Play continues until one of the players has completed his ice cream cone per his order.

Variations:

• Each player chooses 2 order cards to fill to win.
• Don't show the others a card that does not match your order before you return it to the table.
• Stack the ice cream scoops in the exact order that they are pictured on the card.
• Play a game where each individual needs to find the three scoop cards that match the flavor on his ice cream cone.
• Take the suns out of the game.

Try this:

• Place the scoop upside-down so that the piece can be turned in-hand to the correct orientation before placement.
• Coach the individual to look and remember where specific cards are before they are turned face-down. Sometimes people will just look without trying to remember.
• Ensure that returned pieces are placed in the same spot where they were picked up, so players have a chance to memorize their location.
• Skip playing the game, just use the order cards and make the ice cream cones in the order of the pictures on the card.
• Play a memory match game. Turn the 24 ice cream scoops face-down on the table and turn face-up three on each turn, looking for three of the same. Take the matches off in sets of three until you have removed all the cards.
• Work on visual discrimination, spatial relations, figure ground, manual dexterity, in-hand manipulation, socialization skills, executive functioning skills, play and leisure exploration and participation
  
  
  In the box: 8 order cards, 8 ice cream cones, 24 ice cream scoops, 10 suns, 8 toppings