Quick Cups

Quick Cups - Sequence stacking by color.

Be the first to grab the colored cups and stack them in the correct color order, depicted on the pattern card, to win the round. Win the most rounds to win the game. There are five colored cups (yellow, green, red, blue, black) for each player and five colored objects on each card. The five color sequence is printed vertically on some cards and horizontally on others. If horizontal, line the cups up on the table. If vertical, stack the cups.

A horizontal card with meerkats and a vertical card with a bird.

My biggest problem with this game right off the bat is that the item on each card that should be printed in black is printed in brown.

If your kids are flexible, you can probably get away with this. As I am trying to teach sequencing with this game I can't say "brown" because the cup is black, and I can't say "black" because the pictures on the pattern cards are printed in brown. I found myself reluctantly saying brownish-black. Doesn't really cut it for me. 

The cups are plastic and not quite two inches tall. I see that there is now a family version of this game and the pattern cards look like they have different images.

Set up: Mix the cards and place them and the bell in the middle of the players. Give each player one set of five cups (yellow, red, green, black, blue)

Play: The first player turns over the top card and all players hustle to put their cups in the order that will match the pattern on the card. Use both hands and stack fast. The first one done taps the bell. If his order is correct, he receives the card. If his line up is wrong, the card goes to the next player who has the correct sequence. Turn over one card at a time and play until all cards have been claimed. The person with the most cards wins the game.

Try this:

• Work on visual discrimination, spatial relations, visual closure, eye-hand coordination, motor planning, manual dexterity, bilateral coordination, social interaction skills, executive processing skills, speed, process skills, play and leisure exploration and participation
• Skip the speed factor. Just present one card at a time and ask the individual to line up the cups.
• Play alongside the individual, modeling the correct sequence.
• Stack the cups on the table top and use just one hand to stack. Or make sure you spread them wide apart and use two hands to reach and grab. Or, hold the stacked cups in one hand as you add more cups with the other hand.
• Play with the horizontal cards and make a long line of cups, repeating the sequence several times, if only one person is playing and there are extra cups.
• Start at the bottom to stack and cover the colors above where you are working if the individual has difficulty ignoring the other colors.
• Use the word "stack" if the individual wants to start the vertical models from the top.
• Use both hands by alternating the hands as you add the cups. Add the first cup with the right hand, second cup with the left, third cup with the right, etc. Plan where to put the cups if you want the player to reach across to grab a cup(s).
• Skip the cards and stack five cups. Use it as a 3D model and ask the individual to make one just like it. Use up to half of the cups (15) to build your model.
• Make a stack according to any one of the cards. Then put that card, along with several others, in front of the individual and ask him to pick the card that matches the stack.
• Ask a player to use one hand only if you have a super speedy person working against a slower moving person. This may help to slow them down a little to even the playing field.
• Incorporate the bell any way you can as a motivator. Kids seem to love to ring that bell.
• Un-stack all the cups and place them randomly in front of you. Now make four stacks as fast as you can. Using two hands, grab two of the same color, place them on different stacks, then grab two more of the same color, etc. Make every stack in the same color order. Time yourself, then play again and see if you can go faster. Stand the cups up, top down, before starting the game for the easiest challenge. Then lay the cups on their side before starting, then stand the cups right side up. The last two will require you to manipulate the cups, in-hand, before your can stack them.

In the box: 24 pattern cards, 30 cups, 1 bell

If you are interested in purchasing this item or just want more information, click on the image below.

Google Eyes

Google Eyes - Use any writing tool to play

Google Eyes is a wacky drawing game that might just help get that pencil in the hand of your reluctant writer. The box says for 4-16 players, but can be easily played by 2 in therapy.

Google Eyes comes complete with a pair of glasses frames and three sets of vision distorting lenses, so nobody needs to be an artist to play. The goal is to draw clear enough, while wearing the vision distorting glasses, so that someone else can guess what your picture is. The glasses and lenses are all plastic and the lenses are rated easy, medium, and difficult based on how distorted they make your vision. The glasses are large enough for an adult, but also have an adjustable elastic strap connected to the bows in case they are too big.

The game board has 41 spaces from start to finish and has special instructions on several of the spaces, as follows:

• Choose the lens color and matching challenge you want to use.
• Switch hands (draw with your non-dominant hand).
• Draw without wearing the wacky glasses.
• Lose your turn.

The timer is plastic and loud - loud enough to bother me - so you could use a sand timer if you have one in another game.

The cards are divided into three categories: Places, objects, and entertainment. Each card has three suggestions of objects to draw and a time limit for each item, depending on its difficulty. As usual, skip the time option if not appropriate for the player(s). Drawings can end up quite distorted and the fun is trying to figure them out as the person draws. If you have someone who is easily frustrated or hyper critical of their work, this may not be for them.

SAFETY FIRST - Don't get up and try to walk around or do other things with the glasses on.

If you would like to read more about games that require writing or drawing in some form, check out my posts on Games That Require a Writing Tool.   

Object:

Be the first player to get to the finish space at the end of the board.

Set up:

Place the game board in the middle of the players. Shuffle the cards and place them in a face-down stack near the board. Place all the other game pieces near the board. Each player chooses a pawn color and places it on start.

Play:

Players take turns. The first player throws the die and moves forward on the board that many spaces. The color of the space that you land on will determine the color of lenses that you use and the item on the card that you will draw. Set the timer and draw. If someone guesses your item, throw the die and move forward again. If no one guesses, stay put and the next person plays. First one to get to the finish space on the board is the winner.

Try this:

• Let the individual choose which item he will draw from the card, or even choose the card he wants to draw from after looking at several. I often do this because it is more about gaining cooperation and focus so we can practice the skills we want to concentrate on than putting someone on the spot.
• Be aware of the frustration level. If the medium and difficult lenses are causing the person trouble, stick with the easy lenses.
• Try not to lift your pencil off the paper. Once you lift it up, it can be real difficult to figure out where to put it back down, especially with the medium and difficult lenses.
• Use a variety of drawing tools like markers, colored pencils, crayons, dry erase markers and board, whatever adds an element of fun.
• Place the drawing tool(s) upside-down near the paper so that the individual has the opportunity to practice flipping and shifting the tool in-hand to orient it for drawing.
• Add a little writing as an "after-thought" after the drawing is done and guessed. Write the name of the item or a simple sentence about it.
• Draw without lenses in the glasses if the distortion is too much but the individual wants to play.
• Practice looking for the big O in the web space while positioning the tool to draw. 
• Take the opportunity to practice drawing a few things simply, using shapes, after the game is over but while the individual is in the drawing mode. Keep that pencil going as long as you can. LOL
• Work on tool use, writing grasp, writing, in-hand manipulation, manual dexterity, process skills, socialization skills, play and leisure exploration and participation

In he box: Game board, timer, 54 cards (162 challenges), 4 pawns, 1 pair of glasses, 3 sets of distorted lenses, 1 die, 1 timer, 1 drawing pad, 2 pencils 

If you are interested in purchasing this item or just want more information, click on the image below.