Spot It!

Spot It! Five games in one, lots of themes, no wiating - everybody plays. Lots to like!

Spot It! is my favorite card game for several reasons: the rules are simple, a game only takes 5-10 minutes to play, there are five different ways to play, it comes in a variety of themes, everyone plays on every turn - no down time, and you can work on several skills at the same time. Whew!

There are eight items on each card (except the junior version which has only six). Between any two cards there is one, and only one, match.  The goal is simply to find the match and be the first one to call it out. The items are in different orientations and may be different sizes, but never differ in color. 

 

Here are the original five games:

• The Tower - To win, collect the most cards by the end of the game. One card is dealt face down to each player. The rest of the cards are put in a face-up deck within everyone's reach. Everyone plays at the same time to see who can be the first to find a match between his card and the card on the top of the deck. The first person to call out his match takes the top card and adds it to the top of his personal pile. All players immediately start looking for the match between their card and the new top card on the deck in the middle. Play continues until all cards from the deck on the table have been collected.
• The Well - Be the first to get rid of all your cards to win. Put one card face up within reach of all players. Deal the rest of the deck evenly and face-down to all players. At the same time, all players flip their card pile face-up and quickly look for the match between their top card and the card on the table. The first to call out his match gets to lay his card on the pile on the table. Everyone immediately starts looking for the match between their top card and the new top card on the table. Play continues in this manner until someone runs out of cards and wins the game. 
• Hot Potato - Have the least amount of cards after all the rounds have been played to win. Evenly deal all cards between players, face-down in their palms. To start, all players turn their cards face up at the same time and look for a match between their card and anyone else's top card. Once you find a match, add your card, face-up, to the pile in their palm. This is their new top card. The game continues until only one person has cards in his palm. He counts his cards and that is his score. Play several rounds and the winner is the person who has the lowest score.
• The Poisoned Gift - Have the least number of cards at the end of the game to win. Deal one card to each player, face down. Put the remainder of the deck in the middle, face-up. All players turn their card face-up at the same time and start looking for a match between the card in the middle and any other player. Once you see a match, call it out and put the card from the middle onto that player's pile. That now becomes his top card. Keep playing until the stack of cards from the middle is gone.
• Triplet - Collect the most cards by the end of the game to win. Lay nine cards (3 X 3) face-up on the table. Everyone looks for three of one item within those nine cards. First to find a match calls out the item and takes the three cards. Three new cards are added in those spots. Keep playing until there are less than nine cards left or no more sets of three.  

Other Spot It! games I have blogged about:

• Spot It! Fire and Ice (comes with a timer for more games)
• Spot It! Freeze (comes with a timer for more games)
• Spot It! Junior (six objects per card instead of eight, simple themes)
• Spot It! Splash (plastic cards, play in the water)
• Spot It! Holiday - Christmas fun.

Try this:

• Start by showing the individual each image in the instruction guide and make sure that he recognizes or learns what to call each item. It would be an unfair disadvantage if he found the match but didn't know what it was so couldn't call it. I let kids use different words, like palm or tree would each be acceptable. However, if you get a movie theme game, like Frozen, you would need to know the names. Or, you could just say something like "one, two" while pointing to them.
• Play with non-verbal individuals and point to the match on one of the cards instead of calling it out.
• Start by making it a simple matching game to teach the object to beginners. Put two cards side by side on the table and find the match. If the individual has trouble, turn the cards so the items are in close proximity to each other and easier to spot. Go through the deck this way before playing a game.
• Ask the person to hold the stack in the non-dominant hand throughout the game. Push each card off the top with the thumb to play.
• Lay several cards in front of you on the table and call out an object on the cards. Count how many times that object appears on those cards.
• Lay two cards side-by-side on the table. Everyone looks. The first to find the match gets the cards. Play till all cards are gone.
• Take turns finding matches if playing for speed is not desired.
• Stack the pile of cards in front of each player. Lift each top card off the pile without tipping the pile over or sliding unwanted cards off.
• Work on figure ground, visual discrimination, visual form constancy, spatial relations, visual scanning, manual dexterity, in-hand manipulation, coordinated use of both hands, processing speed, sustained attention, shuffling and dealing cards, socialization skills, process skills, play and leisure exploration and participation

In the tin: 54 cards and instructions for 4 games

Ages 7+, 2-6 players

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

LEGO 3-in-1 Classic Blue Creativity Box 10706

Lego 3-in-1 Classic Blue Creativity Box - A good value on a great therapy tool

I just love Lego's small 3 in 1 sets!  All the great advantages of working with Legos, in small sets that only cost about $5. Lego is one of my most often recommended toys because they help build so many different skills. If you haven't read my blog about Building Skills with Construction Toys you can find it here. Lego 3-in-1 Classic Blue Creativity Box is a great activity for making a 3D models by following directions from a 2D instruction guide. A natural activity for using 2 hands to place and pinch pieces. Small pieces are perfect for practicing in-hand manipulation skills and fine motor precision and a nice activity for a therapy session as they can be completed in a much shorter time than the larger LEGO models. The kids I work with can assemble one of these in 15-20 minutes. Of course that will depend on who you give it to.

Kids are typically very pleased with the finished product once they see it come together into a toy. All 3 models cannot be made at the same time as they use the same pieces. Legos 3-in-models come in different themes (trucks, cars, etc.) and colors like this blue set (red, orange, green, etc.).

UPDATE: Since this post I have found two Lego sets that each include 24 small models. Check them out. Lego Build Up 40222. Lego Build Up 40253.
 

Try this with any LEGO set:

• Give a few minutes to examine the pieces at the beginning so that the person can examine the different shapes and how they snap together.
• Set the piece(s) for each step in front of the beginner until he has gotten used to identifying pieces. 
• Turn pieces on the table so that they can't be picked up by the child in the correct orientation. Ask him to turn each piece in-hand after picking it up.
• Place a piece in the individual's palm, or at the base of the fingers, in the incorrect orientation and ask him to bring it to the fingertips and turn it in-hand for placement.
• Give the beginner one piece at a time while building and point to the piece on the guide to show where it should go.
• Ask the child to pick up the model and hold it in one hand while adding pieces with the other hand so that both hands works together while adding pieces (instead of adding pieces while the model is on the table).
• Show the child how to hold the model with the non-dominant hand while "pinching" the new part on with the dominant hand.
• Place the pieces for each step on the non-dominant side so that the individual will have to cross midline to pick them up. Instruct him not to lean to the side as he reaches across.
• Ask "what is different" at each new step in the instruction guide to focus on where the new parts will go.
• Keep the unused pieces in a pile so that the child will have to search for each needed piece. Turn some of the pieces upside down or half cover them so they will look different from the picture.
• Advise the child to hold the model in the same orientation as the one in the picture to aid in orienting pieces.
• Catch mistakes as they happen, as an incorrectly placed piece may throw off the rest of the project. Tell the individual that his model does not look exactly like the picture and see if he can identify the mistake and correct it on his own before jumping in to help.
• Work on executive functioning skills, visual discrimination, visual closure, visual form constancy, spatial relations, figure ground, eye-hand coordination, in-hand manipulation, manual dexterity, precise fine motor control, using two hands together, finger strength, play and leisure exploration and participation

In the box: 64 pieces. instruction guide.
 
If you are interested in purchasing this item or just want more information, click on the image below.