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Children learn through play. As an occupational therapist who works with children and youth, I use games and toys almost every day to help develop important cognitive, visual perceptual, motor, sensory, social, play and leisure skills. While many different types of activities can be used in therapy, this blog focuses on off-the-shelf games and toys that are accessible to most. Whether you are a therapist, parent, teacher, or a game lover like me, I hope you discover something useful while you are here. Learn a different way to play a game you already own or discover a new game for your next family game night. Either way, just go play. It's good for you!

The OT Magazine named The Playful Otter one of the Top 5 Pediatric OT Blogs.


Oct 29, 2017

THANKSGIVING GAMES

Thanksgiving Games for kids and families

There aren't too many Thanksgiving games out there, but there are a few. Click on the title to go to my post about that game.
 

Gobblet Gobblers - Not technically a Thanksgiving game, but it has the word gobblers in the name, so I would give it a pass. The pieces have a generic face printed on the front and something that looks like a wattle coming out of the top of the head and they gobble up other pieces. An advanced Tic-Tac-Toe game, with a 9x9 grid and different sized pieces so you can cover (or uncover) pieces already on the grid.

Thanksgiving Charades - Food, activities, icons and more, all related to Thanksgiving. Get up and moving after that heavy meal.

LEGO Thanksgiving Turkey - LEGO puts out limited edition sets for different seasons and holidays. They go fast.

A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving app - Another charming Charlie Brown android app from Loud Crow. Based on the TV special, Charlie Brown and Snoopy whip up a Thanksgiving meal of jelly beans, pretzels, popcorn, and toast. See how his guests respond. Lots of chances to interact with the app.

Thanksgiving J-I-N-G-O - Bingo Thanksgiving style.

Oriental Trading Thanksgiving - Affordable Thanksgiving craft kits, jewelry kits, sticker scenes, sun catchers, etc.

Holiday Fluxx Card Game - This edition covers Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's.

Operation Rudolph

Operation Rudolph - Rudolph is the theme, but not the patient. Whew!


This is a game of Operation, based on the Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer TV Christmas show. Rudolph is the theme, not the patient. Whew! 

I have already blogged about the game Operation, so instead of writing that all over again, I will give you the link to visit that post. Operation post. Below I will post the rules of this game that are specific to this Rudolph version. Here is a picture of the operating table and the pieces.

Set up:
Deal all specialist cards to players evenly. Mix the doctor cards and put them by the board. Place all the small pieces into the holes on the board. Choose a banker and give him the stack of money. 

Play:
The first player will choose the doctor card on the top of the pile. It will show which piece to extract. If you do so successfully, you will receive the amount of money shown on the card. If you do not do so successfully, meaning you set off the roar of the abominable snowman and Rudolph's red nose flashes, someone else will get a try. The player who has the specialist card for that particular part will now try to extract the piece. If he is successful, he will win twice the money the doctor would have been paid (no comment). If he is not successful, the doctor card will be added to the bottom of the card pile and the next player will play. Any time pieces are extracted successfully, both cards (doctor and specialist) pertaining to that piece are out of play and set off to the side of the game. When all 12 pieces have been extracted, all players add their money and the player with the most is the winner.

Don't forget to go to my Operation post for more specifics on this game and for ideas on using it in therapy.

Check out other Christmas games I have blogged about on my Christmas Edition post.

Try this:

  • Work on visual discrimination, figure ground, spatial relations/position in space, body awareness, tool use, precise fine motor control, eye-hand coordination, manual dexterity, thumb opposition, rounded web space, separation of the two sides of the hand, executive function skills, process skills, social interaction skills, play and leisure exploration and participation
If you are interested in purchasing this game or just want more information, click on the image below.