Tricky Hands

Tricky Hands - Five finger fun.

 

The goal of Tricky Hands is to use the bands to recreate the pattern from the card on your own hand(s). Great for working on spatial relations and hand skills.

The Tricky Hands bands are the small type hair bands that you might find at a dollar store. They fit snug enough not to fall off but are not tight. The pattern cards are not laminated but are a card stock. They start easy (one band per finger) and get more difficult as you go (multiple bands/colors per finger and then bands stretched across two fingers). However, the cards are not numbered or color coded for difficulty, so I sort through ahead of time and stack them. You could also number them yourself.  

Try this:

• Model putting the bands on your own fingers, especially the 2-finger wide. Ask the individual to imitate you.
• Suggest for 2-finger bands putting it on the longest finger first so it doesn't come off as you go to the shorter finger.
• Start with the 1-finger band challenges before moving to the 2-finger challenges. 
• Follow a card pattern and put the bands on your own hand. Then show the individual two cards, one being the card you followed, and ask them to identify the card that matches your hand. Keep adding cards to pick from as the individual improves. Try showing your hand backward, and see if they can still recognize the right card.
• Use consistent positional language when working such as under, on top of, next to, to the right of, etc.
• Use a piece of white paper to cover the bands you are not to yet. I have found some have trouble starting at the bottom and working up, so if I cover the upper bands, it is clearer where they should be working.
• Put the bands on your own hand first and then ask the individual to put them on his hand in the same pattern. It may be easier to work from a 3D pattern than a 2D pattern.
• Ask the individual to compare his hand to yours or the pattern card if he makes a mistake. Can he find it and fix it?
• Grade for difficulty and work on all right hand cards. Then do the same for all left hand challenges. Then mix right and left.
• Ask the individual to put the bands on his fingers by following the colors that you call.
• Show the individual a card. Ask him to look at the card and memorize the colors and the order. Hide the card. Can the player put the bands on his hand in the correct order?
• Place a right hand and a left hand card in front of the individual.  Give them one band at a time and ask them to put it on their hand. Give a band that would be out of order on one hand but in order on the other. Can they figure out which hand to put it on?
• Hold up one card at a time and use your thumb to cover the word at the bottom. Ask the individual to determine if they are looking at a right hand or a left hand.
• Use a pattern card and place the bands on your fingers correctly. Place several cards in a line in front of the individual, one of them being the correct card. Flip your hand palm up. Can the individual identify the pattern on your hand from the line of cards?
• Choose a pattern card. Ask the individual to turn his hand palm up and place the bands on is fingers according to the pattern on the card. Turn the hand over and check to see if the pattern is correct.
• Ask the individual to make a pattern from an easier card. Now place a more difficulty card in front of them. Can they move the bands that are on their hand to the new positions without taking any of them off? Additional bands may need to be added.
• Teach the names of the fingers - thumb, index/pointer/second, middle/third, ring/fourth, pinkie/fifth. Line up several rows of cards. Name a finger and a color and ask them to point to all cards that match. For instance, middle finger, orange.
• Shuffle the cards and place them on a face-up pile in front of the individual. Sort them into two piles - right and left. If the top card is a right hand, pick it up with the right hand and put it on a stack on the right side of the pile. If the top card is a left, pick it up with the left hand and place it on a stack on the left side of the pile. Continue until all the cards are sorted.
• Work on visual discrimination, spatial relations, visual closure, eye-hand coordination, finger isolation, manual dexterity, coordinated use of both hands, executive functioning skills, socialization skills, process skills, play exploration and participation   
• In the box:  50 small bands, 50 challenge cards

 If you are interested in purchasing this game or just learning more about it, click on the Amazon.com image below.

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)