Resource One: Make N Break
Make n Break is a great hands-on game that involves building towers with coloured blocks. There is a lot of fun to be had with trying to beat the clock, build the towers and break them down after!
I use this game in sessions to support giving and following instructions. I discuss colours (e.g., red, purple, orange, light and dark green etc) and locational language (e.g., left, right, next top, on top of).
Here is how I usually play this game:
- Choose one person to be the builder, and one person to be the instruction giver. I like to start off being the instruction giver, so that I can model the type of language to use.
- The builder can’t see the card and has to follow the instructions provided by their partner (or “engineer”). The engineer can’t point and can only give verbal instructions for which blocks to use. An instruction will usually have to include the colour of the block, whether it’s lying down or standing up, and its location relative to another block.
- After all instructions are given, both players compare the card to the tower (and knock it down)!
As a bonus, this is a great game to support strategy and fine motor skills (perfect for joint occupational therapy sessions!)
Resource Two: Mouth Model
Mouth models are a great way to show clients where they need to move their tongue, teeth and lips in order to make their speech sounds! Sometimes a mirror isn’t enough, and clients really benefit from seeing inside the mouth.
I use this when introducing a new sound and demonstrating where the lips, tongue, and teeth should be. I encourage clients to show me how to make the sound with the model to build their understanding.
This can be a great activity for clients who may feel a bit shy. It is fun to make the mouth model say the sounds!
This can also be a great resource to support feeding therapy goals e.g., discussing the parts of the mouth that help us eat and what they do or exploring food and feeding the mouth model!
Resource 3 – Dog Crimes
Dog Crimes is a logic game where players need to use the clues to identify the culprit! Players tackle challenges and place the dog tokens on the game board.
This game is great for reading and language skills. I focus on different aspects depending on the goals.
- Reading – I ask clients to read the instructions, dog names and clues, whilst providing support as needed! This is a motivating way to practice reading as clients as they need to read to solve the mystery. We then work together to place the dogs on the gameboard.
- Descriptive Language – Some of the clues mention different characteristics such as perky vs long ears, providing lots of opportunities to learn descriptive words. Before we play, we can also discuss our favourite dogs and/or describe the dogs.
- Directions – The clues involve lots of locational words such as left of, right of, across from, and two seats away from. This is a great game to develop understanding of location words and following instructions as I can visually demonstrate these concepts with the dog tokens!
- Reasoning – For older school-age clients, I let them take the lead with placing the dogs on the game board. This can be great in a group setting as different players may have different ideas and will need to explain their reasoning.
- Retells – Explaining game rules is a great way to support language and retell skills. I support clients with prompts for important details e.g., how to set up, how to win, and special rules.