I know it’s only April but it was 80 degrees here in Connecticut today and it was definitely a play outside day! Here is my latest PAL Award winner, the “Rollors” game, to take outdoors and have a fresh air speech therapy session. We are always looking for a new twist on therapy to keep it fun for kids and this simple game of skill and chance is a great game for social interaction as teams line up to see who can roll their disk closest to the goal or use it as a reinforcer as kids practice sounds or language and get to take a turn.
Here is my review:
What a delightful surprise to unzip the Rollers case to find this simple yet challenging, well-constructed game that kids and adults can enjoy together outdoors. My little play partner expressed his endorsement after we had played several times and he said again, “Just one more round!” Set up is easy as you place the two wooden pyramid goals several feet apart, depending on the size of your players. Divide into teams and take turns rolling the disks to see who can get closet to the goal. The disk that lands closest to the goal wins the round and scores points according to its position–a flat disk receives the number of points on the top surface, one touching the goal doubles the number revealed, and if you are lucky enough to have your disk remain upright, you add the numbers on both sides for your winner. Part of the charm of this game is its ability for inter-generational play, eliciting memories of classic games like bocce, bowling, horseshoes or shuffleboard. Everyone is active, learning and problem-solving while having fun in the fresh air. Rollors was invented by Air Force major Matt Butler while serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.
