When you keep kids engaged and entertained, they don’t even know that they are practicing their speech! I had two new kids this week who were playing a game with me and after about 30 minutes they looked up and said, “Let’s do it without the words.” (Meaning, let’s just play and not practice words!!) Of course there has to be a little work in a session but if done right, kids aren’t very aware of it.
Last week I took the game, Horton Hears a Who! by I Can Do That Games. It was a real hoot. I played it with from one to three kids from age 3-7. They loved it. The best part is hiding the clovers around the room and when you land on a clover piece on the game board, you put on the elephant face and have to pick up a velcroed clover with the tip of your trunk! Kids quickly catch on and want to get a chance to be Horton. It’s a great reinforcing game after several practice turns for articulation or language goals. Or, use it for carryover and get the whole family to join in if you deliver your services in the home.
“Horton Hears a Who” was provided by I Can Do That Games.The opinions expressed in this review are solely those of the author.
It’s that time of year to make our lists and check them twice–and select the best toys and games for our kids and grandkids for holiday gift giving. Again, there are many helpful lists out there from Parents Magazine to Parents Choice Foundation. Check them out for their carefully toy tested lists, and kudos to Parents Choice who included a section for recommended toys for children with special needs.
Here is my list of favorite toys and games that build language skills through fostering pretend play, encouraging chat, and giving parents plenty to talk about to a baby or toddler:
Babies and Toddlers:
Cuddly Kid Mirror by Alex Toys:
Kids love to cuddle and check out faces so why not get snuggle and face time in one toy? With outstretched crinkle hands, this half ball of fun is asking for play. Strap the “Cuddly Kid Mirror” in the crib for baby entertainment, or prop him up for tummy time and crawl around exploration. Showing off his bright colors, fuzzy textures, knotted strings and bean bag legs, this buddy encourages visual, auditory and tactile investigation and is just plain fun to squeeze.
Recommendated age: Newborn and above
Taggies Go Go! Car
Cuddle up with this friendly-faced coupe, covered with soft plush and shiny geometric designed tags. A takeoff from the popular Taggies balls, this car packs more features for your baby to explore and parents to talk about, enhancing learning. Press the button on top to hear “beep, beep” 
and see his cheeks light up, grab the crinkly wheels, see your reflection in the mirrored bumper, play peek-a-boo with a puppy peering out the window or pull the string to start the motion. A combination of textures, vibrant colors, and sounds, this compact car is engineered to give kids plenty to investigate and parents many features to describe, feeding your child important language to encourage learning. His endearing face invites baby’s conversation, providing practice for future chats.
Recommended age: 3 months and up
Favorites from other years:
Taggies Go Go Car was provided by International Playthings.The opinions expressed in this review are solely those of the author.
Flow ‘n’ Fill Spout by Yookidoo:
Toddlers are drawn to running water. Since the best part of bath time is playing with the stream as the tub fills up, imagine the investigating going on with the “Flow ‘n’ Fill Spout” as it keeps the water flowing after the tap is turned off. Submerge the little pump under the water and suction the spout anywhere in the tub for continuous streams of water play. Little ones quickly learn to start and stop the flow by pushing the face, and experiment with the three friendly-faced cups, spinning a propeller, creating a shower and revealing a surprise pop up friend. Teaching the language of empty/full, heavy/light, start/stop, on/off, up/down, and floating/sinking, this joyful distraction makes scrubbing a dirty toddler a little easier.
Recommended age: 9 months and up
Taggies Rocker by International Playthings
Kids lined up for a turn on Taggies’ newest giraffe rocker, swinging a leg over his sturdy, plush back and 
hanging on to the handles for a lively ride. Just the right size for a one to three year-old, this playful friend is adorned with bright colors, varied textures, crinkle ears and patterned taggies to amuse the youngest ones while the older toddlers can saddle up and hang on to the mane of ribbons. A plush, huggable friend with a cock-eyed grin, this giraffe leaves the fun and creativity to your child–no batteries needed. He’s low enough to the ground but life-size for kids to invite him into their land of imagination. Don’t be surprised if he is asked to join the picnic or play house. Watching a one-year-old greet him with a morning hug, I know this giraffe can serve to expend rockin’ energy or just be a hang around pal in the playroom.
Recommended age: 12-36 months
Taggies Rocker was provided by International Playthings. The opinions expressed in this review are solely those of the author.
Preschool and Above:
PLAYMOBIL Pyramid:
Take a break from the usual monsters and dragons menu for boys’ pretend play and introduce the ancient life of the Egyptians. Available in the complete pyramid set or smaller sets of chariots, the sphinx, or tomb raiders to name a few, this newest play scenario invites a history lesson as well as creative play. Secret chambers and trap doors set up the fun for chases, captures and discoveries. Kids love to investigate, hide and surprise with all the moving parts to keep the action going.
Recommended age: 5 and up
Playdate Central Puppet Show by International Playthings
Pull out this puppet show in a box when the kids come over to play and watch it spark their imaginations. Mom or Dad can easily assemble the cloth, hanging theater to suspend in the doorway as kids make puppets, part the curtains and start the story telling. Before the show starts, kids create their 
own puppet characters with six fuzzy bodies and thirty stick-on ears, faces, tails, noses or outfits. Go traditional in making a prince, princess, lion, puppy, or dragon or combine the features to make an original character. As the story develops, kids can re-figure the puppets, ripping off the reusable features and attaching them to create new characters. Moms were amazed at how well the features stuck on the puppets during active play. My three-year-old puppeteers enjoyed presenting a show and then chased each other with puppets in hand. Language learning begins with selecting a character while devising and assembling the puppets, continues during the creation of the story and dialogue, and extends through open-ended play with flexible props to expand plot possibilities. Take a seat and let your children learn language through play.
International Playthings Playdate Central Puppet Show
Recommended ages 3-6
Playdate Central Puppet Show was provided by International Playthings.The opinions expressed in this review are solely those of the author.
Richard Scarry’s Busytown Eye Found it! by I Can Do That Games
Having raised my kids on Richard Scarry books, searching for Lowly the Worm, I am excited to see a new generation of children examining his delightful drawings, learning about communities of fun. “Richard Scarry’s Busytown Eye Found it! Game” is a winner in innovative, entertaining, language learning games. Unfold the six foot game board and race through the bustling town, busy airport, industrious construction site, and working farm, to board the ferry for Picnic Island to grab your lunch before Pig Will and Pig Won’t eat it. Spin a Goldberg Mystery Card and start the timer as all players work together to spot the most objects on the game board of the kind pictured on the card—construction cones, garbage cans, shovels, kites, or bicycles. Kids love to place their magnifying glass tokens on the objects when found, rewarded with a bonus move. Can you see why I hear squeals of delight when a bug card is spun?
This team game models collaboration, encouragement, patience and the satisfaction of “winning” together. Scarry’s detailed drawings teach the language of concepts, categories, association, and storytelling as little ones learn what objects, people and actions go together to build narratives. Where would we find shovels? Look in the construction site. Where would we search for letters? Check the town post office or neighborhood mailbox. What about garbage cans? Everywhere! Enjoy this game for a balance of talents and fun for kids and adults alike.
Richard Scarry’s Busytown was provided by I Can Do That Games. The opinions expressed in this review are solely those of the author.
Recommended age: 3 years and up
Favorites from other years:
Horton Hears A Who-You to a Rescue
Green Eggs and Ham-Speedy Diner
Gobblet Gobblers by Blue Orange Games
Assemble your tic-tac-toe grid and off you go with a chance to place three of your gobblers in a row to win. With each turn, players can add a new gobbler to the board or move one that is already in place. Two options–to find an empty space or “gobble up” an existing smaller piece–make this game a multi-leveled game of strategy and memory. Go ahead and move your piece already on the board but don’t forget who was under him, because the littler guy will be left behind in that space and might set up a play for your opponent. Requiring visual-spacial memory and the ability to weigh different strategic options and outcomes,“Gobblet Gobblers” stretches young minds and gets them giggling as they surprise even themselves as opportunities open up to win!
Age: 5 and up
Favorite from other years:
Step2 All Around Art Tower
There’s fun all around when kids step up to this tower of artistic possibilites. The circular table allows for budding artists to work side by side and select their medium from the two bins surrounding the central pole. Don’t be fooled that this can’t be a language building toy–many kids create stories and narrate their drawings while painting and drawing. Having a friend next to them encourages the dialogue of sharing supplies and talking about what they are making. I love the feature of displaying their finished pictures or works in progress on the clips above the table. Don’t miss a chance to ask your kids about what they’ve made and to tell you the story.
Recommended age: 3 and up
Favorites from other years:
ChickyBoom by Blue Orange Games
Chicks have come to roost on their favorite perch, performing a balancing act on thick bales of hay and slim wagon wheels. Plump Mom and baby chickys peer out their adorable eyes, beckoning players to take turns, skillfully plucking pieces off the teetering perch without toppling the brood. Players remove birds and their accessories, hoping to keep the remaining pieces in place. Each piece has its own point value from one to three, so after the perch is dumped, collect your pieces, add up your score and declare the winner.
A game of fine motor skill and balance, “ChickyBoom” requires slow, precise movements so as not to disturb the roosting chicks. Strategy comes into play as risk takers remove a piece of higher value that might start the gang wobbling but adds value to their winnings. Get some math practice as you add up the numbers on your pieces to reach the highest score and win the game.
Recommended age: 4 and up
ChickyBoom was provided by Blue Orange Games.The opinions expressed in this review are solely those of the author.
As the holidays approach, we start thinking about what to give the kids. Target’s gift catalogue just arrived at the house, and the kids are pouring over it as if it’s an encyclopedia.
There seems to be a new trend, according to an article in the Wilmington News Star this weekend,”Back to Basics” by Kim Cook, reflecting a back to basics attitude among parents, wanting to “lower the volume on tech toys and on children’s environment as a whole.” They are tired of all the plastic in playroom and the noises coming from the toys. They yearn for just a few well-made toys that start the imagination going and will generate some powerful pretend play. A parent just voiced to me the other day that she won’t buy any toy that makes noise, unless there is an off button. That was after I asked her for a screw driver to remove the batteries in the Fisher Price Barn so her son would continue his nice play and not get distracted by the sound effects. I am sure that manufacturers have good intentions of adding all of these sounds for teaching cause-effect, but after several rounds with the toy, the sounds often become a distraction and interrupter of play.
Some of the manufacturers that I like for back to the basics simple, sometimes wooden toys are:
- Melissa and Doug
- Plan toys
- Blue Orange Games
- I Can Do That Games
- Playmobil
- Haba
- Taggies
Wow, I can hardly finish Halloween and the stores are pushing Christmas! I was downtown today and I was re-routed on the sidewalk because they were putting up the Christmas lights. I need to just take a breath.
With that said, I am compiling my list of best toys and games of 2009 to send out soon for those of you who ask what I recommend to build language. If you have any toys or games that were introduced this year that your child really likes and gets them talking let me know in the comments below. I love to get ideas from parents, since you are the best toy testers!
Recently, as I was looking on the internet for games to play with my kids on the autism spectrum, I came across autismgames.org, a wonderful site engineered by speech pathologist, Tahirih Bushey.
Her site and blog encourages parents and specialists to learn about how to use games to teach children on the autism spectrum. According to her website it includes:
- Games that will engage young children with ASD in play
- Videos of kids and families playing the games to model play and imitate
- Tips on how to make the play more fun and educational
Blue Orange Games, known for their “hot games for a cool planet,” continue to invent clever games for kids that are friendly to our environment. Their latest member of the family, “ChickyBoom,” calls on fine motor skill and balance, requiring slow, precise movements to remove a chick, bale of hay or wagon wheel delicately placed along the chick’s perch. Take turns plucking pieces off the balance beam without letting it topple. After the perch is dumped, collect your pieces and call upon your math skills to count up the numbers on each one to see who has the highest number to declare victory.
This simple game of balance, math and strategy can be used effectively as a reinforcer for articulation and language therapy. I have written in a previous blog of the merits of good board games for teaching social language to children on the autism spectrum, and this is another such game that is simple enough with quick turns, but can be used to teach social skills as well as concepts such as high/low, same/different, heavy/ light and center.
I’ve used it to reinforce articulation learning by practicing sounds and taking a turn, or teach language skills like irregular past tense verbs as we “took” off a piece, “saw” where we put it, “put” it in our pile, “got” the block in the center, or declared that the chick “fell.”
Kids love the impish looking chicks and try to pluck them off first.
See my full review of “ChickyBoom.”
Good board games require quick turns and lots of thinking. “Gobblet Gobblers” is a perfect beginning game of strategy utilizing visual-spacial memory, assessing options, and setting up strategy. This takeoff from Tic-Tac-Toe utilizes hungry, wide mouthed characters to hop to an open space on the board, or gobble up a smaller opponent. Add a new piece to the game or move an existing one but remember who is under your piece–you might be setting up your opponent for a win.
Try this game with children on the autism spectrum to teach social pragmatic skills and concepts such as over/under, first/next/last, diagonal/straight, big/little, small/medium/large or tall/short. Language delayed children can benefit from learning these concepts, describing their actions and telling what if?
Gobble and giggle your way through learning!
See my full review of “Gobblet Gobblers.”
Playing fun, engaging board games with kids helps build social skills. For higher functioning children on the autism spectrum, games provide many opportunities to teach pragmatic language skills. Children with ASD like predictable routines (taking turns around the table, drawing a card or rolling the dice and moving your piece) and a set of rules (the directions for the game) which can be a backdrop for lots of learning.
I’ve had success teaching social language skills while playing board games with kids who I work with on the autism spectrum. I use games to:
- teach turn taking, and use language to prompt peers what to do next
- explain the rules to a new player
- follow directions
- wait their turn
- encourage others
- talk about what card they hope to draw
- talk about emotions when we are excited or disappointed in a turn or at the end of the game
Parents of children who I work with are always looking for fun and effective products to use with their kids to promote their skills. One of the best catalogues of early intervention products I have found is “Beyond Play.” The products are clearly divided by category–early games, sensory exploration, fine motor, dramatic play, social emotional, cause effect, language, communication and others.
What I like is that they include specific products geared to children with special needs but also commercial games and toys designed for the typical population that are great for kids with delays and deficits. This allows kids with special needs to play a fun game with typical peers, with everyone engaged in the fun. Since I review mainstream products to be used for children with special needs, I was pleased to see some of my favorites, “Coocoo,” “I Spy,” and “Snails Pace Race.”
So if you are a parent of a child with special needs or an educator working with kids, take a look at this excellent collection of products for kids to have fun while learning!
I find the easiest way to motivate kids working on sounds is to have a cache of fun, motivating games to play with them. Have them say several sounds, words or phrases before a turn and then make a move in the game.
Games need to have simple, discrete actions each turn, that take a short time so you can get back to work! Today I discovered another simple but challenging game to use for this type of therapy, Snap by Gamewright.
There are several levels but I have used it at the most elementary one with 4-6 year-olds. It is a puzzle game, where each player gets an equal number of puzzle pieces and takes turns “playing” their piece by snapping it into the collaborative puzzle. The rectangular pieces have two opportunities for a match on each side and one on each end. If you connect more than one part of a piece you have a double or triple snap and can get an extra turn. With interlocking pieces connecting red, yellow and green dragons, this game provides just enough interest for kids to keep working for that next turn. It works best with children who enjoy puzzles and aren’t challenged with visual motor issues.
