Teach Through Games: CooCoo the Clown! by Blue Orange

Age level: Preschool, Early Elementary

Description: The idea of this game is that students are trying to get CooCoo to juggle as many balls as possible. CooCoo is designed in such a way that his feet are rounded, making him able to rock back and forth. Twenty-four balls of three different sizes are included with the set. Students must choose balls based on size to place in the best location on CooCoo’s arms, hands, shoes, or hat so that he will not rock too far and fall down. While this game is listed as being appropriate for ages 3 and up, I have worked with students as old as eight or nine that still enjoy the game immensely. This is, by far, one of the most motivating games I own, especially for young learners with autism spectrum disorders.

Skills & Modifications: This game really is a critical thinking game for early learners. Below you’ll see multiple examples of areas in which students must think critically and strategize in order to win the game.

• Cause & Effect – At its most basic, this is a cause and effect toy. You put a ball in the wrong place, CooCoo will fall down. You place a ball, CooCoo may rock then balance out, or may rock and lean to one side. There’s a great anticipation aspect to this game that is not present in other games for early learners.
• Comparisons – This game easily lends itself to comparisons based on size since the balls come in small, medium, and large. While we are playing, sometimes I will pick a ball that clearly is the wrong choice to see if the student will correct me. For example, if we have placed many balls and CooCoo is clearly leaning to one side, I will pick a small ball to place in order to balance CooCoo. Usually my student will say “No, you need a bigger ball.” If not, I might ask, “Do you think this is best choice?” or “What will happen if I use the ball?” For students who are still grasping the concept of the game, I may talk through my thinking, such as “If I put this small ball here, it probably won’t make a difference. But if I pick a bigger ball, maybe CooCoo will stop leaning. I’m going to put a big ball right here. Oh, look! CooCoo stopped leaning!”
• Making Predictions – My students love to make predictions with this game. I might pick up a ball and say, “What do you think will happen if I put this ball on CooCoo’s head?” They enjoy guessing if the CooCoo will fall down or stay balanced. I also encourage my students to interact with me and their peers in asking for predictions as well.
• Peer Play – This is frequently a struggle for students with Autism Spectrum Disorders. I have found success in using this game to encourage peer play because student’s are just as motivated to watch what happens when another player plays as they are to engage with the game on their own. Moreover, this game is more motivating to play correctly than to play in a stimulatory or inappropriate way. (Although I have had one student who greatly enjoyed pushing down on one arm so that CooCoo would fall over before any balls had been placed. With some teaching, he began to interact with the game appropriately when supervised, but left to his own devices he did not play with the game as it was designed.)
• Averages & Graphs – There are many toys and games that kids still enjoy but don’t want to admit to because they feel the toy or game is too “babyish.” I see this a lot with trains, figurines such as MyLittlePony or Barbie, and with this game. I have been able to introduce simple math skills using CooCoo. Students are motivated by the game, and not worried about it being too babyish because it is being used to teach something age-appropriate. This is one of those rare instances in which I use a game specifically to teach, and am clear about that with the student. For this I might have the student see how many balls they can balance on CooCoo multiple times, and then figure out the average. I might teach graphing to compare using a bar graph how many ball each individual student was able to balance on CooCoo. There are many possibilities here, but these are just two I have done in the past.
• Sorting/Scanning – I always practice sorting and/or scanning when I clean up the game. I remind the student(s) that there are six balls of each color, then we decide which color we are going to clean up first. They must scan through all the balls on the floor and find the color we are searching for. Once we have found all six of that color, we then choose a new color. Other times, I will have them sort the balls into groups by color, then we will count and make sure that we have all six balls of each color before packing up the game.

Pros: You can play alone or with up to 6 players. It is one of the few games for early learners that teaches concepts of strategy and logical thinking in a way that is highly motivating for students.

Cons: The game is costly. That being said, the materials are high quality (made completely of wood.)

Cost:  $27.99, but frequently less expensive on Amazon. Should I buy this? While the game is on the expensive end, it allows for practice of skills in a unique way. This is not a game that you can easily recreate or make on your own. And I appreciate any toy that I know will last for many years.

ABLLS: 

VB-MAPP: 

Teach Through Games: Hiss by Gamewright

Age level: Preschool, Early Elementary

Description: In this game, all players trade turns drawing cards that either have a snake head, tail, or midsection. Each head and tail card is one of six colors (aside from the wild cards), while each midsection is comprised of two colors. Players draw a card, then try to match it to a snake already being constructed on the playing surface (usually the floor.) A snake is completed when it has a head, at least one midsection card, and a tail. Once a player completes a snake, he/she gets to place it in his/her “snake pit.” The goal is to complete as many snakes (with a head, tail, and at least one midsection) and have the most cards at the end of the game. So it’s beneficial to complete snakes, but even more beneficial to complete a long snake.

Skills & Modifications: This is one of very few games that I have never modified. It’s very simple to play, and a wide range of students enjoy playing. I have listed below how I incorporate specific skills into gameplay.

• Counting – When a player completes a snake, we will count how many cards make up that particular snake before moving it to his/her snake pit.
• Matching – The game requires that a student draw a card, then see if they can find a matching color already in play to build a longer snake or complete a snake. What I like about this game in particular is that two colors may match, but the cards won’t line up evenly. This is actually very rare in games for preschoolers, and it’s a great way to practice matching.
• Comparisons – At the end of the game, I will point to two different snakes and ask my student to compare them, using words such as longer and shorter or describing them by referencing color.
• Adjectives – This is a lot like comparisons, but for early learners I may be asking them to receptively identify a “long snake” or “find a short snake.”

Pros: The instructions are very simple to follow. For students with autism or other developmental delays who struggle with gross motor skills, I appreciate that this is a card game in which students don’t have to hold fanned-out cards in one hand.

Cons: You do need a relatively large playing area to play the game as designed. I always play this game on the floor with students.

Cost: $14.99 Should I buy this? This is a game that is widely loved by my students. I find it is motivating for students from about age 3-9, so it’s especially great if you are working with siblings or with children of different ages. It’s easy to comprehend the instructions, but the look of the game is not too “babyish” for older kids.

ABLLS: B5, G13, G22, R4

VB-MAPP: coming soon

The Museum of Modern Art and Games

Yesterday I was able to take a trip to the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in Manhattan. While wandering the museum, we discovered that they have a game designed for children to play as they view the art. The docent we spoke with said that while it’s called Material Bingo, she thinks of it as more of a scavenger hunt.

While the child goes through the museum, they search for different materials that make up the art pieces they are viewing. When they find one of the materials, they can slide down the pink vellum to mark that spot on the bingo game.

I love this game for many reasons. First of all, it’s entertaining and easy for youngsters to understand, while also making them engage with the art in a different way than they might have if they were just going through the museum on their own. Second, it’s not always obvious what materials are included in a piece, so this game fosters communication and social interaction for our students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and other developmental delays. Lastly, it produces some surprises even for adults.

Below is a great example of this. Many people were joking about this piece of plywood that had been painted black. And honestly, it is the kind of art that I typically just walk past. But because I was playing the game, I took a closer look to find out what materials it was made from, and was surprised to find that an inkjet printer had “painted” the plywood black. I quickly found “ink” on my Material Bingo card. But more than that, the game sparked a conversation about the process of creating this piece.

MoMA has other activities and programs they use to engage students with art, but this one is simple and does a great job of immediately connecting it to your tour of the museum. While they do have some programs for students with developmental disabilities (such as Create Ability,) I was not able to find anything specifically outlined for students with ASD. I did download MoMA’s app, the MoMA Art Lab. It’s a well-designed app that I can see many of my students enjoying. That being said, there are other apps out there that are very similar.

Our end goal with students with ASD is to get them to engage with the world in ways similar to their typically developing peers. Material Bingo is just the sort of game that students with ASD can use to experience more success with trips to museums. It provides focus, a goal, and is directly related to the typical experience of visiting a museum to view art. It also provides a replacement behavior for many of the fixations that you see students with ASD perseverate upon. Lastly, it encourages interactions with peers and adults.

I’ll definitely be recommending it to the parents of many students I work with, and I’d love to hear from any readers who have played it with children with autism on their visits to MoMA. If you don’t have access to MoMA, it’d be relatively easy to create your own version of this game. If you try creating it on your own, let us know and we can share!

Suggested Skills & Modifications: Below are my suggestions for skills that can be practiced and/or generalized with this activity, along with potential modifications. Unlike all other posts on this blog, I have not yet had the opportunity to play this game with students with ASD. These modifications are based on past experience with similar games as well as past experience with field trips for students with special needs.

• Scanning – In order to play this game, your student must be able to scan in a multitude of ways: scanning the field of 25 pictures on the Bingo card, scanning the piece of art to discover the materials, and scanning the written description of the piece of art to find where materials are listed. It is relatively easy to modify this based on your student’s ability level. For the bingo card, you can make it simpler by saying something such as “I see a material that is on the top row of your Bingo card.” This way you are narrowing the field down to five pictures. You could also use a blank sheet of paper to cover pictures on the card to visually narrow down the field of pictures. For scanning the piece of art, you will largely have to use verbal prompts (such as “Look at the bottom.”) or gestural prompts (such as pointing to certain areas of the piece.) For the written description, you may have to read it for your student or point to certain words.
• Comparisons – This is a great activity for comparing two or more pieces of art. Asking your student what two pieces have in common helps with language skills and takes the Bingo game to a higher level. You can also compare the number of materials used in two or more pieces of art. This is particularly important for our students with ASD who can discuss art in this more concrete way, but may struggle with abstract questions or questions about what pieces they like most.
• Intraverbal Conversation – The Bingo game acts as a visual prompt for students to begin or participate in a conversation. Each picture not only names the material but also shows a visual example of what that material looks like. (Though in some pieces, the written description may state a material was used that is not clearly visible within the art itself.) You can initiate conversations with Wh- questions (such as “Where did the artist use pencil?”), exclamations (such as “Look at that!” or “What a surprise that this artist used an inkjet printer!), or statements (such as “I see fiberglass right there.”) The hope is that your student will use the game as a way to respond to statements appropriately, and begin to initiate conversation based on the game as you make your way through the museum.
• Peer play – This is a great game for students with ASD to play with siblings or other family members in their age range. It’s also good for class trips. If two or more students are motivated by the game, the visual cues and the range of artwork itself has the potential to lead to appropriate interactions with less prompting from adults than may be required in other games.

A final note about visiting the museum and other similar outings: Just like I have mentioned in relation to other games, a common modification for students with ASD is reducing the duration of an activity. This is more challenging when making an outing, because it may not seem worth getting the child ready, traveling to the museum, paying the fee, then only staying for 20 minutes. However, the experience is much better for the child and ensures a higher chance of future success if the trip is stopped while the child is still being successful in interacting appropriately.

Sometimes we get caught up in the fact that a tour is an hour long, or that we need to see all of a particular exhibit. This can lead to us pushing a child past his/her threshold and leaving the museum after maladaptive behavior, such as a tantrum. Your goal is to leave when the child still has a high level of interest so that they’re begging to go back again soon.

Teach Through Toys: Parachutes

Age level: Preschool, Early Elementary
Description: I still remember how excited I would be when the teacher brought out a parachute during elementary school. Even now, I can’t exactly identify what it is about a parachute that draws children in, but I have found that it almost always works even for my most difficult to motivate students.
Skills & Modifications: There are many things you can do with a parachute. I’ve listed a few below, but if you have used it in other ways, please leave a comment explaining the activity!

• Manding (Requesting) – I frequently use a parachute to have my early learners mand for actions. For example, I’ll have the learner lie down on the parachute, then they have to mand for me to “pick up the handle,” “swing,” ready set “go,” or “stop.” I also use the parachute (or a blanket) to teach early learners with autism how to request a parent’s attention. I will have the parent hide behind the parachute, and when the child says “Mommy” or “Daddy” the parent will drop the parachute so he/she is immediately visible and give the child lots of attention in the form of tickles, kisses, verbal praise, etc.
• Comparisons/Adjectives – To help students understand the concept of big and little, I will have the children stand around the sides of the parachute holding onto it with their hands. I will place an object on the parachute, and we will bounce the parachute up and down to try to get the object to fall into the hole in the center of the parachute. Some objects will fall, but some will be too big to fall into the hole. I will ask the students why the object fell or did not fall.
• Sorting – I will place several colorful objects on the parachute. We will then bounce the parachute up and down playfully. After a 30 seconds to a minute, we will put the parachute back on the floor, and the student will have to move each object onto a panel of the parachute that matches in color.
• Identifying body parts – Because the parachute has a hole in the middle, I will sometimes use it for identifying body parts. The learner can lie down on the floor. Then I will put the parachute on top of them. I’ll pretend I’m looking for them (for example, “Where is Charlie?”) Then I’ll position the parachute so that one part (such as their hand or their nose) is clearly visible. I’ll lightly touch it and say “What is that?” and have the student label nose or hand or elbow, etc. Once the learner has an idea of the game, I may let them initiate it, or have them say “Find my nose” and I’ll place the parachute so their nose is visible.
• Song Fill-ins – I like to sing songs while shaking or spinning the parachute. For students with autism or other language delays who struggle with this skill, the parachute can be a great motivator to help with song fill-ins and other intraverbal skills. I will sing the song while shaking or spinning the parachute, and I’ll stop singing AND moving the parachute when I want the child to fill in a word. As soon as the child fills in the word, I will begin singing and moving the parachute again. For many students, this is more motivating than a high five or saying “good job.”
• Quick Responding – If you are working with learners with autism, the absence of quick responding is sometimes a serious barrier to learning. I have found that using the parachute isa  good way to motivate the student to respond quickly when presented with at ask by using it as described above with the song fill-ins. Once I am getting quick responding with the parachute, I quickly begin to work on generalizing the skill to other environments (such as the table or during a floor activity.)

Pros: There is a wide variety of activities that you can do with a parachute. As mentioned before, my experience has been that it is a great tool for motivating students who are difficult to engage. The parachute is also fantastic as a reinforcer or to use during a break. It is fun for students to play hide-and-seek with it, lie on the floor and have you lift the parachute high into the air then bring it down on top of them, or spin it in a circle. One final pro is that, depending on the size of the parachute, you can do these activities indoors. I have a parachute that is six feet in diameter, which is perfect for indoor activities with preschool and early elementary learners.
Cons: You have to think carefully about the environment in which you will be using the parachute and choose the appropriate size. Many parachute activities also require more than two people, so if you are working 1:1 with students, you should prepare ahead of time to ensure that a sibling or parent will be available to participate in the activity with you.
Cost: $10 or more, depending on the size. Should I buy this? Yes.
ABLLS: A11, B18, C2, C15, C21, C24, F3, F4, F8, F14, G5, H1, H2
VB-MAPP: Mand 2, Mand 7, VP-MTS 7, Intraverbal 6, Mand 12, Tact 13

Teach Through Books: The Big Bigger Biggest Book

Age level: Preschool, Early Elementary
Description: This book beautifully illustrates comparisons using the suffixes -er and -est. It is not a traditional storybook. Instead, each page is a fold-out illustration. For example, one page has a firetruck with a firefighter holding a hose. It describes the hose as “long.” When you unfold the flap, the firehose has been extended and is described as “longer.” When you unfold the flap a second time, the firehose has been extended again and is described as “longest.” Each set of pages works like this to illustrate the comparisons
Modifications: There really isn’t any modification you can make to the book. What I typically do is practice the skill with objects after reading the book to extend the lesson. For students who are learning to mand (request) and are highly motivated by the book, I will use it to have them request that I “open the flap” or “turn the page.” Since the illustrations frequently show actions, it’s also a great tool for teaching young learners to tact (label) noun-verb combinations, such as “Boy diving.” It can also be used to teach prepositions as the picture changes each time a flap is unfolded. Finally, for early learners who are motivated by the book, I also use this to practice sounds, such as “What sound does the firetruck make?”
Skills: Comparisons, Picture comprehension, Manding, Tacting, Prepositions
Pros: Easy to manipulate and well structured so students can begin to see the pattern in the use of the suffixes -er and -est.
Cons: If you are working with older students who are struggling with comparisons, this book will not be age-appropriate. The oldest students I have ever used this book with have been 8-9 years old.
Cost: $14.95 Should I buy this? I think this one is a great purchase. Many children struggle with fully understanding comparisons, and it’s valuable to have materials the learner is motivated to return to again and again to gain full comprehension. There are similar books out there, so I suggest taking a look at it in person and seeing if you feel it’s something that would be motivating to your learner.
ABLLS: C45, C51, C52, F4, G2, G18, G19, G20, G21, G22, G35, J16
VB-MAPP: Mand 2, Listener Responding 5, Tact 6, Tact 9, LRFFC 9,

Teach Through Games: Chomp! by Gamewright

Age level: Early Elementary

Description: In this game modeled after the classic card game War, players “chomp” their way to the top of the food chain by collecting all the cards to win the game. Players split the deck evenly, then each plays a card into the center. The player whose card pictures an animal highest on the food chain gets to take all the cards. The game does include sequence cards so that players can easily refer to a visual reference to see who is highest on the food chain.

Skills & Modifications: The instructions for the game include two variations, which may be more appropriate depending upon your learner’s skill level and your goals for that learner. The only way I typically modify the game is by taking out “action cards” that do not involve the food chain, and may confuse students who struggle with remembering the rules of games. And as always, for games such as this that can go on for a VERY long time, I set a timer to end the game. Whoever has the most cards when the timer goes off, wins the game.

• Sequencing – I love that this game teaches sequencing in a way that it actually applies to the real world. For older students who are still struggling with the concept of sequencing, they may be more motivated to practice the skill when it involves animals and/or a game.
• Comparisons – While playing this game, I do a lot of comparisons for big/small to help students remember which card can chomp the other.
• Food chain – The game is designed to teach the concept of the food chain. On one occasion, I did use the game Chomp! to have a student create her own game using a different food chain, which was a great activity for a higher-level learner.
• Accepting Losing A Game – This is great practice for the skill of accepting losing, because there are quick rounds. So if you have a student who is struggling to accept losing a game, the skill of accepting losing a round within the game might be a good place to start.

Pros: It is difficult to find a card game that is so fun and teaches science concepts. Every student I have introduced this to has been highly motivated the game.

Cons: There are no cons! This is simple to play, easy to follow the rules, and can be played with two or more people.

Cost: $10 Should I buy this? This is a great game, and it teaches skills that I haven’t found taught in other games. You could make it on your own, but I do think it’s worth the purchase.

ABLLS: J16, K15

VB-MAPP: Listener Responding 13