Teach Through Games: Skunk Bingo by Gamewright

Age level: Preschool, Early Elementary

Description: Skunk Bingo puts a whole new spin on matching games for young learners. This game can be played with up to four players. It includes 4 game boards, 48 animal tiles, 1 spinner, and 1 log. That’s right…1 log. On a player’s turn, he/she spins the spinner. It will land on a 1, 2, or 3 (indicating the number of animal tiles to slide into the log) or it will land on a skunk (indicating that the player must slide a skunk into the the log.) If animals come out of the other side of the log on your turn, then you get to place them on your game board. If a skunk comes out of the other side of the log on your turn, then the players say “Peeyou!” and the stinky skunk scares away all the animals that came out of the log with it.

Skills & Modifications: One modification I made with a couple of learners was to draw the trace of the log on a piece of paper (pictured below.) While the log was in that spot, it could not be moved.

Before the game started and/or after the game started, the learner was able to hold the log and manipulate it how they wished. For one learner in particular who was very excited about the animals going into and coming out of the log, it was challenging for him to keep his hands down during gameplay.

• Motor Skills: If your learner is motivated by the game, it’s a great way to practice grasping with the thumb and index finger because the card has to be held in that way for the learner to be able to slide it into the log. Many of the learners with autism I have worked with try to do tasks with one hand and need lots of practice to use both hands when necessary. This game is also great with practicing that, as the learner must hold the log steady with one hand while placing the card inside with the other. For some learners, you may need to hold the log for them, but you should try to fade this out as quickly as possible so the learner can independently complete his/her turn.
• Cause & Effect: Skunk Bingo includes a very simple cause-and-effect element. Once a certain number of cards are inside the log, then adding another card will cause one card to be pushed out of the other end of the log. The learners I used it with were captivated by this and excited to guess what might come out next.
• Matching: The foundation of this game is matching. When an animal comes of the log, they must see if he/she can match it to an animal pictures on his/her game board.
• Scanning: This is great for multiple levels of scanning. Each game board has nine pictures on it. The learner must scan his/her own game board, then scan the field of animal tiles still in play to choose which animals to place into the log. When animals come out of the log, he/she must scan the game board again to see if there is a match. I appreciate that there is the organized array on the game board and the messy array of the game tiles spread out on the table for the learner to practice scanning in multiple ways.
• Probability: As mentioned above, if a player spin and it lands on a number, the player gets to choose that number of animals to slide into the log. Players can look at their game board and see what animals they need, then choose those to slide into the log. But before they slide any animals in, I’ll ask them what animals they think will come out of the log. They have to attend to other players’ turns and remember what animals might be in there. The learners I used this with especially loved trying to guess if the skunk would be coming out next. Once they know a skunk has been placed in the log, the anticipation of seeing when it comes out increases the motivation in gameplay. In the beginning of the game, there is also a small window of practice for the probability of a card being pushed out of the other end of the log, since it starts out empty at the beginning of the game.

• Peer play: This has been a great game for encouraging play with peers, parents, and siblings because the learner with autism is frequently interested in attending to the the other players’ turns to see what animal comes out of the log.

Pros: The game is easy to learn but can practice a wide range of skills. The learners I used it with enjoyed the game and maintained motivation in it for long periods of time. With two learners, I used it with working on family interactions. The family members (both parents and siblings) were also motivated in the game and enjoyed seeing the learner with autism focused on the activity. Many of my learners also loved saying “Peeyou” every time the skunk appeared. This silly aspect of the game was motivating and shared interaction between the player with autism and the other people playing the game.

Cons: You may have to practice with your learner and add prompts to prevent them from picking up the log during gameplay. Two of my learners wanted to grab the log and look inside every time an animal came out. You may need to prepare in advance as described in the modification section above. I found that with one student I had to response block throughout the game, meaning that I had to keep my eye on him and physically place my hand in front of the log every time he reached for it, then redirect him to place his hands in his lap. While this is listed as a con, it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t play the game with your learner. It’s helpful to teach our young learners to differentiate circumstances in which you can and cannot pick up an item you want.

Cost: $16.99 You should invest in this game if: you are working with young learners, you are seeking materials to encourage peer play and social skills, you are in need of a game with an aspect of  cause and effect.

ABLLS: A8, A10, B5, C6, K8, K9, L4, Z25

VB-MAPP: VP-MTS 2, VP-MTS 6

**Skunk Bingo  was provided to me for free by the company Gamewright to write about here at Teach Through. This did not influence my opinions on the game. The thoughts and ideas above are all my own.

Teach Through Apps: Whose Toes Are Those?

Age level: Preschool, Early Elementary

Description: This app is designed in the style of an old school gameshow, complete with a charismatic announcer and a whats-behind-that-curtain aspect. Each screen lifts the curtain a little bit so the learner can see the feet of an animal. Then three choices represented by animal’s heads pop up on the screen, as you can see pictured below on the left. The learner taps the head that belongs with the toes. If they get it correct, the curtain lifts, music plays, and the animal dances, as pictured below on the right. If the they get it incorrect, the announcer says “It’s not that one,” then the field is reduced so the learner chooses the correct match.

 

Skills & Modifications: This app is very focused on a particular skill and does it well. I have never made any modifications to this app. It’s intuitive, engaging, and reinforcing for the desired behaviors. It should be noted that I do not use this app to teach skills. Instead, it is usually an option for a break or for reinforcement. The learner is having fun, while I also have another avenue for generalization and maintenance of the skills listed below.

• Scanning – The app requires that the learner scan a field of three items before choosing the correct response. This can be a great game for generalizing or maintaining the skill.
• Matching/Identifying an object by its parts – The focus is to match parts of an animal correctly. For some learners with autism, this may be difficult if they have not yet learned how to identify an animal or item based on seeing only a part of it. This is another skill that can be generalized and maintained with this app.

Pros: Many apps out there unintentionally use reinforcing sounds or images for an incorrect answer, so learners with autism end up repeating incorrect answers on purpose because they love the sound it makes. With this app, an incorrect answer leads to simple redirection and the learners I have used it with are highly motivated to find the correct answer.

Cons: The only con I have is that I wish there were more animals in the game. But how can I really complain about a free app?

Cost: free You should invest in this app if: you are working with young learners, you are seeking materials for reinforcement.

ABLLS: A10, B16, C2, C44

VB-MAPP: VP-MTS 3

Teach Through Games: Dweebies

Age level: Early Elementary, Upper Elementary

Description: I have yet to meet a student who hasn’t fallen for Dweebies. The cards are entertaining to look at, and while the game is simple to play it involves strategy that allows for critical thinking and high-level observation skills. Players take turns playing cards in a grid format. If a player lays down a Dweebie on a row or column in which the same Dweebie is the other end, that player gets to pick up the entire row or column of cards. The goal of the game is to collect the most cards.

Skills & Modifications: I use these materials without actually playing the game to work on basic skills with early elementary students. I find it especially helpful with K-2 students who need assistance with Pre-K skills such as matching, but need more age-appropriate materials. I play the game as designed for older students. As designed, the game naturally practices higher order scanning skills and problem solving. Some students have difficulty fanning out their card and holding them in their hand. If your student struggles to hold cards in his/her hand, you may want to use a cardholder, such as this one.

• Expressive Language/Feature – I love using these cards with kindergartners and first graders to play “Tell me about” or “Let’s talk about.” There are many details for each Dweebie, so it’s a great tool for describing a variety of features of the Dweebie pictured.
• Alike and Different – Students have to determine how two pictures of Dweebies are alike and different. They can compare the color of the Dweebie, whether or not it’s wearing a hat, or notice that one is holding a fishing rod while the other is holding a violin. It’s also good for working on student understanding  of words such as “all” and “some.” For this I’ll lay out 3-4 cards and ask the student “Tell me one thing ALL the Dweebies have in common.”
• Matching – This is also a great resource for practicing matching with older students who are still struggling with the skill. You can introduce it in a field of three and ask them to match one card or you can make it a game of Memory with 10-20 card turned facedown. Just be sure that you pulled out the right number of matches!
• Scanning – This game requires higher order scanning skills, because the students has to scan his/her own cards, the cards on the table, AND the placement of the cards on the table. For some students I have them place their own cards face up on the table in front of them, and I help them through minimal prompting scan each area and make decisions about what card to place.
• Problem Solving – Students have to use their scanning skills and solve the problem of where to place a card to be able to pick up the most cards. For some students, I have them think out loud to describe each step of how they are making their decision. This way I can help correct any errors in their problem solving strategy. There is some strategy based on trying to find the longest row or column of cards that you can collect, but there is also strategy in keeping track of the number of dots in the corner of each card, which indicates how many of that Dweebie are included in the deck. For some students I also create a sign with steps for problem solving:

Pros: The cards are highly motivating. It’s easy to use the materials for a variety of skills. It’s also easy to modify it based on your student’s needs.

Cons: For students who struggle with maintaining attention, this may not be the best game. Some students are motivated to see what card will be placed next, but others need a more interactive element in order to maintain attention and get good practice at key skills from playing the game.

Cost: $9.99 You should invest in this game if: these materials would be motivating for your students and you aree looking for a  game for playing with siblings and peers because it’s easy to modify it for each player.

ABLLS: A10, B5, C55, G16, H40, K15

VB-MAPP: VP-MTS 5, VP-MTS 6, VP-MTS 8, Listener Responding 9

Teach Through Games: Swish, Jr.

Age level: Early Elementary, Upper Elementary

Description: I was pretty excited when Thinkfun offered me another free game, but I had no idea that it would so quickly become a student favorite. This unique matching game uses transparent cards to develop visual and spatial thinking skills. The goal is to collect cards by making matches, or Swishes. The player who collects the most cards wins the game.

Skills & Modifications: While the instructions included with the game provide ideas for making the game more difficult, they do not include ideas for making the game easier. When I introduced this game to students, I introduced it in steps to determine what level to begin with. You can see my steps for introducing the game below (click to enlarge.) Introducing it in steps was essential for allowing my students to experience success with the game.

The other aspect to this game that students with autism might find difficult is speed. The idea is to find the “Swishes” before anybody else does. I modify the game in this regard by matching my own speed to that of the students or working to find peers who are playing the game at a similar rate. For one student, I allowed him to play the game as a single-player game. He made “Swishes” as quickly as he could and enjoyed it as an independent activity.

Scanning – The game naturally focuses on higher-order scanning, as students have to scan all the cards on the table (or floor) and think about their relationships to one another. To modify the game to meet a child’s current skill level for scanning, you’ll see on my data sheet that I reduce the number of cards in the field of play.

Matching – At its most basic, this is a high level matching game. As with scanning, I modify the game to meet the child’s current level of matching by reducing the number of cards in the field of play.

Critical Thinking – While I introduce this game by allowing students to pick up the cards and try to find matches through trial and error, the ultimate goal is that they will be able to mentally rotate the cards to find the matches. This can be exceedingly difficult for many of my students, but the design of these cards motivates them enough to keep trying. One student in particular kept saying “This is so hard,” but she continued to try. I was surprised that her motivation was strong enough to increase her frustration tolerance. With other games, when it gets too hard, she usually swipes all the materials from the table. With this game, she remained focused and enjoyed the process of thinking critically.

Spatial Skills/Orientation – This is the only game I currently have that uses highly motivating materials to practice skills for manipulating materials by turning them over or turning them around. Many students with autism struggle with concepts related to spatial skills and require prompts to manipulate materials by rotating them or turning them over completely. However, some students I work with have much higher skill levels with visual performance and spatial skills than they do in other domains. One student I used this with quickly mastered the concept, and enjoyed playing the game with me or as an independent puzzle. This was especially beneficial for him because he rarely interacts with materials appropriately when working independently. But Swish, Jr. met his current skill level and was challenging enough to keep him focused on the task presented by the game.

Pros: The materials are highly motivating and allow practice of visual & spatial skills in a unique way. The game also encourages mentally working out a problem before moving the materials.

Cons: None.

Cost: $12.99 You should invest in this game if: you are a classroom teacher in early elementary, you are focusing on visual perception and/or critical thinking skills with a child, or you are a parent trying to find a game that will motivate more than one child. (While this game does not directly encourage peer interaction, it can be played simultaneously by multiple children with different skill levels.)

ABLLS: B7, K5

VB-MAPP: VP-MTS 5, Social 4, VP-MTS 9, VP-MTS 10

**Swish, Jr.  was provided to me for free by the company ThinkFun to write about here at Teach Through. This did not influence my opinions on the game. The thoughts and ideas above are all my own.

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

Teach Through Games: Monkey Math

Age level: Preschool, Early Elementary

Description: This game is designed to teach early learners basic math skills using a scale, but instead of your regular old boring scale, this scale is a monkey. And instead of placing any old items on the scale, learners are able to place bananas on the monkey’s outstretched arms. If the arms are out of balance, not only does one arm raise higher than the other, but the monkey’s eyes cross. When I initially got this I had a student who was highly motivated by animals, so I thought it’d be a nice way to practice number skills. I have been continuously surprised by how almost all of my students have found the monkey to be humorous. It is one of my most-used games. The game includes the monkey scale, as well as 15 “banana-tokens” ranging from one to ten bananas. Each banana token has a big red number showing up how many bananas are on the token.

Skills & Modifications: The game comes with a set of instructions for four different activities which are detailed below. I have not modified the game in any other ways than described in the instructions, but have chosen the appropriate game for my student’s skill level. I appreciate that this toy company (LearningMates) considered the materials provided in the game and provided such a wide array of games to play with those materials.

• Number recognition, counting, and number order – In the game Banana Line-Up, the monkey scale is not used. In this game the banana tokens are placed in a messy array in front of the learner, and the learner has to place them in order. I may request them to place them in order from biggest to smallest or smallest to biggest. After students have placed them we will count them forward and backward, then I frequently let them play with the banana tokens on the monkey scale. While early learners who are still practicing counting and number recognition may not fully understand the concept of the scale, it’s an excellent activity for exploration, and you may be pleasantly surprised by some of the conclusions the child comes to independently through such exploration.
• Matching, Sorting, Number and Shape Identification – The games comes with 15 banana tokens. There are two of each of the tokens with 1-5 bananas. You can place these tokens upside down and have the students try to match them based on shape. When they flip over the token, they will see the number written on it. Just as described above, after this activity I frequently let students explore with the scale for a couple of minutes.
• Greater Than-Less Than – This game is what I originally bought Monkey Math for. In the instructions included with the game, it suggests that you “hold up two different tokens and ask your child which number is greater and which number is less. Let your child check the answer by puttting the tokens on the scale to see which one ‘sinks’ and which one ‘rises.’” I vary this sometimes by placing one token on the scale, then having the student search an array of tokens to find one that is “greater than” or “less than.” For students who have started to use the math symbols < and >, I will have them write out their responses. I have found that my students do enjoy taking the banana tokens off the monkey scale, placing the tokens on a dry erase board, then writing the correct symbol (< or >) between the tokens.
• Addition, Basic Algebra – In this game, you set out two banana tokens to show an equation (such as 6 = 4 + ?). The student has to find the correct banana token to complete the equation. They can check their work by placing the banana tokens on the monkey scale to see if the monkey balances. For some students I would place the 6 on one arm of the monkey and the 4 on the other, then ask him/her to find the banana token to balance the monkey. However, I have found that some students with autism spectrum disorders are more motivated to answer incorrectly to see the monkey’s arms swing the other way. Another consideration when using the monkey scale with students with autism spectrum disorders is to make sure that you are varying which side is higher or lower, as well as varying which side the student has to add bananas to.

Pros: This is a great visual activity for teaching a variety of math skills. Students are almost always motivated by the monkey scale. Something about it appeals to childhood humor and silliness.

Cons: Students with autism spectrum disorders will sometimes interact with this game inappropriately or will answer incorrectly on purpose so they can see the monkeys arms rise and fall. It is important to address this in instruction, be clear with expectations, and only use this if is an appropriate tool for introducing, maintaining, or generalizing a skill.

Cost: $13.99 Should I buy this?  I would recommend this to any teacher for preschool and early elementary students.  For parents, you have to use your judgment about whether or not this is a good fit for your particular child’s needs.

ABLLS: B3, R3, R9, R21, R22

VB-MAPP: Tact 13, VP-MTS 12, Math 11, Math 12, Math 14

Teach Through Toys: Trains

Age level: Preschool, Early Elementary, Upper Elementary

Description: Trains are such popular toys, it seems silly to describe them. However, as I use trains a lot to teach students with autism and other developmental delays, it is worth noting that my particular train set incorporates six different types of train cars of varying colors, multiple types of tracks including hills and crossings, trees and shrubs, buses, cars, road signs, blocks to create a variety of buildings, and three different sizes and colors of people.

Skills & Modifications: Many of the preschools I have been able to observe have a train set as part of the supplies in their classroom, and that train set is typically brought out at almost every opportunity by the students. When you see a typically developing child play with a train set, you see them engaging in a wide variety of skills through the building of tracks, arrangement of trains, discussions with peers also playing with the trains, and enactments of different train scenarios. However, if you see a student with autism spectrum disorder or other developmental delays, you will frequently see them rolling the train back and forth at eye-level, building the exact same construction of tracks each time, or fixating on one particular train car without ever building a longer train.

Because many students with ASD are highly motivated by trains, it is a tool I use to foster a variety of skills.

• Manding – The very nature of trains allows for many opportunities for a student to mand (or request) for items or actions.
• Cause and Effect – For early learners, trains offer basic cause and effect play, including rolling a train down the hill, crashing trains, or putting down crossing gates.
• Problem and Solution – When working with more advanced learners, I will have them engage in small play scenarios with me in which each of us is either playing the role of a train or person. For example, I might be a person, and say “Oh no, I missed the train! What am I going to do?” And the student will come up with a solution such as “You have to wait for the next train.” or “Wait, I’ll come back and get you.” When I am working on problem and solution with my students, I engage them with novel problems each time, and once they have mastered offering a solution, I may object to their solution within reason (for example, “I can’t wait for the next train. I’ll be late for school!) and have them offer me a second solution (such as, “You’ll have to call a cab.) I work in New York City, where students are much more familiar with trains and cabs, so this is an appropriate problem and solution scenario for my students, but may not be appropriate if your student is less familiar with such concepts.
• Adjectives – You can introduce adjectives in terms of describing trains, but you can also use trains to demonstrate the adjectives fast and slow.
• Imitation – This is a great way to have students practice imitation in the natural environment. Sometimes I will have trains available for both myself and the student and play a game of “Can your train do this?” Then I will make my train roll across the floor, down hills, under bridges, etc.
• Matching – For some students I do not allow access to the train cars until they have helped me build a track for the trains. I will spread out the different tracks (or for early learners put out an array of 3-8 tracks), then hold up one and ask them to find another one that looks like it. After they have found the correct one, we will put them together. I do not do this for every single track (they may lose their motivation and decide they don’t want to play with trains after all.) But it’s a good context for practicing matching in the natural environment. This is why matching is important after all: So you can find something that you’re looking for!
• Scanning – While the activity described above involves scanning, there are many other points that I may practice scanning with the trains. For instance, I may say that I am looking for the blue train or the stop sign and have the student help me find it. Sometimes as part of the imaginative play story we are creating, I will have a train or person hide (but be partially visible) behind a tree or building, and have the student (or the train or person the student is playing with) find what is hidden.
• Peer Play – You may have the opportunity to play with a typically developing peer or with a sibling. What’s nice about most train sets is that there are so many pieces and most have duplicates, so it’s less likely that a student will get upset about the pieces the other students is playing with. (Unlikely, but as we all know, not impossible!) For early learners, trains may be an opportunity for parallel play.
• Sorting – This is another toy in which students can practice sorting during clean up. I have one bag for the train tracks, another for the houses, another for trees, and so on.

Pros: The positive aspects of trains are simple: they’re highly motivating and there’s a multitude of skills involved in playing with them.

Cons: If you are working with students with autism spectrum disorders, they may have some rote or scripted play with trains that is difficult to break through. Trains may not always be the best place to start with these students if you have access to other toys and items that are equally or more reinforcing for them.

Cost:  The set I have is $49.99 at Lakeshore Learning. Should I buy this? My set is pretty comprehensive and I do highly recommend it. Some students are not as motivated by my set because they are specifically reinforced by Thomas & Friends. This is an important consideration if you are using the trains to work on language skills for early learners. If you are a parent, I think that a train set is a great toy for your child. There are so many activities you can do with it, it is age appropriate, and most sets are pretty sturdy. As a teacher, this is one of those toys that I carry with me almost every where I go.

ABLLS: B8, B18, B19, C34, D1, D2, D20, F3, F5

VB-MAPP: Mand 1, Mand 2, Mand 3, Listener Responding 5, Social Behavior and Social Play 4, Social Behavior and Social Play 5, Motor Imitation 3, Listener Responding 9, Independent Play 6, Motor Imitation 8

Teach Through Games: Bug Trails

Age level: Early Elementary
Description: This is a 6-legged domino game designed for kids ages 6 and up. This is played as a domino game typically is, except that you must match up the colors on all legs touching the bug that’s already been placed on the table. This game is put out by Thinkfun, a company that consistently puts out great games and toys for students.
Skills & Modifications: The primary skill for this game is high-level matching. This is a great game to play with multiple students because you can easily differentiate based on each student’s skill level and/or IEP goals.

• Matching – This game is well-received by typically developing students between 6-8 years old. However, it can be difficult to play as designed with students with autism. For those students who are struggling with matching skills, I have found that this is frustrating for them because while they may be able to match the colors of one leg to another, matching two or more legs to legs of another bug is too difficult. For these students, instead of playing by the rules, I will place two to three options in front of them so they can choose which one would match the bug already placed on the table. In some cases, I may just place one bug and let them figure out how the bug should be oriented to match it to bugs already placed on the table. Another way to practice matching is to set out several bugs and have the students find the bugs with the same faces.
• Scanning – For students working on scanning skills, I will change the game so that it is not a turn-taking game. Instead, I will spread out several bugs with the direction of finding one with two blue legs or one yellow leg. We will then match the bug to one already placed on the table.
• Taking Turns – This is a great game for taking turns, especially if you working with your student on taking turns with more than two players.
• Accepting Losing – This game does have a definitive winner so if you have a student struggling with accepting losing games, it’s a good one for practicing.
• Counting – This is great for preschool students who are learning to count a specified item in a field of items. For example, I will ask the child to count how many blue legs a bug has, with the distractors being the legs of other colors on the bug.
• Seek & Find – To practice this skill, I’ll spread out several bugs on the table and ask the student to find a bug based on a specific characteristic, such as “Find a bug that looks angry” or “show me a bug with two red legs.”
• Identifying Emotions – I love that each bug has a different facial expression. If you’re working with students with autism who have just started to identify basic emotions, this is a great way to test for generalization or use the student’s motivation to look at the bugs as an introduction to emotions. I will typically ask “How does this bug feel?” or “Is this bug angry or happy?”
• Alike & Different – For this skill, I will place two bugs side by side and have the student describe how they are alike and different.
• Intraverbal Skills – The last skill I work on with this game is describing the bug. I will say “Tell me about the bug” and the child can tell me about the colors of each leg, the facial expression, parts of the face, etc.

Pros: As mentioned in the How section, when I’m considering whether or not to buy a game, I look to see if the game has a natural hook. The design of the bugs in this game are a great hook for early elementary students. The kids I’ve introduced this to enjoy looking at and talking about the bugs.
Cons: For students with autism, this may not be the most appropriate game when played as designed. For students struggling with matching skills, this is frequently too high level, while for students ready for higher level matching skills, this game may no longer be age appropriate.
Cost: $14.99 Should I buy this? I think this is a great purchase if you are a classroom teacher or work with multiple students because there are so many skills you can practice with it. If you are a parent, it’s a good purchase if your student would be highly motivated by the bugs.
ABLLS: B3, C16, C24, C38, C47, G13, G22, G42, H40, R3, R4, R5
VB-MAPP: VP-MTS 2, Listener 7, Tact 11, Listener 11, Math 13

Teach Through Apps: Pepi Tree

Age level: Preschool, Early Elementary
Description: I cannot express how much I adore this app. It’s a beautifully designed and simple to use app that practices some basic preschool skills using the animals that all live in the same tree. The music and sound design app is also much better than most of the apps designed for young children, which frequently leaving me frantically searching for a mute button. It opens on an owl sitting in a tree. When your student touches the screen, it goes dark with a spotlight around the finger. The student searches for nocturnal animals in and around the tree, then matches them to their shape once found. After that, the child has an option to move up or down in the tree to discover more animals and activities with a variety of activities at each level. Children get to help a butterfly come out of it’s cocoon, help a spider build it’s web then catch bugs in it, and find the appropriate food for a family of squirrels that live in the tree. I also love that it is a natural conversation-starter for preschool science, and could follow or lead to outdoor activities.
Modifications: This is not an app that is easy to modify without taking control of the screen, which is the antithesis of what this app is created for. Some of the activities could be modified by showing prepared picture prompts of the activity before the student engages in the activity (such as pictures of what a squirrel does eat.)
Skills: Scanning, motor skills, picture comprehension, matching,
Pros: Again, great design. It offers a strong variety of activities and, as mentioned in the description section, it can follow or lead to outdoor activities. There are so few apps that connect science knowledge so well for preschool-aged children. The activities and design are strong enough that kindergarteners or slightly older students with developmental disabilities would still be engaged in the activities. It uses a child’s natural motivation to encourage skills that are difficult to teach for young students with significant delays, and the reinforcement for completing tasks is immediate and strong (such as when the child releases the butterfly from it’s cocoon – the music swells and the child can make the butterfly fly around the screen.) So many apps and other media designed for young children do strange things to “inspire a sense of wonder,” I love that this app inspires wonder about nature in a realistic way.
Cons: I can’t think of a single con.
Cost: $1.99 Should I buy this? If you have a preschooler or teach preschoolers, this is a great purchase.
ABLLS:
VB-MAPP: Listener Responding 5, VP-MTS 1, VP-MTS 5, VP-MTS 6

Teach Through Games: Spot It by Blue Orange

Age level: Early Elementary, Upper Elementary
Description: This is a deck of circular cards that each contain eight symbols. There are five different games you can play with the deck, all of which require matching.
Modifications: I love that this deck of cards has instructions for five different games. As of yet, I have not needed to modify any of the games, other than slowing down the pace of the game for some students. For students performing on a lower level, you can use the cards to have the student tact pictures in an array of 8.
Skills: scanning a field of 8 pictures, matching, taking turns, tacting (labeling) items quickly
Pros: Mid-elementary students tend to be very motivated by this game. The pictures are interesting to look at. The rules of the games are simple, but it is still challenging enough that it won’t be perceived as “babyish” by older elementary students.
Cons: This game can be deceptively difficult. The pictures are not the same size from card to card, so it is sometimes more challenging to find similarities. Also, some of the pictures are not easily identifiable to students who have difficult tacting novel items (i.e., a yin yang)
Cost: $14 Should I buy this? This game is definitely worth the $14. It is not easily reproducible, and it is like getting five games in one.
ABLLS: B7, C5, C17, G4, G13, G23, G24, G25, H16, H17, H18
VB-MAPP: Tact 5M, Tact 6M, Listener 6M, VP-MTS 6M, VP-MTS 8M