April is here, so you can certainly expect unpredictable weather and rain showers. Not sure what to do with your children when you are stuck inside on a rainy day? Take a break from video games, iPads, and watching tv to incorporate some fun board games into their day! Board games are great for family fun, social skills, executive functioning, and visual/fine motor skills. If you are looking for some new board games to add to your collection, here are some OT-approved ones to try:

1.) Hoppy Floppy’s Happy Hunt: This is a perfect spring-themed game to play with preschool and children around kindergarten age. The players spin the spinner and follow the directions based on what color/picture it lands on. The bunny serves as a pair of tongs, that the players must manipulate to collect the small carrots and transfer them into their baskets. The object of the game is to collect all 4 colors of carrots. 

Age range: 3+                Players: 2-4

Skills targeted: hand strengthening, open web space, visual motor coordination, visual perceptual skills, motor control, color identification, and counting. 

2.) Robot Face Race: The board is filled with dozens of unique robots, and you must race your opponents to find the perfect match. Shake the randomizer to get the colors of 4 features (face, eyes, nose, mouth) and be the first to scan the board and find the one robot with the matching features.  If you are the first player to find the matching robot you get a token and earning 5 tokens wins the game!

Age: 4+                          Number of Players: 2-4

Skills targeted: visual scanning, visual discrimination, sustained attention, cooperative play, & turn taking.

3.) Sturdy Birdy: Help Reggie the Pigeon audition for the circus by completing balance acts. The player will roll both dice together to identify what pose to hold and for how many seconds. Hold the pose for the correct amount of time while balancing your seed bag on your head, shoulder, foot, or hand. Your opponents will count out loud for you. Try and conquer all 12 pigeon poses. 

Age: 5+                    Number of players: 2-4

Skills targeted: balance, visual motor coordination, motor planning, strength, auditory processing.

4.) Gravity Maze: This is a fun challenge for older children who enjoy brain logic games and construction/building activities. The 60 challenge cards range from beginner to expert levels. The child can play solo or work as a team to solve how to build a path with towers to get the marble to successfully travel from the start to the end. If the child is feeling creative, they can also create their own path with the towers.

Age: 8+                         Number of Players: 1+

Skills targeted: visual perceptual, visual spatial, problem solving, fine motor coordination, sequencing, and pressure grading skills.

Looking for even more things to do on rainy days? Try some of these speech and language-building board games or indoor movement activities featured on our blog!

 

Written by Brianne Griffin, MOT, OTR/L