Games Can Be Fantastic Therapy Tools...

Dec 31, 2012 by

Games Can Be Fantastic Therapy Tools

I have always said that I can turn or modify any game into an educational experience.  Me at my advanced years was thinking only about board games.  Over the years I’ve been able to teach almost every single language skill through conventional games.  Unfortunately, those days are numbered because it’s hard to collect data when your having fun. I was extremely pleased when I came across this article on Geekslp.com  Angry Birds Educational Tool.  This article truly validates what I already know.  I am so glad the younger generation of SLP’s are able to see the value of games in learning.  I love angry birds but never even thought to bring it into my therapy as a tool but I have used it as a reward.  Why I never thought of this I don’t know. ...

read more

Gaming in Education

Jun 29, 2012 by

Knowing that I am interested in modifying games to fit a child’s needs, A friend sent me this link. Game-Based Learning to Teach and Assess 21st Century Skills  While I agree with most of what Andrew Miller has to say I think there are some key points that need to be questioned.  First a skilled teacher is needed to determine the proper balance between gaming and other methods of teaching to maximize learning, otherwise splinter skills are inevitable .  Second, as far as I know students are not going to be playing games in college for grades or in the work place for evaluations.  They need to understand this and realize that the rules and methods will change in those settings.  Students will be set up for failure if they believe playing angry birds...

read more

20 Questions for Kids-Modify that Game...

Apr 12, 2012 by

20 Questions for Kids is another one of my top games in therapy. The cards that come with this game are a speech and language therapist’s dream come true. Put out by University Games, should really be called 20 clues. I will use it for a whole session or for quick 5 minute filler. The Original Rules: To be honest I never really followed the rules and it has been a long time since I have read the original rules. Each card gives 20 clues about a person (real or fictional), place or thing. The children take turns listening to the clues and try to guess the target word. To keep track of which clues are read, chips cover individual spots numbered one to twenty. The game board is a path in the shape of...

read more

Blurt-Modify that Game

Apr 12, 2012 by

Blurt is my absolute favorite game to use in therapy. I have actually worn out 2 game boards over the years. We play it a lot at home too.The Original Rules:Blurt is advertised as a “Game of Word Racing”. The general idea is to be the first to Blurt out the correct answer after a general description. Players take turns reading the descriptions or one person becomes reader. To start someone rolls the dice. The number on the die determines which description to read and how many spaces the first person to Blurt out the answer will move. The player who moves their piece around the board first is the winner. Skills Targeted: Word Retrieval, Pragmatic skills, Auditory Comprehension Modified Way to Play: I take control of the dice just to save time When working...

read more