Fun Games for Therapy!

We all love a good game during therapy. A lot of times, my students come in and ask what game we're playing today! And, let's be honest, that makes therapy go by A LOT faster for us, too! There are some old standbys that I love like Candyland, Trouble, and Guess Who. But here are a few less commonly used games that I have had great success using:

1.) Perfection (affiliate link): This game is great because the whole point of it is to complete it as quickly as you can - so it doesn't take up much therapy time. The students have to match as many pieces as they can into the grid before the time runs out. The only downside: SO MANY small pieces! I'd recommend using it with 2nd grade and older so you don't spend the whole time picking up small pieces off the floor. 

2.) Hot Potato (affiliate link): I found this stuffed hot potato in my parent's basement while we were getting ready for a yard sale. And it has been a HIT! The potato itself plays the music. Whoever has it when it stops, has to do 10 trials while everyone else only has to do 5. 

3.) Robber: A former colleague of mine actually showed me this game. It is super easy and the kids LOVE it! Just grab some fake money from the dollar tree and write the word ROBBER on a few of the pieces. Put all of them in a container. The students take turns drawing a piece of money (after practicing their target skill a few times, of course!). If they get regular money, they get to keep it. If they get ROBBER money, they have to put ALL their money back in the jar. Whoever has the most money at the end of the session wins. You can decide the winner by counting the pieces of money or by counting the value of the money - depending on the age level of the students. I have found that this game works great for Pre-K to 5th grade! How awesome is that?!

4.) Don't Break the Ice (affiliate link) is another winner in my book. I've found that my Pre-K through 3rd grade friends really seem to enjoy this game the most. We take turns practicing our target and then knocking out a piece of ice. 

5.) Jenga (affiliate link): This one is great for my upper elementary friends. You can read my blog post here about how I modify this game for various targets. There is even a freebie for conversation Jenga you can access from that post! 

6.) Cootie (affiliate link): Another good one for my elementary aged friends. I have the students roll the dice and see what number they get. They have to practice their targets that many times before they get to take the piece for their bug. The downfall is that they often don't get the game completed in some of my shorter therapy sessions. I'd save this one for your 20+ minute sessions.

7.) Ants in the Pants is another good one, but I prefer to use my Frog Hop game instead during therapy. It's a little bit different, but the same concept. I also find that my students are more successful with hitting the target during the Frog Hop game, making them less likely to become frustrated. You can check out my blog post to see how I made it!

And those are my favorites for therapy! What are some of your favorite games?!