Games, Games, Games

This is the first year I've not had to travel from one school to another.  As a result, many of my favorite games are small and portable.  I thought I'd post about some of my favorites since I know many of you are still traveling and and need to consider weight limits!

Lunch box games by Fundex are loads of fun.  They have simple rules, and typical turns go quickly because they don't involve strategic thinking.  The games are stored in small tins, but most are comprised of a card deck that can be removed from the tin and made smaller, or the plastic bit can be removed from the tin and multiple things can be on the same tin.

There are more lunchbox games than these, but this is what I have.  My students love playing these.

You can easily remove the plastic and have a standard card deck to play and travel with.

Next up is a Cranium Bingo game - Bingo Bunch.  I have 2 complete sets that fit into a sandwich sized plastic baggie.  The game itself is great as a reinforcer for students since they can turn over bingo cards on their turns, and other students turns if they are paying attention/being respectful.  In a 25 minute therapy session, we usually play for blackout.  Additionally, it can be used to compare and contrast the difference kinds of people.

Bingo cards are arranged in a 4x4 grid and turned over when gotten.  This way you don't have to manage locations of bingo chips.

One thing I caution with this game is that you might want to shellac the dice since the little faces and bodies have a tendency to wear off over time.  If you have fidgety kids who like to rub and handle the dice, you'll want to confiscate them after each turn.  

If students roll a star on the dice then they just have to match either the head or the body.

 

The dice are a great way to call bingo points - I don't do a lot of bingo because it can be difficult to manage calling.  This is a great way to do it, and that way my kids get to play a game they love.

The last game is a new thrift store find, Feed the Kitty.  Once you have the game, you can fit the bowl, mice and dice into a baggie and leave the box behind.  Kids get 6-8 mice to start with and the point of the game is to get rid of them.  They roll two dice on their turns and then determine if they put one in the food bowl, take one out, do nothing or give one the the person on their left.  I've used it to reinforce Left and Right with some students, and you can easily switch the left rule, to pass right for different sessions.

The bowl can hold all the mice and the dice.  It's about 1/2 the size of the inside of the box.

Some of my students don't like the idea of feeding mice to the cat, and others do it gleefully, so some groups have mice and others have mouse-shaped cat treats.

Spot It is on it's way to me from Amazon right now and I've played it before so I know it's a great portable game.  There are lots of educational variations of that game too!

What are your favorite traveling games?