2020 Holiday Gift Guide-Game Time!

Winter always means more indoor times and with concerns about another wave of Covid-19 cases as we enter the holiday season, I anticipate people will be spending a lot more time indoors as a family. There are only so many television shows one can binge and I get the sense that people are looking for ways to connect that don’t involve a screen given amount of time people are spending with remote learning and work. Now seems like an ideal time to re-evaluate your game closet and make sure you have some games that will keep the whole family entertained. Below, I share a handful of this year’s favorites. I am excited to have some amazing game suggestions from my colleague, speech therapist Jacki Barredo, that are geared towards older kids and have a speech and language twist to them. I have also tried to add a handful of board games that encourage movement as I think it's so important that no matter what happens with the pandemic, we keep kids active because it is proven that children learn better and are more emotionally balanced when their bodies are given the opportunity to get up and move. 

Wriggleworms-I am a complete sucker for any game that has some kind of grabber to pick up pieces so when I saw this game I was sold. For the little ones on your gift list this year, this is a simple game packed with fun ways to work on developing a variety of skills. The game comes with 20 stretchy worms in 4 colors and 2 different lengths and 20 cards (10 with numbers, 8 critical thinking and 2 size outlines). Kids spin a spinner and they either collect a worm of the same color or the number of worms that they land on. The goal of the game is to be the player to collect the larger number of worms. My favorite part is that they have to use the provided tongs to remove the worms from the game board which is a wonderful way to work on increasing grasp strength and improve manipulation skills. In addition to working on fine motor skills, children learn about colors and size, can practice working on sorting skills, counting and be introduced to early math skills. 

Share And Sparkle Game-The Rainbow Fish is a popular children’s book that teaches children about the importance of being kind, sharing and what it means to be a good friend. In this cooperative, educational game, children must work together to collect all of the Rainbow Fish’s sparkly scales so he can swim in the waves before they reach the shore. Cooperative games are a great way for children or families to learn that there is more to playing a game than winning or losing. In addition to working on improving play skills, children can work on developing fine motor and grasping skills, hand-eye coordination and visual perceptual skills. 

The Color Monster Game-based on one of my favorite children’s books about learning how to identify and understand feelings, The Color Monster game seems to be a much needed resources for young children during these crazy times. Children (and their grownups!) are feeling lot of big feelings and sometimes that can be very confusing. In this collaborative game, children work take turns rolling the dice to move the monster around the board to try and fill up the jars by matching the emotion tokens to the correct colored jar. In order to pick up an emotion coin, children have to share a memory or experience they had with whichever feeling they pick up (Happiness, Sadness, Anger, Fear or Calm). The game is finished when all the correct emotion tokens are in the correct jar. 

Don't Break The Ice-a classic children's game perfect for preschoolers, Don't Break the Ice is a two to four player game where the object is to keep Phillip the Penguin on top of the ice as long as you can while you tap out pieces of ice. Using a little mallet, kids tap out ice pieces but it requires thought and patience to choose a piece that won't make the whole board break. This game is perfect for the little ones in your life who are just starting to learn about turn taking. It also works on developing hand-eye coordination, bilateral coordination and can improve grasping and manipulation skills. 

Pancake Pileup-this game is a huge hit both at my sensory gym and with my kids at The Meeting House. What I love about Pancake Pileup is that you can play it in so many ways depending on your child's goals. This game has been a good one to play on my remote sessions to add a gross motor component. It is traditionally a relay-style game where kids pick a card and then try and be the first to stack their pancakes in the correct order; pancakes are on one end of the room and the plate is on the other. If you have several kids you can do a relay race where one kid picks up the first pancake, hands off the spatula to the next kid and continue until the card is complete. Pancake Pileup is great for working on improving visual perceptual skills, hand-eye coordination, sequencing and executive functioning skills such as focus, attention, organization and regulation skills. Additionally, you can improve gross motor skills by giving the kids physical challenges such as jumping, walking backwards, etc. 

First Orchard-one of the things I am hearing from many of my families is their concerns about their very young children missing out on critical opportunities to socialize and learn early academic skills. I am here to reassure parents of young children that there are so many other ways to support your children during this crazy time and the most important way is through play. If your toddler isn't going to school, collaborative games like First Orchard are great for teaching them about working together, color recognition and early counting skills. Together, children (and their grownups if necessary) work together to pick the fruits from the trees before the raven reaches the end of the path. First Orchard is similar to Hi Ho Cherry O but I am always a big fan of toys/products made from wood for sustainability. In addition to working on the aforementioned skills, First Orchard encourages fine motor and manipulations skill and hand-eye coordination.

Little Red Riding Hood Game-this is a great game to work on problem solving and logical reasoning with preschoolers and young school-age children. The point of the game is to get Little Red Riding Hood to grandma’s house by creating the correct path. There are 48-challenge cards and each one starts with a guide to how to place the pieces (Little Red Riding Hood, grandma’s house, trees and the wolf) on the board and fill in the path using the correct pieces. While they say this is a 1-player game, I think it would be a great game for kids to work on together in order to solve the challenge. In addition to cognitive skills, this game works on improving fine motor, grasping and manipulation skills, improves visual-spatial and perceptual skills and increases executive functioning skills such as focus, attention and organizational skills.

Mr. Mouth-I love when games from my childhood make a comeback and even more happy when said games end up being favorites for the kids that I work with. Mr. Mouth is great for older preschoolers and school-age kids to work on improving hand-eye coordination, visual motor and visual perceptual skills and a great game for working on executive functioning skills such as focus, attention, regulation and organizational skills. Be the first to get all of your bugs into the mouth. Sounds easy but you have to time it just right which can be tricky. For my younger kids who might be getting frustrated, I often let them practice by keeping the mouth open for the first round so they can get used to the game in order to build up their frustration tolerance. 

Kerplunk Sloths-the original Kerplunk (marbles) and Tumblin' Monkeys are two of my favorite games and also longtime favorites at work. When I went searching for the link to those games, I stumbled upon this newer version and obsessed is an understatement. Instead of marbles or monkeys, you have to collect the cutest little plastic sloths you've ever seen! Kids take turns rolling the die and removing the matching color stick. The rules actually say that the person with the least number of sloths at the end is the winner but I often let the child(ren) playing decide if they want to aim to get the most or the least number in order to determine a winner. Kerplunk Sloths works on so many developmental skills including improving fine motor and manipulation skills, improving visual motor and visual perceptual skills, encourages executive functioning skills such as focus, attention, planning and organizational skills. Younger children may need some assistance for set-up but in general, this game is appropriate for pre-school through school-age children. 

Spottington-for those of you who don't know about Eeboo, I highly recommend you get to know them. In addition to beautiful puzzles, pretend play toys and craft supplies, they have some of the most well-made, durable and creative games. I received Spottington in my monthly Sensory TheraPlay box last month and it's been a great game for my school age kids. One of my favorite things about this visual perceptual and visual scanning game is the fact that it comes with 7 double-sided interchangeable game boards so the game is never the same. The rules of the game are quite simple, which is another bonus, which makes it more fun for everyone. People take turns flipping over one of the 250 picture cards and everyone playing races to be the first one to find it. Once you find it, you place your token on it and call out "Spottington". The objects are various sizes and there be others that look similar so it really takes a lot of concentration. This game is great for working on visual motor, visual scanning and visual discrimination skills and improves executive functioning skills such as focus and attention. 

The Floor is Lava-with the recent success of the Netflix show, The Floor is Lava, this has become a game kids have gotten really into. I love this game, especially as we are looking at the possibility of a second round of lockdowns and shelter in place action, because it offers movement opportunities for our kids who are spending so much time on a screen. In this family game players must imagine that the floor is molten hot lava while spinning the color wheel to jump to the right foam pieces. The game comes with 25 different colored "safety stones" and 27 challenge cards. This gross motor game works on jumping, leaping, balance, coordination and motor planning. For younger kids, this could be a really fun way to learn about colors. 

Turtle Steps-another gross motor game that can be played indoors or outdoors. Kids who have gross motor delays often want to avoid movement at all costs possible so being able to do it through game can be a game changer for them. Turtle Steps works on balance, coordination and concentration and is appropriate for children 3 years and older. The game includes 3 large and 3 medium-sized turtle shell stepping stones, 24 activity cards with turtle facts and alternative ways to play the game. Through obstacle courses and challenges, kids can work on jumping, coordination and increasing body strength. Play by the rules it comes with or create your own game using the turtle shells. For those of you worried about space, the shells easily stack as to not take up too much space. Gross motor development and movement is important for building confidence, self-esteem and helps with children learning. During these crazy times where so many kids are doing remote school, it's so important that we provide as many opportunities for movement that we can. 

Boochie-another movement game that the whole family can enjoy indoors or outdoors. The first part of the game is to toss out the Boochie target and then try to land your ball and as close as possible. Kids will love that they get to keep score on the special wrist tracker that the game comes with that will throw out different throwing challenges each round. Kids may have to toss between their legs, behind their back, with their eyes closed and so much more. In addition to getting kids up and moving while they may be stuck inside this winter, it works on improving a variety of gross motor skills such as hand-eye coordination, balance, endurance, throwing skills and so much more. 

Sushi Go-one of my clients recommended this game to me and I am obsessed with it now. I actually just picked up my second game to play at home with my husband and daughter! This pick and pass card game is fast-paced and requires strategy and good planning. Each player gets 10 cards and is trying to score the most points by collecting and making a variety of sushi rolls. Sounds easy, but it gets tricky because you keep passing your cards between players who might end up taking the card that you need. This is great for older children who are working on executive functioning skills such as focus, attention and organization. It's also a great way to sneak in some additional math practice for your kids! 

Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza-this game recommendation comes from speech therapist extraordinaire, Jacki Barredo. I’m a huge fan of card games because they are easy to store and can easily be taken on the go to keep your kids entertained and this definitely fits that requirement. Pass out all of the cards to all the players and take turns flipping your cards over while saying taco, cat, goat, cheese, pizza (in that order). When the card and the word match, players race to slap the cards and the winner takes the pile. Be sure to keep your eyes open for three special action cards. This is definitely for older children on your gift list and great for working on sequencing, organization, focus, attention and really great for working on regulatory skills. 

Hearing Things-another recommendation from my speech therapist colleague, Jacki Barredo, geared towards older children (10 and older). After the online viral "whisper challenge" sensation, Hasbro created this game. One player puts on a pair of speech-cancelling electronic headphones and the other player is required to say the random phrases on the card. The player only earns the card if they correctly figure out what the other one was saying.

Buildzi-one of my absolute favorite games, and has been for years, is the dice game Tenzi. It’s been a favorite for my kids and has been on my gift guide for years. As I have spent the last few months trying to freshen up my game selection, I stumbled on Buildzi and had to test it out immediately. It has quickly become a favorite of my kids, particularly my older children. One of the things that I love about this companies games is that they all have more than one way to play it making it less likely your child will become bored with it. When playing Tower Buildzi, kids have to look at a card and replicate the tower on the card; this can be done individually or against a friend to see who can build it the fastest without it falling down. When playing Block Card Buildzi, each player gets 8 cards with different shapes and they have to build a sturdy tower using the random shapes.
Buildzi is amazing for working on developing a variety of visual skills such as visual motor, visual perceptual, visual discrimination and visual tracking skills. It also works on improving executive functioning skills such as focus, attention, organization and improving frustration tolerance. If you have a child who has difficulty with teamwork, this is a great game, particularly the Block Card version, to work together with a sibling or a peer to strategize the best way to build a tower. 

Rummy Tile Board Game-Rummikub is a favorite game amongst many of my family and friends. Whenever my sister comes to visit (remember when one could freely travel???), we spend hours playing it. While I have the original version, I thought this version would be more appealing to kids. Rummy Tile Board is a great game for older children who need to work on developing or improving their executive functioning skills. Kids have to take turns placing numbered tiles in runs (4, 5, 6 and so on) or in groups (same numbers, different colors). The first person to use all of their tiles wins. This fast-paced game works on sequencing, pattern recognition, focus, attention and organizational skills. Like many of the more complicated games I introduce my kids to, I always play the first few rounds together so I can make sure they truly understand the rules and answer any questions they might have. I find that this builds their confidence and motivates them to try something that may be tricky for them. 

Morphy-another one of my favorite games for the older kids on my caseload. The goal of the game is to collect the most number of discs by finding a disc with that is different by one quality. The game comes with 60 discs that have a color, pattern and a center circle hole that varies in size. Start with a green disc with stripes and a large center circle and you can move it to an orange disc with stripes and a large center circle or to a green disc with dots and a large center circle. Morphy is a fast-paced game that works on improving visual motor and visual perceptual skills, visual discrimination, visual tracking, pattern recognition, sequencing and improves executive functioning skills such as focus, attention, organization and self-monitoring. 

I had so much fun putting this game gift guide together. As I have already said, parents are looking for as many opportunities to get their kids off of a screen and what's better than getting the family together to play games. I worked really hard to find games that grown-ups would enjoy playing and not just feel obligated to. There are so many great games out there but it can be really hard to sift through them all. One of the things that I was mindful about with this list is that a variety of skills could be worked on when playing them. 

I highly recommend going to your local toy-stores and see what they have; they are often a wealth of information and know what is most popular. Some of my favorite local toy-stores that have an amazing selection here in the New York City area are Lulu's Cuts and Toys in Park Slope, Little Things Toy Store in Park Slope, Stationery and Toy Store on the Upper West Side, Mary Arnold Toys on the Upper East Side and Fun Stuff Toys on Long Island. While it's always been important to shop local and small businesses, they are really relying on it this holiday season. 

There are so many more games out there and if you are looking for something specific for your child or someone you are looking to buy for this year, I'd be happy to help you find the perfect game. I am only a click away and love hearing from you all. Also, if you have any game suggestions, please send them my way! I am always looking for new games for work and home. 

2019 Holiday Gift Guide-Building Toys and Manipulatives

In today's gift guide, I share some of my favorite building and manipulative toys for children of all ages. Some are intended for a particular age group, while others can grow with your children from toddlers to tweens. I tried to share as many open-ended building toys as I could because I think the importance of this type of play is critical to child development. Open-ended play allows for children to be in control of their materials which encourages creativity, imagination and executive functioning skills. It also has been proven to help children with their cognitive development. In a time when children are being told what to do and how to do it more often than not, I think it is important for us to provide them the opportunities at home/during play to feel more in control.



Lalaboom Popbeads-we all know about the traditional plastic snap lock beads from Fisher-Price that have been around for as long as I can remember. They have been a staple in my OT tool box since I began working, especially with my younger kids. During one of my Fat Brain Toys website searches, I stumbled upon the Lalaboom Popbeads and was an immediate fan. I quickly became obsessed by how they took an already awesome toy and made them even more awesome. This set of 48 snap and twist-together beads work on developing fine motor, grasping and bilateral coordination skills, improve visual motor and perceptual skills while introducing kids to a variety of sensory experiences. The beads are interchangeable by twisting them apart, finding two sides you like and putting them back together.

Elemenosqueeze Blocks-these are a great first set of blocks for your baby as young as 6 month old. There are 26 animal themed blocks, 1 animal for each letter of the alphabet. Since they are BPA free, you don't have to be worried if a teething baby/toddler chews on them.  They are all different shapes and have different textures on each of them. I love that these can grow with your child by using them for different reasons throughout their development. As a baby, they can learn how to grasp and manipulate blocks. As they get older, they learn how to stack and build and as a preschooler, they can be used to teach your kids the letters of the alphabet. Kids of all ages can work on developing grasping, fine motor and manipulation skills, improve bilateral and hand-eye coordination and improve visual motor and perceptual skills while encouraging creativity.





Popoids-I've had these on the shelves at my gym for years and they are a constant favorite with the kids (and me). This set from Romper Room comes with 60 colored mini poptubes and different kinds of connectors and encourages creativity and imagination. This open-ended building set comes with suggestions on things you can make but they really are an invitation to create whatever comes to mind. Popoids are great for working on developing fine motor and grasping skills, increased grasp strength and manipulation skills, encourages bilateral coordination and works on developing hand-eye coordination, visual motor and visual perceptual skills all while encouraging creativity and imagination.




Squigz 2.0-I have been obsessed with all things Squigz since they first came out years ago and didn't think they could get any better until I saw Squigz 2.0. Essentially the same concept as the originals but these have the ability to stick to each other in more ways because of the new design. This 36-piece set comes with a variety of new shapes and are great for teaching young children about colors. Additionally, they work on developing fine motor, grasping and manipulation skills and improves bilateral coordination and hand-eye coordination skills while also encouraging creativity and imagination skills. These can be used on a variety of surfaces including the bathtub, walls, windows, mirrors and so much more. Easy to throw in a bag to keep kids entertained while at a restaurant, in the car or waiting for appointments.

Bristle Blocks Stackadoos-another great open-ended building set from B. Toys, this set is recommended for kids 2 years and older but can definitely be used with younger children who are being supervised by an adult. These chunky, soft pieces are easy to connect and offer a multi-sensory experience for little hands. This set comes with 68 assorted colored and shaped bristle blocks and a booklet with building ideas that can be stored in the sturdy jar that they come in. Great for working on developing fine motor, grasping and manipulation skills, increasing grasp strength, improves bilateral, hand-eye coordination, visual motor and visual perceptual skills and encourages creativity and imagination.





MagnaTiles-another staple to my holiday gift guide. MagnaTiles are pricey but worth the investment and will last you for a lifetime. My daughter is almost 10 years old and we still have her original set of MagnaTiles and are still in perfect condition. She may not use them as much but they are pulled out from time to time. MagnaTiles are also a huge hit with my kids in my social skills group and are a great tool to encourage creativity and imagination skills while also working on developing fine motor, grasping and manipulation skills and improves bilateral coordination and hand-eye coordination. I like to have my kids at work use different characters and work together to build something for them to then play with the dolls. For example, I have seen kids use them to build a castle for the Disney Princess Magic Clip Dolls. It's so fun to watch them not only create together, but then come up with a story for the princesses. One thing I was excited to learn was that in 2020 they will be releasing a series of new products that will have images on them that will encourage them to build different structures.

Way To Play City Speedway Set-totally love this collaboration by Way To Play and Candylab. If you have a transportation lover in your life, this is the perfect gift. I have used the Way To Play road pieces with the kids in my social skills group and they loved them. It was so fun to see how they would work together to put their road together, adding twist and turns and then take cars for a ride. This particular set comes with 12 Road Pieces that can be connected to make a closed loop and 2 Candylab Race Cars. This open-ended set is great for working on improving fine motor, grasping and manipulation skills, improves bilateral and hand-eye coordination and works on developing executive functioning skills such as focus, attention, planning and organization. And as previously mentioned, this is a great building set to work on encouraging social skills such as teamwork, flexibility and working with other people's ideas.



Build It Blueprint Puzzles-in these clever puzzles, children get to build a structure by following the blueprint. On one side of the puzzle there is a blueprint image and on the other is the exterior of what they are building (doghouse, birdhouse, a cabin or barn). The chunky pieces are great for little hands. I like that kids work on developing bilateral and hand-eye coordination skills while also working on improving visual motor and visual perceptual skills. While putting the pieces together, they are also working on increasing grasp strength and manipulation skills. Another great feature is that once they are done, the can take it apart and store the pieces in the board.






People Blocks-I have been a longtime fan of magnetic blocks, especially for younger children who have developmental delays. This cute set from People Blocks is intended for children starting at the age of 18 months. The way in which children will interact with these blocks will expand over the years. This open-ended building toy works on developing fine motor, grasping and manipulation skills, improves hand-eye and bilateral coordination skills and encourages problem solving, creativity and imagination.





Design and Drill My First Workbench-I am obsessed with this workbench from Educational Insights! It makes a great gift for kids as young as 3 years old and I can say through experience that kids as old as 6 and 7 still enjoy playing with some of my other Design and Drill sets. This workbench (which comes in two different color choices) includes an electric bolt driver, a hammer, 60 bolts and 60 nails in a variety of colors and a guide that includes 10 different patterns all which can be stored in the built-in drawer under the work area. This is great for working on improving fine motor, grasping and manipulation skills, increases grasp strength, improves hand-eye and bilateral coordination skills and encourages focus, attention, planning and organizational and task completion.

Design and Drill Space Circuits-this STEM set from Educational Insights is the perfect set to introduce children as young as 5 to basic engineering. Kids can use the battery operated drill (which they absolutely love doing) to complete 20 space-themed, circuit building challenges that lights, spinning simple motors and more. I have had other of the Design and Drill sets and my kids just can't get enough of using the drill to screw in the bolts. I love how this works on developing executive functioning skills such as focus, attention, problem solving, organization and task completion while also working on improving grasping, fine motor and manipulation skills and encourages bilateral and hand-eye coordination skills.




Straws and Connectors Building Sets-this simple open-ended building toys have been a staple in my social skills for years and I am always amazed at what the kids will build, especially when they are working together. This set comes with 750 straws, connectors and wheels in 4 different colors, an idea book and a sturdy storage container to keep everything contained. The straws are completely flexible so they can make curves for whatever your children decide to build. Straws and Connectors is great for encouraging creativity and imagination skills while also working on developing fine motor, grasping and manipulation skills, improves hand-eye and bilateral coordination skills, improves visual motor and visual perceptual skills and works on developing executive functioning skills such as motor planning, organization and task completion.


Bamboo Builder Marble Run-this is another one of those items I would consider an investment piece that your children will use for years and years. There are a variety of sets to choose from and all can be used with each other. Kids can follow along with the book or make their own design. The kits come with a variety of hand-crafted carbonized tracks, bamboo cylinders, and wooden spirals that connect to each other. Some sets even come with special pieces that make music as the marble goes flying down the tracks. Kids can work on improving fine motor, grasping and manipulation skills, improve hand-eye and bilateral coordination skills and work on visual motor and visual perceptual skills when playing with the marble run. This is also a great activity for kids to work on together and collaborate on what to build, take turns adding pieces and be able to be flexible and take ideas from others.




Young Architect House Designer Set-this is a great activity set for kids 8 and older and introduces kids to the world of architecture. Kids get to build their own 3-D house using acrylic walls, corner blocks, tracing paper and a handful of other tools. Kids can make their own floor plan, including figuring out where furniture should go. Great for working on improving graphomotor skills, improves visual motor and visual perceptual skills and works on executive functioning skills such as focus, attention, organization, problem solving and task completion.








Jixelz-these small and colorful-jigsaw shaped building pieces are definitely intended for older children who don't have significant fine-motor delays. There are a variety of sets to choose from including, but not limited to, animals, robots and mythical creatures. Kids can use the templates to create something or use their imagination and create something of their own. They can work on improving fine motor, grasping and in-hand manipulation skills, increases grasp strength, improves hand-eye coordination, visual motor and visual perceptual skills and works on developing executive functioning skills such as focus, attention, planning, organization and task completion.






Plus Plus Blocks-another open-ended building set that encourages creativity and imagination skills in children of all ages. These manipulative toys are awesome for working on developing fine motor, grasping and manipulation skills while encouraging creativity and imagination and working on executive functioning skills such as focus, attention, planning and organizational skills. There are several sets to choose from, including different size Plus Plus Blocks for younger and older children. In my Small Gifts/Stocking Stuffer Gift Guide, I recommended the tubes for on-the-go fun but here I recommend the larger sets that come with a baseplates for some more advanced building opportunities.





Engino Discovery Stem Kits-looking for something for some of the older kids on your list? This STEM set is a great option as it can be used to build 50 unique motorized machines, from race cars and motorcycles to bouncing mechanical creatures. Kids snap pieces together and turn things into moving objects. Great for working on improving fine motor, grasping and manipulation skills, encourages hand-eye and bilateral coordination, improves visual motor and visual perceptual skills and works on developing executive functioning skills such as focus, attention, planning, organization. While the set comes with directions for 4 models, you can go online to find the directions for 46 others.





There are so many great building toys out there that help children develop a crazy number of developmental skills. It was hard to weed out my favorites, especially since there are so many new things hitting the shelves each year. One of the things I did try and do were find things that could last a bit longer and could grow with your child. If you are looking for something a bit more specific for your child, don't hesitate reaching out to me. I am only a click away and love hearing from you all. Also, if you have building sets and manipulative toys that you think are fabulous, please send along! Not only am I always interested to hear what is out there, I know my readers are as well.

Game Time!

This part of my Holiday Gift Guide focuses on games.  Some of these games make my list each and every year but many are new this year.  I even consulted with one of my favorite speech therapists who made some great suggestions that were included this year.

When looking for games, I try and look for a few things.  The most important thing is that they are motivating games that the kids will enjoy playing.  I also try and find games that will help meet occupational therapy goals, such as improving fine motor or visual motor/perceptual skills.  I love to find games that can be adapted for children of different ages and skill sets.  This year, I have included a bunch of collaborative games....games that kids work as a team in order to accomplish a mission.  I had such fun putting this list together.  Check out my favorite games below!


Burger Mania-because I am a total OT nerd, I am a complete sucker for any game that comes with a pair of chopsticks or tweezers.  I was in Toys "R" Us the other night and stumbled upon Burger Mania and knew it had to be part of game collection at work.  It's only been a couple of days but every single one of the kids I worked with after and my own daughter  can't get enough of this game. The game comes with a working conveyer belt, the ingredients needed to make burgers, tiny plates, tweezers and cards with pictures of different kinds of burgers that need to be made.  Burgers are made by grabbing the ingredients with tweezers!!  Whoever makes the most burgers is the winner.  There are 3-different speed levels so that the conveyer belt moves faster to make it more challenging as the kids master the game.  Great for working on improving fine motor skills such as grasp strength and manipulation skills, improves hand-eye coordination, visual motor and visual perceptual skills and works on improving executive functioning skills like focus, attention, organization and motor planning. 
*one of the things I have done to make it easier for some of my younger kids is to have them just make burgers in the order in which you put the ingredients in their storage spots.  They are still working on all of the aforementioned goals, but you are taking away the difficulty of following the game cards.

What Letter Do I Start With-I know a game is good when my daughter doesn't want me to take it to work with me.  I was surprised because she usually doesn't feel that way about educational games!  This game is perfect for emerging readers but will entertain older children as well. The point of the game is simple:  be the first to find an object on the board that starts with the letter on the card flipped over.  Kids have to scan the board, find a matching picture and place their color token on the picture.  The first person to get rid of all 10 of their tokens is the winner.  This is a fast-paced game that works on letter recognition, visual motor and visual perceptual skills, hand-eye coordination, improves fine motor skills and helps with improving focus, attention and organizational skills.
*whenever possible, I like to work on other goals when playing games with the kids.  When playing What Letter Do I Start With with some of my older kids, I will practice handwriting by having them write the name of the object that they found.

Perfection-I've had this game in my closet since I began working as an OT approximately a million years ago ;) and was really bummed when they stopped making the 25-piece game and replaced it with a smaller 9-shape game.  Maybe it was all my complaining, but you can now find the original 25-piece game in stores again and I couldn't be more happy.  For those of you who don't know the game, Perfection is a beat the clock game where you try and match all the shapes before the timer goes off and the board pops up and the shapes go flying.  It's a great game for working on improving visual motor and visual perceptual skills, improves fine motor skills such as grasping and in-hand manipulation skills and works on improving focus, attention and organizational skills.
*some of the adaptations I make while playing the game is to hide the pieces in putty and have the kids find them; this works on increasing grasp strength.  For some of my kids, the idea of a timer stresses them out so I will start it after they put a certain number of pieces in.

Tumbling  Monkeys-this is another game that continues to make my list year after year because it continues to be a hit with my kids at work.  This game is similar to Kerplunk, but instead of marbles, there are monkeys.  Once you put the tree together (a great fine motor activity!), kids roll the dice and pull out the stick of the same color and see what happens.  While the rules of the game say that the winner is the person with the fewest monkeys I play so they have to rescue as many of them as possible.  This is particularly helpful with the younger kids I work with who don't have the clinical reasoning and understanding quite yet.  In addition to being great for working on developing grasping skills, it also works on improving hand-eye coordination, visual motor and perceptual skills and can work on improving executive functioning skills like focus, attention, organization and planning skills.
*one way I adapt this game is  having the kids use Zoo Sticks to pull the sticks out of the game instead of their fingers.  It's a nice way to sneak in some hand strengthening in while having some fun!

Getting Ready to Write Gumball Grab-this is a great game for preschoolers.  Kids can practice sorting and matching skills while building up the strength in their hands using the special grabbers (you know how I feel about games that come with any kind of tweezer/grabbers/etc!).  Gumball Grab comes with a bubble gum machine, 4 game boards, different colored "gumballs", cards and grabbers.  Each card has directions to either add or remove gumballs to their game board.  The first person to fill their gumball machine is the winner.  In addition to working on improving grasp strength and manipulation skills, this game is great for working on improving hand-eye coordination, visual motor and visual perceptual skills, motor planning and organizational skills and improved focus and attention.  It also is a nice way to introduce kids to colors and numbers.
*for the really young kids, I remove the cards that have them take gumballs off of their board so they can be more successful and also helps move the game along a little quicker for those kids who have difficulty with focus and attention.

Silly Street-I love finding games that throw in some gross motor activities, especially for the younger kids I work with. I have found that adding movement to games helps improve focus, attention and organizational skills.  There are so many things about this game but it starts with the game set-up: you have to put together a giant 6-piece puzzle! Kids flip over cards with different kinds of directions on them; it can be to find something on the board, do a silly gross motor activity and several other kinds of challenges.  The people who created Silly Street had a goal of helping kids develop a variety of skills including social skills, communication skills, creativity, resilience and confidence.  Additionally, it works on improving fine motor skills, visual motor and perceptual skills, motor planning and organizational skills and focus and attentional skills.  When I used this in my social skills group, I had the kids work in groups of 2 to also work on encouraging teamwork while playing a game.
*I truly love this game but found it hard to follow the "street" on the game board.  I resolved that by taking a thick black Sharpie marker and outlining the street making it easier for the kids to follow.

Animal Act-A Silly Street Character-Builder Game-it's not an unusual thing for me to buy several games by the same game makers because if one is a hit, it's pretty likely the other one will be a hit as well.  Animal Act is from the makers of Silly Street (recommended above) and combines verbal and physical communication and encourages bravery and creativity while playing.  Kids roll the die and draw a card and then given some kind of challenge:  they may need to act, sing, mime to their audience....if the audience guesses correctly, you earn a ticket.  Kids move around the gameboard collecting tickets to fill their playbill.  The first player to fill their playbill is the winner.  In addition to all the aforementioned goals of the game, kids can work on improving motor planning, organizational skills, problem solving and increasing overall body strength.

Dr. Seuss Thing Two and Thing One Whirly Fun Game-who doesn't love Dr. Seuss and all of his characters??  This is a great collaborative game for younger children.  Kids work together to clean up a mess before their mother gets home. The game starts by launching a top into the living room.  Kids take turn picking cards and following the action shown.  The game ends as soon as mother reaches the last space .  If all the furniture is on a spot, the players win.  Great for working on hand-eye coordination, visual motor and visual perceptual skills, improves fine motor and manipulation skills and improves focus and attention.  I like that there are also physical challenges mixed in with the cards so kids can work on improving gross motor skills, motor planning and organizational skills. 

Yeti In My Spaghetti-another one of those simple games that quickly become a favorite of mine and the kids.  The game consists of a bowl, a plastic yeti and a bunch of pieces of plastic spaghetti.  Place the spaghetti pieces over the bowl, put the yeti on top and start playing.  The goal of the game:  take a piece of spaghetti off without letting the yeti fall into the bowl.  Great for working on improving grasping and manipulation skills, hand-eye coordination, motor planning and organizational skills and focus and attentional skills.
*I like to throw in a dice so the kids roll the dice and then have to take however many pieces they roll.  I also will have them try and remove the spaghetti pieces using kids chopsticks to work on improving grasp strength while playing.

Getting Ready to Write Gumball Grab-this is a great game for preschoolers.  Kids can practice sorting and matching skills while building up the strength in their hands using the special grabbers (you know how I feel about games that come with any kind of tweezer/grabbers/etc!).  Gumball Grab comes with a bubble gum machine, 4 game boards, different colored "gumballs", cards and grabbers.  Each card has directions to either add or remove gumballs to their game board.  The first person to fill their gumball machine is the winner.  In addition to working on improving grasp strength and manipulation skills, this game is great for working on improving hand-eye coordination, visual motor and visual perceptual skills, motor planning and organizational skills and improved focus and attention.  It also is a nice way to introduce kids to colors and numbers.
*for the really young kids, I remove the cards that have them take gumballs off of their board so they can be more successful and also helps move the game along a little quicker for those kids who have difficulty with focus and attention.

Last Letter-another game for the older crowd (suggested age is 8 and older).  In this card game, you have to come up and shout out a word from one of the picture cards that you are holding.  Sounds easy, right?  This is where it gets tricky....the word that you call out must start with the last letter of the word that was previously said.  The first person to get rid of all of their cards wins the game.
*if you are playing this 1:1 in a therapy session, you can add a handwriting challenge to the game and have them write out the words after they should the word out. 

Mole Rats In Space-for my social skills group, I like to find games for the kids to play that will not only be fun but may also encourage them to work together to win a game.  Often times, the kids I work with are so competitive and not good about winning OR losing so finding collaborative games helps develop important social skills.  Peaceable Kingdom has a ton of great these kinds of games to choose from.  In Mole Rats In Space, kids work together to collect equipment and escape the station before you're bitten by a snake or time runs out. Kids flip over cards and have to follow the directions:  they may need to move you or your teammate, move snakes around or add a new snake to the board.  Avoid getting bitten by a snake and having to return to start or even worse.  This game is geared towards older children (7 and older) and could be a great addition to a family game collection.  Great for working on improving focus, attention and organizational skills, motor planning and working as a team to accomplish a goal.

Cauldron Quest-another collaborative game by Peaceable Kingdom.  The purpose of this game is to work with your teammates to create a potion to break the spell.  Find the hidden ingredients before the wizard blocks all of the paths and you all win.  Great game for working on improving social skills, problem solving, organizational skills and focus/attentional skills.  Additionally, kids can work on improving fine motor skills such as grasping skills and improves visual motor and visual perceptual skills.  

Crazy Letters-another fun game the whole family could enjoy.  Crazy Letters from MindWare is a fast-paced word game where players try and be the first to figure out what the word on the card is supposed to be.  The word may be written backwards, letters may be flipped upside down or on their side.  There are no extra letters in the word and the letters are in the correct order (not scrambled).  The first person to collect 20 cards is the winner.  There are over 500 cards with a variety of categories; player rolls the dice to determine what category they take. This game is great for working on focus and attention, organizational skills, improves visual motor and visual perceptual skills
*if you are using this therapeutically, you can have the players work on handwriting skills by having them write the words out as they are playing.

It was really hard to not include a dozen more games in this list!  There are just so many great games out there these days.  Does your family have a favorite game?  I would love to hear what games others are playing these days.  If you are looking for a specific kind of game or would like some suggestions for your children, I would be more than happy to help you out.  I am only a click away and love hearing from you all!