The game, for up to 4 players, includes acorns of different colors that are meant to be collected on a log. Each player uses the spinner to determine if they are to pick up a specific color or number of acorns or if they steal an acorn from another player with the Sneaky Squirrel. The first player to fill their log wins the game.
The occupational therapist in me loves this game for so many reasons. This is the first reason:
The adorable little squirrel is actually a pair of tweezers and the children have to pick up the acorns using his paws. Taking the fine motor fun to an even greater level, I had the kids take the acorn out of the paws and insert it into the log with their fingers, which was a great opportunity to use the small muscles of their hands to manipulate and orient these little objects.
My friend will demonstrate. (watch how nicely he turns the acorn around to put it in the log!)
I love coming up with fun activities to work on in-hand manipulation of objects. It is so important for kids to be able to do this because the skill supports refined control over pencils and crayons. The in-hand manipulation skills you see the kids do in this next video complete are called translation skills.
These skills are usually present in children by about age 3 and continue to be refined up through about age 6. This game is such a fun way to refine in-hand manipulation skills, which will support hand function and participation in school activities.
The Sneaky, Snacky Squirrel Game is made by Educational Insights and can be purchased through their website or through Amazon.
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