Spot it! Is an easy to use game that involves circular cards that has 8 different pictures on it. Each card has a different set of pictures, so no 2 cards ever look the same. There are different ways to play, but the basic way to play has 2-3 players each place a card down. Then all the players race to find the 1 picture that matches on two of the cards.
So how can I use it?
This game is another one of those “reinforcers” for elementary age kids, but you can also sneak in some speech or language practice in there too!
A quick definition of “reinforcers” in therapy: reinforcers are prizes that you give kids for working hard. A reinforcer can be as simple as “you did a good job with your ‘s’ sound today” to being able to choose a whole game to play. With Spot it!, you can play 2-3 rounds with your child, and then take a quick break to practice some speech sounds or some language before you start your next round.
For sneaking in speech, you use phrases that work on your child’s sounds like “I spy a ___” (s-blends), “I found a ____” (“f”), “I see a ____” (s), “There is a ___” (“th” ), etc. Some of the pictures themselves even include some common speech sounds such as “snowflake” for s-blends, “sun” for “s” sounds, carrot for “k” and “r”.
For sneaking in language, you can improve your child’s language skills by having them describe the picture they found rather than actually saying the name. Play 1 turn, and look for the 1 matching picture. Have your child say, “I found it!” Then turn it into a guessing game – have your child provide 3 features of the picture they found: I found something that is blue, is cold, and it comes out in wintertime – “snowflake”! Another way to use language is to pause, take 1 card between turns and have your child come up with similarities between pictures (this one is a fun one). For this picture below, there are 2 things that are yellow (the sun and moon), 2 things that are hot (the sun and candle) and 2 things that you use at home (a candle and a key). This way works on categorization and being able to help your child become flexible in how they think.
How we can help
This toy is one of the best and easiest reinforcers out there. It entertains young elementary students to those in high school (my 15 year old brother will back me up on that). Beyond Speech Specialists and our team of support staff are able to find and integrate games for all ages and grade levels. Whether it’s games to promote language skills such as describing and categorization to games that target turn taking and life skills. They work with your child to best fit their needs and age and grade level . If you would like to know more about Beyond Speech, please click here!!