The other day I picked up a lovely red box from UPS. Of
course there was a Super Duper Publications game inside!
Party Pups is a game that
targets 24 prepositions. I have looked it over, and I’m going to be reviewing
the game for you.
Party Pups is sold as a game for prepositions. There are a
total of 24 prepositions included:
above, across, after, around, at,
before, behind, below, between, by, down, far, from, in, near, off, on, outside,
over, through, to, under, up, and with.
One thing I really like about the game are the different
pictures. There are three card sets that each have all of the above
prepositions. Therefore, there are three pictures that target 1 preposition. I
like that because some of the pictures are kind of… strange, and I think some
of them might be difficult for a student to grasp immediately the preposition
in question.
How do you play?
Well, it's really simple! Honestly, the hardest part was opening the game and getting the wrapping off of all of the products. Yes, it took me roughly ten minutes to get the wrapping off of everything because apparently I cannot unwrap products.
Each student would start out with a place mat. All of the place mats have a different dog on the front. The student can pick his/her favorite dog. I chose to post the example of a collie because I love collies.
Next the students can decide if they want to use the red, blue, or green set of cards. I believe in providing as many (reasonable) choices to students in therapy as possible, so I would have my students pick which color set to use.
The players would choose a card, look at the picture, try and identify the preposition from the picture (if not, they can read the preposition below the picture), and then use that preposition in a phrase or sentence.
Then the players would spin the
electronic spinner (I know, I was excited about the spinner) and would collect that number of dog treats and put the treats on their mat.
The player with the most dog treats at the end of the session is the winner!
There are also various game ideas included in the instruction booklet. The above example is the simplest way to play. This link (
click) will take you to the alternate game ideas.
In my reviews I always try to show that one game can be adapted for almost any goal. Below are a few ideas.
This game provides a great opportunity to target multiple language goals. Before the prepositions even come into play there's an opportunity for a child to answer questions about dogs, describe the dog on their place mat, and brainstorm names for their dog (target those WH-questions: ask "why" the student picked that name, "how" the student came up with that name, "where" has the student seen a dog before, "what" would you do if a dog licked you, etc).
Comprehension - also included in instruction booklet is a section that provides five facts about each dog. This would be great to read to the students and then ask comprehension questions and brainstorm about what fact should fit with what dog. For example, a fact about a Dalmatian is that they are the mascot for firehouses. So if a student is paying attention, the SLP can ask, "What is the mascot for a firehouse?" If the student needs more support, the SLP can provide choices, "Is the the Collie, the Dalmatian, or the Chihuahua?"
Verbs - this is a game that could be used to target verbs. Most of the dogs are doing something whether they're sitting, sliding, running, etc. The dogs also "ran, sat, slid" or "will run, will slide, will sit", etc.
Describing - describe the dogs on the pictures! Use the EET tool. The more descriptions a student gives, the more treats the student gets!
Articulation - use the treats as reinforcements for correct articulation productions. The student can look through the pictures, talk about them, and target specific phonemes. This is easier if you're targeting the sentence or conversational articulation goal.
Following Directions - use this game to target following directions. Instruct the student to place the blue card next to the green card. Have the student touch the nose of the dog. Tell the student to name the cat.
The game is targeted for students Pre-K to 5th grade. I think some parts would be good for the Pre-K kids, but you would have to keep it simple. I think the little kids would love collecting treats and seeing all of the pictures of the dogs.
Party Pups is available at Super Duper Publications for $39.95. Included in the package are 72 color-coded cards with the prepositions printed on them, 12 playing mats, 100 dog treats, electronic spinner, and an instruction booklet.
Disclaimer: I purchased this game from Super Duper Publications on my own, and all the above thoughts are my own. I am in no way earning compensation for this review.
