I can...play board games!

Kids love playing games with their family and friends.  Try adapting a popular game so that kids who use Augmentative Communication can increase their participation. We have chosen Don’t Spill the Beans® by Hasbro to provide you with some ideas on how you might adapt a game.  Think about the games you have in your class to see if students can take a more active role when playing.

Vocabulary Ideas:  To hear what kids really say when they play board games, invite a group of peers to play the game and make a list of what you hear.

Here are some ideas for general game vocabulary:

My turn	Move my piece please	No cheating!
Your turn	Roll the dice	This is fun!
I win	No fair	Whose turn?
Roll again	What number did you roll?	Pick a card
Do you want to play?	Can we play again?	Can I go first?
I quit	Yes/No	Hey, I was supposed to go!

Specific vocabulary for Don’t Spill the Beans® by Hasbro

Don’t spill the beans!	Uh-oh!	You spilled the beans!
Be careful	Try another one	He’s tipping
Yeah	Can you put a bean on for me?	Put it to the right/left
You have more beans	Put it in the middle	This is easy
This is getting harder	I think it’s gonna spill	Watch out
Ahhh!	You spilled them	It’s not my fault
Oh no!	It’s getting close!	I’ll get the beans out

• Try making the communication display in the form of the board game or game character.
• If there are specific characters on the board game, try colour photocopying the board and cut out the characters to use as symbols.
• Make individual Picture Communication Symbols (PCS).  Kids can either point or look at the symbol they want.
• Make or buy oversized dice – easier to throw and to see
• Use a wooden playing card holder or Playdoh® rolled out to hold the cards 

Light Tech Ideas 

Sequential Message Device: You can record a variety of phrases that allow a student to comment or ask questions about the game. For example:

• Who’s winning?
• Is someone cheating?
• Is it my turn yet?
• This is fun!

Simple voice output devices: Create communication overlays based on vocabulary needed for the game. Use intonation to make the messages more meaningful.

High Tech Ideas

• Most high tech devices will allow both recorded speech as well as synthesized voices. Try using recorded speech to make messages more expressive e.g. “I win!”, “No fair”, “Is it my turn yet?”
• Try using scanned images of the characters in the game.

Resources for playing games:

• All Turn It Spinner: The switch-activated All-Turn-It spinner has a large dial with a pointer. When a switch is pressed the dial turns and stops randomly. A great alternative to rolling dice and so much more! http://www.ablenetinc.com
• Electronic Spinner: Players push the middle button on the spinner and watch as the numbers light up. http://www.superduperinc.com
• Board Games: Here is a list of popular children’s board games http://www.boardgames.com/chgaandboga.html