7) Cases for Games with Three Pointers

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(7) Cases for Game Modes with the Three Pointers

Adding with Fingers

(Addition Concepts)

Please help the child use his or her hands to perform simple addition.

Suitable Age: 3 ~ 3 1/2 years old

Main Objective:

To improve the child’s recognition of the basic number system and simple addition calculations by grouping the numbers in a game environment.

Secondary Objective:

To introduce to the child basic concepts of the addition operation.

Illustrations:

(1) Outer Illustrations - Numbers 2 ~ 9 (2) Inner Illustrations - Fingers numbered from 1 ~ 5

Game Guidance:

1. First make sure that the child is able to use his or her fingers to represent quantities, such as raising three fingers to represent “3”. 2. You can then raise two fingers to represent the number “2”, and see if the child is able to correctly mimic the motion. 3. Once the child is able to perform these motions, start the game by combining the two pointers into one and place them on the 12:00 position. Start spinning the disc until it stops. Once the pointer (SOFT STOPPER) have stopped on, for instance, “ ’5’, ask the child what number that is, then have the child move the long and short pointers on the disc to point to the two illustrations with 3 fingers and 2 fingers.” 4. The child should begin addition operations with smaller numbers first. If they encounter problems, then you should provide hints by, for instance, “pointing to the illustration with one finger raised, and have the child point to the other corresponding illustration that sums to the number in step 3.”

Additional Activities:

You can guide the child to perform more finger additions, such as by holding out 4 fingers and ask the child to add them to 43 his or her 3 fingers. It might help to count them together if the child is unable to perform the addition properly.

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Adding with Dots

(Basic Addition) Please help the child count and add the dots on the illustrations.

Suitable Age: 3 ~ 3 1/2 years old

Main Objective:

To improve the child’s recognition of the basic number system and it’s ranking in quantity by grouping.

Secondary Objective:

To introduce to the child basic concepts of the addition operation.

Illustrations:

(1) Outer Illustrations - Numbers 2 ~ 9 (2) Inner Illustrations - Dots numbered from 1 ~ 5

Game Guidance:

1. The adult first names any of the numbers from 2 to 9 and have the child point to the corresponding number on the disc. For instance, “If the number is 6, then the child should point to the number six with his or her finger.” Make sure that the child is able to recognize all the numbers. If not, then give him or her more practice as needed. 2. Next, encourage the child to verbally express the number of dots on the illustrations.

For instance, “If there are 5 dots, then the child should point to the number 5 and say the number accordingly.” 3. Once the child is able to perform these motions, start the game by combining the two pointers into one and place them on the 12:00 position. Start spinning the disc until it stops. Ask the child what number the SOFT STOPPER points is. For instance,

“If the number is 7, then have the child move the long and short pointers on the disc to point to the two illustrations with 4 dots and 3 dots.” 4. Practice the addition operations with smaller numbers first.

Additional Activities:

Place 9 pieces of candy into an empty box, and have both of you draw from the box. Count total number of pieces of candy drawn by you and the child by adding them up. How many pieces are there? 44

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Gift Wrapping

(Color Matching) Please help the child find the correct wrapping paper and package decorations that make up the corresponding gifts. Suitable Age: 3 ~ 3 1/2 years old

Main Objective:

To improve the child’s ability to combine and match related items.

Secondary Objective:

To allow the child to become more interested in solving matching problems.

Illustrations:

(1) Outer Illustrations - 8 illustrations of gifts (different decorations for different wrapping papers). (2) Inner Illustrations - 4 styles of wrapping paper and decorations.

Game Guidance:

1. Discuss with the child the kinds of gifts that he or she may have received before.

What colors were they wrapped in? Where there any special decorations on the wrapping paper, such as a picture of a flower or a ribbon? 2. Help the child observe and distinguish between different colors of wrapping paper. 3. Combine the two pointers together into one and place them on the 12:00 position on the disc. Start spinning the disc until it stops. Guide the child to find the corresponding wrapping paper and decoration by pointing the long and short pointers to the right illustrations.

Additional Activities:

Prepare wrapping papers of different color, an empty box, a bottle, some pieces of glitter paper, a bow, and a ribbon, and allow the child to discover ways to wrap everything together by him or herself.

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Building Blocks

(Color Matching) Please help the child determine which blocks and colors make up the picture in the illustration.

Suitable Age: 3 1/2 ~ 4 years old

Main Objective:

To distinguish between different combinations of blocks.

Secondary Objective:

To allow the child to think creatively.

Illustrations:

(1) Outer Illustrations - Block assembled in black, gray, pink, blue, green, red, yellow, and white. (2) Inner Illustrations - Blocks in black, gray, pink, blue, green, red, yellow, and white.

Game Guidance:

1. Before starting the game, ask the child if he or she knows how to game with toy blocks. Make sure that the child understands that the blocks can be assembled by shape or color to form new combinations. 2. Combine the two pointers together into one and place them on the 12:00 position on the disc. Start spinning the disc until it stops, guide the child to find the correct block components that make up the assembly by pointing the long and short pointers to the right illustrations.

Additional Activities:

Prepare actual toy blocks to create new block assemblies and combinations with the child.

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The Little Explorer

(Identifying Outdoor Items) Please help the child find two items missing from the illustrations.

Suitable Age: 3 1/2 ~ 4 years old

Main Objective:

To become familiar with some of the items used outdoors.

Secondary Objective:

To develop keener observation and focus in the child.

Illustrations:

(1) Outer Illustrations - An illustration of a boy with two items missing. (2) Inner Illustrations - Hat, shoes, belt, scarf, telescope, water bottle, backpack, cane.

Game Guidance:

1. Using actual items depicted in the illustrations, help the child identify and learn their names and uses. 2. Begin the game with a short story: There is a boy getting ready for an outdoors adventure, and as he was packing, his mommy said to him: “You’ll need a hat, a pair of shoes, a belt, a scarf, a telescope, a water bottle, a backpack, and a cane for your trip.” But the little boy can’t keep track of such a long list of items...Can you help him remember? 3. Give the illustration in which the boy has a complete set of items to the child, and place the combined pointers on the 12:00 position to begin the game. Start spinning the disc until it stops. Use the designated illustrations to ask the child which two items are missing from the picture. The child should use the long and short pointers to point to the correct answers.

Additional Activities:

Use real-life examples to allow the child to answer questions through observations. For instance, “What is mommy wearing for today?” or “What did your sister bring with her today when she left?”

Let Us Travel the World

(Modes of Transportation) Please assist the child in finding out which modes of transportation operate in which spaces.

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Suitable Age: 4 ~ 4 1/2 years old

Main Objective:

To learn different characteristics of different modes of transportation, as well as the spaces in which they operate.

Secondary Objective:

To improve the child’s comparison and identification skills through distinguishing the different modes of transportation.

Illustrations:

(1) Outer Illustrations - Outer Space, ocean, road, sky. (2) Inner Illustrations - Car, plane, helicopter, rocket, boat, space shuttle, train, cruise boat.

Game Guidance:

1. In order to establish a basic awareness of the different modes of transportation, you may use pictures or models to introduce their names and functions to the child. For nstance, “when teaching the child what a ‘car’ is, prepare illustrations or toys to demonstrate the different varieties of cars.” 2. The next step is to encourage the child to observe and notice the different environments in which the different modes of transportation operate in. For instance, “cars are driven on land, while the airplanes travel in the sky.” 3. Spin the disc and use the designated illustrations of the environments to have the child point the short and long pointers to the right modes of transportation. For instance, “if ocean is the environment, then the child should point the pointers to the

Boat and the Cruise Boat.”

Additional Activities:

Ask the child to see if he or she can name other modes of transportation that travel on land, on the sea, in the sky, and in outer space. 48

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Puzzles with Shapes

(Identifying and Assembling Geometric Shapes) Please help the child identify the different shapes, and try to guess how these shapes will combine to form new shapes. Suitable Age: 4 ~ 4 1/2 years old

Main Objective:

To learn about the different geometric shapes and to improve spatial and position awareness.

Secondary Objective:

To use different combinations of pictures to encourage learning through creative thinking.

Illustrations:

(1) Outer Illustrations - Shapes as a combination of two basic shapes. (2) Inner Illustrations - Right triangle, equilateral triangle, square, rectangle, circle, oval, pentagon, rhombus.

Game Guidance:

1. Introduce the names of the shapes to the child prior to starting to game to ensure that the child has a basic understanding of geometric shapes. You might find that singing or saying the names out loud with the child will help him or her to become familiarized with the concepts faster. Make sure that the child is able to identify the shapes by pointing to the correct illustrations. 2. The next step is to encourage the child to observe and notice the different ways in which the shapes can combine and break apart. The child can think of the matching shapes as friends that are trying to find each other, and by pointing the two pointers to the two correct shapes that make up the outer illustration, he or she can help find the right answer. 3. You may also encourage the child to think creatively by suggesting ways in which the shapes resemble certain real-life objects. For instance, “with an illustration in which there is a triangle on top of a square, you can ask the child what this combination of shapes looks like to him or her.”

Additional Activities:

Make cut-outs of the illustrations on the game story from color paper to help the child remember the names of the shapes 49 further through hand-on activities.