Games

National Scrabble Day- April 13
Celebrate National Scrabble Day with a good game of Scrabble!


Bowling
Bowling can be done two ways- 1) At the bowling alley, of course or 2) Set up your own for a small group or individual play.

Bowling at the bowling alley is a good occasional outing or regular activity for clients. Remember, the bowling alley should have a good set of bowling ramps for those in needing to bowl from sitting.  Almost anyone can bowl with the assistance of ramps, although you may need someone to retrieve the balls!

 If you set up your own bowling, you will need a GOOD set of foam or plastic bowling ball and pins.  Good for a short activity, don't forget that the bowler can help you set up the pins as a part of the activity, based on the participant's ability.

Have fun bowling!


Music Therapy
Hire a music therapist for a group session.  Music therapists have special training in which to use with your special needs group.  If you are unable to hire music therapist, plan a music themed activity.  Here are some suggestions:

-Name that Tune:  Using a collection of  various music selections, divide your group into 2 teams to compete for a prize.
-Sing-a-Long: Lead your group in some popular tunes with the help of a karaoke machine, hymnbook, or songbook and sing-a-long CDs.  Have a pianist or entertainer lead your group if you are unable to.
-Musical Chairs
-Cake Walk

American Idol
Depending on your clientele and the personality of your group, a modified version of American Idol can be a big hit.  Change the name to personalize Idol to your facility.  Using a karaoke machine, invite participants to sing for the panel of judges.  Schedule at least a few contestants in advance to get the ball rolling.  Make the panel of judges special: an administrator, a family member, and another staff, etc.  The panel should have a good sense of humor and make funny, positive comments about the "performances".  If possible, hand out ballots with contestants numbered so there can be an official winner, or leave it to the judges to decide.  Again, make it fun - the best doesn't have to the winner!

March Madness
Post up a tournament board for basketball's March Madness.  Print a mini bracket sheet for those clients interested and have a "pickin" contest to see who predicts the most winners.

Popular Card Games
Consult other online sites for game rules
Bridge
Rummy
Poker
Rook- Requires Rook cards
Spades
Hearts
Blackjack or 21
Hand and Foot

Women's Poker Game
The men usually get together to play poker and often exclude the women.  Have a special women's only poker event.  Make it special by serving drinks and food.  Use candy or another popular item as "chips".

Memory and Recognition Games
Variation of the Memory Game (for 1-2 people)- Using 4 to 9 pictures depending on ability level, arrange pictures in an order and allow the player to view the pictures for a period of time.  Take up the pictures have the player arrange the pictures the way originally displayed.  Difficulty: Very hard

Picture Bingo- Create your own Bingo cards using pictures (or download some versions off the Internet) or graphics and give clues to describe the picture for players.  Difficulty: Moderate

Jingo- A version of Picture Bingo.  You will need a Jingo game which comes in several different themes.  Difficulty: Easy to Moderate

Pokerkeeno- A Bingo type game with the cards picturing playing cards instead of numbers and letters.
Difficulty: Easy to Moderate

Trivia Games
Trivial Pursuit
- Don't use the board, just the questions.  Divide up into 2 teams with team captains and compete against one another.  If one team doesn't get the answer, the opposing team can "steal" the point.  Play up to time is up or 20 points.

Theme trivia 
Played as above
-Pick a holiday theme
-Pick a celebration i.e. Black History month or Breast Cancer Awareness Month, etc.
Or
-Topic i.e. television of the 50s, sports, geography.  There are lots of popular topics at www.funtrivia.com

Who Wants to Be a Millionaire



Word Games
Pick from one of the following word games based on the level of your group:

Word Board Games:
-Scrabble
-Boggle
-Wheel of Fortune - You can make your own "wheel" to spin and use an erase board or flip chart

Word Games using an erase board or flip chart:
-Word Unscramble- Scramble the letters of a word, divide your group into individual opponents or teams to see who get the most words.
-Word Creations - Choose a word, preferably a long word, and see how many words your group can come up with using any of the letters in the original word.
-Hangman

Other related games:
-Giant crossword puzzles available from various activity suppliers.  Great for a small group.
-Giant Soduku - Use a flipchart to make the board

Circle Basketball

Under Construction:

Name that Tune

Who Wants to be a Millionaire

American Idol