#Simon says activity for preschoolers how to#

Look to your neighbor and say, “Hello.”.

Outdoor Sensory Diet Cards at The OT Toolboxĭeep Breathing Exercise Cards at The OT Toolbox Simon Says Commands to Target Social Skills Heavy Work Movement Cards at The OT Toolbox If you need more sensory motor command ideas to help, look at these fun resources:Īlerting and Calming Sensory Strategy Cards at The OT Toolbox

Stretch to the sky and then to the floor.

Superhero Gross Motor Slide Deck at The OT Toolbox Simon says Commands to Target Sensory Motor Skills Sports Gross Motor Slide Deck at The OT Toolbox If you need more gross motor command ideas to help, look at these fun resources: Heavy Work for Little Fingers at Your Kids OT Simon Says Commands to Target Gross Motor Skills If you need more fine motor command ideas to help, look at these fun resources:įine Motor Skills Needed for School at The OT Toolbox

Rotate a pencil from writing to erasing.

Do finger taps to the thumb on both hands.

Rainbow Visual Motor Slide Deck at The OT Toolboxįlower Visual Motor Slide Deck at The OT Toolbox Simon Says Commands to Target Fine Motor Skills If you need more visual motor command ideas to help, look at these fun resources:

Use different colors and write the letters of your first name.

Simon Says Commands to Target Visual Motor Skills The list of Simon Says ideas below are separated by area of development. Think about the social skills that can be targeted while following and giving multiple skill-driven directions – don’t forget to either simply say the direction or add, “Simon Says” to give kiddos the true direction to DO vs. Target whatever area you need to with children based on their goals and you’ve got a fun time with focus!

With therapy equipment, range of motion, muscle strengthening, and spatial relationships.

Think about the OT skills that can be facilitated with this game:

#Simon says activity for preschoolers how to#

This is a great modification to help children that need this type of support to be successful during play or even those who are new to learning how to play the game. If a child struggles with verbal or processing skills, consider the use of a visual choice board, like this one by Panda Speech Therapy, that displays someone speaking coupled with a visual that demonstrates the action that Simon Says to do. saying, “Simon Says spin around and then clap your hands”, see the difference? This will help a child focus on one skill at a time and then build from there as they age or become better at following multiple directions. Think about saying something like, “Simon Says clap your hands” vs. Give them simple commands that have few words and one step. Younger students or those working to improve the cognitive skill of following sequences can improve these areas with certain adaptations. Think about each child and what kind of commands you may need to give them to help them play successfully. Simon Says is actually a really great game for executive functioning skills, and specifically a game to The players that did not complete the incorrect action (Simon didn’t say “Simon Says”!) stay in the game or do not lose a token or tally chip/tally mark.Įasy, right? Not too fast friends! A child’s (and adults’) attention, impulsivity, and patience can play a role in their ability to listen, act, and wait while playing this game.Other players: Correctly do not follow the direction and do not hop on one foot.The players that completed the incorrect action (Simon didn’t say “Simon Says”!) are out of the game or lose a token or tally chip/tally mark.Other players: Incorrectly follow the direction and hop on one foot.The players that did not complete the correct action are out of the game or can stay in the game and lose a token or tally chip/tally mark.

Other players: Incorrectly do not follow the direction.The players that completed the correct action stay in the game or can stay in the game and do not lose a token or tally chip/tally mark.

Other playe rs: Correctly follow the direction and hop on one foot.Third, the last player standing or the player with the last chip or tally stroke is the winner. If they DO NOT follow one of the stated Simon Says commands, they are out or lose a stroke or chip too. If a player follows that direction and completes the movement when “Simon” doesn’t say “Simon Says”, they are out of the game or can lose one of their tally strokes or chips that is given to each player before play. Second, the game has a trick with it, Simon MUST preface the command by saying, “Simon Says”, or the command is NOT to be followed. (There are many targeted goal areas identified with commands listed later in the post.) If you’ve never heard of Simon Says or don’t have a clue what it is, it’s a fun game that is easy to implement in any location.įirst, you identify one player for the role of Simon and that player will give the other players commands for actions to perform.