Today I have another fun virtual therapy activity: A therapy board game Connect 4! This therapy slide deck is a free virtual Connect 4 game designed for occupational therapy services (or other therapy services) that combine motor skills with visual perception and eye hand coordination. Therapeutic games are nothing new; Occupational therapists use board games in therapy services all the time to address function and independence skills. This therapy game is a bit different: it builds skills in kids through game play, and is a fun game for teletherapy.
Therapy Board Game
We’ve shared virtual games and board games to use in therapy previously on this site. Some games are great for helping kids develop specific skills:
- To work on executive functioning skills, try these board games to help with executive functioning.
- And, here are more games to work on extractive functioning skills.
- Try these games to improve pencil grasp.
- For visual processing skills, use these games to improve visual tracking.
- For games to use in telehealth, try these teletherapy games.
- To address cognitive skills, try these multisensory learning board games.
- Kids love these games to help with math skills.
Today’s virtual Connect Four game is just as much fun, and it’s a great tool to add to your therapy toolbox!
Virtual Connect 4
When it comes to teletherapy services, it can be hard to incorporate game play into therapy sessions in a way that addresses functional goals like handwriting, motor skills, or self-regulation. This virtual Connect 4 game does just that!
This game is a Google slide deck and one of our free slides that can compliment therapy services, both online or in face-to-face sessions.
To play the game, you’ll add the free slide deck to your Google drive, pull up the slide deck during therapy sessions, and work on a variety of skills. To use this game in distance therapy situations, you can send the link to students and you’ll each play on your own computers, watching as the edits are made to the slide deck. (Be sure to make a copy and send that specific link to a student- this way your student has their own copy of the slide deck on their Google drive.)
The game is just like the classic Connect 4 game: try to get four in a row and block the other player from getting four in a row.
This particular Connect 4 game has an outer space theme. So, the game pieces are planets! Check out more space theme activities below.
When suing the Connect 4 game in therapy, kids can work on the following skills:
- Visual perception
- Visual motor skills
- Eye hand coordination
- Fine motor skills
- Mouse use/keyboard use
- Finger isolation
The virtual Connect 4 game includes handwriting slides, so that when users place the game pieces, they cover a letter or a number. These are designed to promote handwriting skills and number formation skills.
Use the handwriting slide to work on letter formation, word writing, sentence writing, and copying skills.
Use the number slide to work on forming numbers, writing number words, or even gross motor skills: kids can do a motor activity like jumping jacks to animal walks the same number of times as the number they covered with their game piece.
To reset the game pieces:
- When you are done playing, just hit the EDIT HISTORY link.
- Look on the right side bar for “Version History”.
- Click the box that says “Reset Game”.
- Then go to the top left corner of the screen where there is an arrow pointing left. Click this arrow.
- All of the movable game pieces will be reset to their original spots. You can start the game over again.
This Space Connect 4 game will be a hit in your therapy sessions (or at home and in the classroom!)
More space activities for therapy
You can add this virtual Connect 4 game to these other Space theme activities, to help with therapy planning:
- Outer Space Theme Therapy Slide Deck (includes self-regulation, fine motor activities, handwriting, and movement activities, all with a space theme for therapy sessions)
- Space Activities– use these hands-on activities to work on motor skills.
- Galaxy and Outer Space Sensory Activities– Use these sensory activities for sensory play, sensory challenges, and multisensory learning.
- Space Play Dough Mat– work on hand strength, precision, and eye-hand coordination with a free space theme play dough mat.
- Outer Space Visual Perception Worksheet #1- This free printable worksheet addresses visual perceptual skills with planets.
- Outer Space Visual Perception Worksheet #2– Be sure to grab this one, too.
- Martian Spacing Tool for Handwriting– Make a spacing tool with an outer space theme and incorporate fine motor work as well as visual spatial skills in handwriting.
- Bilateral Coordination/Math Space Maze– This space math activity is great for learning concepts, but the therapy benefits are even greater!
- Outer Space Books– This collection of space books are fun for incorporating books into therapy sessions.
Free Virtual Connect 4 for Therapy
Want to add this free slide deck to your therapy toolbox? Enter your email address into the form below and you’ll gain access to this slide deck on your Google drive.
For those using school district, university, or organization emails- You may have trouble accessing the free slide deck due to increased security warnings. To get around this, try entering a personal email address.
Colleen Beck, OTR/L has been an occupational therapist since 2000, working in school-based, hand therapy, outpatient peds, EI, and SNF. Colleen created The OT Toolbox to inspire therapists, teachers, and parents with easy and fun tools to help children thrive. Read her story about going from an OT making $3/hour (after paying for kids’ childcare) to a full-time OT resource creator for millions of readers. Want to collaborate? Send an email to contact@theottoolbox.com.
NEW RESOURCE: Outer Space Fine Motor Mini-Pack!
Working on fine motor skills? Know a child who loves all things outer space? This Outer Space Fine Motor Mini-Kit is for you!
Work on grasp, hand strength, eye-hand coordination, handwriting, scissor skills, and all things fine motor with this Outer Space fine motor mini-kit.
Addressing hand strength, endurance, and precision is out of this world fun!
Includes:
- Fine Motor Mazes
- Fine Motor Ten Frames for motor activities
- 1-20 Star Counting Cards
- Bead Copying Strips
- Space Alien Directed Drawing Sheets
Grab your copy of this no-prep Outer Space fine motor worksheet set!
