These games are a great choice if you are in search of a game to boost the fine motor skills of your 3-5 year old child. You can purchase all 3 together, or choose the animal that is most appealing to your child. Each game comes with a pair of large tongs that will be used to “feed” treats to the animal. The pretend food treats are an appropriate size, making it challenging, but not exceedingly difficult to pick up.  The larger mouths of the animals are conveniently designed to make it a “just right challenge” for young children to get the treats inside. 

After having played the game, I have listed below a couple of pointers and adaptations to maximize the fine motor benefits accrued while playing:

Place a piece of colored tape around the tongs exactly where your child should hold them (approximately two-thirds of the way down the tongs) so that he/she automatically knows where to place his/her fingers.

Each game comes with 30 treats. By taking turns with your child, you will keep the small muscles of the hand from fatiguing quickly. 

• Quality counts! If you notice that your child is struggling to hold the tongs, or is beginning to use the entire hand to grasp them, discontinue the game or alter the game play to pick up the treats using fingers only. 

Aviva Goldwasser, OTR/L

Dr. Chaye Lamm Warburg, OTR/L