THERAPY GAME COMPANIONS - It’s a Win-Win!
07.06.2026
Therapists are always excited to plan and use intervention activities that have substantial benefits for children. It’s especially satisfying when there is little chance for a downside on the therapist’s part. The use of game companion activities allows a therapist to use fun and popular games with their students, while targeting child specific goals with easy to prep companion resources. The use of games is very motivating for most students, while the therapy provider has engaged, focused and compliant student participants eager to work toward their goals. It’s a Win-Win!
Game companion activities are digital or printable resources that are designed to coincide with a specific popular childhood game. The use of certain companion activities may modify the game’s original directions/use of the game. In other circumstances the companion resources offer activities that supplement the use of the game in its original form.
Speech & Language therapy practitioners can use these game companions to promote a child’s development in areas such as:
- Articulation
- Expressive Language
- Vocabulary
- Social Skills
Occupational Therapy practitioners can use these game companions to promote a child’s development in areas such as:
- Fine Motor Skills
- Visual Motor Skills
- Visual Perception
- Handwriting
Current Game Companions
from Tools to Grow
(1) Noodle Knockout®
Occupational Therapy Game Companion
While playing individually or in a group, each student will be making pretend ramen by filling their bowls with noodles and toppings. This game provides students with the opportunity to build the following skills:
- Hand dexterity
- Hand strength
- Prehension for tools use
- Early learning concepts (color, matching, math)
With the additional use of the Noodle Knockout Occupational Therapy Game Companion, students are offered the opportunity to build skills in these areas:
- Visual perception
- Handwriting
- Visual motor integration (drawing, cutting, coloring)
- Critical thinking and vocabulary
- Sensory processing
- Fine motor skills
Find Learning Resources Noodle Knockout Fine Motor Game here!
Find the Game Companion Packet on our website here!
(2) Perfection®:
Occupational Therapy Game Companion
While playing individually or in a group, each student will insert the shaped game pieces into the matching holes before the time expires. This game provides students with the opportunity to build the following skills:
- Hand dexterity and in-hand manipulation to rotate pieces into place
- Eye hand coordination to guide their hand to the matching shape
- Prehension for grasping small objects
- Visual perception to discriminate differences between similar shapes and then adjust or turn the 3D shape gamepiece into the correct position for insertion.
With the additional use of the Perfection Game Companion materials, students are offered the opportunity to build skills in these areas:
- Visual perception in the areas of figure ground, visual discrimination and form constancy
- Visual memory and scanning
- Basic concept knowledge related to shapes
- Handwriting
- Visual motor integration
- Hand strength
- In-hand manipulation & finger isolation
- Visual motor integration
Find the Game Companion Packet on our website here!
(3) Pop Up Pirate®:
Occupational Therapy Game Companion
Children enjoy the suspense as they take turns inserting small plastic swords into random holes in a barrel. Eventually a pirate pops up from the barrel. According to game rules, if the pirate pops up on your turn, you are out.
This Pop-Up Pirate game® and the accompanying companion resource provides students with the opportunity to build skills in:
- Fine motor prehension
- Hand strength
- In-hand manipulation & finger isolation
- Praxis to imitate a hand posture
- Visual perception
- Handwriting
- Visual motor integration
Find the Game Companion Packet on our website here!
(4) Pop Up Pirate®:
Speech Therapy Game Companion
Children enjoy the suspense as they take turns inserting small plastic swords into random holes in a barrel. Eventually a pirate pops up from the barrel. According to game rules, if the pirate pops up on your turn, you are out.
The accompanying speech therapy companion resource provides students with the opportunity to build skills in:
- Answering Wh questions- Who, What, Where, When
- Nouns/Verbs/ Adjectives
- Labeling vocabulary
- Categories- listing items
- Basic concepts (colors)
- Prepositions
- Expressive language
- Receptive language
- Prepositions/spatial concepts
- Adjectives
- Multi-step & sequential directions
Find the Game Companion Packet on our website here!
(5) POP THE PIG®:
Occupational Therapy Game Companion
While playing individually or in a group, students will feed the pig hamburgers to make his belly grow until his vest bursts open.
With the use of the Pop the Pig game and the companion resources, the following occupational therapy goals may be targeted:
- Prehension
- Visual perception in the areas of figure ground, visual discrimination and form constancy
- Visual memory and scanning
- Basic concept knowledge related to colors & vocabulary
- Handwriting
- Visual motor integration
- Postural praxis/imitation of postures & spatial awareness
Find the Game Companion Packet on our website here!
(6) POP THE PIG®:
Speech Therapy Game Companion
While playing individually or in a group, students will feed the pig hamburgers to make his belly grow until his vest bursts open.
With the use of the Pop the Pig game and the companion resource, the following speech therapy goals may be targeted:
Language Skills:
- Compare & Contrast
- Answering Wh questions
- Antonyms
- Synonyms
- Labeling vocabulary
- Category inclusion
- Categories-Listing Items
- Words With Multiple Meanings
- Object Functions
- Basic Concepts (colors, numbers)
Articulation:
- Includes game boards that target articulation for 21 sounds in three different positions.
Find the Game Companion Packet on our website here!
(7) Shark Bite!®:
Occupational Therapy Game Companion
While playing individually or in a group, students will have a REEL-y good time playing this game! Student(s) will first place colorful sea creatures (fish, lobster and crabs) into the game unit. Players then will take turns rolling the die to see how many sea creatures they will “rescue” using the fishing rods. But watch out! You never know when the shark is going to bite!
With the use of the Shark Bite game and the companion resources, the following occupational therapy goals may be targeted:
- Visual Perception
- Handwriting
- Visual Motor Integration
- Fine Motor Skills
- Bilateral Coordination
- Basic Concepts (counting, vocabulary, shapes, matching)
Find the Game Companion Packet on our website here!
COMING SOON!
Tools To Grow is planning on offering more game companions in the near future. Look for Pancake Pile Up, Jenga, Yeti in My Spaghetti, and Sneaky, Snacky Squirrel and more!!
Find all the Game Companions Here!
As always, Tools To Grow strives to provide highly effective and affordable resources that you can easily access during your extremely busy daily schedule.
Once again, we have allowed you to forgo prolonged searching and planning, but still have valuable treatment tools!
Kind regards,
Patti & Shelley
Your Team at Tools to Grow, Inc.
