My seven year old, J, has always liked bugs. This spring, however, he has been even more curious about them.
Almost every spring we have a huge outbreak of tent caterpillars. They literally swarm houses and trees. It's impossible not to step on them during May and June. Anyway, J loves picking them up and letting them crawl on his arms and hands. And he gets so mad at me if I step on them (accidentally, of course, because they're everywhere!), shouting, "They're a part of nature! Don't step on them!"
Me, on the other hand? I don't like bugs. Not even ladybugs.
However, the cute bugs in this free printable barrier game for kids are totally up my alley. I would totally be okay with bugs if they looked like these ones. Just saying...
What is a Barrier Game?
Barrier games are a way to practice speech and social skills concepts by creating and describing scenes to another player and having them recreate the scene on their own game board. An example of a barrier game that you might be familiar with is Battleship.
We personally use barrier games to work on skills such as:
- Following directions
- Listening skills
- Prepositions (on, under, above, beside, next to, etc.)
- Expressive speech
- Vocabulary
- Turn taking
- Comprehension
But, of course, that's not all! You can use barrier games to practice a wide variety of different speech, language, and social skills. You can learn more about barrier games and their benefits here.
How to Use the Free Bug Themed Barrier Game
To prep this barrier game, you will need at least two players. Simply download, print two copies of both the scene and the items (one copy for each player), cut the individual items, and laminate all pieces for durability (optional).
To play this barrier game, have all players sit at a table and set up a barrier. A file folder or book works great! The goal is to make sure that all players cannot see each other's materials.
Each player takes turns placing an object on the scene and describing to the other player where to place the objects. It's important to give clear and specific directions on where to place the objects.
The objective of the game is to have identical pictures at the end. That is, all players should have matching scenes with the items placed in the same spots for all players.
Download the Free Printable Bug Barrier Game
Want More Barrier Games?
You'll find even more themes in the barrier games bundle!
Click here to get your copy of the barrier games bundle
