Crab Stack

Product Description

Cognitive 4

Skills

• As children play against one another in friendly competition, Crab Stack engages a sense of strategic thinking needed to outmaneuver the other players to win.
• Learning as you play, the gameplay for Crab Stack pairs beginning math concepts with creativity when moving different crab pieces.
• Crab Stack teaches cause and effect as children see the responses to their moves during game play like the Wave Rule or freezing the other crabs. 

Play Ideas

• Don’t determine a color crab for each player. Have all players use the board together through teamwork to determine a yellow, red, green or blue crab winner.
• Have each player talk out their move to the group for helpful feedback or additional movement ideas.
• Play in pairs! Teamwork on strategy and problem solving is always helpful for first time game players.  

Physical 3

Skills

• Fine motor skills like pincer grasp are exercised as children have to pick up and move the various crab tokens around the board.
• Precision is incorporated into the game as players have to stack a crab on another in order to freeze them in place during game play.
• Reaching and arm extension are promoted as kids move their crabs across the board. 

Adaptation Ideas

• Use yellow, blue, green and red Velcro on the crabs to help keep them stacked when on the game board.  
• Use shelf liner or glue some rubber dots to the bottom of the game board to keep it in place on the table during game play. 

Social/Emotional 4

Skills

• Crab Stack helps introduce and develop the understanding of turn taking and patience as every person needs to go in order for the game to progress.
• Social awareness and relationships can be promoted as children play with peers in this game of strategy and smiles.
• Graceful winning and losing (good sportsmanship) is incorporated into gameplay as there is a winner and loser of every short game. 

Play Ideas

• Place one color of each crab in an opaque container/bag. Have each child reach in and select a crab to determine what color they will play during the game.
• Create a cheat sheet on an index card as a reminder for how many spaces each crab moves.
• Remove the Wave Rule from game play so there are no surprises for players.