Weplay Squeezer

Product Description

Cognitive 5

Skills

• Squeezer rings develop memory skills through selecting color to match squeeze resistance level sought by child.
• Squeezer rings develop cause and effect recognition skills by observing the changing shape of the ring as the child squeezes it with varying levels of compression.
• Squeezer rings develop ability to compare and contrast similar items by squeezing rings of varying resistance.

Play Ideas

• To strengthen understanding of colors and bilateral differentiation, facilitator instructs player to grab and hand over Squeezer rings by calling out the color and with which hand the player is to use when doing so.
• Instruct players to identify and match colors of Squeezers to other objects in the play space or room.
• To strengthen emerging math skills, following completion of play, instruct player to count Squeezer rings.

Adaptation Ideas

• With permanent marker, mark rings with icons signifying more to less resistance.
• Tie rings together to gather them as if on key ring so all can be resistance tested in quick succession by child.

Physical 4

Skills

• Squeezer rings build grip strength by squeezing ring in hand or hands.
• Squeezer rings develop hand transfer skills by moving ring between left and right hands.
• Squeezer rings develop pinscher grasp by grabbing rings from surface or caregiver hand.
• Squeezer rings strengthen wrists and fingers when ring is pressed between palms and held in place by fingers.

Play Ideas

• To strengthen understanding of colors and bilateral differentiation, facilitator instructs player to grab and hand over Squeezer rings by calling out the color and with which hand the player is to use when doing so.
• Instruct players to identify and match colors of Squeezers to other objects in the play space or room.
• To strengthen emerging math skills, following completion of play, instruct player to count Squeezer rings.

Adaptation Ideas

• Tie rings together to gather them as if on key ring so all resistances can be tested in quick succession by child.

Sensory 4

Skills

• Squeezer rings develop oral motor exploration through mouthing of the rings.
• Squeezer rings develop visual acuity through distinguishing ring colors from one another.
• Squeezer rings encourage tactile exploration and experimentation for children with vision impairments.

Play Ideas

• Instruct player to close his / her eyes, squeeze each Squeezer ring and identify the ring color based on the level of resistance.
• To increase sensory input, place Squeezer rings in sand from which the player must retrieve them in order to play with them.

Adaptation Ideas

• Set rings on light colored surface to heighten color contrast between rings.
• Set rings in water or sand table to alter auditory or tactile sensory input suitable to child.
• Tie sound-emitting objects to rings to increase auditory input.

Social/Emotional 4

Skills

• Squeezer rings develop emotional self-regulation skills through physical manipulation of Squeezer, to calm feelings of anxiety or frustration.
• Squeezer rings promote development of focus and attention and inhibits impulsive, less socially acceptable behaviors by channeling excessive physical energy into the manipulation of the Squeezer (as a fidget).
• Squeezer rings promote confidence building through open-ended play (no right or wrong way to play with it) either independently or with a play partner.

Play Ideas

• Use Squeezer rings as a fidget during school or circle time to focus attention.

• Take turns tossing Squeezer rings into a bucket with a peer and keep score on varying distances.