The coordination game, working together for balance
Author: Bianca Oldenbeuving
Teacher and founder of Jufbianca
The goal of this game is to get the balls into the holes. To achieve this, the children must work together very well. Not only do you work on coordination with this game, there are many other development areas involved!
What does the game consist of?
The coordination game is made of sturdy wood. It consists of a base, to which two times 4 ropes are attached. The ropes have sturdy handles, so that children's hands can hold them well. There are also 3 large marbles and 3 wooden planks, which can be placed in the base. This gives you three game options and keeps it varied.
There are two boards where the task is simple: make sure the ball gets into the hole (or holes). The third board has a maze with various recesses. The task here is less clear, the children can discuss this.
The whole thing fits in a supplied cloth bag. For those who are worried: the supplied balls are wooden and 3 cm in diameter.
The goal
As mentioned, the children make sure that the balls end up in the holes. To do this, they grab the ropes and lift the box up. When you play this game with 4 children, each child takes two handles of the same color. The game can also be played with 5-8 players; the handles are then divided among the children.
By lifting the box up by the ropes, a slope is created, which makes the ball roll. The children can experiment with this first: what happens if I pull the ropes very hard? If the box is hanging too slanted, the ball falls over the edge. If the ropes remain too low, the box ends up on the ground.
Children who play this game will naturally start to consult with each other. Often there is a child who realizes what needs to be done to get the ball into the hole.
“You need to go higher! No, you. No, the other way.”
Cooperative game
The first lesson is: what can you say to each other to make sure it works? Children can use place concepts, such as left, right, front, back, up, down. Young children quickly notice that 'left' can mean something different to everyone. They will still find it difficult to empathize with someone else and determine what another child sees. You can point this out to older children.
There are also children who get frustrated when things don't go the way they had in mind. Since this game can only be completed successfully if everyone cooperates, it is important that everyone keeps talking to each other. Children can learn how to encourage each other and work together as a team. This works better than when everyone is shouting at each other. Maybe a team leader should be appointed? It is fun to observe how children behave in this. What role do children take on?
Advantages
Because this game is made of wood, it is sturdy enough to play outside. Of course, it can also be used indoors, in the gym, the playroom or just in the classroom or living room. It does not take up much space to play the game, but 4-8 children can still play it at the same time.
Children playing this game work on multiple goals at the same time. They are working on coordination, balance, learning about technical concepts and can use language to indicate a place. In addition, they work together, which promotes team spirit and can be very sociable.
Young and old can play this game, each at their own level. For toddlers it is enough to see if they can get the ball in the hole. Older children could even make a competition of it: how long does it take for all three balls to be in the holes? Mixing young and older children can be tricky: point out to the children the difference in height and what that does to the balance of the box.
Disadvantages
There are 3 game boards with this game, while there could be many more possibilities. Handy people might make game boards themselves, with new tracks and holes, the possibilities are endless.
Another disadvantage could be that you need at least 4 players to play this game. This makes it less suitable for home use, but it can certainly be used well in the classroom.
Conclusion
This coordination game is fun to have in the classroom, it is at least suitable for groups 2, 3, 4 and 5. Higher groups can also enjoy it, but will probably get bored of it sooner. Everyone can participate: young, old, motorically skilled or not, even children in a wheelchair can enjoy this game!
The game can be ordered in the webshop, here you can also watch a video of the game
