I’ve found that this adapted version of Four in a Row allows my student, who is a tactile learner, to better orient herself to the ever-changing game board. The board lays flat, and uses tactually distinct stickers which allows the student to quickly understand the configuration of the pieces being played.
Materials
- Two distinct sets of tactile stickers (APH has a variety)
- One embossed game board with 6 rows and 7 columns
Procedure
- Orient the child to the game board. Explain that there are 6 rows (rows go right and left) and 7 columns (columns go up and down). Also orient the child to the top of the game board and the bottom of the game board. It may help to cut the top right corner to help with this orientation.
- Familiarize the child to the type of tactile sticker each player will be using.
- Explain the rules to the child. Tell them that each sticker must be placed at the bottom of each column. If there is a sticker at the bottom of the column they want to place it in, only then can they place their sticker above it. Continue playing and taking turns until someone gets four in a line. The term “four in a line” may be perfered over the term “four in a row”, since the terms column and row have been introduced.
- After playing several times, you might try to play on the game board that comes with the store bought game Connect 4. Some students may find this challenging, since the board game is upright and the pieces can be hard to distinguish, even with tactile indicators.
Variations
- Do what is right for your child! If the adaptated version works better than the store-bought game board, make sure your child can easily explain the rules of the game so another child could join them in playing the adapted version.
