“Don’t Break the Ice” is my all-time favorite game to use in my practice. I’ve used it with children as young as 2 and up to 14.
What it helps a child learn/work on:
• Turn-taking
• Impulse control. It is *so* tempting to want to break out “just one more” ice cube, but learning to wait until it’s your turn again is facilitated with this game.
• Gradation of force. This is a concept that so many of the children that I work with seem to struggle with. They need help learning when to tap gently, when to smack it really hard with the hammer, and, even tougher, when to do it “medium hard”.
• Winning/losing. Whomever makes the guy fall down loses the game. Because you can usually see when it’s about to happen, you can prepare the child in advance. I prefer to say something like, “What do you think you’ll do/say if you win?” and/or “What do you think you’ll do/say if you lose?”
• Fine motor skills. Holding the hammer with the right positioning can be facilitated with this game.
Placing all of the ice cubes into the tray can be a little bit tricky, especially for the last 4 or so cubes. It’s helpful to have an adult or older child help with this part. Sometimes, placing the guy on top of the cubes requires an adult touch, too.