Play is an important occupation for children and aids in the development of so many important life skills. As such, play is often utilized by occupational therapists during occupational therapy interventions with children and can be recommended as a means for family members to continue to develop important skills with children outside of therapy sessions.

There are so many different games and toys available for children to engage with during play, some of which are beneficial and others which may actually hamper play. In this article, we will examine the pros and cons of a toddler board game that I recently came across to hopefully assist you in determining if this game would be a useful tool for you in providing occupational therapy services to your pediatric clients.

Description of game:
Duck Duck Dance!™ is a toddler board game with a gameboard, four large 2.5 inch dice with gross motor moves, and four round cards with pictures of various pond-dwelling audience members. It is designed for children ages 2 and up and can be played with any number of players. The game comes with clear and simple instructions and is designed so that no one wins or loses. Players roll the four dice and then follow the gross motor moves in sequence, turning over an audience member card once their dance is complete.

Pros:
Duck Duck Dance! is fun and engaging, with constant movement and activity to keep toddlers entertained. The gross motor moves are developmentally appropriate, yet challenging, and the process of playing the game also incorporates fine motor skills, cognitive skills, emotional-regulation skills, and language skills. While simple instructions are included, the game can be easily adjusted and modified to more specifically target an area the occupational therapist wishes to address, such as by turning over all audience member cards before and after each round to address fine motor skills and wrist extension or by repeating the gross motor moves sequence multiple times to more thoroughly address gross motor skills.

Cons:
When played according to the included directions, Duck Duck Dance! can be completed very quickly, but simple modifications to the game instructions can extend the playing time as needed. In addition, some of the gross motor moves—specifically “wiggle” and “twist” or “twist” and “spin”—can be somewhat difficult to distinguish, especially when completed by a toddler.

Therapeutic implications:
Duck Duck Dance! is both structured and flexible, making it a useful game for many pediatric clients. The game itself is designed to address both fine and gross motor skills, as well as cognitive, emotional, and language skills, and the game sequence and instructions can be easily modified to increase emphasis on the skills most pertinent to a particular client. In addition, while the game is designed to be played in person, if the focus of intervention is primarily on skills other than the fine motor skills, this game could easily be played remotely via telehealth with the therapist completing the steps of rolling the dice and flipping the audience member cards and the child completing the gross motor movements within the specified sequence.

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