Categories – Games on the Go

My cute Haley has some word retention issues because of her brain tumor. I’ve been reading a lot about how to help her and how to improve the damage done. One thing I can do is help her categorize her brain. When we play with animals we name a few other animals. When we eat bananas we talk about different fruits.

When I was young we went swimming everyday in the summer and we would play Categories. We would wake up and do our chores each morning, have lunch and then ride our bikes up a big hill to the swimming pool. For a few years I rode my mom’s bike with my sister (10 years younger) in the baby seat. My legs sure did get a work out. But, it was easier and faster then walking with her up that huge hill. Almost everyday we would join our friends in playing a game of categories. We would be in the deep end touching the wall. The person who was “it” chose a category like fruit. Everyone else chose a specific fruit. Then the person who was “it” would face backward so they couldn’t see anyone and start naming fruits. When our specific fruit was called we swam as quickly and as quietly as we could past the designated line before being touched. Whomever was touched was the next one “it.”

I have made a printable for this category game for on the go. When we are waiting for her next doctor appointment or just sitting in the car waiting for school to end we can get out this game and play. I have even included a list of suggested categories if you need some help getting started.

All you need to do is print out the Categories Game and include it in your bag with our Snowman Dice Game.  This game has been fun to play with all my kids.