I think Dino Meal might be my new favorite game! Well, Feelings Candy Land is hard to beat, but this game is awesome! I used it for a full week and played it with all of my kids and it was a hit. I did not have one child who did not like it. It is hard to find therapy games that are so versatile and appeal to a wide audience. I even took it home to play with my family and my husband and teens enjoyed it.
I love that this game creates a little bit of fear, but is also intriguing and draws the children in. It also creates a challenge by making the eggs difficult to grab. You only have a little bit of space when you lift the leaf to be able to access the eggs and the tweezers are a little hard to use. These little challenges make the game interesting and exciting. **Tip: Skip the tweezers with little ones. Have them grab them out with their fingers.
The Setup
The game comes with a dinosaur, the base unit with the nest, the colored baby dinosaur eggs, tweezers, and a die. In the video you will note that mine was missing the die, but it did not take away from the game. I would recommend using the tweezers and die with older kids but keeping it simple for littles.
The game requires batteries for the sound to work, but you can still play it without batteries. The sound adds to the big emotions that go into the game! I only turned off the sound if the child was scared but still wanted to try it. My dinosaur is a little difficult to set up. I have to spread the feet apart and push him forward (in striking position) to get him to latch onto the base.
Related Post: Creative Ways to Use Dinosaurs in Play Therapy
How to Play
The first player will roll the die, indicating which egg color to retrieve from the nest. The player will lift the leaf with one hand and remove an egg with the other hand. If the dinosaur does not strike, it will be the next player's turn. Whoever the dinosaur strikes loses the round.
Therapeutic Value
I found that the children were initially scared of the dinosaur, but they were determined to overcome their fear. They would watch it and experiment with it to learn when it would strike, how it would strike, and ways to safely play without getting hit. We also used CBT skills to consider thoughts and beliefs about the dinosaur and perceived danger. Once they rescripted their thoughts, they were prepared to play without fear. Many children were able to work through this process without prompting, which is always marvelous to see!
Unfortunately, the sound did not come through on the above video. You can watch this short one to hear the sounds of the game.
If you enjoy playing games in therapy sessions, you might be interested in my other game reviews. You can find them below.
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