Barrier Games develop organization, direction following & giving

Imaginetics: played as a barrier game. Lay the game flat and place a file folder or other stiff material upright in the middle creating 2 sides. Before beginning place stickers on the edges of the playing board or draw designs on paper placed by each edge. They must be the same on each side of the divide, but 4 different designs. These will be used as navigational tools. (ie- place a large purple circle in the corner between the daisy-side and the happy face side). Player 1 makes a simple design, then verbally directs player 2 to re-create it on the other side of the barrier without watching what is done. All done- remove the barrier to see how they did. 

Directions: Giving & Following in a Cooperative Game

Robot-Programmer Game:

There are 3 levels of play, but set-up is the same for each. Create, at least 6 locations and place matching treasures at each so you can tell that teams have been at each location. (Maybe #1 has all bean bags/#2 all plastic eggs/#3 wood blocks/#4 paper balls/#5 pencils/ #6 plastic cups etc). You need 1 more location than there are teams. Players work in teams of 2 or 3. Player 1 is the robot, who can only follow orders given and the others are programmers in charge of the code/directions. Have each team sit on a rug square or other floor marker as their "home". Place chairs and other obstacles throughout the play area. Programmers must navigate their Robots to a location, collect a treasure and return it home, before navigating to another treasure.

Rules:

•  Robots can only walk in a straight line.
• Turns can only be right or left. So to turn completely around 2 commands are needed.
• Turns commands do not include any steps forward.
• "Pick up a treasure" or "Put down treasure" needs to be a command.
• The number of steps to be taken can be given in 1 command (Forward 3 steps) 
• Robots STOP when they are about to bump into an object or another robot.

Basic Version: Programmers follow their robot and give commands verbally as they go.

Standard Version: Programmers draw arrows & numbers on small pieces of paper that the robot follows. Several papers may be given at once, but they must be followed in the order presented.

Advanced Version: Programmers draw arrows & numbers on a single paper. The robot follows the directions; must start again if changes are needed to the program, which can be made on the same paper as needed.