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Get The Fly

Get The Fly

2-6 players • 15 min • 4 & up

Focus: Letters

Regular price $14.00
Regular price Sale price $14.00
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Our variation of “Old Maid” has players looking for the one fly among all the colorful frogs. Select cards from other player’s hoping to find a match to a card in your own hand. Discard a pair when you make a match and be the last one with the fly card at the end of the game to win!

Skills: Letter Recognition, Matching

Game Includes

  • 53 Cards
  • 1 Poster
  • 1 Rules Booklet

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How to Play

Players take turns choosing a card from other player's hands hoping to draw a match to a frog card in their own hand. Card pairs are then discarded. There is only one fly card. Be the player holding the fly card at the end of the game to win!

Educational Standards

Not available for this product

Skills

Explore

What Does Child Do To Use Skill In The Game?
Players look at their hand throughout the playing Get The Fly to see if they have a matching pair.

How Parents Can Assist Learning
No special adult support is required.

Learning Implications and Educator Support
No special adult support is required.

Determine

What Does Child Do To Use Skill In The Game?
On their turn, players pick a card from the player to their left, and then need to determine what letter and frog is on the card. They will then determine if there is a match.

How Parents Can Assist Learning
No special adult support is required. Parents can enhance the fun by encouraging them to look at the frog on the cards to make a match.

Learning Implications and Educator Support
Get The Fly is develops matching and letter recognition skills. Educators can enhance the visual matching skills and the fun by encouraging them to look at the frogs on the cards.

When children make a pair have them show the cards, and say name and make the sound of the letter on the cards. This enhances learning the alphabet and related phonics.


Compare

What Does Child Do To Use Skill In The Game?
Comparing occurs along with determining as players pick a card from the player to their left, and then look to see if it matches a card in their hand.

How Parents Can Assist Learning
No special adult support is required. Parents can enhance the fun by encouraging them to look at the frog on the cards to make a match.

Learning Implications and Educator Support
Get The Fly is develops matching and letter recognition skills. Educators can enhance the visual matching skills and the fun by encouraging them to look at the frogs on the cards.

When children make a pair have them show the cards, and say name and make the sound of the letter on the cards. This enhances learning the alphabet and related phonics.



*Data compiled from CCSSI ELA Standards, WA Science Standards, and Washington Social Studies Standards

Special Needs

Cognitive

Suggestions for How to Modify Play Experience
Use a card holder to aid little hands. Take out half of the frog pairs, keeping the ones that are visually the most varied. This will make it easier for the child to see matches. Play the game in the same way. This reduces the number of cards the child needs to analyze for a match. It also keeps the game shorter to help the child maintain attention.

Communication

Suggestions for How to Modify Play Experience
No language is required for this game. Modifications are not needed. However, talking should be encouraged. Ask them to name the letter or what they like about the frog they picked.

Sensorimotor

Suggestions for How to Modify Play Experience
Children with fine motor concerns may have difficulty holding and pulling cards. Use a card holder that allows the child to have control of their cards. When it is their turn to pick a card, allow them to point to a card they want, and the holder can pull the card for them.

Social Emotional/Behavioral

Suggestions for How to Modify Play Experience
For children who have a short attention span, take out half of the frog pairs, and play the game in the same way. This reduces the number of cards the child needs to analyze for a match, reducing frustration. It also keeps the game shorter to help the child maintain attention.

Vision

Suggestions for How to Modify Play Experience
Get The Fly is too challenging for children with uncorrected vison issues. The child has to match frogs that often have similar visual aspects, making them difficult to distinguish.

Hearing

Suggestions for How to Modify Play Experience
Children with hearing loss should not have a problem playing Get The Fly as hearing is not necessary. Demonstrate the game first, so they understand how to play. Players can lay down their pairs and point to the matching letters or frogs.

*Data compiled from CCSSI ELA Standards, WA Science Standards, and Washington Social Studies Standards

Autism

Get the Fly is a game to help children recognize and match letters, colors, and frog pictures. Recognizing similarities and differences is a key foundation for learning to read, and Get the Fly helps children practice this skill in a fun way. Another aspect of the game is to try to win the game by being the last person holding the fly when all the cards have been played. This requires managing facial and verbal expressions so that they don't give away the fact that they are holding the fly. Self-regulation is an important skill for success in school, and this aspect of the game helps children practice self-control.

Autism Strengths & Interests

Short Summary of Strengths & Interests

  • Letter recognition
  • Matching letters, colors, and pictures
  • Self-control

Is good at matching visual items

Is This Game Appropriate? Yes

Description
Get the Fly requires visual matching of colors, letters, and/or pictures.

Has a good memory for sensory details, including visual, touch, taste and smell

Is This Game Appropriate? No

Description
Memory is not required to play the game. However, a memory for letter shapes will help the child recall the letter names and maybe letter sounds.

Has a good memory for words, phrases and dialouge

Is This Game Appropriate? No

Description
No language is required to play, but naming the letters does require memory and should be encouraged.

Has a good memory for pictures, numbers and patterns

Is This Game Appropriate? No

Description
Memory for letter names can be encouraged. Matching of the letters and frogs does not require memory.

Likes to put things in order or a sequence

Is This Game Appropriate? Yes

Description
Players make sets of like frogs as they draw cards from other players. This is a form of making order out of disorder.

Learns through visualizing or "replaying" actions in their mind

Is This Game Appropriate? No

Description
No replaying in the mind is needed, as players group cards as they are drawn.

Likes activities with rules, such as math and phonics

This game is not appropriate

Is very concrete and literal

Is This Game Appropriate? Yes

Description
Get The Fly is very concrete, using pictures of cute frogs and alphabet letters for matching.

Learns in small "chunks" (for example, phone numbers are 3 chunks of number xxx-xxx-xxxx that are combined together)

Is This Game Appropriate? Yes

Description
Players make sets of four of each frog and its letter.

Is good at nonverbal reasoning and logic

This game is not appropriate

Likes spatial problem solving

This game is not appropriate

Can read well with good vocabulary, though may not fully comprehend content

This game is not appropriate

Likes to use and has good fine motor skill

Is This Game Appropriate? Yes

Description
Fine motor skills are needed to hold the cards and fan them out so the letters are visible. Players also have to pull one card at a time from another players hand and place it carefully next to similar cards in their hand.

Likes established routines or set ways of doing things

Is This Game Appropriate? Yes

Description
The game is played the same way each time, making the game predictable.

Likes manipulating, constructing or building things

Is This Game Appropriate? Yes

Description

Likes to use and has good musical abilities

This game is not appropriate

Likes to use and has good drawing skills

This game is not appropriate


Autism Special Considerations

Appears to ignore other's communication and/or has difficulty giving eye contact to a communication partner

Is This Game Appropriate for Child with Characteristic? Yes

Can Child with Characteristic Play Game w/o Modification? Yes

Strategies for Developing Compensatory Skills:
Players do not have to give eye contact or communicate with other players.

Has difficulty understanding complex verbal directions

Is This Game Appropriate for Child with Characteristic? Yes

Can Child with Characteristic Play Game w/o Modification?Yes

Strategies for Developing Compensatory Skills:
The directions for Get the Fly are not difficult. Players only have to pick a card from another player, make pairs, and try to hang on to the Fly card. Children with autism are often very literal and have difficulty" bluffing," so they may need to be reminded not to talk about where the fly card is located when it is in their hand or when they draw it.

Uses vocabulary inaccurately or demonstrates echolalia (repeating another's speech)

Is This Game Appropriate for Child with Characteristic? Yes

Can Child with Characteristic Play Game w/o Modification? Yes

Strategies for Developing Compensatory Skills:
Unless the echolalia is extensive and totally off topic, it should not interfere with other players turns. Discussion and concentration are not necessary for this game, so repetition of what other players are saying should not interfere with game play.

Gets stuck repeating a verbal topic or physical actions and/or has difficulty attending to others' actions or topic.

Is This Game Appropriate for Child with Characteristic? Yes

Can Child with Characteristic Play Game w/o Modification? Yes

Strategies for Developing Compensatory Skills:
Strategy is not involved in playing Get The Fly, so distracting talk or actions should not interfere with game play.

Has difficulty producing speech/communication

Is This Game Appropriate for Child with Characteristic? Yes

Can Child with Characteristic Play Game w/o Modification? Yes

Strategies for Developing Compensatory Skills:
Communication is not needed to play the game, but discussion about the different frogs in the game may enhance the play. Players can refer to the information sheet to point out their favorite frogs. Children with autism often get interested in visual details, so discussion of the different characteristics of the frogs may appeal to them.

Has difficulty sequencing multi-step actions and/or doing complex abstract tasks

Is This Game Appropriate for Child with Characteristic? Yes

Can Child with Characteristic Play Game w/o Modification? Yes

Strategies for Developing Compensatory Skills:
Only two steps are involved in a turn, drawing a card from another player and looking for matches of letters or frogs. This makes the game easy to play for children who need simple rules.

Demonstrates difficulty initiating and maintaining social interactions

Is This Game Appropriate for Child with Characteristic? Yes

Can Child with Characteristic Play Game w/o Modification? Yes

Strategies for Developing Compensatory Skills:
The game entails drawing a card from another player's hand, but eye contact is not needed. Players may need to prompt the child with autism that it is their turn, if they are not following the turns of other players. For example, "Josie just had a turn, so whose turn is it now?" This encourages the child to join the interaction.

Acts out or demonstrates avoidance behaviors when frustrated, overwhelmed, or needs more sensory input.

Is This Game Appropriate for Child with Characteristic? Yes

Can Child with Characteristic Play Game w/o Modification? Yes

Strategies for Developing Compensatory Skills:
Get The Fly should not be frustrating, as it moves quickly. If too much discussion is taking place between turns, the child with autism may become anxious. Allow fidget breaks if needed, or speed up the play.

Has short attention span for non-preferred activities

Is This Game Appropriate for Child with Characteristic? Yes

Can Child with Characteristic Play Game w/o Modification? Yes

Strategies for Developing Compensatory Skills:
If the child with autism is interested in animals, letters, or accumulating things that are alike, this may be a preferred game.

Needs sameness or consistent routines and/or has difficulty with transitions from one activity to another

Is This Game Appropriate for Child with Characteristic? Yes

Can Child with Characteristic Play Game w/o Modification? Yes

Strategies for Developing Compensatory Skills:
The routine of play is the same with each turn, so this structure may be comforting.

Has difficulty understanding others' feelings, intentions, and the reasons for others' actions.

Is This Game Appropriate for Child with Characteristic? Yes

Can Child with Characteristic Play Game w/o Modification? Yes

Strategies for Developing Compensatory Skills:
Get the Fly does not require understanding others' feelings or intentions, as there is no strategy involved.

*Data compiled from CCSSI ELA Standards, WA Science Standards, and Washington Social Studies Standards

Extended Play

Extra Ways to Play the Game
Play so that the person who has the most pairs is the winner. Leave out the Fly.

Materials Needed
No additional materials needed.

Developmental Benefits
Counting pairs adds an element of math to the game. Children are also more focused on finding a pair of letters or matching frogs, as their incentive is different for winning.

*Data compiled from CCSSI ELA Standards, WA Science Standards, and Washington Social Studies Standards

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How to Play Video & Transcript

Welcome to Simply Fun’s How to Play Get the Fly!

Our variation of “Old Maid” that has everyone looking for the fly among all the colorful frogs.

You can play Get the Fly with 2-6 players, ages 4 and up!

Get the Fly is great for developing Letter Recognition Skills, as players look at the letters on their cards and try to get another card with the same letter.

Get the Fly also helps with Matching Skills as players look at the letters, colors and features of the frogs on the cards and try to match the frog card chosen from another player with a frog card already in their hand.

To set up the game, shuffle the deck of cards and hand each player a card until all the cards are passed out. Some players may end up with one more card than others, but that is okay.

Look at the cards in your hand, find the matching frogs or the letters of the alphabet. Take all the matching pairs out and place them into a discard pile. Your hand should now have no matching cards.

The object of Get the Fly is to select a card from another player’s hand hoping to draw a match to a card in your own hand. Card pairs are then discarded. There is only one “Fly” card in the deck. Be the last one holding just the Fly card in your hand at the end of the game to win.

To play the game, players take turns selecting a card from the player on their left. That player presents their cards facedown and you select one of the cards and add it to your hand. If it matches a card, making a pair, discard them into your discard pile. If it does not match another card in your hand keep the card. Your turn is now over.

The player whose hand you drew a card from goes next and play continues clockwise.

For Example: You have a frog card with the letter “C”, a frog card with the letter “N”, and a frog card with the letter “V” in your hand. You draw a frog card with the letter “N” from another player. You now discard both frog cards with the letter “N” as a matching pair.

If you have the “Fly” card in your hand don’t let the other players know. Half the fun is trying to get the fly.

When you are all out of cards in your hand, you are out of the game. The game continues with the remaining players by taking cards, making matches, and discarding pairs.

The player left holding the Fly card at the end wins the game!

See if you can be the lucky one left holding the Fly with Simply Fun’s Get the Fly!