Barrier Games
Barrier games are one of the ways you can practice listening skills and comprehension.
Two or more players sit around a table with a barrier set up so they cannot see each other’s materials. Every player will have the exact same materials in front of them. A binder, book, or bristol board makes a quick and easy barrier. Each player takes turn giving a specific direction on how to arrange the materials in front of them. Depending on the child’s individual skill level, instructions may be simple or complex. Absolutely no visual cues are given. At the end of the game, the goal is for everyone’s materials to be set up the same way. You’ll have a good idea as to whether or not your child was able to both listen and comprehend instructions based on wether or not the materials are set up correctly. You can use blocks or draw pictures on a piece of paper, or cut and paste shapes, use Mr. Potato head, make patterns with geometric shapes, build with Picasso tiles, coloring pages, etc.
Barrier games are a great way to practice and develop comprehension of various concepts and
social skills including:
• Following directions
• Turn-taking
• Understanding propositions (in, out, under, over, next to, etc.)
• Comprehension of and expressive use of adjectives such as size, color, shape, etc.
• Comprehension of and expressive use of nouns, verbs, adverbs, etc.
• Ability to follow multi-step directives, and to give multi-step directives
• Ability to ask questions/clarification of directions (wh- questions)
