Puzzles and Games for Kids with Special Needs

by JoleneAug 31, 2012Books and Resources, Special Needs Parenting4 comments

While puzzles and board games don’t top my fun free-time activity list, they do make the top ten. Somewhere after spending time with family, reading, cooking, and watching TV/movies on Netflix, but before swimming, shopping, and travel. However, when puzzles and board games are combined with spending time with family, it rockets to the top of my list and is hard to dislodge.

Meet Puzzle and Game Creators Bill Ritchie and Andrea Barthello

If you feel the same way, you’ll be glad to hear about ThinkFun, a company that creates puzzles and games for kids of all ages. The family-owned company was created in 1985 by husband-and-wife team, Bill Ritchie and Andrea Barthello. Their website states their mission was and still is “To translate the brilliant ideas of the craziest mathematicians, engineers and inventors into simple toys that can be appreciated by boys and girls around the world.”

Puzzles, Games, and Toys for Kids with Special Needs

Though ThinkFun doesn’t design games specifically for those with special needs, therapists recommend several of their products to enhance the following skill areas:

Focus and Attention
Fine Motor
Memory
Number Sense
Social Play
Speech and Language
Visual

A click on the Parents Tab leads to information about parent guides for the products and allows you to read an online version of one of them.

My kids would have loved some of these puzzles and games, and I’m bookmarking the site for future reference. With our first grandbaby due in September, I may need to place an order soon.

What Are Your Family’s Favorite Puzzles and Games for Kids with Special Needs?

Now it’s your turn. What puzzles and games do you play with your kids? Have they had therapeutic value, as well as being fun for your kids with special needs and typical kids, too? Leave a comment to recommend your favorite family fun non-screen pastimes.

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By Jolene

Jolene Philo is the author of several books for the caregiving community. She speaks at parenting and special needs conferences around the country. Sharing Love Abundantly with Special Needs Families: The 5 Love Languages® for Parents Raising Children with Disabilities, which she co-authored with Dr. Gary Chapman, was released in August of 2019 and is available at local bookstores, their bookstore website, and Amazon. See Jane Dance!, the third book in the West River cozy mystery series, which features characters affected by disability, was released in October of 2023.

4 Comments

Jolene on September 10, 2012 at 1:17 pm

You’re welcome, Cristina. Thanks to ThinkFun for remembering families with special needs families when you create products.

Jolene
Cristina Lucas on September 10, 2012 at 10:34 am

Thanks for the wonderful write up, Jolene. ThinkFun is proud to offer games as tools for therapists and parents of children with a range of special needs. We appreciate you sharing the news with your community.
Jolene on September 3, 2012 at 2:58 pm

Thanks for the other game recommendations, Nancy.

Jolene
Nancy on August 31, 2012 at 2:07 pm

We have several Thinkfun games and enjoy them all. Cranium has some favorites for younger set for example, Hullabaloo. We all act goofy playing that game.