Snakes & Ladders is an ancient game of India that probably provided a moral
lesson of life’s ups and downs as per virtues (ladders) and vices (snakes)
respectively. There is a simple colorful grid of numbers 1-100, with a contrast
of snakes (live being) versus ladders (inanimate gadget) drawn on it in a
particular fashion and in different sizes. Its Western counterpart is Chutes
& Ladders.
Growing up in 1970s India, abundant time was spent on playing
three common board games, the Snakes & Ladders, the Ludo, and the Business. These games
helped us to practice math learned in school and taught emotional regulation
when your own token piece was not moving forward or had to come to a lower
value number on the board.
As therapists or any professional working with
children, we are aware of how challenging it is for a child with special needs
to translate therapy and classroom gains to the external environment.
Therefore, I made a concerted effort to introduce the Snakes & Ladders to children in my clinic who were about 5-7 years of age. These
are children who loved to work with any activity that included numbers. Over
time, when their readiness to participate and engage with another child
improved, and they had mostly overcome their rigidity or obsession with numbers,
they were ready for their first board game of Snakes & Ladders.
Despite children being good at numbers 1-100, it came as a
surprise to moms that the game was not as easy for their child. We came across
the following challenges –
Taking Turns
For most young children, waiting for their turn is
always a work in progress with any new activity.
Using Hands for Tiny Objects (dice)
The concept of rolling and throwing the dice had to be taught
using cupped hands joined together.
Visual Recall and Working Memory
Remembering your own token piece and its position on
the grid during their last turn needed verbal cues from an adult. Visually counting
the number of dots on the dice and moving the same number of squares on the
board required significant help.
Visual Sequencing and Directionality
Continuing from their last position was again a different concept for the child, i.e. sequencing from the number that they were on their last turn.
Sense of directionality while moving the token piece in
increasing order of numbers was another difficulty. Their instant reaction was
to move the token piece in any direction – backwards, forwards, or upwards. Although the
child is good at numbers in terms of recognition and sequencing verbally, following the correct direction on the board becomes a challenge.
Moving from left to right in one row versus right to left in
the immediate next row was difficult to comprehend.
The concept of going up the ladder or coming down the
snake had to be reiterated multiple times. Some children initially had an
emotional issue while coming down on the snake, hence this rule needed to be
ignored for the time being.
Task completion
Patience to complete the game required sustained attention, and going up or down helped work towards building emotional control.
Take Away
In summary, Snakes & Ladders is a simple game that can be
introduced in sensory motor therapy and can be continued with the child at
home. It offers significant therapeutic value to children with special needs to
boost working memory, vision-perceptual skills, and generalization ability.
The same goes for Ludo or Pachisi or Parcheesi which can be
introduced after reasonable comfort with Snakes and ladders. The Business is
another board game if parents wish to teach counting and exchanging money to a
child.
These simple board games may look unappealing in this
fast-paced, digital world. Once we understand their impact on family bonding and
applications to the real world, they become indispensable.
