PLAYBOOKS: FOR THE internet

Trick Hoops Challenge

Challenge the computer to see who can make the most elaborate basketball shot. Don’t miss a shot or the computer becomes the leader.

Game play alone results in modest improvements in real-world executive skills. Please refer to our Playbook Tutorial, general coaching and comprehensive guides to transfer game skills to sustainable real-life behaviors.

QUICK FACTS

Game Type: Sports
Platform/Console: Nintendo DS
How to Find It: Trick Hoops Challenge
Other Requirements: Adobe Flash Player
LWK Recommended Age: 4+

 

This Game is Good for Kids Who Need Help With:

• Short-term planning (planning)
• Changing their attitude to accommodate another’s needs (flexibility)

What You Need to Know About the Game:

No reading ability is required but a very basic understanding of motion and collisions will help the player to succeed.

How to find it:
http://www.addictinggames.com/trickhoopschallenge.html

Controls, game basics, and instructions:
Hold down the left mouse button to choose the spot you will shoot from, then move the mouse to choose the direction in which to throw the ball.

Solutions:

This game is very simple; no walkthroughs are necessary.

This Game Helps Your Kids With Planning:

This game is good for kids who need help with short-term planning, because they must:

• Plan out complicated shots before they click the mouse button to begin the shooting process. Once players click, they cannot cancel any ill-conceived attempts at the shot. To fool the more advanced computers, players will have to come up with elaborate shots requiring a strong degree of planning. Players must consider how the motion of the ball will be affected by collisions with the wall, hoop and/or floor. Players must also call out what collisions will be made by clicking buttons on the top of the screen.

Talking Points:

• When were you able to make a complicated shot?
• How did planning out your shot before clicking the mouse help you to score a complicated shot?
• How is planning before you shoot in “Trick Hoops Challenge” like re-reading a math problem and developing a plan to solve it before starting on the problem?

Making it Real:

• Learn a new dance step together. Emphasize the importance of watching the entire dance prior to focusing on learning the sequence of the steps. Engage in other activities that involve considering or seeing the whole, but learning the steps. Examples would be completing a science fair project or putting together a piece of furniture. Discuss how understanding of the parts and the whole help in planning.

This Game Helps Your Kids With Fexibility:

This game is good for kids who need help with changing their attitude to accommodate another’s needs, because they must:

• Mimic the opponent’s shot if they fail to make one of their own. The player starts as the leader, meaning he/she makes the shot to be copied. However, if the player misses a shot, the opponent becomes the leader and makes the shots the player must imitate. When the opponent becomes leader, the player must be able to shift approach and wait for the opponent to miss before he or she becomes leader again. However, if the player misses a shot while the opponent leads, the opponent gets a point. If a player’s shot was “not good”, the opponent gets a turn as the leader.

Talking Points:

• When were you able to resume being the leader without the opponent getting any points?
• How did changing your style to better mimic your opponent help you make shots, thus preventing your opponent from getting points?
• How is imitating your opponent in “Trick Hoops Challenge” like watching your parents or older siblings do a chore before trying it yourself?

Making it Real:

• Play games that change tempo, such as hide-and-seek in which one needs to run and then be quiet. Games where one typically takes turns but have rules in them where you can either gain an extra turn or lose a turn can be helpful. This is useful for children who have difficulty with transitions or tend to “plod along” or have problems in regulating their level of boisterousness.