Name: Dance Like A Lemur
Brand: SimplyFun LLC
SKU: SF202
Price: 36.00 USD
Availability: InStock

Players take turns rolling the action die and flipping over puzzle pieces, imitating animals through sounds, movement, words and stories.

Welcome to SimplyFun’s How to Play Dance Like A Lemur!

UNLEASH YOUR WILD SIDE! Jump into an exciting adventure where you imitate various animals like elephants, crabs, dogs and cows through sounds, movements, words and stories. Join the fun as you stomp, scuttle, bark and moo your way to finding all the pieces to your puzzle, stopping only for the occasional dance party! Dance Like a Lemur is a joyful blend of learning laughter, and animal antics.

You can play Dance Like A Lemur with 2-5 players, ages 4 and up!

Dance Like A Lemur is great for Gross Motor Skills. Players exercise both their body and mind as they act like, sound like, dance like, describe and tell stories about different animals.

Dance Like A Lemur also helps develop Memory. Players remember which puzzle pieces other players have flipped so they can quickly find their own pieces.
• Choose an area with plenty of room to move about.
• Take out one circular five-piece puzzle for each player. Leave unused puzzles in the box. Disassemble the puzzles and sort them into two piles: one pile for pieces that have animal inserts, and one pile for pieces that have a number.
• Take the pieces that have animals and shuffle them.
• Then randomly scatter them around the play area, animal side down. All the puzzle pieces should look the same when face down.
• Next, take the puzzle pieces with numbers on them and shuffle them. Randomly give one to each player. Each piece has a different number on it and a different color. The color on that piece is the color of the puzzle that player needs to finish!
• The number on the starting puzzle piece determines the turn order for the game. The player who has the lowest number on their puzzle piece goes first! Then the player with the next lowest number, and so on.
• Take the action die from the box and give it to the first player.

Players take turns rolling the action die and flipping over puzzle pieces, imitating animals through sounds, movement, words and stories. Be the first to collect and assemble all the pieces of your puzzle to win the game!

The first player rolls the action die and then places it next to their starting puzzle piece to keep track of whose turn it is.

The symbol rolled on the die decides the action for the turn. Next, the player picks a face down puzzle piece to flip over. The animal on the flipped puzzle piece will be the theme for that action.

Action Die Symbols
• Acts Like - The player who rolled the die moves their body and acts like the animal on the puzzle piece. (If you don’t know how your animal moves, you can guess!)
• Sounds Like - The player who rolled the die makes noises like the animal on the puzzle piece. (If you don’t know how your animal sounds, make the sounds they might make while they move or invent a sound you think they should make!)
• Looks Like - The player who rolled the die describes what the animal on the puzzle piece looks like. (What color is your animal? Is it big or small? Does it have fur or scales? Does it look like it runs fast, can swim or fly?)
• Tell a Story - The player who rolled the die tells us something about the animal on the puzzle piece. (Share about a time you saw this animal, or tell us where the animal lives, who is this animal’s friend, etc.)
• Wild! - The player who rolled the die may pick any side of the die and perform the action of their choice! Picking “any side” includes the Lemur Dance Party!
• Lemur Dance Party When a player rolls a Dancing Lemur, all players join in! Starting with the player who rolled the dice, each player picks a puzzle piece and flips it over. All players then dance like how they think their animal would dance! All players check to see if the color of the piece they flipped matches their puzzle. If it does, they can add it to their puzzle! If it does not match, let the other players see what color it is and then put it back face down.

Depending on what action was rolled on the die, the player does their best to dance like, act like, sound like, describe or tell a story about the animal on the puzzle piece they flipped over. Other players cheer them on or just enjoy the performance. There’s no wrong way for someone to perform as long as they try! After the action is complete, the player checks if the puzzle piece matches the color of their starting piece. If it does, they keep the piece and add it to their puzzle! If it does not match, they let other players see what color it is and put it back face down. Now the die is handed to the next player!

End of Game

The first player to assemble all five pieces of their puzzle and shout “Done!” wins the game. Multiple players may finish their puzzle at the same time, but the very first one to physically assemble the puzzle and say “Done!” is the winner. Other players may keep playing to finish their puzzles.

Dive in and dance like never before when you play SimplyFun’s Dance Like A Lemur!

Core Standard*: Speaking & Listening

Speaking & Listening
Language

Determine

What Does Child Do To Use Skill In The Game?
Players think about and then decide what they should do based on symbol on the die they roll and the animal on the piece they turn over.

How Parents Can Assist Learning
If a child is having a difficult time with an activity, a parent can give a starter suggestion. For example, if the child needs to tell a story, the parent might say, "The dog went outside. What happened next?"

Offer ideas that facilitate the child thinking about options such as "Dogs can be very small to very large. How do you think different dogs might sound?". You can also remind a child of what they have experienced in the past with the same or similar animals.

Because this game involves a lot of imagination, avoid trying to correct a child's response. If a child completely misses the mark such as "quacking" for a chicken, you might say something like "That's a great a quack for a duck! Did you know chickens sound a little different. Would you like to try again or for me to try?".

Learning Implications and Educator Support
Dancing Like a Lemur is a very good game for literacy development, nonverbal communication and social play.

Educators can use similar techniques as parents such as give a starter suggestion. For example, if the child needs to tell a story, the educator might say, "The dog went outside. What happened next?" Also, provide prompts that help a child think about and decide on how an animal might look, sound or dance like.

Additionally, using the ideas in the Expansions can help kids learn one-to-one correspondence and what the written numerals mean. - help kids describe by introducing new vocabulary.

Remember

What Does Child Do To Use Skill In The Game?
Because several of the possible activities on a roll of the die involve making sounds, describing or emulating the actions of various animals, players will benefit from recalling what they know about the animal. Players also use short term memory when they try to recall where a piece they want is located face down.

How Parents Can Assist Learning
To support children with the activities, remind them of when they have encountered the same or similar animals in the past in person, on tv, in a book, etc. This can help them determine how to make their animal sound, describe the animal, tell a story about the animal, etc.

Learning Implications and Educator Support
Playing Dance Like a Lemur can draw on a child's memory of what they know about animals in order to act according to their roll of the die and the animal piece their turn over.

The game offers players the ability to guess and create a response if they don't know exactly what an octopus sounds like or a lion looks like (for example), which is a great way for children to build their imagination.

Also, educators could invite all players who know about an animal, such as a lion, to share what they know with the player whose turn it is as part of cooperative play.

Demonstrate

What Does Child Do To Use Skill In The Game?
The essence of Dance Like a Lemur is demonstration from storytelling about to dancing like to making sounds of your animal.

How Parents Can Assist Learning
Because this is inherent to the gameplay, there is no special assistance required, but lots of laughter and celebrations is always a wonderful addition. Improving their demonstration skills is particularly relevant when they are taking actions based on animals they already know, therefore, they are able to demonstrate their level of knowledge about that animal.

The recommendations in the other portions of this skills section, especially Remember, may be helpful

Learning Implications and Educator Support
Because this is inherent to the gameplay, there is no special assistance required, but lots of laughter and celebrations is always a wonderful addition. Improving their demonstration skills is particularly relevant when they are taking actions based on animals they already know, therefore, they are able to demonstrate their level of understanding of that animal.

The recommendations in the other portions of this skills section, especially Remember, may be helpful.

Imagine

What Does Child Do To Use Skill In The Game?
Players need to use their imagination to develop a story for an animal. Also they need to imagine the characteristics of an animal are if they are unfamiliar with it, such as an octopus.

How Parents Can Assist Learning
In Dance Like a Lemur, imagining, creating and determining all work together. Particularly when a child does not know the animal, they need to imagine what it might sound or look like, determine what sound to make or description to offer and then create and that sound or description.

The recommendations from the Determine section are appropriate for sparking imagination and creativity. Also, provide lots of and resist correcting, since nothing that is imagined and created is technically "wrong".

Learning Implications and Educator Support
This is a great game for building imagination and creativity as children need to invent and tell stories, make up dances for their animal and, in the event they don't know an animal, conjure their own sounds, descriptions or act like the animal they turned over on a puzzle piece.

Particularly, storytelling supports dramatic play and literacy skills like vocubulary and sequencing of ideas and actions. Introduce prompts stimulate imagination such as pigs like to roll in the mud. What do you think they would look like afterwards?

Create

What Does Child Do To Use Skill In The Game?
Tied together with imagination, players need to create an idea of what they want to do and then do it through movement, sounds and storytelling, i.e. demonstration.

How Parents Can Assist Learning
In Dance Like a Lemur, imagining, creating and determining all work together. Particularly when a child does not know the animal, they need to imagine what it might sound or look like, determine what sound to make or description to offer and then create and that sound or description.

The recommendations from the Determine section are appropriate for sparking imagination and creativity. Also, provide lots of encouragement and resist correcting, since nothing that is imagined and created is technically "wrong".

Learning Implications and Educator Support
This is a great game for building imagination and creativity as children need to invent and tell stories, make up dances for their animal and, in the event they don't know an animal, conjure their own sounds, descriptions or act like the animal they turned over on a puzzle piece.

Particularly, storytelling supports dramatic play and literacy skills like vocubulary and sequencing of ideas and actions. Introduce prompts stimulate imagination such as pigs like to roll in the mud. What do you think they would look like afterwards?

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

Cognitive

Suggestions for How to Modify Play Experience
Adults may need to help interpret the symbols on the die, until the child begins to recognize them. Cue them by asking what the picture is and then ask, "What do you think it means?"

Encourage the child to learn the number symbols by pointing to each number for player whose turn it is. For instance, "It is number 2's turn. Who has number 2?" If the child doesn't recognize number 2, the person who has it, holds it up, traces it with a finger and says, "I'm number2!"

If the child doesn't know how an animal acts, how it sounds, can't describe it, or tell a story about it, allow them to name it. Then have another player model what is needed and see if the child can imitate. Keep the story short so the child can remember it. For example, "The bear went to sleep".

Communication

Suggestions for How to Modify Play Experience
Two of the symbols on the die require talking, one to describe the animal and one to tell a story. This may be too challenging for a child with language delays or disorders. Allow them to point to aspects on the animal for descriptions or use gestures. For example, "Show me what you can do with a dog." "That's right pet him. He's soft." Encourage the child to say "soft."

Play as partners, with the child with language delays acting out the animal and making animal noises, and the other partner describing or telling the story. Both can dance like a lemur!

Play as partners. Simplify the requirements so the child only needs to use one or two words. For example, the partner says, "The octopus has …. legs." The child only needs to fill in the blank. For the story activity, the player can start the story like "The cat went to ____." The child can then add a line to the story.

Sensorimotor

Suggestions for How to Modify Play Experience
Children who have gross motor delays, coordination issues, or cerebral palsy, may have difficulty with acting like the animal and dancing. Encourage them to use their arms and hands if they can (e.g., pounding on the table like horse hooves to describe the horse). Other players many help by offering suggestions of gestures.

For children in a wheel chair, other players can push the chair around in when it is time to dance like an animal.

If the child is verbal, play as partners, with the partner doing the "act like" the animal, and the child with motor delays doing the description and storytelling.

Social Emotional/Behavioral

Suggestions for How to Modify Play Experience
This is an active, fun game, so children who get easily over-stimulated may get a little too rowdy. If this occurs, an adult can offer, "That was fun! I'm a little tired! Let's all take some deep breaths and relax for a minute."

Children who are very shy may be reticent to act out or dance in front of others, or they may not want to talk in front of others. Play as partners for the first round and let the child watch and participate as they want to. As the child warms up, encourage a little more participation.

Vision

Suggestions for How to Modify Play Experience
Although the numbers are large, the circle pictures of animals may be small or light for some children with low vision. Similarly, they may have challenges with identifying the symbols on the die.

Hearing

Suggestions for How to Modify Play Experience
Because of the amount of language involved, this game is probably not appropriate for children who are deaf and hard of hearing. Even children who sign may not have the necessary signs for descriptions and stories yet.

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

Dance Like a Lemur uses colored animal discs and puzzle pieces to spark imagation and physically-engaging gameplay. A die with symblos is thrown to indicate what the player is to do: act like the animal on the puzzle piece selected, sound like the animal, describe the animal, tell a story about the animal, or have everyone dance like their animals. Dance Like a Lemur is a game that build vocabulary and storytelling and encourages children to use their imagination in verbal and nonverbal ways. It has the added surprise of group dancing when the die dictates.

Autism Strengths & Interests

Short Summary of Strengths & Interests

Verbal and nonverbal communication
Gross motor skills
Matching colors/symbol recognition

Is good at matching visual items

Is This Game Appropriate? Yes

Description
Matching of colors is needed.

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

Is This Game Appropriate? No

Description
Matching of colors is needed, but not other details.

Has a good memory for words, phrases and dialouge

Is This Game Appropriate? Yes

Description
Players have to remember the sounds and actions of animals, how to describe them and how to put them in a narrative. Verbal descriptions and developing a narrative may be difficult for a child with autism.

Has a good memory for pictures, numbers and patterns

Is This Game Appropriate? No

Description
Memory for pictures, numbers, and patterns is not required.

Likes to put things in order or a sequence

Is This Game Appropriate? No

Description
Ordering is not needed to play, except for playing in order of the numbers from 1 to 5.

Learns through visualizing or "replaying" actions in their mind

Is This Game Appropriate? No

Description
Visualization of actions is not needed to play.

Likes activities with rules, such as math and phonics

Is This Game Appropriate? No

Description
No academic rules are involved.

Is very concrete and literal

Is This Game Appropriate? Yes

Description
Dancing Like a Lemur is partially concrete. Acting and sounding like an animal are concrete. Describing and telling a story are more abstract, although describing the animal can be supported by the picture of the animal.

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

Is This Game Appropriate? No

Description
No "chunking" is used in this game.

Is good at nonverbal reasoning and logic

Is This Game Appropriate? No

Description
Nonverbal reasoning is not needed for Dancing Like a Lemur.

Likes spatial problem solving

Is This Game Appropriate? No

Description
Spatial problem solving is not required in Dancing Like a Lemur.

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

Is This Game Appropriate? No

Description
Reading is not required, as the directions can be explained and demonstrated.

Likes to use and has good fine motor skill

Is This Game Appropriate? No

Description
Fine moter skills are not required, except for picking up pieces and and rolling the die.

Likes established routines or set ways of doing things

Is This Game Appropriate? No

Description
The game changes with every animal and roll of the die.

Likes manipulating, constructing or building things

Is This Game Appropriate? No

Description
Construction and building are not required.

Likes to use and has good musical abilities

Is This Game Appropriate? No

Description
Music is not involved

Likes to use and has good drawing skills

Is This Game Appropriate? No

Description
Drawing is not involved.

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:
Eye contact is not needed. The child does need to pay attention to the die roll to know if they need to participate. Because the game involves movement and sounds, the child may be interested in the nonverbal actions more that the descriptions and stories.

Has difficulty understanding complex verbal directions

Is This Game Appropriate for Child with Characteristic? No

Can Child with Characteristic Play Game w/o Modification? No

Strategies for Developing Compensatory Skills:
If the child understands the symbols on the die and can match that to their animal on the puzzle, they can play the game. However, many children with autism will have difficulty with the verbal requirements of the symbod for "looks like" and "tell a story", even when these are described by an adult. The other players may help by asking leading questions, such as "tell me about your dog," or "what did this dog do...then what happened?"

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

Is This Game Appropriate for Child with Characteristic? No

Can Child with Characteristic Play Game w/o Modification? No

Strategies for Developing Compensatory Skills:
Echolalia would be a hindrance in thes game.

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? No

Can Child with Characteristic Play Game w/o Modification? No

Strategies for Developing Compensatory Skills:
Dance Like a Lemur requires attending to and imitating others' actions and communication. Extraneous topics would be distracting for other players, particularly young ones.

Has difficulty producing speech/communication

Is This Game Appropriate for Child with Characteristic? No

Can Child with Characteristic Play Game w/o Modification? No

Strategies for Developing Compensatory Skills:
Communication is important in this game.

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

Is This Game Appropriate for Child with Characteristic? No

Can Child with Characteristic Play Game w/o Modification? No

Strategies for Developing Compensatory Skills:
Although sequencing of multiple steps is not required, some of the language requirements are more abstract.

Demonstrates difficulty initiating and maintaining social interactions

Is This Game Appropriate for Child with Characteristic? No

Can Child with Characteristic Play Game w/o Modification? No

Strategies for Developing Compensatory Skills:
Dance is a social activity and part of the game, as well as watching and listening to others on their turn.

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

Is This Game Appropriate for Child with Characteristic? No

Can Child with Characteristic Play Game w/o Modification? No

Strategies for Developing Compensatory Skills:
If the child avoids talking, Dance Like a Lemur may be challenging. If the child likes movement, a partner could respond to the verbal symbols, while the child with autism does the "acts like" and "sounds like" an animal.

Has short attention span for non-preferred activities

Is This Game Appropriate for Child with Characteristic? No

Can Child with Characteristic Play Game w/o Modification? No

Strategies for Developing Compensatory Skills:
A child with characteristic will likely want to avoid the social aspects of the game, but might like completing the puzzles independently, without the die.

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

Is This Game Appropriate for Child with Characteristic? No

Can Child with Characteristic Play Game w/o Modification? No

Strategies for Developing Compensatory Skills:
Although the game is played the same way each time, the diversity of requirements for the symbols may be challenging.

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

Is This Game Appropriate for Child with Characteristic? No

Can Child with Characteristic Play Game w/o Modification? No

Strategies for Developing Compensatory Skills:
Although the child does not need to understand others feelings, they do need to understand the meaning of the other players' actions, sounds, descriptions, and stories to maintain interest.

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

Extra Ways to Play the Game
Make the game into a memory game. Turn all the puzzle pieces upside-down. The goal is to complete a puzzle with one color. The person who last saw a dog starts by turning over a piece and picking it up. This will be the color of the puzzle they need to complete. The next player picks up a piece and if it is a different color takes it. If it is the same as the first player, they return it face down. Players must remember where the piece is when someone picks up their color and puts it back.

Materials Needed
No additional materials are needed.

Developmental Benefits
This is a test of visual and spatial memory. Players must pay attention to each player's moves to remember where his colored pieces are located.

Extra Ways to Play the Game
Place all of the puzzle pieces face down. Players turn over a puzzle piece, in turn, looking for the number 1. Pieces are replaced until a 1 is found. This pattern continues until all 5 numbers are placed in a row. Now play turns to colors. The next player picks up a piece, looking for a red piece to attach to the number 1. That is the only color and piece that can go there. Play continues as each player works to put the correct number of pieces of the same color with each corresponding number (e.g.., 2 yellow pieces attached to the 2, 3 purple pieces attached to the 3, etc.). When each number has the right number of pieces attached, the game is over.

Materials Needed
No additional materials are needed.

Developmental Benefits
Young children often know how to count, but might not recognize the numbers. This variation is a memory game and a sequencing game. Players have to know (or learn) one-to-one correspondence for the pieces under each number. They also have to remember which pieces have been put back and what color they are so they don't pick them again.

Extra Ways to Play the Game
Take the animal discs out of the puzzle pieces and lay them face-down. The last person who went to the zoo starts by turning over one disc and starting a story about the animal shown. The next person picks up an animal disc and add to the story by indicating what happened with the previous animal. This continues until all the animals have been selected.

Materials Needed
No additional materials are needed.

Developmental Benefits
This variation builds listening skills and encourages children to make associations between animals to build a story. Children learn to add actions to a sequence to make a logical (or funny) series of events. These skills build a foundation for literacy.