Ice Tumble

Explore

What Does Child Do To Use Skill In The Game?
Ice Tumble requires players to closely examine the spatial orientation of ice blocks, their relationship to other blocks and balance options.

How Parents Can Assist Learning
Parents can ask children to walk around the ice pile or sculpture. This teaches children to explore and think before acting.
Parents can also encourage children to explore the orientation of their blocks and varying ways to place a block on an ice sculpture. This will help them learn about the different balance effects of placing cubes in various locations.

Learning Implications and Educator Support
Exploration is a fundamental learning process, and this game is particularly good at helping children learn to examine carefully.
Additionally, Ice Tumble helps children think about inter-relationship among parts. How does one thing I do result in something I do not expect? Many fine motor games, including construction and puzzle solving require this type of study.
Educators can encourage children to think about various aspects: relationship of blocks in ice pile, placement of blocks for offensive or defensive purposes, carefulness of movement, etc.

Determine

What Does Child Do To Use Skill In The Game?
Players need to decide which block to remove from ice pile that will not make other blocks move. When building the ice sculpture, players need to decide which block to place, in what orientation, and where to place it on the sculpture.

How Parents Can Assist Learning
Prompt children to look closely at relationship of blocks, and try to remember what happened on prior moves (ex: did blocks move, did any blocks fall so there is a more solid foundation, etc.) to help them decide what is best option for their move.
Also, parents can verbalize their own strategy, so children can learn by hearing what others think and then observe the consequences.

Learning Implications and Educator Support
Strategy games or activities like Ice Tumble requires anticipation of consequences, which in turn requires analysis of the specific aspects of the situation. Prompt children to remember what happened on prior moves (ex: did blocks move, did any blocks fall so there is a more solid foundation, etc.) to help them decide what is best option for their move.
Also, adults can verbalize their own strategy, so children can learn by hearing what others think and then observe the consequences.

Compare

What Does Child Do To Use Skill In The Game?
In round one of the game, players will compare blocks in effort to find the blocks they want to play round two. During round two, players compare how different blocks may be placed on an ice sculpture as part of determining which block to play and where. They also compare the results of playing a block relative to the placement of prior blocks.

How Parents Can Assist Learning
Parents can encourage children to compare their actions to determine what was successful. Why did removing a block from ice pile cause other blocks to move, or why did placing a block on the sculpture cause it to collapse or not?

Learning Implications and Educator Support
Comparing in Ice Tumble helps children learn situational analysis because they need to consider and compare the consequences of playing a certain block in a certain location, or removing a block without causing others to move.
For younger players, educators may need to remind them that blocks can be rotated to determine best orientation for placement on top of or within an ice sculpture. They can ask children questions to encourage them to make comparisons, such as, "Which block is smallest? Which is largest?" or, "Can you see a spot to place your block on the side of the ice sculpture?"
Verbalizing is a good technique for strengthening the child's analytical abilities and problem-solving.

Remember

What Does Child Do To Use Skill In The Game?
While not a memory game, Ice Tumble does involve some memory as players will recall what worked or did not work on prior moves and games.

How Parents Can Assist Learning
Personal experience of success or failure reinforces what to do or not do in future situations. These experiences may generalize to other games and situations. Especially when children make a mistake, adults can ask them to remember the turn where they had more success. Ask, "What did you do then?"

Learning Implications and Educator Support
Personal experience of success or failure reinforces what to do or not do in future situations. These experiences may generalize to other games and situations. Especially when children make a mistake, adults can ask them to remember the turn where they had more success. Ask, "What did you do then?"

Predict

What Does Child Do To Use Skill In The Game?
Players are predicting with each turn whether removing a block from an ice pile will cause others to move, or adding a block to the ice sculpture will cause others to fall. With experience with the game, players will be able to predict the likelihood of success on any particular turn.

How Parents Can Assist Learning
The experience with this game may help children think ahead and be more cautious before acting. This is particularly true if parents reinforce the learning. For example, "Remember what happens if you don't think ahead. The sculpture falls down."
Additionally, parents can ask children to predict what will happen on their turn. This will help children think more carefully and be less impulsive.

Learning Implications and Educator Support
Playing Ice Tumble helps children develop spatial reasoning skills, situational analysis, risk assessment and perspective changing, all skills that can be used to make more accurate predictions of opponents' moves. Additionally, making predictions requires analysis, observation, empathy and interpretation.
Ask children to predict what will happen if s/he removes or places a block. After s/he places, discuss what happened. Discussing consequences help children learn what worked and did not work, which in turn helps them make better predictions in the future.

Plan

What Does Child Do To Use Skill In The Game?
There is little planning in Ice Tumble because the ice pile and sculpture change on each turn, making it challenging to plan ahead.

How Parents Can Assist Learning
Parents can encourage children to take their time, look over the whole pile or sculpture, and make a plan for what they will do on their next turn.

Learning Implications and Educator Support
Children will often have their eye on a block they want or spot on the ice sculpture they want to use, only to have another player pick their block, use the sculpture spot, or cause the sculpture to partially collapse. Educators can encourage children to think of more than one option for their next turn. This will build foresight and confidence.

Experiment

What Does Child Do To Use Skill In The Game?
Players will likely try different strategies for building the ice sculptures such as growing tall, going wide, or making risky balances.

How Parents Can Assist Learning
Experimentation is integral to Ice Tumble, as each turn provides an opportunity for children to think about and try different blocks in different locations prior to making a move.
Children who try different approaches and find what works are more successful than children who are impulsive. Parents can reinforce children's efforts to try something different when the previous approach failed.

Learning Implications and Educator Support
Experimentation is integral to Ice Tumble, as each turn provides an opportunity for children to think about and try different blocks in different locations prior to making a move.
Educators can discuss different strategies, such as trying to make the sculpture tall versus compact. Prior to starting the game and encourage the child to select one. Play the game and discuss. Then, play again with the child trying a different strategy. Discuss again and compare the advantages and disadvantages.

Practice

What Does Child Do To Use Skill In The Game?
Ice Tumble allows players to practice their fine motor, balance and spatial reasoning skills. The more you play, the more your skills will advance which in turn allows you to try more advanced balance moves and strategies.

How Parents Can Assist Learning
No specific parental support required.
Parents can encourage children to play solo, stacking blocks to make may different sculptures. This will allow them to practice without calling it "practice".

Learning Implications and Educator Support
Practice is needed to learn any skill.
Educators can reinforce the child's increasing fine motor and perception skills, such as for identifying places to places more or less symmetrical blocks. This is a game that can be left as part of a classroom play center, such as in the science or construction area.

Solve

What Does Child Do To Use Skill In The Game?
As players remove or place blocks, they are gathering information about which blocks may cause others to move in the pile or fall in the sculpture. Based on this, players decide how to select and place blocks.

How Parents Can Assist Learning
Parents can comment on various aspects of each turn to help children focus on different aspects. For instance, "Move v-e-r-y s-l-o-w-l-y!" Or, "Can you find a spot near the bottom of the sculpture to place that block?" Giving tips may help children think of strategies they had not considered.

Learning Implications and Educator Support
Ice Tumble involves uses of visual spatial problem solving, balance and if/then problem solving. As children master the fine motor skills, they learn new information constantly during game play as blocks are removed, played, and tumble off the ice sculpture. This information directly effects how children strategize an approach for placing their own blocks.

Cognitive

Suggestions for How to Modify Play Experience
Ice Tumble is not recommended for children with cognitive delays. The level of spatial reasoning and logic needed is extensive.
To practice spatial reasoning skills, use just a few blocks and have a goal. For example, say "Let's see if we can stack 4 blocks without them falling over." Add blocks as the child gains skill.

Communication

Suggestions for How to Modify Play Experience
Children with communication issues should be able to play Ice Tumble without making modifications in the game.
Communication is not needed, but can be encouraged. Talk about why you picked a certain block to place and how you found a space for it. Comments and questions will encourage communication.

Sensorimotor

Suggestions for How to Modify Play Experience
Ice Tumble is not recommended for children with fine motor concerns. The game requires very refined, focused movements. Also, players often have to stand and balance over the sculpture to accurately place blocks. This will likely be difficult for children with motor issues.

Social Emotional/Behavioral

Suggestions for How to Modify Play Experience
Ice Tumble requires intense focus of attention and may be frustrating for children who cannot be successful on each turn. A simple slip of the hand may cause the tower to fall, making the child upset.
If needed, try simplifying by starting with fewer blocks. For example, say "Let's see if we can stack 4 blocks without them falling over." Add blocks as the child gains skill.

Vision

Suggestions for How to Modify Play Experience
Ice Tumble is not recommended for children with low vision or more complex vision issues.

Hearing

Suggestions for How to Modify Play Experience
Children with hearing issues should be able to play Ice Tumble without making modifications in the game.

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

Extra Ways to Play the Game
Play phase one of the game the same, with players picking pieces without moving other pieces. For the second part of the game, give each player two minutes to stack their blocks into a sculpture. After two minutes, the player who has stacked the most pieces wins the round.

Materials Needed
No additional materials needed.

Developmental Benefits
Players typically move quite slowly and deliberately in the traditional game.  To promote quick thinking skills, this modification requires players to analyze their blocks quickly and make more rapid decisions in order to have time to make a larger structure.

Extra Ways to Play the Game
Play in teams of two with both persons in the team selecting blocks according to the current rules. Players then combine their blocks and decide together which block to play and where to play it.

Materials Needed
No additional materials are needed.

Developmental Benefits
This adaptation requires players to study the foundational structure together and jointly determine which block has the most potential to add to the structure without toppling it. It requires cooperative planning and decision making. Team members take turns placing blocks with each rotation.

Extra Ways to Play the Game
Play in teams of two with both persons in the team selecting blocks according to the current rules. At their turn, both team members select a block and they decide where to place them together. They can place the blocks simultaneously or one at a time.

Materials Needed
No additional materials are needed.

Developmental Benefits
In this adaptation each member individually selects and places the pieces. Joint placement requires the team to determine how each of the two pieces can be placed jointly or sequentially on the structure. This involves a higher level of planning and coordination.