Before Grey's Anatomy, House MD and the Good Doctor along with all those other medical dramas, this game was the thing that inspired all youngster to become doctors. More specifically, surgeons. Lets face it, we all wanted to know how to remove a lightbulb from someone's hip area!
Hasbro's classic game of Operation teaches us how to use our fine motor skills to carefully extract different shaped object from inside a patient's body with tiny tweezers, without touching the edges of the cavity.
You got to play doctor when you were young, now let your children experience the same feeling of getting to be the doctor and cure Cavity Sam (that's his name, not making it up) of all his wacky ailments. But watch out! Touch the sides of the openings and you'll get buzzed and Cavity Sam's nose will light up! If you're playing with others, the player who removes the most ailments wins!
Since it's invention in 1964, Operation has been helping children of all ages develop their grasping technic. "Pincer grasps" is a developmental milestone that is seen between 9-12 months of infancy. It requires a child to use their thumb, and index finger to help pick up small things in a controlled manner. This skill is extremely important for everyday things like feeding (holding utensils), dressing and even writing (holding a pencil). Now we see more and more children using Tablets and they forget how to do the most simplest things such as holding a pencil. But they can program like professionals!
Operation helps develop your hand-eye coordination skills as well. "Visual-Motor Skill" is how our eyes and hands can simultaneously work together to perform a task. Some children may find difficulty in coordinating both the hands and eyes to move together effortlessly in processing how to move in order to reach or grab. Just like myself: I remember playing dodgeball and having the ball smash my face because my hand-eye reflexes were not fast enough. I Do not miss those days, I got to say! But by practicing this skill at home and allowing your child to control their movements, they can get better in using their hand-eye coordination. Establishing proper techniques early on can help your child improve tremendously in school and in sports!
Ages: 6+
Time: 10 min
Players: 1+
Skills: visual, hand-eye coordination, socialization, communication, teamwork, concentration, fine motor, independence, tactile, auditory, lights and sound.
Reminding you to play together and play forever!
Written by Joanna Felemegos