These days, kids don’t seem to play board games as much as they used to. It even seems like many of the newer games are geared for adults. Board games require a fair amount of social interaction, unlike many video games. They generally don’t require strong ability in fine or gross motor skills like more active games or sports. Other benefits of board games include the fact that they are task-oriented, so the joint attention is focused on a clear objective. They are also structured with specific (usually) black and white rules. Another plus about most games is that there is a designated start and finish. They provide opportunities for turn-taking and verbal and non-verbal interaction with a very solid framework, much more so than other “play” activities or socializing.
With all of these benefits, board games are great tools for practicing flexibility. The idea of flexibility should first be taught. A great tool for this is the “Superflex” Curriculum by Stephanie Madrigal and Michelle Garcia Winner www.socialthinking.com Whatever concept or term is taught, kids do much better when they know that there is a goal of being flexible in a game and that they understand what flexible means. There are many ways to use board games to increase flexibility.
- Dealing with no definite winner - Some kids really struggle not only with not being a winner, but having no opportunity to be a “winner” or identify “losers”. Non-competitive games are great for this. A great non-competitive game that focuses on interaction is the Ungame www.educationallearninggames.com This game has a kid’s version, teen version, family version and others.
- Dealing with not having enough time to finish something – some kids have a difficult time when they have to put something away before they think they are finished. One way to use board games to practice this is to play a longer game but designating a shorter time period. Using a visual timer such as the Time Timer, www.timetimer.com can help with sticking to a time schedule.
- Dealing with not getting exactly what you want – forewarning the players that an extra challenge will be part of this game and that the players will not get to chose their own color. Pawns or pieces can be drawn randomly or assigned by an adult in the group. This alone is very difficult for many children. With practice, over time, most children are able to adapt to this.
- Dealing with being behind - first, try a game that requires players to go back, get sent back to start, etc. If possible “set up” the game so that this will likely occur. I frequently use Candyland with younger children and “stack the deck” before the game or try Uno and stack so the player will get a “draw four”. After practice, branch out to other games that may involve setbacks.
- Dealing with Losing- First off, don’t use the word “loser” at all. This is a negative term that implies someone who didn’t finish at the top of the game lost. Playing the game successfully is not losing. Again, before playing the game, bring up the point that the game will be a challenge and that everyone needs to be okay without being the winner. Try to play games that are difficult or play with more players so the persons working on this skill have more of a chance of not “winning”. Find games that you might be able to set up for this to happen on occasion.
- Change of Rules – Another way to provide opportunities to increase flexibility is to make changes to the rules. These could be very simple changes such as rolling a 6 means go again or instead of taking 3 cards you take 4. This idea is better with older children or children who can understand the reasoning behind switching rules – that it helps to learn how to handle things that are slightly different or to play with friends who do things a bit different. I like this idea with teens and play basic games they know well and give them turns to add some whacky rules. One boy made the rule that each time a player got back to finish in Sorry they had to give a compliment to the player on their left. Neat!
- 7. Flexible Brain Games – this is a spinoff of the Superflex concept mentioned. Have cards or paper with a picture of a brain or “flexibility card” printed on one side. On the other side, have a direction that will be inserted into the game such as
-all players move on seat to the left andd switch hands/game pieces
-all players must sing one verse of a sonng
-each player must do 10 jumping jacks
-each player must say something positive about playing the game
-each player give a high- five to the plaayers on each side of them
-the player drawing the card moves ahead X spaces or moves back X spaces
-the player next to the drawing player mooves ahead or back
-the player loses a turn
-the player or each player must act out aan animal
Be creative. Each player must pick a flexibility card before their actual turn and follow what the card says. If they chose not to follow the direction, they lose that turn. A great twist on this is with a larger group. Having 2 to 4 students grouped together with each group playing a very simple well known game that all know how to play. The flexibility cards may include things such as “get up and switch with someone playing another game” or “switch with the player who is most behind in X game”. This is great for larger groups like a classroom; however it requires lots of flexibility and can get quite chaotic.
Be cautious about using too many flexibility strategies too frequently. We want kids to enjoy games and feel successful. We can expect that any of these alterations are going to cause a minimal amount of stress and so therefore should be used on a limited basis over time. Be sure to utilize games that will allow children and teens to have success and enjoy the game. For some suggestions of games that are specifically geared towards social skills and may be adapted in the ways mentioned, visit http://community.icontact.com/p/socialperspectives/newsletters/social-best/posts/playing-games-social-best-june-4-2008
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