How do you teach tolerance, self-awareness, and responsibility? How can you help children deal with fear, mistrust, or aggression?
Play a game with them! Games are an ideal way to help children develop social and emotional skills; they are exciting, relaxing, and fun.
101 LIFE SKILLS GAMES FOR CHILDREN: LEARNING, GROWING, GETTING ALONG (Ages 6-12) is a resource that can help children understand and deal with problems that arise in daily interactions with other children and adults. These games help children develop social and emotional skills and enhance self-awareness.
The games address the following issues: dependence, aggression, fear, resentment, disability, accusations, boasting, honesty, flexibility, patience, secrets, conscience, inhibitions, stereotypes, noise, lying, performance, closeness, weaknesses, self confidence, fun, reassurance, love, respect, integrating a new classmate, group conflict.
Organized in three main chapters: (I-Games, You-Games and We-Games), the book is well structured and easily accessible. It specifies an objective for every game, gives step-by-step instructions, and offers questions for reflection. It provides possible variations for each game, examples, tips, and ideas for role plays. Each game contains references to appropriate follow-up games and is illustrated with charming drawings.
About the Author
BERNIE BADEGRUBER is a sociologist, special educator and elementary school principal, and the author of 15 books on social learning, game pedagogy and didactics. He trains teachers at the Pedagogical Institute in Linz, Austria as well as at the Free University of Bozen/Bolzano, Italy, with an emphasis on games. The author has developed and tested the described games in his daily practice of work with children over many years. He lives in Schlierbach, Austria.