I Develop Through Games
“Tell me about your feelings and thoughts.”
In the adult world, the expression of emotions, the communication and sharing of life, and the solution of problems are mostly based on the effective use of words and language. The development of speech skills allows us to find peers and groups to express ourselves and our needs.
Most psychological support and intervention are also based on verbal dialogue. One of the most common words that consultants say is, “Let’s talk”. However, for groups that cannot communicate effectively, such as children or adolescents and adults with special needs, how do they receive psychological support?
One of the answers is games!
People’s growth is a process of socialization. Do I still remember how to play when I was a child?
When you stop and think about it, you will find that games are not simple.
To play a game well, you first need to understand the instructions, which requires strong language understanding ability to help you understand “what is being said? What do I need to do? ".
When I win a game, do I show off, or am I humble enough to accept praise and encourage my peers? Sportsmanship and social skills are reflected here.
I don’t like the games in PE classes very much, because it’s very tiring to run and I always lose when catching people. However, the games in handicraft classes are very good. It’s easy for me to use scissors and pinch clay figurines. Look, my fine sports development is better than big sports.
Sometimes I want to join other people’s groups to play together, but whenever I want to approach, I feel so embarrassed. I don’t know what to say. I’m worried when I ask, “May I play with you?” What if they ignore me? It’s not easy for me to make friends! Look, in children’s world, social stress and anxiety are not necessarily less than those in the adult world.
Games are a job especially for children. Games to children are not different than excel is to office clerks. Games are also children’s language. Through the media of games, teachers and parents can have an impact on children and let them go through positive changes.
How can game teachers help children develop skills?
“I don’t know how to express it, but I know which picture represents my mood. I can choose! Or I can draw!”
“I don't know what to do, but I can think and do as the story tells!”
“I feel very confident when I work with my peers!”
Information visualization: visualizing abstract spoken or written language and presenting information in the form of photos, pictures, videos and animation can better help children understand. Especially for children who have difficulties in language development, the combination of instructions and pictures can help them process information faster.
Transpositional thinking through role play: transposition thinking is an important skill in social skills, but this skill is not easy to develop. Through role-play games, children can experience the feelings and experiences of the characters in the process of performance, establishing connections between the story and their own life experience. This multi-sensory participation activity, which combines observation, thinking, emotional performance and action performance, can help strengthen children’s understanding and memory of events and promote the development of their transpositional thinking skills.
Sand table game: sand table is an important tool for game classroom / intervention. On the one hand, it meets the emotional needs of some children. On the other hand, in the process, children build their own subjective internal world and have an absolute sense of control over it. They use their own unique perspective and way to show their inner contradictions and conflicts, expectations and hopes to teachers. Based on the needs of different individuals, teachers can help children develop emotional and behavioral management ability, self and environmental cognition, interpersonal relationship processing techniques, social skills, verbal expression ability, etc.
Peer friendship and emotional support: the development of friendship requires environment and opportunities. For children with social difficulties, it may be difficult for them to find a suitable place to make friends or integrate into existing groups in their daily life. The existence of game groups creates a relaxing, interesting, safe and trustworthy environment. In the classroom, they learn skills through games, increase social experience and make the establishment of friendship feasible.
Skill List
☑ Observational learning ability
☑ Development of self-confidence and self-esteem
☑ Emotional and behavioural management
☑ Development of speech and language skills: understanding and expression
☑ Social awareness and rules
☑ Use of social language
☑ Peer support
☑ Fine motor skills
☑ Gross motor skills
Dear readers,
Below are some additional references if you would like to know more about this topic. We wish you may find it helpful.
[1]
Barron, R., & Kenny, D. (1986). The moderator-mediator variable distinction in social psychological research: Conceptual, strategic, and statistical considerations. Journal of Personality & Social Psychology, 5, 1173–1182.
[2]
O'Connor, K. J., Schaefer, C. E., & Braverman, L. D. (Eds.). (2016). Handbook of play therapy (2nd ed.). John Wiley & Sons, Inc..
[3]
Lowenfeld, M. (1979). The world technique. London, England: George Allen and Unwin.
“Play is a child's natural medium for self-expression.”
-Virginia Axline
