101 Life Skills Games for Children: Learning, Growing, Getting Along (Ages 6-12)

Want to teach tolerance, self-awareness, and responsibility?
Want to help children deal with fear, mistrust, 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 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 enhance children's self-awareness and social and emotional skills.

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.

The author uses a variety of different games, such as movement games; concentration and relaxation games; warming up and icebreaking games; creative games; language games; body games; reaction games; circle games; catching, ball, and running games; helping games; games of luck and chance; guessing games; competitive games; combat games; cooperation games; integration games; partner games; role play; and other types of games such as improvisation; pantomime; and puppet games.

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 also provides possible variations for each game, examples, tips, and ideas for role plays. In addition, every game contains references to appropriate follow-up games.

This is the eleventh in the Hunter House Smart/Fun activity books series. It’s intended for group settings and can be used in and outside the classroom.

101 MORE LIFE SKILLS GAMES FOR CHILDREN: LEARNING, GROWING, GETTING ALONG (Ages 9-15), by the same author, will ship from Hunter House in November 2004. Both volumes have sold well in Austria (15,000 copies sold of the first volume, 10,000 of the second, to the small Austrian market of 8 million people).

The book is illustrated with charming drawings.

A great resource for educators, teachers, day-care staff, therapists, parents, whoever deals with children’s groups.

Table of Contents

Index of Games
Preface
1 Thoughts on Playing with Children
2 Play Therapy and Games Pedagogy
3 How to Use This Book
4 Interaction Games in This Book
5 I-GAMES
*** 5.1 What I Like
*** 5.2 What I Can Do
*** 5.3 What I Perceive
6 YOU-GAMES
*** 6.1 Getting to Know You
*** 6.2 Perceiving You
*** 6.3 Working With You
7. WE-GAMES
*** 7.1 Warming-Up Games for the Group
*** 7.2 Cooperation Games
*** 7.3 Integrating New Classmates
*** 7.4 Helping Games
*** 7.5 Aggression Games
8 Play Methods
*** 8.1 Sculpturing
*** 8.2 Fairy Tale Games
*** 8.3 Pantomime Play
Index
For Further Reading