Use Perfection to Teach Organizational Skills

 Teach Students Organizational Skills and 

Have Fun Doing It!!!

Perfection by Hasbro is a great game to teach organizational skills!  There are two types of Perfection: one with 9 pieces and one with twenty-five pieces.  The game is played with a timer and the object is to get all the pieces on the board within the specified amount of time.  If not, the gameboard pops up with the pieces!  Time is up!  

To teach children organizational skills try this with Perfection!:

Game One:  Let the student play the game normally.  Chances are if it is his first time he will not beat the timer.  Then discuss ways to beat the timer.  What could you do differently?  Let the student come up with several ideas.  Relate his answers to being organized with homework, classwork, and projects.  

Game Two:  The student will now play the game with his idea for organizing the pieces.  Did his strategy work?  Does he have any different or new ideas for doing better?  Again, relate the play to organizing homework, classwork,and projects.   Let the student try his new idea!

Game Three: The student plays the game with a new strategy.  This time the student will probably beat the timer.  Relate the ideas for organizing to how one organizes supplies, paper, pencils, markers, planner, etc.  Is organizing cheating?  No!  Getting organized makes our work simpler and more efficient! 

Check out other great game ideas at www.counselorgames.com!

 

Play Therapy in Schools

Play Therapy in Schools

Does school play therapy happen?

First of all, school counselors do not provide therapy.  When students have pressing needs they are referred out to professional licensed mental health counselors.

But play and use of games can happen in schools.  Games can be used to facilitate and start good discussions.  When those discussions happen, the game can be put aside. The real work is happening.

Everyday games are more important than ever before for our students.  Many of them have lost touch with face to face healthy encounters with others.  They go to school, go home, eat by themselves, watch TV or play video games.  They interact on facebook, tumbler or other social media.  Their conversations do not include use of reading body language, eye contact, or tone of voice.  These are big missing pieces.  When they interact socially in the school setting or on the bus, they are overwhelmed.  They do not know how to hold meaningful conversations or interact properly with other. 

Games allow for face to face interactions with other humans.  This is NEW to many students today.  They enjoy the hands-on interaction and meaningful discussions with others.  And this is needed!

Simple games to get discussions started can be "Barrel of Monkeys" or "Tumble"!

Have students make up a set of their own rules and see what happens.  Let the games begin!