This year, we have six social skills group, more than what we've ever had. And of course, all groups have different skill levels. It seems that no matter what bag of tricks we try, all students show needs with perspective taking at some level. Some students need very structured scenarios in which to practice while others need to work on generalization. Regardless of skill level, we (as in students AND staff) need a break. A break with purpose, of course! This is when we turn to some of our favorite perspective taking games, and in no particular order (drum roll please), here they are!
What's Yours Like
This game was a fantastic thrift store find at $2.99! In this game, one player is in the Hot Seat, meaning the player tries to guess a word known by all other players. Each player except for the person in the Hot Seat provides one word describing what theirs is like. The player in the Hot Seat tries to guess what is being described. We modify the game a bit for our fourth and fifth graders, but the end result is still the same! (We also use this game with students in our articulation groups to facilitate carry-over!)
Whoonu
We love this game! A little competition with a lot of perspective taking is the key. In each round, players try to guess the Whoozit's favorite thing. All other players hold several cards in their hands and chose the card they think best represents the Woozit's favorites. The Woozit mixes up the cards and ranks them from his/her favorite to least favorite, and the other players receive tokens with point values according to the card rankings.
Bubble Talk
This game is sure to to supply a fair share of giggles! Students choose one player to be the judge, who in turn deals caption cards to each player, turns over a picture, and places it in the center of the players. Next, the players look at their cards and select the funniest caption card that they think best matches the picture card and place it face down. The judge mixes up the cards and picks the one that he/she feels is the funniest. The player of that card is the winner of the round.
Password
Whatever version of the game you have, it's definitely an oldie but a goodie. (We typically play using the rules for three players even if we have more students than that.) One player, the giving player, gives one clue to the other players, receiving players. The receiving players make one guess for each clue given. When a guess has been made, the giving players determines if the word is the "password." The first receiving player to guess the word correctly receives the point for the word.
Apples to Apples
It seems as if this game is in almost everyone's game closest, and why shouldn't it be? For those of you who haven't played this game, you'll notice it's played similarly to Whoonu. A judge is picked; he or she deals five red apple cars to every player. (Apple cards are nouns such as ice, zippers, and the President.) Then the judge places a green apple card, face up, on the table. (Green apple cards are descriptive words such as dreamy, arrogant, and speedy.) The players chose one red apple card that he or she thinks is most like the green card. The judge mixes up the red apple cards, turns them over, reads them, and chooses the card he or she thinks is most like the green apple card.
We would love to hear what games you use to target perspective taking! We are always looking to expand the "funness" and engagement factors in our room!
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