Playing Games in Counseling

"Do you want me to let you win or try my best?"  I ask students this question before we play a non-counseling "skill" game (like Connect 4, checkers, etc.) in individual counseling sessions.  I got the idea several years ago from the book Playful Parenting by Lawrence Cohen, and it has helped my students who struggle with not-always-winning.  Because they chose my level of play at the beginning of the game, they are less likely to become upset if they say, "try your best" and lose....and if they WIN when I'm trying my best, then they feel especially proud of their effort.  Of course it has been a great springboard for talking about sportsmanship skills in general, too.

What kinds of strategies do you use to increase the therapeutic function of games in counseling?

Amazing Video for Perseverance Lesson

As soon as I saw this video I thought it would be perfect for a lesson I'm doing in 4th grade about perseverance (academic domain).  There is one quick, quick part that I will cover the projector for as I saw a questionable word (6:27), but otherwise it is a great example of a kid who's resilience and patience was rewarded and his talents finally recognized by others.

I'm also using this video for my perseverance lesson (below), but I love that the first one recognizes a child near their age.

What are some resources you've used to teach perseverance?

-- Tanya