They say that if you spend 10,000+ hours doing something, it makes you an expert. I guess that makes me an expert at playing games! It's what I spend most of my working time doing. I have learned a trick or two over the years and thought I'd share the insight.

This article will discuss ways to make traditional games therapeutic, to incorporate the questions you need to ask, and how to adapt games for different age groups. Sometimes, you need to tone down a game to make it usable for younger kids, or you can add extra challenges to make the game appealing for older kids.

How to Make Traditional Games Therapeutic

While there is therapeutic value in playing games in general, you can step up your game by modifying games to meet your treatment plan goals. The first game I tried this with was Candy Land, resulting in my free Candy Land PDF download. I created a cheat sheet to have players discuss a feeling in conjunction with landing on certain colors on the gameboard. Click here to read more or to download your copy. Here are some tips for modifying games:

1. Use a metaphor or play on words to tie into the name of the game or components in the game. For example, I love using the Angry Birds Knock on Wood game in my office. The pigs represent negative self-talk, and the angry birds represent "truth bombs" that defeat negative thoughts. When truth is spoken, the thought loses its power.

   
   

   

   
   

2. Use the imagery in the game to guide discussion. Chutes and Ladders is an easy one. The ladders indicate a positive action and the child receiving a reward, while the slides show poor decisions resulting in consequences. Kids can reflect on how they have control over their situation based on their decisions. You can take it deeper by discussing why children might make good or poor choices. What would they be feeling? Are they considering the reward or consequence? How can you be intentional about avoiding temptation and making good choices?

   
   

   

   
   

3. Add discussion cards to use with each turn. People often do this when playing Jenga, but you could also use it with many other games. Pro tip: Grab game cards from a therapy game that could be useful for the child and incorporate them into the child's favorite game. You get all the therapy goodness from the cards while keeping the child more engaged and excited to play.

Related Post: Dino Meal - How to Use the Game in Play Therapy

How to Adapt Games for Littles:

Games can be expensive! It can be costly to have a large variety of games for children of different ages. Additionally, they take up a lot of office space. If you can adapt the game to reach a wider audience, you will get so much more out of your investments.

1. Relax or ditch the rules. I have found with four and five-year-olds that they find ways to make things therapeutic when you let them go. I have a few kids who take out The Game of Life and zoom the cars around the board. They will stop and say, "Oh no! I'm going to get sucked up by a tornado!" In my part of the country, that is a real threat. We will stop and discuss fears of the weather or let them act out what they would do if a storm were coming. They tend to interact with the pictures and game pieces without too much care for how to play the game. I had some great sessions with this particular game with little ones.

   
   

   

   
   

2. Have the child read the card. One of my favorite game hacks is to hand the card and ask them to read it, knowing they are unable to read. They say the darndest things! Sometimes, they get to the point and ask the questions they need to discuss. Sometimes, we just get a good laugh.

   
   

   

   
   

3. The trick to asking the needed question. You may start to see things moving in a good direction for a breakthrough on a certain issue while playing a game. You know there is a question that is lingering to get to the heart of the issue, but you also know it's not in the deck. I will totally pick up a card, ignore what it says, and ask the important question instead. I have yet to get caught, but I also use this trick wisely. Never let them catch you doing it! I save it for kids who are unable to read, just in case.

Related Post: Counseling Games to Process Emotions

Making Games More Challenging for Older Kids

You can add extra questions, challenges, or tasks to make games more challenging for older kids. Some older kids are comfortable with verbal communication and processing emotions through traditional talk therapy. However, some of your big talkers may avoid addressing issues that need to be discussed by focusing on other issues. The games can help them stay on track to work on the main issues. Games also provide structure and direction for helping more reserved kids.

1. Add an extra challenge. Games that might be easy for older kids become a lot more fun when you add extra challenges to them. For instance, you could have them take out Jenga blocks by using a pen to push them out. Or you might have them spin around 3 times before their turn. Maybe it would entail playing a game blindfolded. The goal is to make it challenging enough to hold their attention but not so hard that they want to give up. Pro tip: Add physical exercise challenges for kids who need an outlet for their energy!

   
   

   

   
   

2. Draw on the Child's Interests. Add prompts that draw on the child's interests. Older kids often enjoy would you rather questions. They are thought-provoking and can help them identify fears, preferences, and desires. You could make question cards that would pique their interests, such as identifying songs that speak to them about different emotions or experiences. Or if they are into sports, finding analogies or metaphors that apply to therapy. You could add quick drawing prompts as well.

   
   

   

   
   

3. Take a different angle. Sometimes, kids get stuck. They can't break free from their perspective on certain issues because of biased thoughts about themselves or others. If you take another angle, they might see it from a different perspective and draw new conclusions. I have found it helpful to create a card with a scenario similar to what they are experiencing. It will challenge them to help their friend through this situation. Kids are often more kind and patient with friends than they would be to themselves. This offers an intro to discussing ways to build self-compassion and grace. The opposite can be true as well - they hold others to a higher standard than themselves. This technique can help bring self-awareness.

Related Post: Coping Skill Toolbox Ideas

How to Adapt Specific Games

Kids love certain games, but they need some tweaking to make them work in therapy. Some games are just way more fun if you don't follow the rules. These are ways I modify games to make them more usable.

1. Clue - Instead of moving around the board and using the checklists when playing Clue, I like to put all of the game pieces in the middle of the board. I'll pass out all of the game cards, then ask the child to select a weapon, room, and character they do not have a card for and make an accusation. If I have any of those cards, I will lay them on the table and remove the accompanying pieces off the board. I place the room cards on top of the room on the board to show that the card has been played and that room is no longer an option to choose from. This makes it so much faster and easier! It usually takes about 5 minutes per round to do it this way. Kids ages 6-10 do well with this hack. I use this same concept with the House of Boundaries game.

   
   
   
   

   

   
   

2. Mouse Trap - To be honest, the rules for this game are totally lame. Very few kids want to roll the die, move around the board, and follow the directions for how to put together the game. The lesson in following directions might be beneficial for some, but it is really boring in comparison to the alternative. I like to dump the contents of the box and tell the child to have at it. I do not keep the directions in the box, so they can either figure it out by trial and error or ask for help. This allows them to work on verbal communication and problem-solving skills. I like this game for kids who have learned helplessness tendencies. When they ask me to do it, I will give them hints but require them to do their part. My level of help is based on the developmental needs of the child. Many of my third and fourth graders are able to do it without assistance.

   
   

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   Connect 4 Launchers - This game is great for kids with impulse control problems! They have to pay attention to their aim and how hard they launch the checkers. If they push too hard, they fly over the top, and too soft will not get it on the board. The checkers come with different symbols, indicating to take out certain spots when you launch them. I find that it complicates the game and takes away from the focus the kids are developing as they play. We consider all checkers to be the same in this game.

I hope you have enjoyed these hacks. You can take the concepts from these examples and use them from other games as well. I'd love to hear what your favorite game hacks are. What has worked best for you? Do you have favorite games that you have converted for therapy use?

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