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Writer's pictureTasha Milligan

New and Improved My Life Cards For the Game of Life

Updated: Jul 16, 2023


Turn the Game of Life into a counseling game with these supplemental cards.

My counseling kiddos have pointed out that the jobs and houses provided by the Game of Life are rather lacking. Some of them enjoy the options, but many do not. I have noticed that several kids have a plan in mind of what they want their life to be like when they grow older and want to play it out through the game. They want a specific job, a certain number of kids, and some even know what kind of house they want to have.


Kids can create their own careers and houses to use in play.

I figured the best solution would be to allow them to create their own future. I made cards for college careers, non-college careers, and houses that are blank on the back to allow the kids to draw in their own ideas. One of the issues I had with the game-provided cards was that there was a huge discrepancy between college jobs and regular jobs. This might be true in many cases, but there are some jobs that pay very well without a college degree. And, as a counselor, I can attest that some college graduate jobs have crappy pay.

 
School Zone: A Game to cope with school stressors
 

I did make it so that most college jobs will have higher pay than non-college jobs. I created more of a variation in pay. It may be more work for the banker but will be more realistic. I love that the kids will be able to get involved by putting their dreams and aspirations on paper and then playing it out in the game.


Children can process life goals and dreams through play

As a reminder, there is no need to “play by the rules” with this game. I’m always blown away by the creativity and variations I see when I allow kids to make their own choices. For instance, I will allow them to decide whether or not to get married. Maybe they land on a baby spot. They may choose to get a baby, or maybe they will decline. They might land on a girl baby but they want a boy. I let them choose, but I may follow up with a question, such as what will you do if you have a girl in real life?



At the end, they get to choose between the mansion and the farm. I will often ask what their dream home would be. Some will point to the board, but others will describe something completely different. There are many ways to play. I just wanted to offer some creative ideas to open up discussion and dialogue with your kids.


 

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