Teenagers learn when adults act as good role models. But when it comes to developing great communication and social skills, practise with other kids can be invaluable. Building strong social skills can help teens make friends and feel better equipped to deal with stress and other issues as they develop and grow knowing there is support from the people around them.
One of the best ways for kids to learn to communicate well is to have them interact in a group and use the teachable moments which are created. Board games are fun and one of the easiest ways for kids to engage with one another. Playing a game requires patience, being able to take turns, agreeing to and sticking to the rules, and being a good friend – whether you win or lose.
Tonight to introduce Pillar 3 of our wellbeing program: Building positive friendship we have played Jenga, a game of coordination where players take turns removing one block at a time from a tower constructed of blocks. Each block removed is then placed on top of the tower, creating an increasingly taller and more unstable structure. May not be ground-breaking or new, but, with a few simple tweaks, it can be used to teach valuable communication skill.
Jenga is a great game for building decision-making skills and improving hand-to-eye coordination. But, most importantly, the aim of this game is to teach kids the importance of being patient, how to be a good friend under pressure, and how to contain their excitement when a friend knocks the tower over!
It was a great start for a great topic! 🙂
