Game playing is a highly effective way of engaging children and has long been acknowledged as an important psychological intervention. Vicky Barber has compiled this book of games to help children to confront personal problems and issues in a light-hearted yet meaningful way.

These are games with a difference, as they must be constructed before they can be played. The creation aspect involves collaboration and cooperation within a team, and instils an empowering sense of ownership in the creators. By the time the game is ready to be played, children are confident, thoroughly engaged and ready to explore issues in a supportive environment. Each of the games has been tried, tested and adjusted by the author, and is proven to really work.

This book will be an essential tool for therapists, counsellors, social workers, youth workers and teachers supporting children and young people.

Contents:

• Introduction.
• How to Get the Most Out of This Book.
• Step-by-Step User Guide.
• List of Materials.
• Case Studies.
• Part I Warm-Up Games. Pass the Ball. Guess the Colour. Make the Sound of… Guess Who? Feel What It Is… Whose Nose Is It? Getting to Know Each Other. Colour Appreciation. Quick Colour Responses. Feeling Is the Object.
• Part II Creating Games for Improving Self-Esteem and Confidence. Pushing the Boundaries. Charades with a Difference. Run Rabbit. Whatever (sticks and stones). What Am I Really Like? Guess What It Is. Contour Drawings. Drawing Together. Drawing with Dfferent Body Parts. Let Rorschach Help Your Story. Future City. Happy Families. Why Am I Feeling This Way? Large Group Scribble. Against Time. Alphabet with Feeling. Cube Fun. Area Awareness Spinning Top. Pass the Compliment. What Am I Like? Drawing Blindfold. I’m the Greatest.
• Part III Creating Games for Raising Self-Awareness. Opposites Attract. Going with Change. My Patch. Treasure Hunt. Changing Faces. Shape Town/Village. Where Do I Belong. Please Don’t Distract Me. Building up Clusters. The Nudge Game. Changing Circles. Scribble Exchange. How Do I Feel? Paper Roll Game. Jigsaw – Self Portrait. Playing Detective. My Patch Spinning Top. Listening and Responding. Please Pass the…. Who Am I?
• Useful Templates and Resources.

Author Bio:

Having taken early retirement from her role as a lecturer in creative arts and arts therapies, Vicky Barber, who teaches an Art Therapy course at City University London, also runs individual art therapy sessions with children and young people who have behavioural problems, in addition to private family sessions. In her previous work as an art therapist, she ran groups in the community, in a day care centre, and within her college, working with a wide range of people, from carers and teachers to social workers, artists, and those with mental health problems and learning difficulties. This book was created through her work as an art therapist, and has been tried and tested with a variety of clients.