Warm Up: What's Your Favorite Game?

Instructions: Share your favorite game and one rule from that game. Keep it quick – one sentence per person!

Let's Play Fair! Activity

Objective: Practice following simple rules.

Instructions:

1. Get into pairs or small groups.
2. We are going to play an imaginary game called "Follow the Leader Says...".
3. One person will be the "Leader" and say an action (e.g., "Leader says touch your nose!").
4. Everyone else must only do the action if the Leader says "Leader says..." first. If they don't say "Leader says..." and you still do the action, you don't follow the rule!
5. Take turns being the Leader.

Discussion Questions:

• Was it easy or hard to follow the rule?
  
  
  
• What happened when someone didn't follow the rule?
  
  
  
• Why are rules important even in a silly game like this?
  
  
  

Turn-Taking Challenge Game

Objective: Practice taking turns and using eye contact.

Materials: A soft ball, building blocks, or any item that can be passed.

Instructions:

1. Sit in a circle with your group.
2. We are going to pass the item around the circle. Each person gets one turn to hold the item.
3. When it's your turn, you can say one word about your favorite animal. Then, look at the next person, make eye contact, and gently pass them the item.
4. The person who receives the item should also make eye contact with the person who passed it to them.
5. Keep going until everyone has had a turn, or we go around the circle a few times.

Discussion Questions:

• How did it feel to wait for your turn?
  
  
  
• How did it feel when you made eye contact with your friends?
  
  
  
• Why is looking at someone important when you are passing something or talking?
  
  
  

The Friendly Game

Lily loved to play with her friends, Tom and Maya. One sunny afternoon, they decided to play a game of 'Build a Tower'.

"The rule is," said Lily, "we each get to put one block on the tower, and then it's the next person's turn!" Tom and Maya nodded. They knew rules made the game fair.

First, Tom carefully placed a red block. He looked at Maya and smiled. Then, it was Maya's turn. She chose a blue block, made eye contact with Lily, and put it on top.

Lily then added a yellow block. She looked at Tom, who was waiting patiently for his turn. The tower grew taller and taller, wobbling a little but standing strong.

They all took turns, one by one, watching the tower grow. Sometimes, someone would get so excited they almost put two blocks, but then they remembered the rule and waited. When they looked at each other, they could tell everyone was having fun and working together.

Finally, the tower was so tall it nearly touched the sky! They cheered, happy they had played fairly, taken turns, and looked at each other to show they were all part of the same team.

Social Play Skills Worksheet

Name: _____________________________

Date: _____________________________

Part 1: About "The Friendly Game"

1. What were the three friends playing in the story?
   
   
   

2. What was the most important rule of their game?
   
   
   

3. How did they show they were taking turns?
   
   
   

4. Why was it important for them to look at each other?
   
   
   

Part 2: My Play Skills

5. Name one rule you follow when you play your favorite game.
   
   
   

6. Why is taking turns important when you play with friends?
   
   
   

7. Draw a picture of you playing nicely with a friend. Show yourselves taking turns or looking at each other!
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

My Social Play Journal Project Guide

Objective: To reflect on and practice social play skills.

Project Goal:

Create a journal about your experiences playing with others. Each entry should describe a time you used (or could have used) one of our social play skills: following rules, taking turns, or using eye contact.

Instructions:

1. Journal Entries (3 entries total): For each entry, write about a time you played with friends or family.

   • Entry 1: Following Rules
     • Describe a game you played. What was a rule you followed? How did following the rule help the game be fun for everyone? Or, describe a time when a rule wasn't followed, and what happened.
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
   • Entry 2: Taking Turns
     • Think about a time you had to take turns with a toy, a game, or even talking. How did you feel while waiting for your turn? How did it feel when it was your turn? Why is taking turns important?
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
   • Entry 3: Using Eye Contact
     • Describe a time someone looked at you when they were talking or playing with you. How did that make you feel? Or, describe a time you tried to make eye contact with a friend. What did you notice?
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       

2. Illustrations (Optional but encouraged): Draw a picture for each journal entry to show what happened.

3. Share (Optional): You can choose to share one of your journal entries with the class or a small group. We will celebrate how everyone is learning to be a social play superstar!

Cool Down: Play Reflection

Instructions: Share one new thing you learned today about playing fair, taking turns, or being a good playmate.