CBT Board Game Details

Objective:
Help students practice recognizing and reframing unhelpful thoughts using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) strategies in an engaging, team-based board game.

Players: 3–4 students per group

Components

• 1 Game Board with a winding path to the “Resilience Zone”
• 4 Colored Player Pawns (red, blue, green, yellow)
• 1 Six-sided Die
• 50 Scenario Cards
• 50 CBT Tokens (paper chips)
• 1 Instruction Reference Sheet per group

Setup (5 minutes)

1. Unfold the game board on a flat surface.
2. Shuffle the Scenario Cards and place them face-down on the “Draw” space.
3. Put the CBT Tokens in a central pile.
4. Each student chooses a pawn and places it on the “Start” space.
5. Give each group an Instruction Reference Sheet for quick rules lookup.

Rules & Gameplay (25 minutes)

1. Students take turns rolling the die and moving their pawn forward.
2. If you land on a colored space, draw the top Scenario Card and read it aloud.
3. The reading student states the unhelpful thought on the card. The group works together to:
   • Identify the feeling linked to that thought.
   • Brainstorm a helpful, reframed thought.
4. Once the group agrees on a reframing, they present it. If the reframing correctly addresses the unhelpful thought (teacher or peer-coach gives a thumbs-up), the reading student earns 1 CBT Token.
5. Discard the used Scenario Card and end your turn.
6. Play continues around the group. If you roll a 6, you get an extra roll!
7. When a pawn reaches the final space—the Resilience Zone—the game ends for that group.

Winning Conditions:

• Primary: First player to enter the Resilience Zone.
• Secondary (if tie): Most CBT Tokens collected.

Earning & Using CBT Tokens

• Earn a token every time your group produces a helpful reframing.
• At the end of the game, each token represents one reinforcement of positive thinking. Celebrate each token as a win for emotional resilience!

Example Scenario Cards

1. Scenario: You study for a science test, but you still think, “I’m going to mess this up.”
   • Unhelpful Thought: “I’m going to mess this up.”
   • Reflection Question: What’s a more balanced thought you could try?
2. Scenario: You see friends talking after school and think, “They don’t want me there.”
   • Unhelpful Thought: “They don’t want me there.”
   • Reflection Question: How else might you interpret their behavior?
3. Scenario: You spill juice on your shirt before class and think, “Everyone is going to laugh at me.”
   • Unhelpful Thought: “Everyone is going to laugh at me.”
   • Reflection Question: What’s a kinder thought you could tell yourself?

Reach the Resilience Zone by transforming unhelpful thoughts into helpful ones and collecting CBT Tokens along the way! Good luck, thinkers!

Game Play Session

Time: 25 minutes

Teacher Role:

• Distribute the CBT Board Game and remind students of the rules on the Game Instructions Slides.
• Circulate among groups to monitor their use of the Thought–Feeling–Behavior model.
• Prompt deeper reflection with questions such as:
  • “What feeling is linked to this thought?”
  • “What evidence supports or contradicts this thought?”
  • “Can you think of a kinder or more balanced thought?”
• Give immediate feedback and a thumbs-up when reframings earn CBT Tokens.
• Keep time and signal a 2-minute warning before wrapping up gameplay.

Student Actions:

1. In groups of 3–4, take turns rolling the die and moving your pawn.
2. When you land on a colored space, draw a Scenario Card and read the unhelpful thought aloud.
3. Work together to:
   • Identify the feeling linked to that thought.
   • Brainstorm a helpful, reframed thought.
4. Share your reframing; earn 1 CBT Token for each approved reframing.
5. Continue play until the Resilience Zone is reached or time is called.

Teacher Prompts:

• “How would you feel if you told yourself a kinder thought?”
• “What’s another way to look at this scenario?”
• “If a friend had this thought, what would you say?”

Transition to Cool-Down:

• Ask students to select one scenario they encountered and jot down their unhelpful and reframed thought on the Post-Game Reflection Worksheet.
• Collect boards and tokens, then move into the reflection activity.

Post-Game Reflection Worksheet

Thank you for playing The Thought Game! Use this worksheet to reflect on one scenario you encountered and how you applied CBT reframing.

1. Scenario Description
Briefly describe the situation you drew in the game:

2. Unhelpful Thought
What was the negative or unhelpful thought you identified?

3. Associated Feeling
What feeling did that thought bring up for you?

4. Helpful, Reframed Thought
Write the kinder, more balanced thought your group brainstormed:

5. Evidence Supporting Your Reframe
What facts or experiences support this new, helpful thought?

6. Future Application
How might you use this reframing technique the next time you face a similar challenge?

7. Key Takeaway
What is one insight or skill from today’s game that you’ll remember?

Great work! Be prepared to share one insight with a partner or the class when we wrap up.