The game in children is always associated with vivid emotions. The child, feeling free, reveals his ideas about reality. But often there are fears, experiences and complexes that are difficult for a small person to cope with. Game therapy will help to identify the problem, find the causes and gently eliminate.
The role of the game in a child’s life
To understand children and find the right approach, you need to see the world through their eyes, because so often adults perceive kids with their small copy! But older people are able to express their thoughts in words, and for preschoolers, especially the smallest, this skill is not available. So far, their language is a game. And it is on it that they talk about anxieties, joys and thoughts.
There is no need to force or teach children to play. Everything happens spontaneously, with pleasure, without any purpose - this is an absolutely natural process. But this is not only entertainment, but also the way in which kids begin to get acquainted with the outside world and learn to live in it.
What is acupuncture
For preschoolers, this is one of the effective methods of work. It is games and toys that turn out to be tools for resolving conflicts and expressing feelings. Life moments are associated with them, when the baby feels safe and can control his own life. By manipulating them, children more accurately express their attitude to peers, adults or events.
The kid begins to better understand his feelings, learns to make decisions, improves self-esteem and practices communication skills. Game therapy in preschoolers is also physical activity. Through the game, they spend energy, learn to interact with others.
Results and Opportunities
Game therapy successfully corrects:
- aggressiveness and anxiety;
- fears and low self-esteem;
- problems with training and communication;
- superemotional stress and personal experiences (accidents, divorce of parents and others).
Thanks to therapy with the game, you can ensure that the child:
- learn to deal with psychological trauma and current problems;
- get the opportunity to express and overcome the accumulated emotional experiences and difficulties;
- will become more confident, calm and friendly;
- able to express emotions in the right way.
How are the consultations
Game therapy for preschoolers is carried out in the presence of a psychologist or teacher. He guides the child, emphasizing the problem, or helps to solve it on his own. Sometimes during a session, problems are revealed that adults have not noticed until now.
Parents are often present at consultations - this moment is especially important for anxious or shy children.
Where to start the game
There are a few special points, and in order to get the most out of it, you need to follow them.
The most important thing is to respect the personality of the baby. Take into account his desires, do not force to play what he does not want. Therefore, the game should be natural and take place in a pleasant atmosphere of respect and trust in each other. In the process, it is imperative to observe the child and his emotional load. Overfatigue must not be allowed!
Adult participation in game therapy
- Active. The organizer is a game therapist. For example, he suggests choosing toys that are associated with anxiety or fear. After a problematic situation is played out, in which the preschooler manifests himself. The game goes according to a pre-compiled plan with a clear distribution of roles. As a result, conflicting moments are created, and the child successfully solves them.
- Passive. The therapist does not direct the game and does not participate in it. The leading role is given to the child who is losing the situation. Of course, as a result, he independently comes to the solution of the problem, because when the problem can be seen from the outside, then the solution is given easier. The purpose of participation of an adult in the exercises of game therapy for preschoolers is to allow children to remain themselves, so that they can express themselves, free themselves from fears and emotional stress.
Group and individual game therapy
Each of the options is designed to solve its problems.
The group form helps each child to remain himself, while building relationships with adults and other participants. The most effective work is in a group of 5-8 people of about the same age.
The peculiarity of the approach is that it is not the group as a whole that is evaluated, but each individual separately. Children watch each other, strive to participate in the game, trying on various roles. They get freedom and independently evaluate their behavior and opportunities.
This option of game therapy for preschoolers is most preferable, since it lacks common tasks, but the relations of the participants with each other are important.
An individual form is used if the baby does not need to communicate with peers or is in a stressful state. Effectively conduct it in the presence of parents to help them build relationships with the child, improve them, and also understand and accept him.
In individual work, the game therapist interacts with the preschooler. Refusal of dominance, restrictions, evaluation, any kind of aggression or intervention will help to establish friendly relations with the child, and he, feeling more free, will be able to more clearly express his feelings and emotions.
Parents, having understood the principle, will be able to connect later or at home.
Examples of classes in group and individual form
Exercises and games for game therapy for preschoolers can be aimed at correcting various problems.
For example, the task “Build a house” is perfect for gaining experience in cooperation. Use cardboard boxes, paints, scissors, glue. A joint lesson in a group involves distributing roles, and there is a deal of strength for everyone.
To build a friendly relationship, you can play “Compliment”. Children walk around the hall, and when they meet, they speak pleasant words to each other, looking into their eyes. Handshakes or hugs are later added.
To create cohesion of the group, the task “Web” is suitable. Participants sit in a circle. An adult, having reported any interesting detail about himself, pinches the edge of the thread in his hands and passes the ball to the child opposite. He must give a name and / or tell about himself.
So, as a result of throwing the thread from hand to hand, a tangled web is obtained. Unraveling, each passes the ball in the reverse order, calling the next participant. To conclude, you can discuss whose story you liked more or made an impression.
Individual games for preschool preschool children are equally effective. For example, the child is invited to circle the hand and write on each finger the quality that you like about yourself. In place of the palm, add what you do not like. Exercise provides an opportunity to better understand yourself, and the therapist - a problem that will continue to work.
Home game therapy
Parents often ask themselves whether it is possible to use game therapy at home for preschoolers. Exercises and games are absolutely realistic to choose in this case. In a familiar environment, the child feels as relaxed as possible, and the session will be more effective.
You can ask the child to portray family members. In this case, the colors used, the location of people, the appearance of strangers or missing relatives are important. Discussion of the drawing will help to understand the experiences.
Psychologists give many examples when, thanks to this method, it was possible to prevent many problems and smooth out conflicts in the family. For example, a girl painted one of the parents of a small size and away from the others. It turned out she did not feel the love and support of this loved one.
Or the boy portrayed a girl without hands. When it turned out that his older sister was constantly offending him, his parents were able to immediately respond. Many problems "grow" in the family, and it is never too late to deal with them.
Available at home and role-playing game. It is easy to determine what the child likes and what scares or disturbs. For example, if dolls or other heroes are friends, are in an excellent mood, as a rule, nothing bothers him. If during the game the toys often conflict with each other, you will most likely have to look for a problem in real life. You can ask your child suggestive questions to learn more about him. For example - what does this doll like to do? What is the tastiest thing for her? What is she afraid of?
Available joint classes help create emotional closeness, calm the baby and dispel his anxieties.
Can a game teach you how to communicate?
Many parents and teachers note that it is becoming increasingly difficult for modern children to find a common language with each other. As a result, they cannot build relationships, more often quarrel and become self-enclosed.
Common interests, tasks, joint actions contribute to the emergence of harmonious relations between peers. To do this, it is important to be able to express one’s own condition with words, facial expressions, gestures, and also recognize the emotions of others.
Unfortunately, the child is not always able to easily master the skills of communicative competence. The insufficient development of such skills can become a barrier to free communication and cognitive activity, which will slow down the development of the child as a person.
It is possible to correct the problem by means of game therapy. The development of communicative competence in preschoolers is due to joint activities. Children easily begin to communicate, developing speech and gaining new skills.
Key techniques include bringing children together and creating a welcoming environment around them. All alleged games are built not on rivalry, but on partnerships: round dances, fun games. For example, the game “Secret” is interesting, when the presenter gives each of the magic chest a small secret (a small toy, a bead, a beautiful pebble) that cannot be shown to others. Children go and persuade each other to show their “preciousness". An adult helps, but in the game the participants wake up with a fantasy and they try to find a common language and suitable words and arguments.
In the game Mittens, the host lays out several pairs of black and white paper mittens, and the children must find their own pair and then color them together the same way. The players who managed first win. Participants will find a similar detail and agree on which colors to choose.
In game therapy for preschool children, such tasks help to find new ways to establish contacts and partnerships, as well as enjoy communication. In the future, such skills will come in handy to live comfortably in a society of people, to easily understand others and to be understood by yourself.
For children of any age and with any problem, including children with disabilities (HIA) who need special conditions for training and education, you can choose the right classes.
Game Therapy Methods
To successfully achieve goals, puppet theaters, outdoor games, and sand tables are used. One of the newest is such a method of game therapy for preschoolers as a board game. All stages are important, starting from preparation. For example, it will be useful for aggressive children to participate in its creation - they come up with rules, draw individual elements, and closed preschoolers are already included in the game at the preparation stage.
For the development of communication between preschoolers and children with disabilities, game therapy also involves the use of board games. They attract children with colorfulness, contribute to the formation of voluntary attention, and learn to follow the rules. You can complicate the game a little to train the skills of counting, reading, recognizing patterns or colors.
The field is a walker game with colorful circles, each of which involves a task of a certain kind (compliments to the participants, continue the phrase or finish a short story, make a picture and use the facial expressions to make an action).
Sand Game Therapy
Simple, at first glance, entertainment turned into an effective therapeutic method. Children's creations made of sand are associated with their inner world and experiences.
Sand game therapy, as a form of preschool children’s health care, is useful for relieving muscle and emotional stress, developing tactile sensitivity and hand-eye coordination. Classes with sand are a fascinating process, awakening to creativity, relaxing and inspiring.
With the help of various small figures, the child stage the situations that excite him, freed from internal tension or irritation. The main task of a psychologist is to build a confidential contact in order to become part of the game and create a dialogue. In the next step, together, try to help deal with the problem.
Figures, natural materials, favorite toys - this is not only a reflection of the child’s world, but also a bridge that will help to penetrate into his inner “I”.
For sand classes, a wide selection of figures is offered - heroes of fairy tales, people of various professions, animals and birds, vehicles, furniture and much more. In other words, this is the baby’s world in miniature, which lives according to its laws.
The possibilities of sand game therapy with preschoolers allow you to create endless stories, since sand is a wonderful material through which psychological help has a noticeable effect. Children like these classes, having a healing effect on their body.