Broaden your teaching with a therapeutic role-playing game!
Critical Core © Game to Grow 2021
Some of you may have heard me talk about Critical Core the therapeutically applied role-playing game created by Game to Grow. Constructed on a DIRFloortimeR framework, Critical Core (CC) builds 5 “core capacities;” regulation, collaboration, planning, perspective, and pretend play. As far as I can tell, this is what I am so often working on! I had the opportunity to be a beta-tester for CC, and have also completed their entire mental health training track. Highly recommended!
There isn’t room here to go deeply into the game, but, having taken about 10 groups through it (and I just started 3 more) I can say that it is a powerful therapeutic material for those of us working in social learning and language.
There are three check-out questions that are asked of the players at the conclusion of every game-play:
What is a spotlight you would like to shine on someone else for enhancing your session?
What was something you found challenging about today’s session or something you learned?
What is something you predict will happen, or something you are looking forward to in the next game session?
All three of these questions support introspection and perspective taking. But I want to really delve into the first question. I find it so powerful that I have begun asking it at the end of most of my social groups, whether or not we are playing CC.
The first question hinges on each student noticing everyone else, and finding appreciation in what others do. When I first ask this question in a group, I am typically faced with blank or confused faces. Often students will describe something they did that they liked or did well. But with my modeling and through our discussion of what this means, I see magic unfold. Students, knowing that this question is a ritual of our groups, pay more careful attention to each other. And, usually pretty quickly, they get the hang of it, and start saying things like “Josh was nice and let me have the chair I wanted” or “I liked how Elliot convinced me to change my mind about the game we were going to play – it turned out to be really fun.” The spotlights then allow me to re-phrase/repeat, and point out to that student that something they did was appreciated – that it was kind or helpful to another, such as “Charlie, wow – Chris just gave you a spotlight for how you stopped humming when he asked!” Our students, who are so often corrected and criticized, beam when the good they do is noticed and appreciated. Definitely a gift from Game to Grow, whether I am playing CC or not!
I hope you enter the holiday season with peace and good health!
