September means…time to organize the game closet.

Any game with a pop-up palm tree has gotta be great! Yay-it's Camel Up!

Okay, the school year is in sight – if not already underway, so there’s lots of juicy info here! ↴

• Hot-off-the-press game recommendations

• Playing Outside the Box coaching session

• SocialScales: Make Social Learning Visible

• Office Hours for 2024-25

Since I am a BIG believer in sessions being fun and challenging, games are often included in my social group planning. It frustrates me when students come in who have been playing the same games for years!! I mean, yes, UNO is a great game, but how about we explore some new games?

It is a super exciting time in the game industry.

🧩 All sorts of games: board games, card games, dice games, flicking games, cooperative games, competitive games - wow - so much is out there. And these games will challenge our students. Challenge their processing, their problem solving, their decision-making skills, their interpersonal and conversational abilities. Their ability to stay regulated, and make and tolerate mistakes. To say nothing about all those juicy mental state verbs (e.g. decide, chose, plan, notice, etc) you know I love!!

👉🏼 So, let’s get right to the games…

For younger students (Elementary) and up:

🤝 Cooperative games (I often have groups start with cooperative games!)

• Hoot Owl Hoot

• BusyTown Eye

• The Great Cheese Chase

• Lemonade Shakeup

• Outfoxed

• Mole Rats in Space

• Cauldron Quest

• Forbidden Island & Forbidden Desert

👊 Competitive games (*great for older students also)

• Sneaky, Snacky Squirrel

• Dog Dice

• Monster Maker

• Rhino Hero Super Battle

• Camel Up and Camel Up Off Season*

• Sushi Go*

• Pyramid of the Pengqueen

• Ice Cool & Ice Cool2*

• Number Rings

• The Allowance Game

• YamSlam

• Dragonwood & DragonRealm

• Eureka

• Monoploy Deal*

• Trapdoor Checkers*

• Blokus*

• Taco vs Burrito (with expansion pack)*

For older students Middle School and up:

🤝 Cooperative games:

• Kites: Time to Fly

• Hanabi

• Forbidden Sky

• Cities Skylines: The Board Game

👊 Competitive games:

• Exploding Kittens

• Are You the Traitor?

• Archaeology: The New Expedition

• Azul

• Saboteur

• Prime Climb

• Rummikub

I have found that these are the games I (and my students) keep pulling out of the game closet. Do you have some to add to this list?? Send them my way, and my kids will love checking them out!

One of the 🔑 keys to helping our students explore games that, yes, might be more complicated (and wonderful,) is to know how to modify them. 👉🏼Remember, we DON’T have to play any game the way the instructions tell us to. It certainly took me a while to realize that, but then, I was free to figure out how to bring the enjoyment of these terrific games to ALL of my students.

After giving lots of presentations about this, I am bringing my “tips and tricks” to you in a one-hour, watch-when-you-want, handouts included, coaching session.

It will be available from Sept 30th through Nov 30th, so take a sec and click the button below to reserve your spot. An added bonus is two Office Hours this year that's only for those who have watched – a time to dig deep into what we can do with games. The coaching is full of FUN, plus you will come away with lots of ideas about what to do with games! Great for parents, too.

💪 Watch Me Build It Update:

Phew – I did it!! So exciting to see my idea move from, well, a mess of info, to… a new product - SocialScales: Make Social Learning Visible. After all the production craziness, we are in the final stages of proofing, designing, and getting it ready for you – so stay tuned! And many thanks to those of you who kept up with my story and sent encouragement – especially during those infamous COVID weeks!

After years of development, SocialScales are here to help students:

• evaluate where they are at any given moment. Is that where they want to be?

• engage in conversations with important adults in their lives about what feels right to THEM. With a visual tool, it’s easier to have these important discussions.

• set goals for themselves if that's their choice, have a clear path about how to get there, and be able to track their progress.

SocialScales have also helped parents, teachers and clinicians:

• support students in understanding abstract, complex ideas.

• have a structure to share that includes behavioral as well as emotional vocabulary.

• show students other perspectives, and plan work collaboratively.
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COMING FALL 2024!

Best wishes for the best school year ever! Let’s all take it bit by bit.

-Anna