Act it out!

You just got a present—the world’s ugliest sweater! Your classmate is trying to copy your answers on a test. You wrecked the book your friend lent you. What do you do? Wait! Don’t just tell us: it’s time to show your skills by acting it out.

Act it out! is a suitable game for children and teens aged 8 to 14 because it involves role-play scenarios whose target social skills and background situations are tailored to their own experiences. Having children act out make-believe situations helps them adopt new positive behaviors that they might not get the chance to engage in on a regular basis. This gives children the opportunity to develop social skills that will serve them well when they actually find themselves in a similar situation.

Act it out! also provides an easy framework for parents to give children feedback. For example, you might say, "The way you talked to your friend was very respectful!" It can be much more difficult to give this kind of feedback "in the heat of the moment" during daily life than in this playful context.