104 Activities That Build: Self-esteem, Teamwork, Communication, Anger Management, Self-discovery, Coping Skills

13Y ALAIVIVA 101VC5 To my son Corbin who continually shows me the joy that comes from games and play and who makes the game of life more fun to live! Disclaimer The games in this book are designed to be fun and interactive. Common sense should be used when leading and or participating in these games, and safety for all those involved should always be considered. The author and publisher are not responsible for any actions taken by any persons who leads and/or participates in any of the games or activities in this book. So, have fun, be safe, know the limits of the members of your group, and always give people the choice of participation to insure a good time for all! Teaching, learning, growing and changing by playing games? Is this possible? If you play the games and do the activities that are found in this book, you will find the answer to this question and at the same time you will find yourself having lots of fun! Games are powerful tools that can be used in therapy, and of course games are fun. People use different tools to build a house, fix a car, cultivate a garden or to make something old look new. In therapy tools are needed to build a team out of a group of people who are working together, to help individuals who feel stuck in their old ways renew life, and to help a person grow emotionally into a better person. Games in therapy can also help people look at the problems they are dealing with through a different perspective (the activity) so they can heal and live a healthy, full life. Games have therapeutic value in themselves - the reason people who are depressed are encouraged to engage in activities and why people at a fair or carnival are smiling and having a good time. Families are encouraged to build better relationships with each other by playing together and by participating in games that are enjoyable and fun for all. Think about your own life and the things that you do that are fun and enjoyable. How do these activities make you feel and how do they help you in your daily life? The answer to this question should be that the fun games you play and activities that you enjoy help you feel better, both emotionally and physically (otherwise you would chose to do something else during your free time). Games get you involved with other people, build relationships among individuals, make everyone equal and most of all promote laughter to help people have a good time. If you don't have any activities in your own life that bring you this kind of feeling, perhaps you need to incorporate more time into your life where you are engaged in pleasurable, healthy, fun activities. Since you bought this book, the likelihood is that you already know that games have a natural therapeutic value and you want to learn more about how to enhance that value when using these games with the group/s or individual people you wish to help. When a game is used as a therapeutic tool, it should focus on specific goals or objectives, plus do all of the things mentioned above. When a game ha