Activity
Building Social Skills Through Game Night
Playing games can be a fun way to develop social skills for individuals who are blind or visually impaired, including those with multiple disabilities.
Ready for some fun? Game nights are a fantastic way for students to build social skills, without feeling like it is work.
Materials
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Accessible multi-player board or card games
Procedure
- This activity can be done at home or at school. To incorporate this into a student’s home life, parents or caregivers can pick a night to designate as family game night. Alternatively, instructors can organize a class period or after-school activity as a time for multiple students to meet to play games together as a group.
- Allow for the opportunity to play several types of games, including:
- Games that rely on luck vs. games that require some element of strategy
- Games where individuals compete vs. games where teams compete
- Games the student does well at vs. games that are somewhat challenging
- Playing games is a great opportunity to practice many social skills, including but not limited to:
- Cooperation
- Winning/losing
- Decision-making
- Conversation skills
- Understanding humor
- Understanding how to relax
- Rule following
- Turn taking
Variations
- This activity also encourages students to work on recreation/leisure skills and compensatory skills.
- Some games that are not readily accessible can be made so through strategies like tactile labeling.
- Games can be developed or adapted based on a student’s needs. Students can practice sensory efficiency, for example, by taking turns with another student in identifying smells, sounds, or objects by touch.
