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Therapeutic Games |
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| Self-Discovery Activities |
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Self-Discovery activities help people to open up and speak more freely about their feelings. There are two games on this page from the Self-Discovery chapters of these two therapeutic books. The first activity "CD Cover" can be found in the book
104 Activities That Build:
The second activity "To Make this Box Represent Me, I would..." is from the book
The wRECking Yard of games and activities
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CD Cover
When people go to a music store, they spend time walking around looking at all of the selections and often will leave the store having bought a compact disk or two. The type of music a person buys and listens to can often times tell you quite a bit about that person. If each person made his/her own music recordings and designed the cover for the CD, others would probably learn much new information about the individual whose recording it is.
Objective
To think about your own life and feelings and to verbally share these thoughts with other people in the group.
Who
People who have difficulty sharing about their lives when in a group setting and who need prompting to do so openly.
Group Size
1 or more
Materials
- One piece of white tag board or cardboard per person (cut into
about 8”x8” square)
- Colored markers, crayons, colored pencils, etc.
- Glitter, glue, stickers, ribbons or anything else available for use
when decorating a cover
Description
Give each person a piece of white tag board or cardboard (about 8 inches by 8 inches). Supply the group with all of the other supplies mentioned above and inform them that they are to create their own CD (Compact Disk) Cover. On the cover they need to have a title for their CD and any pictures or words that represent who they are. The CD cover is make believe and should be created and decorated with titles, songs, and pictures that represent the person who has created it. On the back they need to list the songs (real or make believe) that are on their CD. Side one should contain songs “about yourself” and on side two, songs about the “goals you have for yourself” (even though a real CD only has one side). After everyone is finished allow time for sharing.
Discussion Prompts
1. What was the hardest part of this activity for you? Why?
2. What did you learn about others in the group?
3. Do you think anyone should have a different title or different songs? Why?
4. Is it hard for you to recognize positive things in your life? Why?
To Make this Box Represent Me, I would…
Being able to open up to others in a group is the first step in becoming an active member of the group. Some people have difficulty opening up to others and sharing their feelings. Something as simple as a cardboard box can be a helpful tool for getting people to feel comfortable about sharing their feelings with the group, for the first time or even for the fifteenth time.
Objective
To learn the perception that each person in the group holds about him/herself.
To provide a chance for people to open up to others in the group.
Who
People who have difficulty expressing their feelings directly.
Group Size
2 or more
Materials
- An empty box with a lid
Description
Gather the group into a circle. The leader holds the empty box and says “to make this box represent me I would…” (i.e. “I would fill it with chocolate covered candy and then tape it shut because it is difficult to find out what is inside of me but once I open up there are many wonderful surprises to be discovered.”).
Once the leader has completed the statement he/she passes the box to the next person who then completes the sentence and then passes it to the person beside him/her. The box continues around the circle until everyone has had a turn.
Discussion Topics
- Did the box make it easier to say something?
- Did you feel that you could be in better control of how much you said?
- What did you learn about others?
Variation
- Change what the box represents: “To make this box represent __________ (my family, the way I deal with my anger, my relationship with God, my role in this group, etc.), I would…”