Game, Goals, Growth believes that play is one of the best ways for children to create quality social and emotional skills that will last a lifetime.

 

Children and adolescents experience various challenges that impact their level of social activity. These experiences can lower self-esteem, prohibit future quality friendships, create setbacks for controlling emotional reactions and stunt empathy.

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Children and adolescents that don’t have the privilege of quality social skills are statistically at a higher risk of:

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• Lower academic performance

• Dropping out of school

• Drug or alcohol use as coping mechanisms

• Difficulties with interpersonal relationships with parents, teachers and peers

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Learning social-emotional skills can help children and adolescents offset these challenges with positive scaffolding that will help them meet the challenges that development and environment throw their way. Some common social skills that children and adolescents can develop are:

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• Listening

• Being considerate

• Observing body language and reading emotions

• Sharing

• Appropriate words

• Taking turns

• Being respectful

• Creative problem solving

• Co-operation

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We believe that the best way to learn these skills are through a state of FLOW. FLOW is a state of perception that comes from being completely immersed in an activity. You have probably experienced a state of FLOW if you have been doing something and lost track of time. These are some of the factors associated with the state of FLOW:

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1. Clear goals that, while challenging, are still attainable

2. Strong concentration and focused attention

3. The activity is intrinsically rewarding

4. Feelings of serenity; a loss of feelings of self-consciousness

5. Timelessness; a distorted sense of time; feeling so focused on the present that you lose track of time passing

6. Immediate feedback

7. Knowing that the task is doable; a balance between skill level and the challenge presented

8. Feelings of personal control over the situation and the outcome

9. Complete focus on the activity itself

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Being in a state of flow can enhance learning and lead to greater levels of involvement in future learning and skill development.

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Games, Goals and Growth utilizes Table Top Games to help children and adolescents learn social-emotional skills by encouraging children to adapt to limitations, collaborate and create play spaces.