Are you looking for hacks to motivate students to exhibit good behavior during group games? If so, keep reading.
1. Play the game with the student before they engage in the game with peers to model appropriate behavior, determine the student’s capacity and ability to play the game, determine the student’s capacity and ability to follow behavior rules, etc.
2. Get the student to take part in group games of short duration. As the student shows success, slowly increase the duration of group games.
3. Teach the student the appropriate skills needed to participate in group games successfully (e.g., volleyball, basketball, football, baseball, etc.).
4. Let the student select the group games that they will play with peers.
5. Take into account the student’s age and experience before expecting them to get along with others when playing group games.
6. Urge the student to use problem-solving skills: (a) find the problem, (b) find goals and objectives, (c) create strategies, (d) create a plan for action, and (e) carry out the plan.
7. Make sure the student connects the relationship between their behavior and the consequences that may follow (e.g., failing to get along when playing a group game will result in others not wanting to play with him/her).
8. Teach the student acceptable ways to express displeasure, anger, frustration, etc.
9. Select a peer who will be an excellent influence (e.g., someone younger, older, of the same gender, of the opposite gender, etc.) to play with the student.
10. Teach the student to think before acting.
11. Let the student voice their opinion in a situation to avoid becoming angry or upset.
12. Converse with the student about ways of handling situations successfully without conflict (e.g., walk away from a situation, change to another learning experience, ask for help, etc.).
13. Do not force the student to play games with someone with whom they are not entirely comfortable with.
14. Intervene early and often when there is a problem to prevent more severe problems from happening.
15. Consider using a classroom management app. Click here to view a list of apps that we recommend.
16. Consider using an adaptive behavior management app. Click here to view a list of apps that we recommend.
17. Consider using Alexa to help the student learn to behave appropriately. Click here to read an article that we wrote on the subject.
18. Click here to learn about six bonus strategies for challenging problem behaviors and mastering classroom management.
