Are you looking for ways to encourage students to exhibit good behavior during group games? If so, keep reading.
1. Make sure that the student knows that interacting with peers in group games is contingent upon appropriate behavior.
2. Get the student to practice appropriate interactions with the teacher(s) in group games.
3. Teach the student appropriate ways to interact with peers in group games (e.g., suggest learning activities, share learning materials, problem-solve, take turns, follow game rules, etc.).
4. Observe group games closely, so peers with whom the student interacts do not encourage unacceptable behavior.
5. Make sure that group games are not so stimulating as to make successful interactions with peers complicated.
6. Designate older peers with desirable social skills to interact with the student in group games.
7. Include the student in extracurricular learning activities to urge interaction with peers in group games.
8. Minimize the emphasis on competition. Failure may encourage unacceptable behavior in group games.
9. Teach the student problem-solving skills so they may better deal with problems that may happen in interactions with peers in group games (e.g., talking, walking away, calling upon an arbitrator, compromising, etc.).
10. Find the peer with whom the student is most likely to be able to interact in group games successfully (e.g., a student with similar interests, background, classes, behavior patterns, nonacademic schedule, etc.).
11. Organize the group games according to the needs/abilities of the student (e.g., create rules, limit the stimulation of the learning activities, limit the length of the game, consider the time of day, etc.).
12. Restrict chances for interaction in group games on those occasions when the student is not likely to be successful (e.g., if the student has experienced academic or social failure prior to the scheduled group game).
13. Choose group games designed to enable an appropriate interaction between the student and peers.
14. Via observation and interviews with other students, determine the student’s characteristics that interfere with successful interactions during group games to ascertain skills or behaviors that the student needs to create for successful interactions.
15. Make sure beforehand that the student can successfully take part in the group game (e.g., the student knows the rules, the student is familiar with the game, the student will be compatible with the other students playing the game, etc.).
16. Make sure the student knows that failing to interact properly with peers during group games may result in termination of the game and/or loss of future chances to part in group games.
17. Get the student to interact with peers for short periods to enable success. As the student shows success, slowly increase the duration of time the student interacts.
18. Get the student to study, practice, simulate, etc., the rules for group games before participating.
19. Create a set of standard behavior rules for group games (e.g., follow rules of the game, take turns, make positive remarks, work as a team member, be an excellent sport, etc.).
20. Take the student away from group games if they are unable to demonstrate appropriate behavior.
