Journey to Friendsville: A 15-Minute Counseling Game

Board games are a very effective way to teach social skills, but many counselors do not have the time to play a traditional board game with their clients. Journey to Friendsville is designed with the busy counselor in mind. Kids learn social skills and how to develop rewarding friendships in 15 minute increments as they journey on the game board towards the town of Friendsville. There are seven skills in total, and one skill is the focus of each 15 minute session. Kids can play multiple times to learn all seven skills. As they play the game, kids move through towns that represent the skills taught in the game, such as Fairhaven and Conversation City. On the way, players earn tokens with pictures of “friends” on them. The “friends” are placed in Friendsville in the center of the board to await the arrival of the players. The five skills are: Using humor appropriately in social situations. Conversing with others — expressing yourself and listening skills. Dealing with conflicts. Joining and participating in groups. Showing respect and fairness.

• This game teaches kids important social skills, including how to use humor in social situations, how to make compromises, how to keep a positive attitude, how to deal with conflicts, and how to express their feelings
• Remarkable resource for teaching social skills to elementary age children
• 15 minute game session is ideal for busy therapists
• Promotes seven unique learning objectives
• Recommended for ages 6-10 | 2-4 players