What are enjoyable ways to play charades or role playing in a telehealth setting?
Playing Charades or engaging in role-playing activities during telehealth sessions can be an enjoyable and effective way to promote communication, social skills, emotional expression, and problem-solving. Here are some suggestions for playing Charades or engaging in role-playing activities in a telehealth setting:
- Charades:
- Provide a list of words or phrases related to a specific theme or category before the session. This can include emotions, animals, occupations, or everyday actions.
- The child can take turns acting out the word or phrase without speaking, while the therapist and other participants (e.g., family members) guess what they are portraying.
- Encourage the child to use facial expressions, gestures, and body movements to convey the word or phrase effectively.
- Use the chat feature or a virtual whiteboard to allow participants to type or write their guesses.
- Provide positive reinforcement and feedback for the child’s performance and creativity.
- Role-Playing:
- Choose a scenario or situation relevant to the child’s therapeutic goals. This could involve practicing social skills, problem-solving, or exploring emotions.
- Assign roles to the child and the therapist, or involve other participants, such as family members, to take on different roles in the scenario.
- Use video conferencing features to create separate virtual spaces, such as breakout rooms, for different characters or scenes.
- Encourage the child to engage in dialogue, express emotions, and make decisions within the role-play scenario.
- Guide the role-play by offering prompts, suggestions, or alternative perspectives to explore different outcomes or solutions.
- Provide constructive feedback and debriefing after the role-play to discuss what was learned and strategies for real-life application.
- Hybrid Approach:
- Combine elements of Charades and role-playing by having the child act out a specific emotion, social situation, or problem-solving scenario.
- The therapist and other participants can guess the emotion or situation being portrayed and then engage in role-playing to further explore the scenario.
- This hybrid approach combines the creativity and physical expression of Charades with the interactive and problem-solving aspects of role-playing.
It’s important to create a supportive and non-judgmental environment during these activities. Encourage the child’s creativity, active participation, and provide positive reinforcement for their efforts. Consider the child’s age, developmental stage, and therapeutic goals when selecting appropriate scenarios or words for Charades and role-playing. Collaborate with the child and involve their family members in the process to make it a collaborative and engaging experience.
Leanne Hopkins is an Occupational Therapist at Succeed Healthcare Solutions and is passionate about creating a world where families thrive. If you or someone you know is interested in undertaking therapy via telehealth with a team trained and experienced in telehealth for several years, please contact us and arrange a free 15-minute Discovery Interview to see how we can assist.