- Ungame, by R. Zakich, Anaheim, CA: The Ungame Company, 1975, is meant for children five years of age and up. This is a noncompetitive game which encourages children to think about their attitudes, feelings, motives, and values. The cards have questions like, “What would you do if you had a magic wand?” In addition, the game has “tell it like it is” spaces which ask children to say something about themselves or ask another player a question.
I tried playing the Ungame once with children. Although it seemed conducive to opening children’s communication, the game itself was no fun for them to play. I had a difficult time persuading children to finish it. The question cards may be more useful as topics for group discussion.
- The Talking/Listening Game, by C. Shadle and J. Graham, San Luis Obispo, CA: Dandy Lion Press, 1981, is for children between the ages of six and 12. It is a non-competitive game aimed at improving children’s communication skills through listening, confronting, problem-solving, positive feedback, problem ownership, and environmental changes. A sample question is, “Tell who needs to take responsibility for this problem–your friend sitting next to you forgot to study for the test and now wants to copy your paper.”