Game Index

Surprise Chase

Goal: To invite more eye contact.

Motivations: Chases or tickles; costumes or hats.

Preparation: Collect a bag full of costumes, hats, and wigs. Create a screen that you can hide behind while you change costume, for example, a large piece of cardboard or a sheet suspended from the ceiling. Cut out a hole in the screen at your child’s eye level.

Introducing the Game: When your child gives you a Green Light introduce the game with the motivation by starting to chase your child in a fun way. Adapt the motivation to best suit your child, for example, if he likes tickles then chase him and tickle him at the end.

Building the Motivation: If your child indicates that s/he wants more chasing and tickling then quickly duck behind the screen and put on a hat or wig. Come back out and chase your child wearing the new costume. Do this a few times with a variety of different costumes. You could try pretending that each costume turns you into a different character. Each character looks, talks, chasing and tickles differently from the other characters. This will add variety and anticipation to the games making it even more motivating for your child.

Requesting: Once you have done this a few times and your child is motivated for more of the game, you can start to request. Go behind the screen to change costumes and before you come out to reveal your costume put your eyes up to the hole in the screen and ask your child to look at you through the hole. As soon as s/he looks at you spring into action. Jump out from behind the screen and starting chasing. Each time you go back to change your costume request that your child look at your eyes before you come out from behind the screen.

Five Fun Games to Initiate

1. Puzzle Hunt
2. Surprise Chase
3. Sentence Fishing
4. Intrepid Reporter
5. Roll-A-Conversation