B a r b a r a s h e r I l L u s t r a t I o n s b y r a L p h

Games for 6- to 12-Year-Olds
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T
Y P E S O F
A
T T E N T I O N
E
N C O U R A G E D
Open and focused
M
A T E R I A L S
None
D
I R E C T I O N S
Pretend that a crime was committed while you were standing there,
and you both have to make a witness report to the police or to a newspa-
per journalist. What was going on around you while you were waiting in
line?
For example, if you are in line at the bank, pretend the bank was about
to be robbed. Ask your child to look around at the other people who are in
line at the bank and to try to remember details about them. What are they
wearing? How are they standing? What do you think their attitude is
(patiently waiting, fidgety, distracted, and so on)? If there are two people
together, guess what their relationship is to each other and maybe even how
they are getting along. (Are they friendly, irritated, in love, ignoring each
other?) If you overhear a conversation, note the tone and possible feelings
of the speakers. Tell your child not to talk about what she’s noticed until
you’re done at the bank.
When you are out of the bank, you and your child report to each other
what you saw, thought, and felt. It’s fun to see how we all focus in on dif-
ferent details depending on our own unique perspective. Because none of
us can really know if our interpretation of what others are feeling is cor-
rect, there is no right or wrong in this game, only the enjoyment of watch-
ing and guessing.
W
H A T
’
S
B
E I N G
L
E A R N E D
Children are learning to scan a room using open attention and then focus
on particular details that are both emotional and physical. This also helps
develop the social skill of reading body language. Having to remember
details after the fact also strengthens memory skills.