Activity Title: Recipe for Friendship

Source: Borba, M. & Borba, C. (1992). Leisure education II: More activities and resources (pp.
345-346) (N. Stumbo, Comp. Ed.). State College, Pa.: Venture Pub.
Equipment: 4x6 index cards (one per participant), pens or pencils (one per participant)
Description of Activity:
The objective of the activity is to increase participants awareness about the reciprocity of social
relationships by identifying the characteristics they value in a friend and conducting a selfevaluation on whether or not they possess these characteristics themselves. Participants are
asked to sit in a circle. The therapist then begins by discussing why friendship is important to
quality of life. Participants are asked to think about the differences that friendships have made in
their lives and what qualities they look for in a friend. Index cards and writing materials are then
distributed and participants are asked to write down a recipe for their ideal friend by indicating
which characteristics their friend should have and in which quantities or proportions. Participants
should think about which qualities are essential and which are there to simply add a little spice.
After they finish, participants may be asked to share their recipes with the group to identify
common characteristics. At the end of the activity, participants should be asked to consider how
they measure up compared to their recipes. Finally, the therapist instructs participants to ask
themselves what changes they might make in themselves in order to be considered a better
friend to others.
Leadership considerations:
This activity is ideal for small groups in a classroom or activity room setting. Throughout the
activity, the therapist(s) should respect individual differences in the definitions of an ideal friend.
Emphasis should also be put on how friendships influence the quality of individuals leisure
lifestyle.
Adaptations:
Participants with Developmental Disabilities: Participants with developmental disabilities might
require additional help developing or writing down their recipes. A higher therapist to participant
ratio might be appropriate for this population in order for each participant to have access to help
within the allotted time for the activity.

Activity Title: The Observation Game

Source: Chesner, A. (1998). Groupwork with learning disabilities. Bicester: Winslow.
Equipment: N/A
Description of Activity:
The objective of the activity is to increase participants observation skills and awareness of
others. Participants are asked to stand in a circle and instructed to take a moment to notice
what they and everyone else is wearing. The group leader chooses a visual criterion and asks
anyone who meets that criterion to change places (for example, anyone wearing sneakers,
wearing earrings, wearing something red, with brown hair, etc.). Start with something that only
applies to two or three participants. Later in the game, try something more complex, with three
people or more changing places. At the end call out something that applies to everyone so that
everyone changes places.
Leadership considerations:
This activity is ideal for small groups and can be done in any setting. Throughout the activity, the
therapist facilitates the activity by calling out criterions and prompting participants as needed.
The therapist may, at some point, ask individual participants or the group in general to call out
criteria themselves. Encourage those who do not fit the criterion to prompt those who do in
order to reinforce observation skills and socialization.
Adaptations:
Participants with Intellectual Disabilities: Participants with intellectual disabilities might require
additional prompting from the therapist. However, it is important to not overcorrect. If a
participant does not switch places when they meet the criteria, try to use hints first instead of
just asking them to move.
Participants with Brain Injuries: Individuals with brain injuries often experience difficulties with
theory of mind, a cognitive capacity which allows one to attribute mental states such as
thoughts, beliefs, preferences, or ideas to others. This activity may be adapted to improve
theory of mind by making the criteria more about personal ideas or preferences (for example:
anyone who likes scary movies or anyone who doesnt like spicy food). Participants may then
be asked to infer about other participants based on their movement or non-movement. For
example: Do you think John likes spicy food.

Activity Title: Compromising

Source: Pettry, D. (2006). Building Social Skills through ACTIVITIES. Retrieved September 29,
2015, from http://www.dannypettry.com/ebook_social_skills.pdf
Equipment: Handouts with a list of scenarios where two or more people need to reach a
compromise (Example: Brad and Alice are going to the movies. Brad wants to watch the new
comedy film but Alice wants to watch a scary movie.), pencils
Description of Activity:
The objective of the activity is to improve social skills by understanding how to make
compromises with others. The therapist opens the activity by explaining what compromising is
and why its important to social interactions. Participants are assigned partners. The therapist
might be someones partner if there are an odd number of participants. Then, participants are
asked to complete the handout assignment by writing down a possible compromise solution for
every scenario. Participants are also asked to compromise with their partners about how the
work will be completed (ex. one partners will write the answer to the odd questions and the
other will write the even ones).
Leadership considerations:
This is a leisure education activity; it is good for small groups up to about 12 and is meant to
take place in a classroom or activity room setting. Scenarios can be modified to meet the needs
of the population group. Scenarios involving schoolmates, parents, and siblings would be more
appropriate for children and adolescents while scenarios involving friends, co-workers, and
romantic partners might be better for adults. After instructions are given, the therapist should go
around and help as needed.
Adaptations:
Adolescents with Intellectual Disabilities: The activity may be broken down into individual steps
rather than giving all the instructions at once. The therapist might also read out the first scenario
and have a discussion with the entire group before having partners work on scenarios on their
own.
Individuals with Visual Impairments: Partner groups might each be given a different prerecorded short conversation instead of written scenarios. Possible compromise solutions could
be discussed between partners for a fixed period of time. After time is up, the therapist might
ask each partner group to share their solutions.

Activity Title: Emotions Collage

Source: Pettry, D. (2006). Exploring Emotions through ACTIVITIES. Retrieved September 29,
2015, from http://www.dannypettry.com/ebook_emotions.pdf
Equipment: Assorted magazines, scissors, glue sticks, colored pencils, handouts with several
identified emotional states with space to glue cut-outs besides each emotion.
Description of Activity:
The objective of this activity is to increase awareness of emotions in others by examining facial
expressions and body language. The therapist should introduce the activity by having a
discussion about how we can tell how someone is feeling and why it is important to know. They
might also demonstrate different types of facial expressions or body positions that communicate
the different emotions. The therapist then passes out materials and instructs participants to cut
images out of the magazines that show a person experiencing each emotion n the handout. If
no pictures are found, they could draw those using colored pencils. After the activity, the
therapist asks participants to share some of the new things they learned about facial expression
and body language with the group.
Leadership considerations:
This activity is good for small groups of 2 to 10 and should take place in class room or activity
room setting where participants have enough desk space to work. The therapist acts as an
educator during the introduction and then as a facilitator of the activity and debriefing session.
Adaptations:
Adolescents and Young Adults with Autism: Round tipped scissors might be used for safety with
younger participants. The therapist should encourage creativity and allow participants to draw
with the colored pencils if they wish. The therapist should also provide one-on-one assistance
as needed.
Adults with Brain Injuries: Individuals with brain injuries often experience social difficulties as a
result of being unable to read emotions in others. It might help to have participants act the
expressions out in front of a mirror before they can identify them in pictures. Attention is also
affected by brain injury so the therapist should be aware of distraction and be prepared to
redirect participants as needed. The activity should be kept from running on for too long.

Activity Title: What Shall I Wear?

Source: Stumbo, N. (1992). Leisure education II: More activities and resources (pp. 303-304).
State College, Pa.: Venture Pub.
Equipment: Picture of men and women cut out of catalogs and/or magazines wearing a variety
of different types of clothing (ex. formal, professional, casual, beach, etc.), tape, index cards
with different leisure and life situations written on them
Description of Activity:
The objective of this activity is to help participants identify the appropriate attire needed for a
variety of different leisure and life activities. Prior to the activity session, the therapist is to tape
or pin a variety of different clothing styles to a wall or bulletin board. Situation cards are handed
out to participants and they are instructed to take turns reading their situations out loud to the
group. The participant then picks out an outfit from the board and tapes it to their card. Then the
group has a discussion about whether or not it was an appropriate choice, and why or why not.
Leadership considerations:
This activity is ideal for small to moderate groups and is meant to take place in a classroom or
activity room. The therapist acts as a facilitator and encourages positive discussion among
participants. The therapist should stress that there are no right or wrong answers, but look for
obvious inappropriate choices. The therapist should write situation cards based on activities that
are appropriate for the groups ages, resources, and geographical area. Also, the therapist
should be aware of cultural differences regarding what is considered appropriate dress. Pictures
chosen by the therapist should reflect the cultural diversity of the group and/or the community.
Content on cultural diversity may be included in the discussion as well. The activity may also
help with teaching about weather-appropriate dress. In this case, situations cards would involve
different types of weather common to the area and picture options would reflect weatherappropriate attire (ex. raincoats, umbrellas, winter coats, gloves, etc.).
Adaptations:
Children and Adolescents with Intellectual Disabilities: This activity could be a great way to
introduce self-presentation to children and adolescents who are having social difficulties due to
intellectual disability. For smaller groups, participants may be allowed to freely browse the
pictures all at once until everyone has chosen at least one or two pictures for their card. This
would allow participants to take their time and not feel rushed to choose while others look on.
Adults with Schizophrenia: Individuals with schizophrenia, whose symptoms have been
stabilized using antipsychotic medications, often receive therapeutic services directed toward
improving social functioning, self-care, and work skills so that they re-enter the community and
gain more independence. Differentiating between the appropriate attire at different leisure and
employment settings as well as the messages we send with artefactual non-verbal
communication should be included in the context.

Activity Title: Voices: Loud & Soft

Source: Stumbo, N. (1999). Cooperation, Communication, and Listening Skills. In Intervention
activities for at-risk youth (pp. 99-100). State College, PA: Venture Pub.
Equipment: Pencils/markers, pennies, Voice Volume Chart handouts
Description of Activity:
The objective of this activity is to increase participants awareness of voice volume, identify
when it is appropriate to use different volumes, and to increase personal control of volume. The
therapist begins the activity by discussing voice appropriateness and why it is important to know
when to speak quietly, normally, or loudly. Participants will then take turns flipping or tossing
pennies onto their volume charts. When a penny lands on loud, normal, or quiet, the participant
must give an example of a scenario in their everyday lives or during leisure where that volume is
appropriate (ex. quiet: library, normal: school, loud: football game). After each participant has
had a turn, the therapist will give additional examples and have participants choose or discuss
which volume categories are appropriate for each scenario and write them down in their volume
charts. The completed chart may be taken by participants to keep as an educational poster.
Leadership considerations:
This is activity can be performed 1 to 1 or with small groups and should take place in class room
or activity room setting. The role of the therapist is that of an educator and facilitator. During the
initial discussion, the therapist should demonstrate the three different volume categories and
have participants try the different volumes themselves. This could be done by having a
conversation while pretending to be in different settings or by writing a short poem or lyric on the
board and having participants recite it using different voice volumes. Debriefing discussions may
include how to identify clues to let you know which volume is appropriate in different settings.
Adaptations:
Individuals with Brain Injuries: Situational training has been shown to be an effective component
of social communication interventions for in adults with traumatic brain injuries. The therapist
might roleplay different situations with participants so that they can practice using the
information they learned in the activity. The therapist might also assign homework by
instructing participants to practice the new skills and knowledge they acquired in their personal
time and reflect on their experiences during later sessions.
Children with Aspergers Syndrome: Children with Aspergers Syndrome often have trouble
picking up on social cues, recognizing subtle differences in speech tone, pitch, and accent that
alter the meaning of speech. This activity might be modified to address the needs of children
with Aspergers by using tones of voice rather than volumes as categories (ex. sad, happy, tired,
angry, bored, excited, etc.) Focus should also be put on teaching specific clues to look for in
deciphering the meaning of a verbal message.

Activity Title: Sneak a Peak

Source: Jones, A. (1998). 104 Activities that build: Self-esteem. Richland, WA: Rec Room
Publishing.
Equipment: 2 sets of building blocks or Legos
Description of Activity:
The objective of the activity is to improve communication skills by identifying strategies to
successfully send and receive verbal messages. The therapist must design two identical
sculptures for every three participants using the building blocks or Legos. One sculpture should
be placed in an area that will not be visible to all of the participants (behind a curtain, inside a
closet, etc.). The other sculpture must be disassembled and all of its pieces laid out on a table.
This should all be done prior to the activity session, before participants arrive. Once everyone
arrives, teams of three are assigned with one leader per team (if there are only 2 people
present, the therapist may act as the team leader). The therapist begins the session by
presenting some strategies for successfully sending and receiving verbal messages, which may
include: speaking clearly and concisely, not being overly vague, active listening, and
paraphrasing to check understanding. The team leader is then instructed to view the hidden
sculpture. They must then give the second person in their group instructions on how to recreate
the sculpture. However, the person receiving the instructions may not touch the sculpture
themselves; they must instead relay the instructions to the third person who will actually be
building the sculpture from the blocks available on the table. At the end, all group members get
to compare their sculptures to the original and the therapist facilitates a discussion on how the
activity related to the lessons learned from the introduction and how those lessons may apply to
daily life.
Leadership considerations:
Several variations of this activity can be performed 1 on 1 or in small groups of 2-12 participants
divided into teams of three. The therapist acts as an educator and facilitator. The therapist
should side coach teams as needed throughout the activity. While the activity has a time limit, it
is important for the therapist to stress that completing the duplicate sculpture is not a race or
competition but rather a chance to practice communication skills.
Adaptations:
Individuals with Acquired Brain Injuries: Traumatic brain injuries often impact individuals
cognition, communication and psychosocial abilities, which may prevent individuals ability to
independently function in school, home, or work settings (Copley, Smith, Savill, and Finch,
2015). Regaining receptive language skills has been identified as an essential step towards
regaining effective communication skills (Copley et al., 2015). For individuals with TBI, the
therapist might want to isolate receiving skills as the only area of focus for the exercise which
could take place 1 on 1 with the therapist. The therapist could build the sculpture ahead of time,
take a picture, and disassemble it before meeting with the client. The therapist could then
introduce the client with a few specific strategies for hearing, understanding, and clarifying
messages and walk them through rebuilding the sculpture using these strategies.
Adolescents with Autism: It is recognized that individuals with autism spectrum disorders have
trouble acquiring the skills needed to communicate effectively, regardless of language skills
(Silver, 2005). It is recommended to teach individuals with autism communication skills in 4
stages: expressive communication, functional communication (application of skills),

understanding communication, and social interaction (Silver, 2005). Sessions might focus
exclusively on sending or receiving messages as part of a broader communication skills training
program. For this population, it might be beneficial to modify the activity to progress from 1 on 1
to a 3-person team, and later to a multiple team group. Progressing group size is important
because a large group environment might make some participants uncomfortable at first,
especially when learning new skills (Silver, 2005).
Copley, A., Smith, K., Savill, K., Finch, E. (2015) Does metacognitive strategy instruction
improve impaired receptive cognitive communication
skills following acquired brain injury?, Brain Injury, 29(11), 1309-1316, DOI:
10.3109/02699052.2015.1043343
Silver, K. (2005). Assessing and developing communication and thinking skills in people with
autism and communication difficulties a toolkit for parents and professionals.
London: Jessica Kingsley.