Activity Title: Sharing-Therapeutic Jenga

Source: Jedrick, A. (2003, July 24). Sharing - Group Discussion Activities. Retrieved from
http://www.recreationtherapy.com/tx/sharing.htm
Equipment: 1 Wooden Jenga game on which your treatment team has written therapeutic
questions. A flat, level surface.
Activity Description: This activity will help the participants to share information about
themselves and begin to feel comfortable in the therapeutic process. It also encourages rapport
building, disclosure promotion, and trust building. This activity can be played with 2 or more
players but the groups should not pass 5 for every CTRS for each Jenga board. To create the
game the CTRS will write with a marker on each block a therapeutic question. Examples of these
questions could be; Talk about a time when someone made you feel uncomfortable; if you were a
cartoon character, who would you be and why? Once all the blocks have been written on then it
is time to play the game. Each player, including the therapist, removes 1 block from the stack of
Jenga blocks without knocking the whole thing over. S/he will read the question on the block out
loud, answer, and then replace the block at the top of the tower. Its important to make sure that
the participants are comfortable playing the game therefore, if a player is uncomfortable about
answering any question, s/he can put the block on top without answering, but must then take
another block. If a player pulls a block that s/he already answer, s/he must also pull another
block. If a participant knocks the whole thing over, the game has finished and all the other
players get to ask him/her any question.
Leadership Considerations: The CTRS must prepare the game by writing all the questions on
each block. This activity requires the CTRS to participate as well in answering the questions.
This will help the other participants feel more comfortable in opening up. The CTRS is
responsible for clearly explaining the rules of the game and letting the participants know that
they only have to answer the question if they feel comfortable in doing so. The CTRS will
observe the group and listen to their answers. If a participant needs help removing the block the
CTRS will do so.
Adaptations: Participants with Parkinsons Disease. Parkinsons disease (PD) is a disorder
of the central nervous system that causes uncontrollable tremors and/or rigidity in the muscles
(WebAim, 2016). Individuals with an advanced case of PD may not be able to use a mouse at all,
and some are unable to use a keyboard. Parkinsons disease is most likely to occur later in life,
but can affect younger individuals as well. Parkinsons involves the malfunction and death of
neurons in the brain. As PD progresses, the amount of dopamine produced in the brain
decreases, leaving a person unable to control movement normally (Parkinsons Disease
Foundation, 2016). Symptoms varies from person to person but may include tremor of the hands,
arms, legs, jaw and face; slowness of movement; stiffness of the limbs and trunk; and impaired
balance and coordination. This activity can be adapted to participants with Parkinsons disease
by providing 1-on-1 assistance. For example, the CTRS or another group member may be
responsible for removing the block and reading the question to the participant with PD. The
participant will then answer the question. This will allow the individual to participate in the game

without feeling the stress of not being able to remove the block because of tremors. To ensure the
participant is comfortable during the game the CTRS can provide chairs with straight backs,
armrests, and firm seats, this will make it much easier for you to get up and sit down. You can
also add firm cushions to existing pieces to add height and make it easier to move (WebMD).
Participants with severe Stuttering. Stuttering affects the fluency of speech. It begins during
childhood and, in some cases, lasts throughout life. The disorder is characterized by disruptions
in the production of speech sounds, also called disfluencies (American Speech-LanguageHearing Association). Most people produce brief disfluencies from time to time. For example,
some words are repeated and others are preceded by um or uh. Disfluencies are not
necessarily a problem but they can delay or prevent communication when a person uses too
many of them. Stuttered speech often includes repetitions of words or parts of words, as well as
prolongations of speech sounds. In general, speaking before a group or talking on the telephone
may make a persons stuttering more severs, while singing, reading, or speaking in unison may
temporarily reduce stuttering (NIH, Stuttering). For this activity it is important that the
participant that stutters feel as comfortable as possible throughout the entire game. The key is to
have patience and give them the time they need to say what they want to say. Try not to finish
sentences or fill in words for them as this will lead to the person feeling pressure to speak
quickly. You can also give the option to the entire group that if they do not feel comfortable
answering the questions out loud that they can write it down for the CTRS to read on her/his on.
This option for the entire group can allow the participant to feel more comfortable throughout the
activity without making them feel singled out for their speech problem.