Threat or Thought?

Topic
- Identity & emotions
Learning skills
- Self-management & future orientation
- Self-awareness
- Relationship skills
- Social adjustment
- Critical & reflective thinking
Activity type
- Group discussion
- Teambuilding game
Materials
- Basic
- Self-made
Age
- 6 - 11 years
- 12 - 14 years
- 15 - 17 years
- 18+ years
>15 minutes
+5 players
Difficult
Calm
Small (office, pavement)

Contributors

Save the Children

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Everything you need to play this game

Paper and pens
Post-its (4 different colours) – for the decision options
Situations cards

Make it yourself

Step 1

Situation cards: (just some examples here, feel free to create new ones)

Scenario 1: You witness a classmate being bullied by a group of students.
Scenario 2: You accidentally break your friend's favourite possession.
Scenario 3: You're asked by a friend to cheat on a test.
Scenario 4: You witness someone shoplifting at a store.
Scenario 5: You're pressured by friends to try drugs at a party.
Scenario 6: You overhear someone spreading rumours about a classmate.
Scenario 7: You witness an animal in distress on the side of the road.
Scenario 8: You're asked to participate in a group activity that you're uncomfortable with.

Step 2

Decision cards or post-its:

Card 1: Fight
Card 2: Flight
Card 3: Freeze
Card 4: Fawn

Good job!

A step-by-step guide to play the game

Gather the players in a comfortable and safe environment.

Explain to the players that when we're stressed, it can be challenging to differentiate between threats and thoughts regarding challenging situations. This confusion can trigger our survival instincts and affect our decision-making. A consequence of this can be that we start to avoid certain situations.

Brainstorm with the players on what possible threats, thoughts and challenges are.

Now distribute a situation card to each player. Instruct them to read their assigned scenario carefully.

Ask them to reflect on the situation: Do you consider it a threat or a challenge? Does this situation put you at risk or gives you some space to grow?

Encourage the players to select the reaction option they believe they would have.

Provide feedback on each scenario, discussing everyone's responses. Encourage participants to share their reasoning behind their choices (their dilemma's, doubts, maybe differences between what they think they would do and what they would like to do) to discuss any difficulties they encountered in identifying threats & thoughts on challenges. Address any questions or concerns raised by the players.

The game ends when all situation cards are discussed.

Extra game information

To explain the 4 potential stress reactions: Fight, Flight, Freeze or Fawn, you could explore the Signs & Symptoms of Trauma Poster of the Trauma-Informed Youth Work Toolkit.

Variations

You could invent other situation cards, to make it more adapted to your target group or situation.
Combine the situation cards with the Signs & Symptoms of Trauma Poster and identify for each situation an animal who responds the way you would respond to the situation.

Specific learning objectives

Differentiate between threats and thoughts
Reframe your thinking process

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