TOP PICKS | 27 TOOLS
Games That Build Social and Emotional Skills
Top Picks
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Avokiddo Emotions
Hilarious animals help kids identify emotions
Bottom line: This silly animal app is a fun way to teach kids about emotions and creativity.
Daniel Tiger's Grr-ific Feelings
Songs and activities help kids express, recognize, understand emotions
Bottom line: Daniel Tiger and his friends present excellent examples for kids who are just learning healthy emotional expression.
Dr. Panda & Toto's Treehouse
Open play encourages empathy, critical thinking, imagination, wonder
Bottom line: Toto's Treehouse invites kids to play and explore -- just the way they learn best.
Four little corners
Simple story about shapes showcases problem-solving and inclusion
Bottom line: This cute little story could be a nice launching pad for big discussions about friendship, tolerance, and acceptance.
Wee You-Things
Kids join the story celebrating uniqueness -- including their own
Bottom line: Wee You-Things may not be a book that kids revisit many times, but the message is powerful.
GoNoodle
Brief bursts of physical exercise add classroom fun, build brainpower
Bottom line: In a genre of its own, GoNoodle is a ready-to-go, classroom-friendly exercise program that challenges students to get moving.
Zoo U
Research-based social game has terrific assessment potential
Bottom line: A powerful and focused social problem-solving game designed to reach kids who need direct instruction.
Hall of Heroes
Responsive game helps students prepare for transition to middle school
Bottom line: Wonderful and fun social-interaction game designed to teach cooperation and friendship skills needed for middle school and beyond.
Middle School Confidential 1: Be Confident in Who You Are
Appealing graphic novel teaches relatable tween lessons
Bottom line: A compelling read for tweens and teens looking for guidance and understanding of common social situations.
Journey
Gorgeous, moving adventure -- a jewel of social and emotional learning
Bottom line: Journey is a must-play experience and a shining beacon of the good that games can do.
Never Alone: Ki Edition
Illuminating native Alaskan folktale supports SEL skills
Bottom line: A beautiful achievement developed in cooperation with indigenous folk that offers players valuable SEL skill building and a respectful window into Inupiat culture, ways of life, traditions, and stories.
KIDS
An avant-garde journey of group dynamics sparks discussion
Bottom line: An unusual app that will confuse and entertain classrooms, generating discussion on a number of societal and philosophical topics.
Papo & Yo
Powerful tale of alcoholism uses puzzles and metaphor to build empathy
Bottom line: A beautiful game that's sure to build students' empathy skills and provoke deep conversations about alcoholism and abuse as well as metaphor.
Thomas Was Alone
Story-driven puzzle game teaches students to value their differences and help one another
Bottom line: This unexpectedly thoughtful and emotional puzzler could offer valuable lessons about friendship and empathy to kids experiencing trouble socializing.
Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons
Unique cooperative adventure with lasting social and emotional impact
Bottom line: With good support, an extremely powerful game to build empathy.
East of the Rockies
AR experience offers moving insight into tragic history of internment
Bottom line: Culturally rich and emotionally moving, with purposeful opportunities for interactivity.
Spent
Provocative, first-person look at poverty builds empathy
Bottom line: It'll need some scaffolding, but for students ready for the subject matter it's a great -- if sobering -- way to illustrate to students the daily realities and struggles of poverty in America.
Attentat 1942
Emotional WWII game deftly explores the stories of survivors
Bottom line: An absorbing experience that'll motivate students to piece together a family's story of survival during Nazi occupation.
Bury Me, My Love
Moving portrayal of the dangers and uncertainty of a Syrian refugee
Bottom line: It effectively connects students with the harrowing journey of a Syrian refugee, even though some of the interactive elements are underwhelming.
Gone Home
Compelling narrative game fosters empathy, self-reflection
Bottom line: If you're searching for a unique way to analyze storytelling from a social and emotional angle, look no further.
Liyla and the Shadows of War
Stark, arresting game offers emotional perspective on war's human toll
Bottom line: The short length and powerful themes make this an effective way to help students consider the brutal effects of war on families.
Papers, Please
Mature immigration game forces tough ethical choices
Bottom line: It's a provocative simulation about ethics and immigration that could spark debate but might be tough to implement.
Please Knock on My Door
Effective and affecting game about dealing with depression
Bottom line: A slow-paced SEL game for helping students understand the nuances of managing mental health.
Rigged
Students consider their priorities in empathy-building simulation
Bottom line: A useful, if a bit repetitive, game to help high school students plan for the future and gauge how their choices impact many areas of well-being.
This War of Mine
Strategy game offers superb, mature take on war and civilian survival
Bottom line: A stark portrayal of civilian life in a war-torn city that requires strategic thinking and invites repeated plays.
Everything
Philosophical game invites students to ponder everything's existence
Bottom line: Meaningful and humbling take on interconnectedness, but in that existential sort of way that's highly individual and potentially hit or miss.
Florence
Incredibly relatable story about navigating adult love and life
Bottom line: This heartwarming game helps kids empathize with the highs and lows of romantic relationships.
