Examples of "co-operation" - for helping social skills

[binkie]

Ds needs help with social things, and to help him grasp that there's a point to learning to "go with the group" I'm trying to come up with examples of things that people can only do by co-operating - strongly visual if at all possible.

I've thought of trying to find a picture of acrobats making a human pyramid, for instance.

Grateful for any other ideas.

[soapbox]

A tug of war?

Get him to imagine the 'group' are all pulling on one side and he's furiously pulling away at the other end on his own. What does he think will happen? How important is it to him who wins? What does winning mean to him in this situation? How will he feel when they win as is inevitable no matter how hard he tries?

You might get some useful thoughts out of this exercise. To him being on the winning side might actually not be important. To be part of a team may not be important. He may believe that following his own path is all that matters, even when that has disadvantages in it for him. AT the very least though you should be able to get an idea of why he behaves as he does?

Often children want to integrate but don't know how to. If thats the case role playing how he might but in to someone else's game, start up a convo etc etc would be useful for him.

Drama lessons can be very useful in this situation as he can 'act' like the person he would like to be which is a good way to get over the barriers he may be putting up!

[flashingnose]

Skipping? 3 people and a skipping rope are not going to go very far unless they co-operate

[binkie]

thank you - skipping such a good idea for practising, too - we will do that. And tug of war too - and soapbox, thank you for such a very thoughtful answer - much more than I expected!

I've also thought of: putting out a fire (bit scary?); dancing round a maypole (not so riveting for a boy); working on an assembly line (sadly he would think that exciting).

You know, what I need is one of those old black-and-white slapstick comedies where people are all doing something in synch and then a tiny thing goes wrong and it all collapses into chaos. Don't know where to find one though - perhaps I should head down to Movie Reviews ...

Any more ideas, please?

[dinosaur]

Are you steering clear of sports related ones Binkie - otherwise I would have thought football would be ideal - or rugby if that's more up your street (being Welsh and all that).

[binkie]

Scottish hen Scottish

I was thinking about sports and orchestras and suchlike: decided those sorts of dynamics are a bit advanced for him - he needs rather basic examples - which is why tug of war is such a good one.

[dinosaur]

oh whoops! Blame the flu.

Um - I've been doing some cooking recently with DS1 - he's quite good at "co-operating2 with me while we do that (he used to be awful, and get very cross if not allowed to do everything himself!)

[flashingnose]

Have you got one of those pop up tent things? We find it impossible for only one person to put away, so I hold the bag while DH folds up the tent. Ditto putting on a duvet cover (ds helps me - he's 6)

[LIZS]

synchronised swimming or trampolining, rally driving, Red Arrows type display, building a house ?

[binkie]

These are all fantastic. Cooking - I must follow up on my plan to take him on the Poilane bakery tour; and building - of course! Off to the library.

[JanH]

Mountaineering!

[Saker]

I thought about going on a see-saw which is impossible without someone on the other end. Also about driving - I thought you could maybe point out examples of people giving way, taking turns at junctions and roundabouts when out and about, and consider the consequences if they didn't.

Check this out for some pictures of human pyramids here especially the 11-6-3-2-1 contributed pyramid. None of it is anything to do with me I add hastily .

[binkie]

saker, thankyou! ... ds was every bit as fascinated as I'd hoped. Let's just see if it makes a blind bit of difference at school.

However:

"I also enjoy making human pyramids in unusual and exotic places. "

? ? ?

[binkie]

And inspired by saker's websearching I have sent ds (and dd, since she's never to be outdone) into school with this picture of the traditional Janmashtami pyramid - particularly apt as (though you can't see it in the picture) the aim of it's to reach a pot of sweets and money that no one person could get by himself.