Conflict Busters

Conflict Busters is a cooperative educational game with a space travel theme. It is designed to teach important knowledge and skills for conflict resolution. Anger control skills are also included. Since the game is cooperative, rather than competitive, the students practice and learn cooperative skills as they participate in a space journey to Saturn, which is represented by a jigsaw puzzle in the centre of the board. Players earn puzzle pieces by answering questions about conflict resolution and complete their ‘mission’ when they have completed the puzzle. The game contains many examples of conflicts that could occur on a space voyage, but more importantly, are common in primary school.

The game illustrates many examples of good ways to resolve conflicts, and the true-false cards contain information that a teacher or counsellor would use in a lecture or discuss with the students in class. The excitement of the game motivates the students to pay full attention to the facts and skills to be learned. Players pick questions from three decks of cards. There are two levels of the ‘You Decide’ cards. The cards for players in second grade are multiple choice (two choices), and the cards for older students ask the players to use the guidelines outlined in the game to come up with their own solutions to conflicts. In their space adventure, players have to deal with the dangers of the ‘Black Hole’ and the dangerous ‘Wiggly Worms’ who inhabit the ‘Land of Sand’.

Players: 2-6 players (more players with team play)

Grades: 2 – 5 (Also high interest material for older students.)

Conflict resolution skills are very important for career success, making the game an ideal school-to-career activity.

Objectives:

Players learn the benefits of cooperation as they work and play toward a common goal.

Players learn to recognise good and bad ways of dealing with anger and conflict.

Players learn to look for solutions that are acceptable to both sides.

Players develop practical skills for resolving conflicts in a win-win way.

Players learn that being assertive is more effective than being aggressive.

Players learn the importance of seeing the other person’s point of view.