Relaxation games
By relaxation games , game science and game education mean a genre of diverse game forms that are suitable for reducing the potential for tension in the human condition and for bringing calm, balance and concentration to the game. These are often purposeful forms of play that pursue an intention outside of the actual game, namely relaxation. In addition, relaxation games can also be found as unintentional, spontaneous forms of play in the contemplative, free play of children, who relax without expressly intending to do so.
Character and function
Relaxation games are characterized by a calm, competition-free interaction between the players, a careful pursuit of the respective game idea and the slowness of the game actions. The term "relaxation games", but also the large number of advisory literature with its related offer, seems at first glance to suggest an exclusive or primary purpose of the game genre. The designation indicates forms of play that are primarily concerned with achieving a useful effect brought in from outside of the game's immanent idea, i.e. instrumentalizing the games. You are tracking z. B. a specific educational, psychological or therapeutic purpose. They serve, for example, to calm down after stressful events . In this respect , they are used methodically in the therapy of hyperactive children, but also in care for the elderly , in kindergarten or in school contexts . They should create a balance to the exciting competitions at children's birthdays , in school sports and at play parties. You strive to recover from mental and physical strain. They want to create a contrast to the principle of achievement and competition and have a permanent place in the work of meditation circles .
In addition to the character trait of “intentional” games, which can be used methodically, relaxation games also have their own, immanent meaning in the game, which is still expressed in unguided children's play, for example in the fantasy journey , an endless narration before going to sleep. In the systematics of the game scientists Siegbert A. Warwitz and Anita Rudolf, the relaxation games are classified under the “meaning of the game”. With the idea of “relaxing by playing” they stand in contrast to competing meanings such as “competing by playing”, “experiencing adventure by playing” or “learning by playing”, which tend to serve the activating and exciting moments of play. Relaxation games don't want to build up tensions, on the contrary, they want to dissolve them. Often after phases of tension, vigorous activity and lively movement, they pursue the goal of " coming to rest, collecting, concentrating, reflecting on yourself ".
Physiological and psychological effects
The relaxing effects of this type of game are expressed on the one hand in the physiological and on the other hand in the psychological field. Both are closely related:
At the neural level, the parasympathetic nervous system is activated and the sympathetic nervous system is weakened . The muscle tonus decreases, the reflex is reduced activity, the heart rate slows, the arterial blood pressure decreased, the oxygen consumption reduced, the skin conductance decreased, the peripheral vessels relax and the brain's electrical and neurovascular changed activities.
On the psychological level, the physiological effects go hand in hand with greater serenity and increased well-being. The emotions come into balance, aggressiveness is reduced. The ability to concentrate and differentiate in the physical self-perception improves and conveys the experience of a noticeably increased inner peace and newly won peace.
history
Relaxation games have a long tradition. As a targeted method in learning processes, they already appeared among the philanthropists in the 18th century. So recognized Johann Christoph Friedrich GutsMuths already the action of certain forms of play for the "health of mind, body and soul" and developed it systematically in his educational concept. In his famous, well-read playbook from 1796, which he named "Games for Exercise and Recreation of Body and Mind", he gives teachers and educators a large number of corresponding, with detailed explanations, game examples.
Nowadays, new and different problems arise: the overstimulation and constant irrigation of the modern media leads to high-tension states in many children and adolescents, which often result in exhaustion , weakness , poor concentration , phlegm , school fatigue and a reluctance to learn. Silence experiences, the ability to be satisfied, to be with oneself, to immerse oneself, to meditate, to manage regenerative processes and thus also the access to necessary self-experiences have decreased. A comprehensive range of advisory literature with suggestions for relaxation games offers its help against these negative social tendencies. (see bibliography)
Examples
Relaxation games can be found in both free and guided play. They can be grouped into different categories and also assigned to specific groups of people:
Preschool and elementary school
" The Ladder to Heaven " is a popular game with preschool and elementary school children before they go to sleep. It belongs to the category of fantasy journeys : already in bed, but not yet tired enough, a child begins his fantasy story of climbing the ladder to heaven into the realm of clouds, fairies, angels. After a few thoughts, he or she lets another child continue the shared imaginary journey, which in turn passes the narrative thread back or on after a while until the endless story dissolves in the sleep of the tired.
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The “ children's round ” is a popular game up to elementary school age, which children play in free play even without the influence of adults. Holding their hands in a circle, the children move by walking and jumping lightly to both sides, forwards and backwards and in turning movements. They usually combine the movements with singing well-known melodies, with rhythmic clapping or reciting rhyming verses.
The relaxation games in the shape of a circle also include games such as " Poor Black Cat ", in which a teammate has to make another player change his facial expression by grimacing and meowing, or contemplative placement games such as the numerous " puzzle " shapes.
“ Guiding the blind ”, in which one partner carefully guides the other through the room and lets certain objects be felt, is one of the games to reduce fear of contact and to build trust with a relaxing character.
Teenagers and adults
Young people love " oracle games " such as spin the bottle or commuting , in which certain predictions are made, teammates are drawn for certain joking tasks and relaxing rituals are performed.
With decelerated " movement games ", from a didactic point of view, a reaction to exciting fighting games can be achieved. They are used for collection and recreation and have a long tradition.
" The Gordian Knot " , in which the complicated entanglement of the hands and arms of the entire playgroup challenges joint considerations and practical attempts at a gradual solution, is still suitable as a challenging thinking and action game for students.
The " Tangram " from China is a contemplative placement game that asks the player to use seven or more individual parts, consisting of triangles, square and rhombus, to create geometric figures or animals such as a duck, snake or bat. The concentrated meditative game can also begin with cutting out the game shapes and making the game material yourself.
Seniors and the disabled
Elderly and disabled people prefer games that are slower and more deliberate, such as card games: " Patience ", which already has the word "patience" in the name, ask the player or the players to put the cards in a predetermined position To arrange them in order or to shape them into shapes such as a dial with a pointer, a butterfly, a harp or a braid.
All games with cyclical movements are suitable as " movement games ", ie movements in which similar partial movements are constantly repeated, such as walking, running, jumping or dancing games. The so-called sacred or meditative dance, for example, is a simply structured game in a circle that is geared towards reflection and meditation. The game ends move in slow, measured steps. It is a common "step into silence". This form of play is becoming increasingly widespread in spiritual and church groups and is also frequently used in educational and therapeutic areas.
A popular game for all groups of people is also the " mirror image ", in which the opposite partner is supposed to imitate all movements and actions presented to him in a mirror image.
literature
- Josef Broich: Relaxation games . Maternus, Cologne 1998, ISBN 978-3-88735-015-4 .
- Heike Jung: 100 movement and relaxation games for the crib . Verlag an der Ruhr, Mülheim o. J.
- Annette Leonhard (Ed.): Relaxation games for hearing-impaired and speech-impaired children . Luchterhand, Neuwied 2000, ISBN 3-472-04092-0 .
- Johann Christoph Friedrich GutsMuths : Games for exercise and relaxation of the body and mind . Hof 1796 (8th edition 1893)
- Hans Hirling: Relaxation Games. In: Ders .: The great book of 1000 games. 5th edition. Herder, Freiburg 2016, ISBN 978-3-451-29050-3 , pp. 31–33.
- Rosemarie Portmann, Elisabeth Schneider: Games for relaxation and concentration . Don Bosco, Munich 1994
- Ursula Rücker-Vennemann: Relaxation games for children . Don Bosco, Munich 2001, ISBN 3-7698-1275-1 .
- Siegbert A. Warwitz , Anita Rudolf: Relax by playing - relaxation games. In: Dies .: The sense of playing. Reflections and game ideas . Schneider Verlag, 4th edition, Baltmannsweiler 2016, ISBN 978-3-8340-1291-3 , pp. 75-78.
Web links
Single receipts
- ^ Siegbert A. Warwitz, Anita Rudolf: Relax while playing - relaxation games. In: Dies .: The sense of playing. Reflections and game ideas . Schneider Verlag, 4th edition, Baltmannsweiler 2016, pp. 37–125.
- ↑ ibid, p. 75.
- ↑ Edmund Jacobson : Relaxation as Therapy. Progressive relaxation in theory and practice. 7th expanded edition. Klett-Cotta, Stuttgart 2011.
- ↑ Johann Christoph Friedrich GutsMuths: Games for exercise and relaxation of the body and mind . Hof 1796 (8th edition 1893)
- ^ Siegbert A. Warwitz, Anita Rudolf: Die Fantasiereise. In: Dies .: The sense of playing. Reflections and game ideas . Schneider Verlag, 4th edition, Baltmannsweiler 2016, p. 77.
- ↑ Heike Jung: 100 movement and relaxation games for the crib. Verlag an der Ruhr, Mülheim o. J.
- ↑ Ursula Rücker-Vennemann: Relaxation games for children. Don Bosco, Munich 200
- ^ Rosemarie Portmann, Elisabeth Schneider: Games for relaxation and concentration. Don Bosco, Munich 1994.
- ↑ Johann Christoph Friedrich GutsMuths: Games for exercise and relaxation of the body and mind . Hof 1796 (8th edition 1893)
- ^ Siegbert A. Warwitz, Anita Rudolf: The Gordian Knot. In: Dies .: The sense of playing. Reflections and game ideas. 4th edition. Schneider, Baltmannsweiler 2016, pp. 148 + 149
- ↑ Joos Elffers: Tangram. Dumont. Cologne 1978.
- ↑ Annette Leonhard (ed.): Relaxation games for hearing-impaired and speech-impaired children. Luchterhand, Neuwied 2000.
- ^ Josef Broich: Relaxation games. Maternus, Cologne 1998.