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Games for Children on How to Deal With Divorce

Dealing with a divorce is one of the hardest things a child and family can ever encounter. Most children feel a significant loss after the breakup of their parents, so it's important to give them a vehicle to work through and channel feelings of sadness or confusion. Incorporating small social games for dealing with divorce may help alleviate some of the pain.

Drawing Game
- Instruct the child to start by drawing a picture of himself or his family after the divorce. Discuss openly with the child how the picture represents him and the effects of the divorce. Reward him with small prizes or candy after each drawing. Challenge him to focus on his feelings and draw or discuss each one. Suggest that each drawing become more elaborate or more directly representative of his feelings. Suggest that he attempt a drawing of what his new family might look like.
Letter Writing Game
- According to the Free Toddlers Activity and Discipline Guide, "Ten years after their parents' divorce, young [people] who are now nineteen to twenty-three are afraid of intimacy," trust and love. With that in mind, it's important for children to deal with their feelings as soon as possible. Have the children write letters to family members or friends about the divorce. The letters need not be sent, but let the child do so if she wishes. Challenge the child to write several to the same person, and then pick the best.
Action Figure Similated Family Game
- Have the children use a group of action figures, such as X-Men and G.I. Joe, to represent family members: mother, father, sisters, brothers. Ask the child why he assigned certain identities to specific characters. Have the child make the figures interact in the way he has seen his family interact both before and after the divorce. Challenge the child to envision an ideal family situation with the figures, or a future interaction he would like.
Time Capsule
- Assign the child to create a small time capsule with items that represent her life and her family's life. According to the website California Divorce, "Making a time capsule is another way of helping children recognize that the troublesome feelings surrounding the divorce won't last forever" and that there is hope for the future. Have her make a list of items she would like to include and explain why. Put the items in a small, sealed container to bury, and then set a date when she can dig them back up.

Kids Games