P.O.W.E.R.: Games for Child Development and Learning

Play is critical to children’s social and emotional development and learning – especially in crisis.

The Play Opportunities for Wellness and Education Resource (P.O.W.E.R.) is a collection of 100 gender-responsive play-based learning activities created to support parents, teachers, coaches, social workers and others to promote children's learning and development.

The 100 games are available as animated videos and short PDF manuals. They support girls and boys to develop holistic life skills like communication, empathy, creativity and confidence; promote psychosocial well-being; teach children how to process difficult emotions; and show them how to be inclusive of peers of all backgrounds, genders, and abilities.

The games are designed for children of varying ages, and are meant to be played in classrooms, community settings, or at home, with few to no materials required. Each game includes a play-based activity with one key learning, and guidance for how to encourage girls and boys to reflect on what they’ve learned, connect it to their own experiences, and apply it in their lives.

On the YouTube playlist, you can check out two other videos about how you can use the P.O.W.E.R. activities to reach different learning objectives in your work with children. The training video content is also available as PDF handouts: Using P.O.W.E.R for collaborative play, How to use a P.O.W.E.R activity to teach your learning objective, and How to use a POWER activity for your program outcome

This is the first time that Right To Play has open-sourced its games for broad use, and we have made them available in English, French, and Arabic. Our goal is to empower teachers, coaches, parents and educators everywhere to use the power of play to enhance children’s learning and help them develop the life skills they need to succeed in today’s world.

You can also access the games in written format in English, French, and Arabic, along with companion videos to help you use these tools for collaborative play more effectively.

Shooting Stars - A game for managing emotions

This game teaches children how to manage their emotions by creating a jar of ideas that can help them feel better. It is for children ages 6+, played with 2 or more people, and takes about 30 minutes to play. You will need 2 containers (e.g. jars, boxes), pieces of paper and drawing/writing materials.

Syllable Dance - A game to improve cognitive development

This game teaches children how to separate words into syllables, by creating dance moves to match the syllables in their name. It is for children ages 6+, at or beyond a grade 1 reading level, played with 4 or more people, and takes about 15 minutes to play. You will not need any materials.

Girls Score - A gender equality game

This game teaches children how to include and empower girls, by playing a game of kickball that encourages girls’ participation. It is for children ages 10+, played with 6 or more people including 2 or more girls, and takes about 30 minutes to play. You will need a ball and 4 bases (e.g. cones, small mats).

The Zipper - A game for social development

This game teaches children how to trust others and themselves, by moving through a line of teammates as they raise their arms to avoid hitting them. It is for children ages 6+, played with 6 or more people, and takes about 15 minutes to play. You don't need any game materials.

Flight, Fight, Unite - A conflict resolution game

This game teaches children how to respond to conflict, by demonstrating how Flight, Fight, and Unite responses influence outcomes. It is for children ages 10+, played with 8 or more people, and takes about 10 minutes to play. You will need something to mark lines on the ground (e.g. chalk/cones).

Self-Esteem Silhouettes - A game for emotional development

This game teaches children how to improve their self-esteem, by creating silhouettes with their personal qualities. It is for children ages 10+, played with 2 or more people, and takes about 30 minutes to play. You will need pencils or markers, paper, scissors and any other art supplies.

The complete collection of game videos can be found on YouTube here, and in written format here.

La collection complète de vidéos de jeux en français est disponible sur YouTube ici, ou en format écrit ici.

YouTube يمكن العثور على المجموعة الكاملة من أشرطة الفيديو الخاصة بالالعاب باللغة العربية هنا على

Games manual in Arabic: والالعاب المكتوبة هنا

If you have questions about these resources, or would like a print-ready version of the games manual, please contact gpd@righttoplay.com.

This project was undertaken with the support of the LEGO Foundation.