Remember the game Battleship? It’s the one where you and your opponent, who can’t see each other’s setup, are guessing the location of battleships in an attempt to sink them. It was originally a pencil and paper game, which later became a board game (and then later even became a movie!)
 
Battleship is a great game for perspective taking. It requires you to put yourself in your opponent’s shoes in order to win. This is a good opportunity to have fun and follow it up with some great questions that incorporate these skills into real life. Here are a few conversation starters:
 
How did you know I was going to make that move?
 
What gave it away?
 
What do you think I’m going to do next?
 
How can you tell?
 
What do you notice to anticipate what someone might do next?
 
If you make that move, how might that affect me?
 
What moves am I making that affect you?
 
Are there things you do at school that affect other people?
 
Are there things other people do at school that affect you?
 
Do you have to think about other people before making certain decisions?
 
 
If you want to give it a stab, you can buy the Battleship game, or here’s the paper version. There’s even an online version!
 
By the way, Battleship isn’t the only game where these questions work. You can do it with chess, checkers, or any card game that requires thinking about the other person’s moves.