Snakes and Ladders for Telehealth

Whether you prefer to call it Snakes and Ladders or Chutes and Ladders, the classic ladders and slides board game is popular among therapists. In the version I keep in my office, each ladder shows a child making a good choice, and every slide shows a mistake, so it fosters great conversation about consequences. It’s also a great game for building frustration tolerance and practicing emotion regulation, since you can be SO CLOSE to the end only to land on a slide and fall back.

Snakes And Ladders board

The flash game website Poki has a Snakes and Ladders game! They don’t include scenarios, but it is still a lot of fun to play. Like with Ludo, this game is played over telehealth by pulling up the site, sharing your screen, and taking turns with screen control to roll the dice.

The pieces move by themselves, which I’ve found helpful in my practice since a lot of younger kids love this game but have trouble following the board’s path with the numbers. On the other hand, like with many telehealth games, you can’t let them change the rules or opt not to go down a slide. Of course, I have turned this into its own intervention, but it is an added challenge if you prefer to take a nondirective approach.

I love when I find a new classic board game that I can add to my telehealth toolbox! What other games have you found? Let me know!

Published by Dr Marschall

Dr. Amy Marschall received her Psy.D. from the University of Hartford in September 2015. She completed her internship at the National Psychology Training Consortium with specializations in assessment and rural mental health. Currently, she specializes in trauma-informed and neurodiversity-affirming care, and she is certified in telemental health. Dr. Marschall runs a private practice, RMH Therapy, where she provides individual and family therapy as well as psychological assessments across the lifespan. Dr. Amy Marschall is an author and professional speaker.

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