Most child therapists and play therapists keep activities and games in their offices that rely on competition between the therapist and client. You can practice regulation and frustration tolerance when the client loses and good sportsmanship when they win. Taking turns requires impulse control and is an important social skill. Plus, games are fun, and anything that helps kids want to spend time with me is a win in my book.
I have converted many of these games for use over telehealth – shameless self-plug to check out my TPT store!
But I also want to share free options for competitive games that you can play in telehealth sessions. Board Game Arena has several options for this.
Recently, I found a two-player version of a game that many of my clients have talked about: Tunnel Rush.
To play, you must steer your way through a tunnel and avoid obstacles. Therapeutically, the activity can be used to work on focus and regulation. But the web site linked above has a two-player version, so you and your client can compete against each other to see who can survive the longest in the tunnel.
Play is similar to that of Duo Survival: share your screen, grant remote control, and decide who will use AWSD and who will use the arrow keys. On the website, choose 2 Player. It is that simple.
Kids who like competitive games love this intervention – and to be honest, I sometimes play by myself on my break.