Build-a-Train

How to play: You'll need several cardboard boxes large enough for a kid to sit inside. Put out a variety of art supplies -- markers, stickers, construction paper, glue -- and tell each child to turn his or her box into a train car. Once they've decorated the outside of their box with wheels, windows, and whatever else they can think of, help them arrange the cars one behind the other, then hop aboard for an imaginary choo-choo ride.

What it teaches: Perseverance. Games that require team prep work give kids a sense of accomplishment, says clinical psychologist Sandra McLeod Humphrey, author of Hot Issues, Cool Choices: Facing Bullies, Peer Pressure, Popularity, and Put-Downs. The positive payoff introduces children to the good feeling they get when they achieve their hard-earned goals.

Parent tip: Be prepared to hang on to those boxes; the kids will want to get together and hit the track again and again.

The Cheer-Up Game
 
How to play: On large squares of paper, draw a series of faces with different unhappy expressions -- sad, angry, scared, sick (at least one for every child in the game). Put the papers in a basket and ask kids to take turns choosing a face then acting out the feeling shown. For example, a "sad" child might pretend to cry. It's the job of the other players to help her feel better. First, they should ask questions: "Why are you sad? How can I help?" After the "upset" child gives her explanation -- "My friend was mean to me" -- the other kids role-play solutions. They may give hugs, say "I'm sorry," or offer to fix a snack.

What it teaches: Empathy. This is the "core" virtue, notes Parents advisor Michele Borba, EdD, author of 12 Simple Secrets Real Moms Know. "Until children know how it feels to have their feelings hurt, they won't understand why it's important to treat others with respect and kindness," she says.

Parent tip: Have a variety of props on hand for this imagination-powered game: plastic food, stuffed animals, a doctor's kit. The more options available, the more creative kids will be about ways to help out, from putting a bandage on the injured kid's boo-boo to baking pretend cookies for a bummed-out buddy.

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