Spinging Jenga

Just recently developed an intervention for exploring relationship conflict. (Specifically between parent and teen.)  I put a Jenga tower on a lazy susan (turntable) and had the family spin it to see how fast it could go without falling down. Then they played the game, but with the added rule that they must spin the tower before they took a block. Eventually, the tower falls during the game.  Then we processed how the spinning changed as the game progressed (it got slower).

The metaphor was that the more unstable the structure, the slower they had to spin the tower. So, when conflict arises (especially with teens), you must slow down and not engage in the drama. The more emotional one person becomes, the calmer the other must be to keep things stable.

Things to discuss are

• What was it like to try and keep the tower up? 
• What was it like for it to fall? 
• What things can cause a relationship to fall apart?  
• What do you do when a relationship breaks down?  
• Who is responsible for slowing down? 
• What can you do to rebuild? A layer of blocks is added for each idea, rebuilding the tower. 
• Does the new structure have to look like the old one? 

Sometimes, family members begin building structures of their own with the fallen blocks.  This can also be processed (did they build a solid structure or a precarious one.).