This Is Not a Pen! is an improvisation game where a pen is presented to the group and one at a time, the players have to pretend it's something completely different. The pen might become a shoe, a toothbrush, a banana or even a microphone! The idea is to use body language, gestures and facial expressions to show the object’s new (imagined) identity.

Ideally, when each child has their turn they will say ‘This is not a pen, this is a…’ and then motion its new use. When working with a child with selective mutism, I suggest the drama practitioner says the sentence ‘This is not a pen, this is a…’ for each child’s turn. This removes any pressure on the children to speak - the children can choose to remain silent and the focus will be entirely on their physical actions and facial expressions.

If you’d like to remove all speech from the game, the drama practitioner might hold out the pen and overtly shake their head to (non-verbally) imply that: ‘This is not a pen’. Each child could then copy this before sharing the pen’s new meaning. When the children correctly or indeed, incorrectly guess the pen’s new identity, the person’s whose turn it was can either shake or nod their head or put their thumbs up or down to show whether ‘the guess’ is correct or not. By making these simple changes, the game becomes more inclusive to a child with selective mutism- offering opportunities for everyone to participate fully regardless of their comfort level with speaking. It fosters a creative, supportive, and expressive environment where non-verbal communication is just as valued as verbal interaction.

 During my time delivering Speech Bubbles to schools in the Rochdale Borough, I have worked with a number of children who have Selective Mutism and my experience has led me to adopt several strategies to ensure that those children feel completely safe and supported.

What is Selective Mutism?

Selective mutism is a complex anxiety disorder where a child is unable to speak in certain social situations (e.g. school), despite being able to communicate normally elsewhere- typically within the comfort of their home or with family members. Some children with Selective Mutism might speak to one trusted adult at school or to certain peers.

Working with a selectively mute child.

 The key to working with children with Selective Mutism is to create a space where they feel safe and supported. As practitioners, we must offer these children multiple ways to participate, whether verbally or non-verbally, and assure them that there is no pressure to speak. It’s important to foster an environment of trust, patience, and creativity that supports their emotional needs while gently encouraging their communication.

Before starting the project but once the referrals have been chosen, it’s important for the Speech Bubbles teaching assistant or SENCO to discuss with you whether a child in the group has Selective Mutism. Get to know their name before you meet so you can immediately identify this child and remove any pressure for them to speak to you the start. When explaining to the children some of the regular Speech Bubbles activities, reiterate that they can choose to participate and that if they want to decline their ‘turn’ they can either say ‘whoosh’ or simply point to the left or right to (‘none-verbally’) gesticulate that they do not want a turn and we can move on to the next person in the Story Square with no fuss. While working with children who are Selectively Mute during the ‘Name and Bucket’ exercise, I often ask the child if they would mind if I say their name for them but ask if they could make a throwing or blowing (etc.) motion as I do the speaking.

I love to play ‘Master, Master who am I?’ in the sessions and the children love this game too! Explain to them that when they are chosen, they need to say ‘Master, Master, who am I?’ but in an altered voice. A chosen child will sit in the middle of the Story Square and point to who they think said ‘Master, Master, who am I?’

Explain that if anyone prefers not to speak during the game, instead, they can clap when it’s their turn. There’s no need to single out the Selectively Mute child here and this very slight adaptation to the ‘rules’ of the game will mean that they can join in in a way that’s safe for them. As with all the games we play in Speech Bubbles, we must always try and think of ways to remove the need for verbal communication and be ready to support the child with selective mutism in whatever way possible.

 Taking Their Story.

It can be a challenge when taking the story of the child who has selective mutism. I suggest you wait for as long as possible to take that child’s story so you have plenty of time to build up trust, perhaps even increasing the chance of them feeling able to talk. Here is a list of some of the strategies I have used over the years when taking a child with Selective Mutism’s story.

 Ask the child to write their story at home with their Mum or Dad (trusted family member). The TA has chatted to the parents/guardian and explained to them how to take the story. The story was then emailed to me ahead of the session so I’ve chance to prepare.

 Once we suggested a child with Selective Mutism bring the friend they chat freely to at school and we all took the story together!

 A child in Year 2 was able to write her own story!

Previously I’ve used the book ‘You Choose’ or printed out picture prompts and the child has pointed to pictures and we written a story together that way.

It is a wonderful feeling when a child with selective mutism begins to speak in a Speech Bubbles. When you strive to create a calm, safe and gentle environment these break throughs do happen. As lovely as these moments can be, it’s always important to not react- stay neutral and calm and perhaps more verbal communication will follow. Speech Bubbles is a fantastic opportunity for Selectively Mute children to build their confidence and connect with others in meaningful ways.