Using creative learning and play to spark real connection
Last year, while collaborating with the PIPA NGO in a socially vulnerable neighborhood in northern São Paulo, I decided to create a learning board game to enrich one of our evening activities.
It started as something simple — a board representing a familiar neighborhood, with places like a school, library, church, and pizza shop. The goal was straightforward: players had to visit each location, in any order they chose, to collect items for a birthday party.
As a game designer and creative educator, I believed that was enough. A board, some rules, and pieces are usually all it takes to build a fun, engaging experience.
But this project had a deeper mission: to offer teenagers a safe and supportive space for reflection through play.
The psychologist leading the group saw the potential of the game as a tool for social and emotional learning.
Together, we developed characters with unique personalities, added realistic challenges inspired by the teens’ daily lives, and started the first session.
💬 The result was a wonderful surprise.
The players became fully engaged, laughed, debated, and shared personal experiences that reflected real challenges in their community.
Over two sessions and ten rounds, the game evolved beyond entertainment — it became a powerful form of creative dialogue.
This experience reinforced something I’ve always believed:
when we sit down to play, we enter a different kind of world — one that runs on imagination, cooperation, and empathy.
That’s the true power of play-based learning: it helps us connect, reflect, and grow together.
Explore the Game
This project inspired a new educational board game now available at LogosCreative — discover it here!