D&D for Elementary Schools:
Grades 1–8
Mind Forge's Dungeons & Dragons program is designed as a structured, low-stakes roleplaying environment that directly supports the development of Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) skills and Language Arts competencies required in the elementary curriculum. We transform the classroom into a safe space for collaborative problem-solving.
How Our Program Works
Our elementary program, often called "Questing for Skills," or "Side Quests" focuses on structured gameplay with defined therapeutic outcomes, led by our trained facilitators.
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Small, Consistent Groups: Students are grouped into parties of 3–6. This small, fixed size provides a predictable social environment that reduces anxiety, especially for neurodivergent students or those with social difficulties.
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Facilitated Gameplay: Unlike home games, our sessions are led by facilitators trained to recognize and reinforce positive social behaviors. The facilitator steers the narrative to create low-stakes moral dilemmas (e.g., choosing between personal gain and team safety) that directly address SEL goals.
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Simplified Mechanics: We use simplified rule sets tailored for the age group (especially Grades 1–4) to keep the focus on storytelling and collaboration rather than complex math or rules memorization.
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Premade Characters: To save on time we have created a roster of premade characters that students can choose from that fit their personality. (Students can create their own characters. If this is something you desire for your program please let us know first)
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One Epic Quest: Instead of a prolonged story your students will be thrown into one epic quest. This ensures that we can provide a fun and engaging program all in one period.
Partnership Models for Your School
We offer flexible models to integrate D&D into your school's schedule:
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After-School Clubs (Most Popular): We run weekly 90-minute sessions on-site, serving as subsidized social skills and wellness clubs.
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In-Class SEL Modules: Our facilitators lead short-term (e.g., 4-week or 1 day) D&D adventures directly aligned with the Health and Physical Education (H&PE) curriculum's well-being and life skills expectations.
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Professional Development (PD): We offer workshops for teachers on integrating roleplaying techniques to foster classroom narrative, teamwork, and behavioral regulation strategies.