Québec, March 25, 2009 – Education specialists Audrey Leblanc and Mélanie Martel felt a need to act when faced with the statistics published by the Direction de santé publique de Montréal: nearly one child in three in Montreal was entering elementary school with socio-affective problems. What if play could equip children with tools to assert themselves and get to know each other better? With this idea in mind, the two psychoeducators from Montreal decided to develop a game based on feelings. This new tool is like a breath of fresh air in the educational game market.

“Bullying is an issue that bothers many parents and it can be hard to get children to confide. It has been proven that children who are self-assured and listen to others have greater social skills and are often liked by other children. So it is important to work on the foundation of exchange, which is learning to express feelings,” indicated Audrey Leblanc.

“We wanted to find a way for children to assert themselves and help develop their self-confidence by understanding the emotions they feel. The best way to learn is through play, so the idea of a memory game came quite naturally to us,” added Mélanie Martel.

Made in Canada

To reach out to as many people as possible and in order that their game be made in Canada, Mélanie Martel and Audrey Leblanc joined forces with Éditions Gladius International, an SME in Quebec, to make and market their game. The Emotions Memory Game available at game and toy stores sells for $20.

Additional Information

For interview requests with psychoeducators Mélanie Martel and Audrey Leblanc, additional information or for a sample game, please contact the undersigned.

Jinny Sanschagrin
418-681-2555 Ext. (Toll free 1-800-804-5998 Ext. 223)