Érase una vez: An Exploratory Study of a Therapeutic Game for Enhancing Verbal Fluency in Children

Serious games represent a promising pedagogical approach by combining therapeutic and educational goals through play. This study examined the potential of a culturally adapted version of Érase una vez, a narrative-based card game originally developed in Brazil, to foster and assess narrative competence in school-aged children. Twenty typically developing children (ages 8–9 and 11–12) participated in both individual written and group oral storytelling tasks. Usability perceptions were assessed through questionnaires and the System Usability Scale, while linguistic performance was analyzed using quantitative and qualitative approaches. Statistical methods and computational linguistic tools were applied to measure lexical, syntactic, and pragmatic features. Results indicated high engagement and satisfaction, with over 95% of participants reporting positive experiences. Narrative productions revealed significant age-related differences: older children generated longer and syntactically more complex stories, while younger groups produced simpler structures with lower lexical variety. Group narratives reflected classroom-level effects, with sixth graders achieving greater cohesion and creativity. Findings support the integration of Érase una vez as both a pedagogical and therapeutic tool. Its playful and flexible format promotes motivation, reduces performance anxiety, and elicits rich, naturalistic language samples. Despite limitations of sample size and design, results encourage further exploration of serious games in educational and clinical contexts.