Simulations and games have been used in education for decades, but most of this development has been in the areas of business and economics. Well-designed simulations and games have been shown to improve decision-making and critical thinking skills as well as teaching discipline-specific concepts. Active learning also helps students develop interpersonal and communications skills. It is believed that simulations can be adapted and developed in other areas of education. In this paper, a description of a simulation that has been developed and used in a human development course in the teacher education program is reviewed. Students were divided into groups and the groups were given specific roles related to a scenario dealing with a dysfunctional family. The roles included the parents, advocates for the children, the children?s teachers, psychologists, and judges. The groups were given information at the beginning and during the simulation. The advocate groups made their presentations to the judges and the judges decided the case. The simulation was constructed so that there was no "right" or "wrong" answer. The most important part of the scenario was the debriefing that occurred after the judges reached a decision. At this time, the participants discussed the reasons related to the responses and the problem solving process used within the simulation. By dissecting the motives and actions of the individual participants, it was possible to identify the underlying themes. In the simulation described here, the students were able to identify cooperation and cooperative learning, problem solving, communication, self-efficacy, motivation, and application as important themes. The simulation provided students with a hands-on exercise that illustrated and reinforced those concepts and skills that will be important in their careers.