Whose Shoes?
As an alternative to the regular Name games, get each participant to tell a story, either true or totally made up, about their shoes. Name Volleyball Play a standard game of Volleyball using the names of the participants as a ball. Facilitator is the referee with point s for being too slow, getting it wrong etc.
Lines of‌.
Create straight lines of people in order using; alphabetically by surname, birthdates, height, temperature of hands, house number etc.
Stand Up Stats
Simple questions that the facilitator asks with just the participants standing in response. For example, black or white, Coronation Street or Eastenders, girls or boys etc.
Zoom Eek
A Zoom (car) is passed around the circle. Anyone can stop it and reverse it by shouting“EEK!” It must then change direction. No one can say “EEK” more than once. If you are feeling very strong, you can send two cars in opposite directions but that takes a lot of concentration.
Walk Smile Meet
Participants walk around the room in different directions, first ask them to make eye contact, then to smile, then to make a physical contact in the form of handshake. Then put a time limit to shake hands with everyone in the room.
Evolution
Participants create the shape of an egg, they have to move about the space as an egg, when they meet another person they must play ‘Rock, Paper, Scissors’. The winner of the game then ‘evolves’ into a chicken; the loser must continue to be an egg. This carries on with the winner evolving into a man/woman after chicken, then wise person. At wise person they get to watch and reflect on the game. Every time someone loses they drop down the evolutionary chain by one stage.
Anybody Who‌
Participants form a circle. Each person sits on a chair. Facilitator is in the
middle and explains the rules of the game. Facilitator thinks of things (e.g. anyone who had breakfast, anyone who likes rap music, anyone who has a watch on, anyone who watches a particular TV program). When the person in the middle calls out something you have on, have done, have seen etc, you must leave your chair and move to another one, BUT YOU MUST NOT SIT ON A CHAIR ON EITHER SIDE OF THE CHAIR YOU ARE PRESENTLY SITTING ON. The person left without a chair becomes the person in the middle, calling out the next criteria for moving. The person in the middle must speak quickly and clearly. VARIATIONS: Students crawl, moonwalk, walk backwards (start with hands on chairs), run, twist, skip, and jump to chairs. Stop, Go, Jump, And Clap Participants move about the room, on Stop they stop, on Go they go etc, the game is then reversed Go mean stop and stop means go etc.
Body Folding
Hands fold over with a noise to accompany, then elbows, then waist, then knees, then put all into a sequence
Playing Cards
Participants get into a circle on chairs. Each participant takes a card, looks at the suit and returns it. The Facilitator then turns over each card in the pack in turn. If the participant card suit is called they move to the next chair, sitting on the knee of the person occupying if necessary. A participant cannot move if someone is sat on them. The first participant back into their own chair wins.
Little man on the body
An imaginary man or woman is placed on the end of the participant finger. This little person then leads the participant around the room using levels and speed. The little person is then transferred to different parts of the body and the participant has to follow these body parts.
Speed Dating
The participants for two small circles, one faces the other inside. Circle A has 10 seconds to talk to B about a certain subject e.g. themselves. After 10 seconds the outer circle move one person to their right and starts again, this continues until participants return to their original positions
Love is in the Air – Dance
Participants find a partner and begin by standing opposite each other, they then begin to mirror as closely as they can their partner. After a few seconds the Facilitator plays some music and asks the couples to respond to the music, then they are asked to connect, firstly with each other then other members of the group. This is usually as a dance. Music used is ‘Love is in the Air’ by John Paul Young and ‘Build me up Buttercup’ is also a good one to use.
Eye Contact – Chair Game
Participants sit on chairs in a circle, a Facilitator is in the middle and the object of the game is for the participants to swap chairs by making eye contact without conceding their chairs to the Facilitator.
Prisoner – Chair Game An odd number of participants are needed – Facilitator can always join in! Put chairs in a circle. Ask participants to get into pairs, one person sitting on a chair and their partner standing behind them. One person will be left standing behind an empty chair. Discard all other chairs not being used. Those sitting down are the ‘prisoners’; those standing behind them are the 'guards'. Any guard with an empty prison, i.e. no prisoner sitting in front of them, must try to fill it by calling the name of one of the prisoners seated. That prisoner then tries to escape to the new prison by making a mad dash for the empty chair in front of the guard who has just called his or her name. The guard standing behind the prisoner trying to escape must try and stop this by tapping the prisoner lightly on the shoulder or back. If the guard manages to tap his or her prisoner before he/she escapes, then the prisoner remains, if, however, the guard misses, then the prisoner is free to go to the new prison. There will now be a new guard with an empty prison and he or she must call out the name of a prisoner sitting down - it can be the same one but, preferably, someone new - to try and fill the empty prison in front of them. Guards must stand at all times a little way behind their prisons, with their hands behind their backs. Prisoners must sit firmly on their chairs and not perch on the edge! The game should continue until it builds up a bit of speed and everyone has had a 'turn' and then swap the children over, to give new guards and prisoners a go.
Biddili Bop Everyone stand in a circle. 1 person is "it" and stands in the middle. His/her objective is to beat one of the circle people and any one of a number of challenges. The "it" person randomly points at any member of the circle and shouts the name of a challenge. These are the following: BIDDLE, BIDDLE, BOP: The challenge for which the game was named. "it" person points to a circle person and begins to say the phrase "biddle biddle bop." The challenged circle person must beat the "it" and say "bop" first. MERMAID: The "it" person points and says "mermaid." The challenged person must, with absolute trust, throw his/her arms to either side and lean forward into the circle. The two people beside the challenged must grab his/ her arms and support the weight while he/she sings like a mermaid. All this must happen before the "it" person counts to five. TRUCK DRIVER: same as mermaid, except challenged person honks the semi-truck horn and the two side people make "wheels" with arm circles ELEPHANT: Same as above, except person in middle creates trunk and makes elephant sounds while side people make big elephant ears with arms.
Diddly Dee
Participants sit in s circle; they have a rhythm pattern, Diddly Dee, Diddly Dee, Diddly, Diddly, Diddly, Dee. This pattern is used and each person in the circle says the next word in the pattern. Raise the speed to make id harder and also allow the words to be passed either way round the circle.
Cavalier
Participants find a partner and are to work with them. The Facilitator shouts instructions and the last pair to comply is out. Cavalier – One partner sits on the back of another and holds a sword aloft Fair Maiden – One partner leaps into the arms of the other Farmer and Wife – One stands with a foot on a hay bale holding a pitchfork, the other curtseys whilst chewing corn. Dragon – One forms the front, the other the back of a fiery dragon
Yee Ha! (+ variations)
Concentration and warm-up game in a circle. A sport played with an imaginary frisbee. One person starts by passing the Frisbee to their right or left, saying "Yee Ha!� The next person catches it and passes it on with a "Yee Ha!" When everybody has had a go, "Hoe Down!" is introduced. Anyone may now change the direction of travel for the "frisbee" by raising their hands and saying "Hoe Down!". It is then passed back the other way with a "Yee Ha!" Finally, "Ride em Cowboy!" is introduced. Here, anyone may pass the "frisbee" across the circle with a "Ride Em Cowboy!" Eye contact is essential throughout. People may "Hoe Down!" back and forth to one another (as long as they don't go on for too long). Make sure people don't say "Ye Haa" when they mean "Hoe Down"!
Points on the Floor
Points of contact: In pairs place a set number of points of contact (when you are standing you have two points of contact). These points of contact may not have to be feet e.g. 3 feet, a back and a bum! Facilitator calls out the required number. Then groups can be made larger to create more points
Person to Person
In pairs. The Facilitator calls out instruction and you comply. So hand to hand would be just that, foot to foot, ear to ear etc. This is then complicated by calls such as left foot to right ear, which both parties must do. When the Facilitator calls person to person, partners should change
Hug Monster
The Facilitator calls a number, the group should grab a group of that number in a hug, if a participant doesn’t get a group then they are out. In the final, 2 people turn their backs whilst the Facilitator nominates a Hug Monster, the pair turn around and by hugging all the other participants they must find the Hug Monster, the winner is the one who finds them.
Chair swapping – Chair Game
The group place chairs all over the room. Each participant sits in the chairs leaving one empty and one participant left to sit down. The aim is to stop the participant sitting down by moving from one chair to another all over the room. The participant who needs a seat is not allowed to run.
Don’t sit down – Chair Game
The participants sit on chairs in a circle, one chair is left empty, the Facilitator has to try to sit in the chair, by moving arounfd the circle from one chair to the next, the participants must stop the Facilitator sitting down. The action can also be reversed.
Make a tent – Parachute
On the count of three participants raise their arms, lifting the chute over their heads, pulling the chute behind them sitting down with their bottoms on the edge of the chute
All change – Parachute
Facilitator calls out birthday months, numbers, colours. Participants swap places under the chute before it falls to earth. Make sure that the those who remain around the edge allow the canopy to fall rather than pulling it down hard.
Baywatch – Parachute
Everyone sits on the ground with their legs stretched out under the chute and the chute held at chest height. One or two participant crawl around under the chute and are 'sharks'. They quietly grab the legs of anyone around the perimeter (with many bloodcurdling screams) pull them under the canopy. A lifeguard has to save them before they are pulled under.
Heads Up
Stand group in a circle. Facilitator gives instructions for everyone to 'Look Down'. On the command 'Look Up', everyone must look up and make direct eye contact with someone else in the circle who is participating in the game. They are not allowed to change eye direction or glance ineffectually, or look at the ceiling! If the person they make direct eye contact with is also looking at them, both participants are out and have to sit down. Continue saying 'Look Down, Look Up' until you have a winner or winners. This can be played with any number of participants and can go on for a long time. Make sure that those who are out keep quiet so that participants still playing can concentrate and hear the commands. Please watch carefully for cheating and immediately remove anyone not playing properly or fairly.
Pass, Pass, Dummy, Dummy, Pass
The participants sit in a circle with a ball and pass the ball to a rhythm. Pass, Pass, Dummy, Dummy, Pass. The trick is that that they can only pass the ball to the next person on the word pass and must hold it for dummy. Enhance the game by allowing the ball to be passed either way.
I accuse
The participants sit in a straight line of chairs number 1to whatever. Number 1 is the top chair, the one to be in and stay in, the last chair is the pits. The idea is to accuse a number by standing and saying I accuse number‌., that number then stands and accuses another number and so on. The participants have to move if they hesitate, cheat, or mess up amd when they get it wrong they have to move to the last chair and everyone moves up.
Ball Patterns
The group stand in a circle with a ball. Each participant passes the ball to another, each participant may only receive the ball once. If the ball is dropped, then the pattern begins again, the same pattern. Once a full circuit is achieved add a second ball, then a third, fourth etc. Also change places but keep the sequence the same.
Pass the bomb
The group stand in a circle with a ball. The ball is passed around the circle as though it is a bomb, very carefully and with deep concentration.
Workshop/Workship
The group is divided into 2 groups. They create two lines and sit back to back. One group is called workshop, the other workship. When the Facilitator calls workshop, they have to run away without being tagged by the other team, and vice versa
Snake in the Grass
One person lies on floor (snake), head towards other students who are lined up against the wall. When teacher calls "GO", students must run and touch snake's tail (feet) and run back to wall. At any time teacher calls "snake in the grass!", and snake gets up and chases players back to starting wall, trying to tig as many as possible. The students caught also become snakes and spread out along centre of room and game begins again. Keep player until one student left. High energy, large or medium group, LISTENING.
Hero & Villain
The group has to choose a person in their mind who is going to be their best friend, the object is to stay as close to your best friend as you can without standing still. Then each person ahs to choose a villain, they then have to stay as far away from that person as they can without standing still. Finally they have to both at the same time.
Knee Battles
In pairs, each holds one open hand against his or her own back, palm facing outwards. The index finger of the other hand is held out in front like a sword; each tries to stab their partner's "shield". Score points for each strike.
This is a pen The group sits in a circle and the leader hands an object (e.g., a pen) to the left. The leader says, "This is a pen." The person receiving the pen says, "This is a what?" The leader replies, "This is a pen." The first person then passes the pen to the next student saying, "This is a pen." The second person says, "This is a what?" The first student then asks the leader, "This is a what?" The leader replies, "This is a pen." The first person then tells the second person, "This is a pen," and the second person tells the third person, "This is a pen." The third person asks back, person by person, to the leader, "This is a what?" and the answer is returned through each person, "This is a pen." This is complicated when the leader passes a second object, perhaps a pencil, to the right. The same procedure of statement, question, and statement is followed on that side of the circle as well. The fun is created and great concentration is required when the two objects cross and the group are then passing questions and answers about both objects back to the leader.
1,2,3 In pairs. Face each other. Start counting from one to three between yourselves, over and over. Now each time you or your partner says "one", that person claps their hands. Then, whenever one of you says "three", bend your knees. A: "One" (Claps hands) B: "Two" A: "Three" (Bends knees) B: "One" (Claps hands) A: "Two" B: "Three" (Bends knees) This is a bit like trying to pat your head and rub your stomach at the same time!
Stand, Sit, Kneel Number of actors: three How it works: At a given location, a scene takes place where at all times one of the actors must be standing, one of the actors must be sitting, and the other must be kneeling on the ground. Thus if the person sitting, stands up, someone else must sit down.
The Humless Sheep The group must get onto all fours and close their eyes. The Facilitator chooses a person who will be a humming sheep. The rest of the group must wander eyes closed around the space trying to find the humming sheep. When they find the sheep they have to hum with them. When the group wander they must BAA like a sheep.
The Fried Egg Game
In small groups. The name of an object is called out and the group has to make the shape of that object out of their own body shapes, while the leader counts down from 10 to zero. Usually every group will find a different way of forming the object. Examples could be: A fried Breakfast, the Eiffel tower, A car, a clock, a sewing machine, a birthday cake, a ship, a key - anything you like. Groups can also be given a few minutes to devise two objects of their own which the rest of the class then try to guess.
Build the image, build the story
Two people shake hands. Freeze the image. What meaning might this image have? Now in pairs, start with a frozen image of a handshake. One partner removes herself. Now what is the story? The partner returns and completes the image in a new way, showing a possible meaning. The other partner now unfreezes, looks at the image and completes it afresh. Players should think with their bodies, changing quickly from image to image.
Sculpting
Players arrange themselves in pairs. Given the themes: childhood, old age, hope, fear, they must alternate between being sculptor and sculptee, to arrange the player into something that symbolises these themes
Character Bag
A bag is created with numerous objects. This is used as a stimulus for creating characters, stories and improvisations
Hot Seating
Interviewing a character or role-player who remains 'in role'. Group and Facilitator can ask questions. This may be done by freezing the improvised action and removing the characters, or by sitting them formally on the 'hot-seat' to face questioners. Encourages insights into characters and roles, highlighting motivations and personality, and reflective awareness or human behaviour.
Mantle of the expert Developed by teacher and academic Dorothy Heathcote, Mantle works by changing the relationship between teachers and pupils, putting much more responsibility for the direction learning takes into a groups hands. They all pretend to take on real jobs, like explorers or archaeologists, and use their own skills and knowledge to solve problems related to curricular targets. The approach lends itself well to cross-curricular topic work, and some schools have even adopted it for their whole curriculum.
Thought Corridor
This convention refers to any situation in which there are different choices of action, and enables the group to examine conflicting interests or dilemmas. It is useful to examine the pros and cons of a decision. Two lines of people face each other, and one person in role as a character walks slowly down the alley between them. As the character progresses down the alley, their thoughts or the sets of views for and against a particular course of action are voiced aloud by the rest of the class. The character can then be hot seated at the end of the alley, to establish their final decision and to understand why they have made this choice. It can also be used to voice perspectives on a complex situation.
Alphabet Box – Movement
Using the diagram provided participants are able to create a movement based piece using the spellings of their name, themes etc.
Voices in the head
In this convention, the private thoughts of individuals are shared. This can be organised in different ways; the Facilitator can touch individuals on the shoulder during a freeze-frame, or interrupt an improvisation and ask them to voice their thoughts, or the group can adopt the role of one character and simultaneously speak aloud their thoughts and fears in a particular situation. Alternatively the Facilitator, or a participant , in role, can give witness to the group and speak personally about recent events from a ‘special’ chair. Members of the group can step forward to stand behind the chair and express their thoughts and views about the character, or the views of the character. It is useful to slow down the action and can prompt both deeper understanding of individual characters and thoughtful, sensitive responses to what has happened.
Trust Walking
Have students form pairs. Person A keeps eyes closed, while Person B walks on one leg. The two students support each other as they move around. Halfway through the walk, students exchange roles. Students need to relate their experience, listing sounds, tactile experiences, and so on.
Trust Run
As above but use the fear of running across a big room with people to catch and spot.
Trust Circle
Form groups of six or seven, using students of roughly the same size. One student stands in the centre of the circle and stands firm. The other students provide support by putting two hands on this centre student. When the centre student is ready and has eyes closed and body rigid, that student is gently passed around the circle. After a while, the group gently brings the studentยนs body back to a central, upright position. Note as well that exercises such as this are only one aspect of achieving trust in the classroom. Full trust develops only when students feel a sense of equity. This requires teachers to validate all studentsยน personal and cultural backgrounds by recognizing and affirming their culturally based forms of self-expression.
Guided Visualisation Players lie on the floor and close their eyes. Instructor then "talks" through relaxation of all muscles, one at a time, by alternate tensing and subsequent releasing. Players are told to breath deeply and feel their bodies getting heavy. They are then told to visualise themselves floating down a river on a raft; to feel the warmth of the sun, to touch their hands in the water. They land on a shore and imagine a beautiful spot in nature and relax there. Variation: Relax different parts of the body; visualise your mind as a black board and see yourselves wiping off any thoughts that come into your minds. Begin humming, firstly from the back of the throat, then from your shoulders and your toes. When you are all very relaxed choose a bird and visualise yourselves as that bird: how you would feel, experience flying, what are you flying over etc. Discuss the different birds you have visualised. Close your eyes and attempt to be your bird taking off in flight.
Falling
Groups of three. Two people of about the same size and a smaller person in the middle (like piggy in the middle but very close together). The person in the middle must close their eyes and the two outside people gently rock them from one to the other. Then split into larger groups and form a tight circle around one person in the middle of the circle. Gently pass the person around the circle while a soft hum or a chanting of their name is being sounded.
I’m Falling
Using the falling backwards technique from previous, turns into a game. One person is the faller and calls ‘I’m Falling’ at which point they rely on members of the group to be nearby to catch them. More fallers can be added
We can all act
3 objects are placed in the centre of a circle of people. Each object is given a special power. For example when it is picked up it makes everyone cry or makes everyone pretend to be a dog. A participant is sent out of the room and the objects and their characteristics are disclosed to the group. Then the participant is invited back into the room. From the picking up of objects and the subsequent acting, the participant must establish what each object does.
Machines
Circle. Select alternate players to be a part of a machine and the noise of that part. Players, one by one, go in the centre and are a machine part, while their partner makes the noise. Continues until all parts are in the centre, then builds momentum until the machine explodes
3 some
One player offers something, e.g. I am a slice of cheese. 2nd player jumps in and adds something to the offer, e.g. I am a slice of bread. 3rd player jumps in and again adds to the setup, e.g. I am a pickle. First player leaves, taking one of the others with him. Restart from the remaining player, who restarts by saying what/who she is.
Adjective Scene
Ask for an adjective (e.g. sad). Play a scene in which the players are as sad as possible. Alternatively, give every player a different adjective
Alien Tiger Cow
Everyone in a circle. There are 3 things a player can be: An alien: hold you index fingers up next to your head, as little antenna’s and say ’Bleeb bleeb’bending inwards into the circle; A cow: bend forward, hold your right hand on your tummy and go ’Moooo’A tiger: push your right hand forward, imitating a claw and roar. On your sign, every player decides to become one of the three. The idea is for everyone to become the same, which obviously won’t be the case, the first time. We re-do this until everyone is in sync.
Automatic Storytelling
Split the group in 2. Half of the players leave the room while you explain the game to the others: we are going to make stories in pairs. We will tell the other players that we came up with a great story, and they have to guess it. The catch is that they can only ask yes/no questions, and we do not really have a story. We will answer ’no’ to every question that starts with a vowel or with a conjugation of to be’ (or some other criterion). In addition, after having answered 2 consecutive No’s we will always answer a yes. Let the other players back in and pair them up with the others. Each couple starts guessing the story, unknowingly creating a story as they go. Continue till they get it.
Big Fish, Small Fish
Fun energizer game. Everyone in a circle. We are going to pass a pattern along the circle. Everyone,at their turn does either: Say Big Fish, and hold both hands in front of you, about 3 inches or 10cm apart. "It" then passes o the next person in the circle. Say Small Fish, and hold both hands in front of you, about 15 inches or 50cm apart. When this is done, the direction changes. Players that miss (e.g. say Small Fish and keep your hands too close together or say Big Fish and move hands wide) do a forfeit, or die with a loud noise.
Body Hide
Excellent exercise to get to know each other, and to learn to trust and touch each other. 5volunteers. 4 of these must try and hide the fifth person, using nothing but their bodies. The other students stand around the group and try and see pieces of the fifth’s clothes, shoes, skin. Its great fun for the other students to watch and try and find uncovered pieces of person. Don’t tell then they go next, with one person less. Variations Try this game with less and less ’hiders’. If the task becomes impossible, tell them they can use parts of walls. Using a corner is easiest, of course, but let them figure that out themselves.
Bong, Bomg
Silly game, inspired by a Korean TV show (so we’re told). 4 players, 3 stand with their ears closed, backs turned to the scene. The 4th player gets as a suggestion a common expression. The idea is that this player has 1 minute to communicate this suggestion to the 2nd player, using only mime and nonsense talk. Number 2 then communicates (what he has understood) to number 3, who does the same to number 4. At the end yell Bong Bong and have players 2, 3 and 4 explain what they thought they understood.
Disassociation
This game can be done individually, or you can have one player do it in front of the class. Players say as many words that have nothing to do with each other, until they start associating. Restart as soon as you’ve got an association. Example: cat, deodorizer, house, green, grass. Here we restart, because grass is obviously an association on green.
8
Excellent game to warm up those muscles. Everybody scatter around, stand up relaxedly. Ask the players to make an ’8’ movement with their left big toe, then their left foot, then whole left leg. Repeat with right toe/foot/leg. Repeat with left index finger, left hand, left lower arm, left arm. Repeat with right hand/finger/arm. Try both arms. In opposite directions. Make 8-shaped movements with your pelvis. Try horizontally and vertically. Try changing direction. Ditto for left shoulder, right shoulder, both shoulders. Ditto for your head. End exercise by making eights simultaneously with as many parts of your body as possible.
King Game
One player is the king or the queen. Other players are to try and pleas his/her Royal Highness. They do this by entering the room, and offering something. The queen either tells them to continue, in case she’s interested. die, in case the queen is bored freeze, if the queen might be interested Players that are allowed to continue may approach the queen and the queen may unfreeze frozen players at her discretion. The game is over when a player is close enough to actually touch the queen. Notes The queen can kill a player for any reason: she may not like the message, or she may not like the way the message is presented. The queen can give hints why she does not like the offer: "You know I don’t drink coffee, so die!". The queen should be really difficult.
1,2,3,4
Ok, this is harder to explain than it is to play. This game is a repetition of 4 movements: 1 : touch your head with both hands 2 : touch your shoulders with both hands 3 : touch your hips with both hands 4 : slap right foot with right hand We repeat this 10 times, as follows: just say 1,2,3,4 - no movements, do this twice touch your head (on ’1’ but don’t say ’1’) and say 2,3,4. Repeat twice. touch head (on ’1’) touch shoulders (on ’2’, but don’t say ’1’ or ’2’). Follow by 3,4, spoken. Repeat twice touch head, touch shoulders, touch hips (on the rhythm on 1,2,3, but don’t say 1,2,3). Say ’4’.Repeat twice touch head, shoulders, hips, slap foot. Don’t say anything but stay in the rhythm and repeat twice Then just start all over again by saying 1,2,3,4 twice. Increase tempo as you go along.
7 Up
Everyone in a circle, start counting to 7 while waving right arm up and down to the same rhythm you’re counting. After 7 switch to the other arm, then the right leg, then the other leg. At the end of the last leg of 7 go back to the original arm and do the same thing counting to 6, and so on down to 1-1-1-1
Scream
Everybody in a circle, watch the ground. On your sign, everybody lifts their head and either looks straight, left or right. Whenever 2 people look each other in the eyes, they scream as loud as they can, as if they’re startled, and then drop dead. Repeat till only one or 2 players are alive.
3 Toes
A fun and silly game. Let everyone walk leisurely around the room. When you shout ’3 Noses’the players must form little groups, each group consisting of 3 touching noses. Use your imagination - as for 7 left big toes, 2 earlobes, 9 fingers, 4 nipples, 5 bellybuttons. Repeat till everyone is giggling.
What are you doing?
Everyone at one end of the room, form a long line. The first player of the line steps into the room and starts miming an activity. As soon as the activity is clear, player 2 approaches player 1 and asks ’What are you doing’. The first player answers something that has nothing to do with what he’s actually doing. E.g. if player 1 is cutting someone’s hair, when asked what he’s doing he might say "I’m reading the newspaper". First player moves away, and the second player starts miming the activity stated by the previous player. A third player comes up to player 2, asks what he is doing, and so on. Play until everyone has mimed something, and has answered the question. Variations You can also play this at super high speed, with 2 players. We mean super-super high speed. As soon as one of the players says ummm, hesitates, or uses an offer that was used before in that session, that player is replaced. Great for warm-up and energy!
You
Everyone in a circle. Everyone raises their right hand. The 1st person points to someone in the circle with their hand up and says "you." They do the same until everyone’s hand is down, and the last person has pointed back to the 1st person, thus completing the circle. Important: This is a pattern that never changes. Repeat the pattern until it feels comfortable. Then switch places in the circle. Repeat the pattern. Close your eyes, and repeat the pattern. When everyone is comfortable with that, everyone raises their hand again. The same 1st person begins. Name something: a favorite tv show, food, whatever. Don’t point to the same person that you did last time. Once you feel comfortable with this pattern, you begin both. Start with "you" and add the next level. (Ex: "you, you, you, string beans, you, corn, pizza, you, etc.). If you feel that this is becoming too easy, add a third pattern, switch places in the circle, close your eyes.
Rubber chicken
The group stand in a circle, it must be explained that this is an energy game and must be played at full pace. The group shake their hands was counting backwards from 8 to 1; this is then repeated with the other hand and both legs. Then the sequence happens again up from 7 to 1, then 6 to 1 etc. When you reach one then you have to yell rubber chicken at the top of your voice and shake your whole body.
Dog racing
The group get into a large circle so that everyone can see each other. The group is then told the story of the fastest racing dog in the room that is sat at the leader’s feet. The dog will only run beneath the feet of the group. The idea of the game is that the group jumps up in the air one after another as the dog runs under their feet. The dog will get faster and faster stop group leader narrates the race is that the group of watching a real dog race.
Pop video
The group are told that they are going to shoot their own pop video with the newest cameras available on the market. The cameras best attached to the different parts of the body. The group then attach the camera to a specified part of the body; and the thought, and the nose etc and they have to film a wacky pop video using the music played by the group leader. The idea is to be creative with angles and levels. The group leader must change the music and style as well as the camera positions.
Shake disease
The group stand in a circle; one person gets the shakes disease. The disease means the victim gets really bad shakes in a certain part of their body, they get worse and worse and tries to shake the disease off, but as they do they pass it on to another person in the circle, this person then gets the disease in a part of their body and does the same to pass it on.
Super fleas
Scientists have discovered a new super flea has escaped into the room. The super flea causes itching never experienced before. The flea starts small but it grows and grows and eventually is so bad that the person dies! The group are told that the flea has arrived and then the group leader counts from 1 to 10 as the itch increases. The group will show how itchy they are try any way to stop the itch before it becomes too much and they die a painful death.
Life time’s 10
The group are spread around the room. They are asked to pick a daily thing that they do, tidying their room, getting dressed etc. The group are then asked to repeat the sequence and double it in size. Faces and bodies should be twice as big, so should movements. This is then repeated again at times three then four and so on up to 10. When the group have their movements show back at times 10
Link tag
The group spread around the room and link arms with one other person. One person is chosen to be it and another to be the chaser. As the person who is it runs around the room they can transfer it by linking arms with someone, the person who is the third link to person then becomes it. If the catcher catches them, then it becomes the capture and the game carries on.
Hula-hoop
Everyone stands in a circle holding hands stop have two people break hands and put their hands through a hula-hoop and rejoin hands again. The hoop must be passed to the whole way round the circle without breaking hands. Sometimes it goes over and sometimes under, it doesn't matter. It is also fun to time the first try without telling the kids. Tell them at the end after discussing what helps and what made it difficult. Then try to beat their first time.
The Fishes
Good younger children. Very physical. It is memory and develops listening skills. Sit the group had a circle. Give each person the name of a fish in a sequence around the circle, e.g. cod, haddock, place, cod, haddock, place, and so on until all have a fish name. When the teacher calls out the name of a particular fish, or those with that name have to run clockwise around the outside of the circle back to their place. It's basically a race to get back to your seat first and the last one back loses a life-each participant has three lives. The additional twist is that, during any time was the participants are running, the teacher can call out tight turn and all those running must immediately turn and run in the opposite direction back to their places. The command tide to turn can be called at any time and any number of times! This encourages participants to concentrate and listen carefully to the command. Once all three lives have gone, that particular participant plays no further part in the game. Please watch the children forgetting their fish name, forgetting their place and pushing as they're running, it can become quite frantic! Make sure you know who was last back to their seats.
Red ball yellow ball
The group stood in a circle. An imaginary red ball is thrown to a person in the group and they say red ball and the name of the person they passed it to. The person then replies red ball thank you and then passes the ball to another person in the group. After the group had got into the red ball sequence then a yellow ball is added into the sequence.
Baby shark
The group are spread around a room. The following song is tall with actions Baby shark Mummy shark Daddy shark Shark attack Lost my leg Now I'm dead
Penguin
The group are told that they are penguins in the Arctic. They have to respond to the king penguin. Penguin March: all the penguins waddle and flip their arms Penguin pack: all the penguins gather in the middle and Hug Praise the King: all face the king penguin and say: oh Penguin, Penguin oh. Snow jump: all shudder and jump into the air with the woo Penguin slide: all penguins sit on bottoms and swing around in a circle Feed me: all penguins catch fish and squawk
Battle
The group are divided into two teams. The group choose a leader who will fight the other groups leader. The game is in slow motion with the leaders and the groups. As the leader swings their sword alone to chop the legs, the group must jump together to avoid the sword. As the leader swings the sword either left or right the group must lean to avoid the cut. As a leader swings to chop off the head, the group must duck. If someone makes a mistake, or is too slow then they are out. Ask the group to come up with new moves.