13 Oct 2006
A Great Game to Wake People Up in the Middle of Your Event.
Here’s a nice game for you to use in your workshops or talks just at that moment when you see that the eyelips are starting to droop and you want to wake people up a bit. Divide people into groups of 6-12 and tell them to get on their hands and knees in a tight circle with their shoulders touching. Then tell them to move their hands, so that rather than having their hands in front of them, they have the person on their right’s right hand and the person on their left’s left hand in front of them (see left).
Check they have done this. Then tap someone on the shoulder and tell them to slap the floor, sending a tap clockwise around the circle, so after they slap the floor, the person on their right does and so on. The slap goes round the circle until someone slaps twice, which changes the direction. Anyone who slaps when they shouldn’t has to remove the offending hand from the circle. Keep playing until either someone is the only remaining player (and thereby the winner) or until peoples’ knees hurt too much and they want to stop.
The key to the game is how confusing it is knowing which is your hand and which isn’t. It is very good at reviving people, they have to think, they get to laugh, and they get to change position. It is one of the games I have up my sleeve for when the energy starts to drop.
gylangirl
27 Oct 2:07am
Great game! Here’s a similar one [though not as brainy]:
The Rainstorm
everyone sits in chairs in a circle
one person [coordinator] stands by light switch at the door
ask for a moment of silence with hands in laps.
the first person in the circle places palms together and starts a dry rapidly rubbing sound [wind]
next person imitates them and so on down the line
when everyone is doing the hand rubbing sound, the first person changes to a slow steady fingersnap alternating left and and right hand [drip drops]
the person next to them imitates and so on again down the line until everyone is finger-snapping alternating hands.
then the first person switches from finger snapping to a slightly more rapid patting of alternating palms on their thighs [rainshower]
the next person imitates the switch and so on again until everyone is doing it
then the first person alternatingly stomps their feet on the floor in an even more rapid pattern [thunderous downpour]
when everyone has switched to this, the coordinator flashes the lights off on off on off pause on off on off on. [lightning]
the first person switches back from stomping to thigh slapping and waits for everyont to follow suit, then first person switches to slower finger snapping, everyone follows one by one, then the first person switches to handrubbing, and everyone down the line imitates until the first peson rests their hands in their lap, and everyone follows. Then there is silence again.
The storm has passed!