Why play games?

Games are an opportunity for participants
-> to learn through direct experience
-> to learn through task-centred activities
-> to learn from their peers
-> to undertake active learning rather than passively being taught
-> to develop skills in an informal manner which can be applied formally in their broader education.

Simple games and exercises develop connections in the brain which are the same connections required for more complex tasks
-> brain gym has been developed as a support for learning across the curriculum
-> balancing is used as a treatment for dyslexia
-> simple musical exercises help with language development

Games have a multitude of purposes, to develop a range of skills:
-> confidence and self esteem
-> speaking and listening
-> number agility
-> physical skills
-> imagination and creativity
-> speed of reaction
-> appropriate risk taking
-> initiative, problem solving
-> working with others
-> active learning.

Games do not have specific curriculum limited outcomes and participants learn to work in a manner in which they create their own outcomes, rather than aim towards those of others.

Games can be used appropriately to develop specific skills for a group, and can be planned into a workshop/lesson to get participants to experience success in a skill even before they realise they are working on that skill.

Games, as they become more complex, gradually merge imperceptibly with more formal exercises
-> participants shift from subconscious informal learning to subconscious formal learning and are prepared for a later shift to conscious formal learning.

How to play games

If games are used to develop skills through active learning, then we should
-> speak less, ask more
-> under-explain rather than over-explain to encourage thinking by participants
- often “mistakes” can produce better than expected results
-> make it clear which parts of a game have rules, and don’t explain any other parts, which might be open to individual interpretation
-> don’t give examples of what you want people to do
- this limits creativity because it sets minds thinking in a particular direction
-> rarely demonstrate
- this also limits creativity
-> let participants learn by doing rather than listening
-> join in games unless there is a specific health and safety or child protection reason not to
- this makes you a part of the group rather than its leader and encourages members to rely less on you and to be more self deterministic
-> whenever possible get participants to explain and lead games
- this encourages leadership skills, confidence, group work etc

This approach contributes not only to development of drama skills but self-esteem, confidence, critical awareness and self determination.

Make games progressive
-> start easy and add in more rules
-> or start with an easy game and then move to a similar game which is harder
-> make your own rules up if needs be to ensure progression

Always play a game until you reach the outcome that you have told the group they are aiming for
-> the time taken for this is not important
-> achieving a declared objective, even in a game, is a measure of success and experiencing success is a key feature of why we play games
-> making games progressive allows for lots of small stepwise successes
only allow failure if you can justify it, e.g.
- it’s a hard game, you showed improvement, we’ll finish it next week
- you succeeded in seven steps, the eighth is hard and we’ll do it next time
-> always go back the next time and correct any failures (this is learning to make yourself successful in life, through playing games)

Drama Games

Release of energy games

Tig
A traditional game where one person tries to catch the rest of the group.

Stuck in the Mud/Tunnel Tig
A variation of tig where the person who gets caught makes a tunnel with their legs and is saved by others running under their legs.

Everybody’s It
The title says it all!

Fishing Nets
One person starts the game by placing their arms around another person like a fishing net. This makes two people who then try to catch another person. Continue until there is one big fishing net and everyone has been caught.

Octopus
The whole group stays at one end of the room, except the Octopus. When the octopus shouts ‘swim little fish’ everyone runs to the other side of the room. Those who get caught become seaweed and plant their feet in the ground while moving their arms to help the octopus catch other fish.

Duck Duck Goose
Sitting in a circle. One person taps people in the circle saying duck, duck and finally goose which means that person has to chase them round the circle.

Running Rabbits
Each person is given a number 1 to 3. The 1s are the babies, the 2s are the daddies and the 3s are the mummies. The person in the middle shouts one of the names and they run round the outside of the circle and the remaining family members make an arch so they can run into the middle of the circle. The first person back is the one who calls the next family member. The last person back then joins the family with only 2 members left.

Fruit Bowl/Salad
Each person is given the name of a fruit. When their fruit is called out they run round the circle. The last person back calls out the next fruit. ‘Fruit salad’ means all the fruits move. This can also be done on chairs with one person standing in the middle.

Anyone Who…
As in the second version of Fruit Salad, one person stands in the middle and says, for example, ‘Anyone who likes football’. Anyone who likes football then has to swap seats and the person in the middle tries to get a seat.

Do You Love Your Neighbour?
As before, one person stands in the middle and looks at another member of the group and asks, ‘Do you love your neighbour?’ The person being asked can say ‘No’. Which means the two people either side have to swap seats or they can say ‘Yes I do love my neighbour but I don’t like people who have earrings’ and all those wearing earrings have to swap seats. The person in the middle has to try and get a seat while others are swapping seats.

Pizza Game/Soup
The group is divided into four different ingredients. One person stands in the middle and tells the story of how they made soup. When each ingredient is called out they run clockwise round the circle. When the person in the middle says the word ‘exploded’ they then have to try and catch as many people as possible. This can be adapted to different ingredients.

Cat and Mouse variations
Cat and mouse is like tig. The cat chases the mouse until the mouse links onto a pair or a line and whoever is at the opposite end then becomes the mouse. If the cat catches the mouse the mouse becomes the cat and the cat becomes the mouse. There are variations of this game:
- pairs
- stars
- grid
- budge

Strategy
One person is without a chair. They have to move across the room to get the chair. The rest of the group have to work together to try and prevent that person getting the free chair.

Name games

Malicious Michael
Each person describes themselves with an adjective.

Names with Actions/Creating Initials
Each person does an action while calling out their name. The rest of the group copies.

Likes and dislikes with initials
For example, my name is Joan Wilson. I love jumping but I dislike window shopping.

Speed of reaction games

Dere/Hup
Everyone stands in a circle and when looked at you say ‘Dere’, meaning ‘come here’ in welsh. That person can then walk towards you and you look at another person and wait for them to say ‘Dere’. Continue until everyone has had a turn and then move onto ‘Hup’ which is a faster version.

Rabbit Game
The queen or king rabbit starts by making rabbit ears and the person either side are the servants and have to make ears for them. The king or queen then passes the control on to someone else.

Wizards, Giants and Elves
This is a physical version of ‘Paper Scissors Stone’. Split the group into two teams. Each team decides whether they are going to be giants, wizards or elves. Then the teams meet in the middle and perform their action. The giants beat the elves, the elves beat the wizards and the wizards beat the giants. The winning team has to catch as many people from the opposing team as possible.

Touch games

Glue
The group has to make one big lump of glue and be connected. Two people are nominated to try and free people from the glue.

Killer Slug
The killer slug has to crawl over other people until they catch them. Once caught they then become a killer slug too.

Raft of Medusa/Shark Attack
There are pieces of paper on the floor which represent islands. When ‘Shark attack’ is called out everyone must find a piece of paper to stand on. Those who don’t then become a shark. Continue until there is only one piece of paper left.

Colours
Everyone sitting on chairs is given a colour. When a colour is called out they have to move round the circle one place.

People on Paper
Similar to shark attack. In sub-groups, there is one piece of newspaper that they have to fold in half and then in half again until it gets smaller and smaller while trying to keep all the group members on the piece of paper. The only rules are that everyone must be touching the newspaper and nobody must be touching the floor, the walls or the furniture.

Circle of Knots
The group takes two different people’s hands to make a knot. The group have to work together in untangling the knot.

Partner Duels
In pairs perform a duel. Each person must have one hand behind their back and the aim is to tap the partner on the back. This can be done with knees and feet.

Trust Circles
In small groups, one person stands in the middle and is pushed in different directions with their eyes closed. They have to put their trust in the rest of the group.

Number games

Killer Twelve
Standing in a circle, the group counts up to twelve. The person who has to say the number twelve is out of the game. Each person can say no more than 3 numbers.

1 to 20
The group aims to count to 20 as a team in a random order. If two people say the same number the group has to start from the beginning.

Fizz Buzz
The group counts and each time there is a number that has a three in it or can be multiplied by three is replaced by the word ‘Fizz’. Likewise the number five is replaced by the word ‘Buzz’.

Shoe games

Grand Old Duke of York
Sing the song while moving a shoe round the circle.

Obwisana
As above.

Memory games

When I Went to Market
Each person says an object that they bought and the next person in the circle has to remember all the objects that went before them.

Name memory game
Like the previous exercise but with names.

Stillness

It’s My Time to Die
At any moment anyone can step forward and say, ‘it’s my time to die’ and perform a dramatic death.

Plague Game
Each participant can perform a death at any moment. The remaining two people then pile up everyone in a heap.

The Amazing Hand Game
Everyone puts their hands on the floor and overlap their hands with the person next to them. They then pass a tap round the circle.

Focus games

Wink Murder
The detective leaves the room. A murderer is chosen who then has to wink at other people who consequently have to perform a dramatic death. The detective tries to guess who the murderer is.

Eyes Down
Standing in a circle. Everyone looks down and when they hear the clap of a hand they have to look up and make eye contact with another person. If they are looking at someone else, they can sit down.

Pass the Focus
The focus is passed by the use of eye contact round the circle.

Rhythm

Copy-clap
The group copies the same rhythm. Each member of the group leads the clapping.

Pass the Clap
Standing in a circle, the group passes one clap around the circle. This can be done at different speeds.

Chinese Rhythms
Standing in a line, the group faces one wall. A rhythm is tapped on the first person’s back that they pass on to the next person. The last person taps the rhythm to see if it’s the same as the original.

Matthew Mark Luke & John
In a semi-circle, the group is given a name, ‘Mathew, Mark Luke and John’ and thereafter a number. The last person is the devil. A clapping rhythm is established with the group. Mathew always starts and passes the control onto another person. If people don’t say their name or number in rhythm then they have to go to the devil’s chair and everyone from that point has to move up one place.

Hard concentration

Diddly Dah
The group repeats the following. Diddly dah diddly dah diddly diddly diddly dah. Each person can only say one word at a time. Go round the circle keeping the same rhythm.

Tick Tock
Two objects are passed round the circle named a ‘Tick’ and a ‘Tock’. They are passed in opposite directions and the aim is to have the two objects arrive at the same time.

Zip Zap Bop
A zip gets passed round the circle with a pointing action. A zap goes across the circle and a bop changes direction.

One Apple Dog
An order of sitting down is established in the group by saying a number and pointing at another person. Then introduce fruits and finally animals. Each topic is passed round the circle in a different order.