Fun Games and Energizers

The following quick movement activities & ideas are from Christine Bodwitch's aTi 2008 summer Creative Movement workshop. Activities were designed & kid tested to stimulate and energize a student's creative learning, develop emotional-intelligence through non-verbal communication with others and focus on the process rather than the outcome to develop expressive behavior.

1. Sculptor and Clay
   One person “sculpts” another person who is the “clay.” Try shapes to describe nouns, emotions, positive and negative space as in visual art, shapes of objects like leaves and rocks, symmetry and asymmetry, comparators like big and little or round and square, letters and numbers. Have a group make a shape that represents an image or scene from history or every day life.
2. Make a movement...
   In a circle, each person makes a movement and others repeat it, then the next person makes a new movement; repeating all the previous movements, etc.
3. Balloon Bounce...
   In a circle, everyone holding hands, keep a balloon up without it touching the ground. Add another. Try in pairs, holding hands and moving to an obstacle, keeping the balloon up at all times.
4. 1, 2, 3...
   In duet form, each person alternates saying 1, 2, 3, then add a movement or sound to replace a number. For example, Replace 1 with a clap, 2 with a jump 3 with a bark.
5. Zip, Zap, Boing, Diddly...
   In a circle, one at a time, a person says zip while pointing or reaching to the person next to them or zap while pointing to someone across from them in the circle or boing which will bounce it back to the person. Diddly is with fingers directing over the person next to them to the other person near them. Try to go fast or bring the circle closer or make it bigger. Say Change and everyone changes places, I throw it gesture to the middle of the circle and someone calls out I catch it.
6. Name Tag...
   Whoever is it tries to tag someone and you must call someone else’s name before you are tagged. Whoever’s name is called is it. 3 tags your out.
7. Name Rhythm...
   In a circle, everyone stomps each foot and then snaps each hand. Then they add their name to the snaps. For example, stomp, stomp, john, john. Then they say their name in the first snap and in the second snap they say someone else’s name. In turn, the person whose name was called passes it to someone else by saying another name on the second snap. For example, stomp, stomp, John, Chris and then stomp, stomp, Chris, Sue. Variations: try different movements.
8. Keep The Uppy...
   In a circle of five to ten people, the lead person tosses a ball or object to another person, preferably across from them and says “one.” The person who catches the ball will then toss it to a new person in the circle while saying “two.” Repeat this process until every person has caught and tossed the ball and it reaches the final number. Practice the same tossing sequence. Then the first person adds another ball right after they toss the first ball so there are two balls being tossed in the circle. Continue to add balls.
9. Friend and Enemy (or battery + - charges or prey and predator)
   Without saying out loud, pick 1 friend and 1 enemy in the room. Keep your friend between you and your enemy at all times.