Chapter One
[1] My Partner''s Hands How to Play: The children stand opposite each other in pairs; they put their palms together and close their eyes. They stand like this for a while and feel the warmth of each other''s hands. When the leader gives the sign-by ringing a little bell, for example-each child turns around once and then tries to find the other''s hands, all while still keeping their eyes closed.
[2] Multiplying Vampires
Props: Folded slips of paper with the word "vampire" written on only one
How to Play: At the beginning of this "scary" game, each child is handed a folded slip of paper. Only one of them says "vampire" on it, while the others are blank. After the children find out whether or not they are the vampire, they keep that information a secret and walk slowly and quietly around the room. When two people meet, they ask each other, "Vampire?" If both whisper "No," they continue on their way; if one whispers "Yes," the other becomes a vampire, too, and turns everyone he meets into a vampire as well. After five minutes the game ends, and the remaining nonvampires identify themselves.
[3] Back to Back
How to Play: One child stands in front of the room, turned sideways, with her eyes closed. The leader points to a second child, who then creeps forward on his tiptoes and leans against the "blind" one, back to back. The first child, using her back sensors but not her hands, tries to feel the body of the second and guess who it is. If the "blind" child cannot guess who it is, she can order the mystery person to quack, chirp, or bark. This should make the guessing easier. Now it''s the next person''s turn!
Silence is not just the absence of noise, but a quietness that allows people to open their eyes and ears for another world. SERGE POLIAKOFF, RUSSIAN ARTIST, 1906-1969
[4] Ghostly Voices
Props: A cassette, CD, or MP3 player; recorded music
Preparation: Hide the music player somewhere in the room.
How to Play: Before the children arrive, a tape, CD, or MP3 player playing very soft music is hidden somewhere in the room. At first, only a few children notice the music. Eventually, more and more people notice it. The room grows quieter and quieter, until finally everyone is listening closely to figure out where the sounds are coming from. If someone thinks they''ve found the hiding place, they may guess. There is a small prize for guessing correctly.
[5] Wilma the Wicked Witch
How to Play: Wilma (or Walter) the Wicked Witch (the adult leader) stands in front of the group and says, "I don''t want to see any ears!" Immediately, all the children cover their ears with their hands. The witch looks closely at all the children, and anyone whose ears are showing is out and has to put their heads down on their desk until the game is over. Next, the leader says, "I don''t want to see any hands," and immediately the children sit on their hands or hide them under their shirts. The next time, the witch may not want to see any faces. In that case, the children could make a nest with their arms on the desk and put their heads down, or pull their sweaters up over their faces.
The witch continues to croak out her wishes before finally saying, "I don''t want to see any children at all!" Presto-all the remaining children disappear under the tables or behind the curtains, waiting to see what happens next. The child-or children-who hide the best get to be the witch(es) or wizard(s) the next time. To wrap up the game, the witch mutters that she would like to see all the children again, along with their pencil cases, binders, or whatever is needed for the next activity.
[6] Things I Can Do with My Hands
How to Play: One child begins the game by saying, "With my hands, I can wave hello." The child demonstrates by waving. The second child repeats the phrase and the action: "With my hands, I can wave hello," and adds (for example), "and pet a kitten," demonstrating the new action. The next child repeats both actions and names a third; for example, scratching, getting dressed, washing, putting on sunblock. If someone gets stuck or can''t think of anything else, they can call on another child to help. (The order can be determined by seat assignments or called out by the leader.)
Imagination is more important than knowledge ... ALBERT EINSTEIN
[7] Snail Gymnastics
How to Play: The children stand at their places and breathe calmly from their bellies. The leader transforms them into snails who get to do gymnastics together. First, moving at a snail''s pace, they stretch their arms way up into the air, and then use them to draw a big circle, taking at least a minute to complete the activity. A snail-paced knee bend might be next. Finish by having the snail children very slowly sit down. The leader also performs the movements so that the children can follow his pace.
[8] Grow in the Dark
How to Play: First, the classroom is darkened. All the children crouch on the floor; they are teeny-tiny plants. Then the light is switched on and off, five times in a row. In each phase of darkness, the little plants grow a tiny bit. As soon as the light is switched back on, everyone stands still. The children may peek at their fellow plants to see how much they have grown. By the end of the fifth "night," all the little plants should have grown into big, strong plants. If desired, a second round of the game can be added in which the plants slowly, slowly wilt and finally end up back on the floor, curled into a little ball.
[9] The Gorilla Game
How to Play: All the children stand at their seats. With their fingertips, they softly beat on their chests. At the same time, their mouths fall open and they let out a deep gorilla sound. The noise grows louder and louder, then fades; it grows quieter, then quieter still, and finally stops. The children''s fingertips should move faster and then more slowly, depending on the sound level. Finally, everyone''s arms should fall limply to their sides.
Note: The leader should by all means play along (and guide the players as needed)-and can also ask a child to "conduct."
[10] Angry Spaghetti
How to Play: Instead of spaghetti with sauce, we''ve got spaghetti with anger. Each person thinks of something that upset him or her today. It could be a shove from the person sitting next to him, a bad grade, the fact that she wasn''t invited to a classmate''s birthday party, or the stupid green sweater that his mom made him wear.
First, the children shake their heads to loosen up the angry spaghetti. Then they slowly pull one long noodle after another out of their ears, imagining that each strand is a bit of their anger, wad them all up into an angry spaghetti ball, and throw the ball out the open window with gusto. Whew, what a relief! Children can tell the class what they threw away, if they would like, but don''t push them to.
[11] Conveyor Belt
How to Play: All the children and the leader stand at their places and breathe deeply and calmly from their bellies. Then they close their eyes and imagine standing at one end of a long conveyor belt. The other end of the conveyor belt is so far away that you can''t see it. Without speaking, each person puts everything on the conveyor belt that bothered her today, or that made him sad. They enact or mime this, still keeping silent. Perhaps Jenny imagines loading Michael onto the belt since he threw all those snowballs at her on the way to school. What a great feeling to see your problems being dragged away on the conveyor belt, getting smaller and smaller, and finally disappearing in the distance. When they are finished, the children can act out their relief and quietly sit down.
We should not try to untangle our problems, but instead untangle ourselves from our problems. KIRPAL SINGH, INDIAN SPIRITUAL TEACHER, 1894-1974
[12] Washing Day
How to Play: Everyone imagines the following scenario and accompanies it with the appropriate motions:
Everyone has been working hard washing lots of sheets. Now there''s a soaking- wet sheet lying in front of each child. The children bend down and grab their sheets with both hands. Boy, they''re heavy! Each person hoists a sheet and swings it over one shoulder. Then they smack the sheets onto the ground in front of them as hard as they can. Wow, there''s water everywhere! Again, they lift the sheet, swing it over their shoulder, and then slam it onto the ground as hard as they can. Suddenly they notice how light the sheets have gotten. They let them flutter in the breeze for a minute, then fold them up. One child walks through the room, collecting the imaginary sheets in an imaginary basket.
[13] Trust Seesaw
How to Play: This game requires a certain amount of courage and trust in one''s fellow players. But any child armed with those qualities can relax and enjoy this wonderful seesawing exercise.
Divide the children into groups of six. One child stands in the middle, and the other members of his group make a tight circle around him. Once they are all positioned correctly, the child closes his eyes and falls in any direction he chooses. He is immediately caught by the circle of players and gently pushed back upright. Using his momentum, the child now falls in a different direction, and again he is safely caught. He continues falling back and forth, keeping his feet in the same spot.
After a while, the catchers can perhaps take a small step backward. By now the seesawer has learned to trust his playmates.
Give everyone in the group a chance to be the player who falls and then is caught. Is the leader brave enough to try being caught, too?
Note: If the children are very small, extra care should be taken to make sure the falling child can be caught properly.
[14] The Gummy-Bear Talk Show
Props: A bag of gummy bears or other treats (e.g., raisins, peanuts, cookies)
How to Play: For this activity, the children make a circle with their chairs. Taking turns, one child gets to tell the others one thing about herself: how many siblings she has, if she owns any pets, what her favorite food or drink or game is, and so on, and then it''s the next child''s turn.
Since some children find it hard to talk, the following rule applies: For every statement made, the talker gets to take a gummy bear from the bag.
The leader should stop the children when five minutes are up. Whoever is talking at that moment finds a stopping point, and the other children each get a gummy bear as a reward for their patient listening!
[15] Push the Wall Down
How to Play: All the children stand in a row with their backs against a wall. As soon as the leader gives the signal to start, they collectively push against the wall as hard as they can. The leader takes part enthusiastically, too. After this display of strength, they all shake out their arms and legs, make some loose circles with their shoulders, and go back to their seats. If they would like, children can share with the group how they felt when pushing and how they felt when they stopped.
Even the wisest man can learn immeasurable amounts from children. RUDOLF STEINER, AUSTRIAN PHILOSOPHER AND FOUNDER OF THE WALDORF EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM, 1861-1925
[16] Angels by Candlelight
Props: At least one candle for each table or desk
How to Play: During the holiday season it''s easy to transform hyper children into a band of angels, simply by lighting a candle on each table. The candles should be blown out after about five minutes, though, or the effect begins to wear off and an experimental spirit sets in: What happens if I hold the point of my pen (or Laura''s sandwich) over the flame?
Tip: The children breathe in deeply through their noses, hold their breath for three seconds, and then breathe out through their mouths with a hissing sound. The candles are extinguished as the air is blown out.
Note: Before playing this game make sure open flames are permitted in your play area and be sure to take any other necessary safety precautions.
[17] Deep-Breathing Stroll
How to Play: The children and the leader stand comfortably at their places. They all breathe in deeply through their noses for four counts, hold the air in for one or two counts, and then breathe out fully through their mouths, again for a count of four. The children are told to make a hissing sound as they breathe out. At first, the leader counts along: "One, two, three, four (hold); one, two, three, four." Once a rhythm is established, everyone starts moving slowly. Calmly and in time with the rhythm of their flowing breath, they choose a partner and go for a stroll through the room. When the leader gives the sign, the children return to their places and sit down.
[18] In the Land of Smiles
How to Play: One child stands up and smiles at another child, who he chooses at random. This child "catches" the smile, stands up, and smiles at a third child. The smiling epidemic continues until finally all the children-and of course the leader, too-are standing up and smiling at each other and everyone.
The last child to catch the smile now greets another child: "Good morning, Tim!" and sits back down, smiling. Tim in turn greets a standing child and sits down, too. When all the children are finally sitting back down, you can move on to the next activity.
[19] Painting with Sunlight
Props: A small mirror (or a flashlight, if it isn''t sunny)
How to Play: The leader holds a small mirror so that the sun shines onto the mirror, reflecting its rays onto one wall of the room. Then the leader slowly moves the mirror, using the ray of light to draw a symbol or a simple object on the wall, or to write a letter of the alphabet. The children pay close attention to what they see on the wall. Whoever is the first to name the correct object or letter receives the mirror and gets to be the next person to draw a picture with sunlight on the wall. The solutions should not be shouted out loud; the children should raise their hands to be called on. Real pros can write whole words or math problems on the wall!
[20] Flashbulb Storm
How to Play: All the children are famous actors and actresses and are standing on the red carpet having their picture taken. Whether they feel like it or not, they have to smile! They endure the bright lights of the red carpet for at least a minute, all the while flashing their best "toothpaste-commercial" smiles. Finally, the leader gives the sign that they are relieved of this terribly strenuous job, and everyone sits back down. They can then tell the class who-and where-they were.
Don''t make the mirror responsible for your face. ALLISON BARTL
[21] Don''t Wake Me Up!
Props: Various objects that make noise (e.g., bicycle bell, handbell, percussion instruments, etc.)
How to Play: On a table place various noisemakers-for example, a handbell, a bicycle bell, a cup with a spoon in it, a squeaky toy, a key ring, etc. One child is chosen to be the "alarm clock" and is sent out of the room. The others decide which noise they want to be woken by-for example, the squeaky toy. The children lay their heads down on their folded arms on the table, and the leader calls the "alarm clock" back into the room. He tries making different noises to wake the others up: tapping the spoon on the edge of the cup, rattling the key ring-but the children keep sleeping soundly. Only when he makes the right sound, by squeezing the toy, do all the children wake up. Then they stretch out their arms and legs and are now ready for the next task. Once the children know how the game works, they can send the adult leader out of the room to be the alarm clock and discuss which noise they want to have wake them up.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from 101 Relaxation Games for Childrenby Allison Bartl Copyright © 2003 by Cornelsen Verlag Scriptor GmbH & Co. KG, Berlin . Excerpted by permission.
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