Introductory/Getting to Know You Games/Warm-up games
*Games learned from Gai Jones at EDTA convention 2006:
- *BIRTHDAY CIRCLE: Have students line up SILENTLY according to birthday.
- *Movie tableau with sound: Use the birthday groups and give each group a movie. Every member needs to have a part of the movie tableau. Then perform for class.
Ø Star Wars
Ø E.T.
Ø Lord of the Rings
Ø Gone With the Wind
Ø Grease
Ø Chronicle of Narnia
Ø Harry Potter
- *Send a Symbol—Circle up. Tell student they need to memorize 4 symbols, including their own before the game begins. Each student says name with symbol like arms across chest. Then everyone repeats. Then as a group we go through entire circle with names and symbols. Then go through entire circle with just symbols. Then play game. Person one gives another’s symbol only. That person takes their cue by repeating their symbol then giving another symbol.
- *Have you ever been to New York?—Big circle with two people in the middle. The two people in the middle trade every other word. Ex:
A. Have
B. You
A. Ever
B. Been/ Gone/ Eaten
A. To
B. New York? (change the blank)
The people in the outer circle who haven’t been in these places or done these things need to change places. If the person in he middle hasn’t been to these places or done these things, then they need to leave the center and find another spot. Who’s ever spot the center person takes, then goes to the middle.
- *Get Down: Circle up, pick one person (For example, Rene) to be in the center:
Whole class: Hey, Rene.
Rene. Hey what?
WC. Hey, Rene.
Rene. Hey what!
WC. Show us how to get down.
Rene. No way
WC. (begging) Show us how to get down.
Rene. O.K.
W.C.
D.O.W.N. that’s the way to get down, (while Rene gets down) Then the whole class TOGETHER says same chant as they repeat the same movement Rene did.
THE KIDS VERSION OF THIS IS JIGALLO, very similar. Just change words to show us how you jigallo. Then the dance goes, with my hands up high, and my feet down low, this is how I jigallo. Then in-between the call and response, the whole class sings, Jig allo, jig,jig allo. Repeat.
- *Tell Me Something Terrific—Put two people together
Interview partner by giving the same prompt. “Name, tell me something terrific.” Then partner shares a compliment about themselves, such as I’m a terrific drama student. Then partner responds, “Name, that’s terrific.” Then you switch. If you can’t think of anything, you have the opportunity to respond three times with, “ Everything,” throwing arms into the air.
- *Uncommon Commonalities—Put two people together. Two partners find something that isn’t common that the two of them have in common. Then both of them make up a cheer with action to share with class which alternates names like this.
A. I’m
B. Rene
A. and
B. I’m
A. and
B. we
A. are
B. drama
A. mommies.
This is then performed in front of the class.
- Do You Love Your neighbor? Everybody gets into chairs in a circle. Center person wants to sit down.
Ø Everyone always gets an opportunity to check the names of the people on the right and on the left.
Ø The person in the center asks, “Are you ready?” The class can respond in one of two ways:
a. Shouting YES by throwing both arms over one’s head.
b. Saying NO by throwing both arms in front of ones body. If they respond NO then they get another minute to ask names.
Ø Then the center person asks again, Are you ready? This time everyone should be ready.
Ø The center person goes up to someone in the circle and calls them by name. They say, “Name, do you love your neighbor?” The person they’ve addressed, can respond in one of two ways:
a. They can say, yes, I love my neighbors, name, and name, but I do not love people who are sophomores, for example. Then all of the sophomores would get up and change places before the center person takes their place.
b. They can also say, no, I do not love my neighbors, name, and name. If they respond this way, then the people on the right and on the left have to change places before the center person gets to one of their places.
Ø If the person the center person addresses forgets names, they are automatically in the center.
- Adjective name game: Students have the assignment to come up with an adjective that starts with the same sound or letter as one’s first name. For example, Betty could be beautiful Betty, or Cheryl could be Shocking Cheryl.
o Students circle up and the first person begins with the prompt, “Hello my name is Beautiful Betty, and this is my friend. . .Shocking Cheryl”
o On “this is my friend,” the person on their left introduces themself.
o The person on the left then says, “Hello, my name is Shocking Cheryl, THEN THEY GO BACK TO THE START. THEY ALWAYS SAY THEIR NAME FOR REPITION, and then introduce the person on the left, for example, “and these are my friends, Beautiful Betty, I’m Shocking Cheryl, and this is my friend.”
o Then the person on the left introduces themself
o The game is played until the entire circle has introduced.
o All students participate.
o To keep them paying attention, let students know that at the end of the game they may be randomly called on to name all students.
o Students love special challenges at the end. (Sometimes I offer extra credit for these.)
o Special challenges include: Have all students find a new seat, and then name them in a new order. Name them backwards. Have students stand in the center of the circle, and touch them on the shoulder as name is called.
- Choreograph name: All students must come up with choreography to meet all of the syllables in their first name. The choreography should also fit one’s personality.
o Have students circle up.
o One student begins and says, hello I’m. . .then they say their name with choreography.
o The class chants back with “You are. . .” and repeats the choreography.
o The next person goes, introduces themself, the class repeats. Then it always goes back to the beginning.
o Fun variations: take out names, and just do choreography.
o Students aren’t called on to do this exercise themself unless they would like to. This could be an extra credit challenge at the end.
- Names with actions: This game is EXACTLY the same as the choreograph name game, except that instead of choreographing one’s names, one must think of an action that they like doing.
1. The prompt goes like this, “Hello, I’m René, and I like to read.” On I like to read, then the student would DO THE ACTION
12. The Name Game—from Group Improvisation by Peter Gwinn and Charna Halpern. P. 22
Ø Level One—
A. Everyone stands in a circle.
B. The first player starts by saying his own name and pointing at someone else in the circle.
C. The person pointed to then points at someone else, again saying his own name.
D. Repeat this pattern until everyone has had a chance to hear everyone else’s name several times.
Ø Level Two—
A. Keep the dynamic of passing the focus around the circle by pointing, but this time when people point, they say the name of the person at whom they are pointing.
B. If someone points to you and says a name that isn’t yours, politely tell them your name, take the focus, and then point at someone else.
Ø Level Three—
A. The circle sets a rhythm for themselves by snapping.
B. One player starts by saying his name on one snap and someone elses name on the next snap.
C. The person named on the second snap must then do the same thing, starting on the very next snap: his name and then someone elses.
13. Thumper-- Group Improvisation by Peter Gwinn, p. 109
Ø Everyone keeps a drum roll going constantly by slapping their hands on their knees.
Ø To start off a round, one person leads with this little chant: ( I made up a lot of this because the one in the book is terrible)
Doug. What’s this game called?
ALL. Thumper Thumper
Doug. What’s the purpose?
ALL. Ice break, warm-up
· Doug will begin by making a sound and motion. The sound will somehow include Doug’s name. For example, he could pretend to hold a trumpet to his mouth and say Du, du, du, du, du, du, du, du, DOUG, as he circles his hands in a repetitive motion. The crazier and louder the sound and motion, the better.
· After Doug makes his sound a motion, the person to Doug’s right also makes a sound a motion, including her own name. This continues around the circle until every player has a sound and motion.
· When focus gets back to Doug, he makes his own noise, then someone elses. Then that person makes their own noise and someone else.
· When someone messes up, you have two options. If you are focusing on Energy, just start over with another big drum roll, and the above call-and-response.
· If you are working on focus, penalize that player by having the group assign a new, and less flattering sound and motion that they must use until the game is over.
14. The Yes Game—from Group Improvisation by Peter Gwinn and Charna Halpern. P. 23
Ø All the players stand in a circle.
Ø Before you start, go around the circle and have everyone say his or her name.
Ø The point of the game is to always have a person moving to take someone else’s spot in the circle. Before someone can leave her own spot, she must receive permission from another player to take his spot.
Ø Players ask permission to take someone’s spot by asking that person’s name.
Ø Example:
A. Doug want to take Karen’s spot in the circle. So Doug says, “Karen?” She replies, “Yes.” She has to say yes because this is the Yes Game.
B. Doug now leaves his spot and heads toward Karen’s spot.
C. Now Karen nees to get out of her spot. She can’t leave until someone says “yes” to her, so she asks Ali by saying, “Ali?” Ali says yes to Karen, then asks someone else.
Ø The most common mistake people make in this game is to leave their spot in the circle before receiving a “Yes,” which leaves them stranded in the middle of the circle with nowhere to go.
15. Chain Transformation—from Group Improvisation by Peter Gwinn, p. 25
Game would be good for theatre dance, Ensemble Theatre and Drama II
Ø The group stands in a circle, except person one.
Ø Person one starts a repetitive motion and sound.
Ø The sound and motion can be something specific, like hammering a nail and saying, “bang, bang, bang,” or something random like hoping from foot to foot and waving your hands over your head shouting “Widdle woop woop.”
Ø All that is important is that the sound and motion be repetitive so that they can be easily copied.
Ø Once person 1 decides on their repetitive motion, they go up to someone in the circle and face him or her, repeating the same action and sound.
Ø This person must mirror Person 1, copying the sound and motion exactly.
Ø Once Person 1 is happy that the Person 2 is repeating them exactly right, then both of them trade spaces.
Ø Person 2 now needs to subtly change Person 1’s action; he or she should start with the one he or she is given and change it slowly, seeing where it will lead.
Ø Now person 2 passes it on to person 3, doing the same thing.
Ø When the last person is in the middle of the circle, have everyone repeat
16. Set-- Group Improvisation by Peter Gwinn, p. 29
Ø Cards are made in card basket, but only for 16 people. Follow the rules on p. 31 for different #’s of people
Ø Hand out a card to each player, telling them not to look at his card until you say go.
Ø Explain the rules:
A. This game is a race.
B. On go, the players must try to form a set of four by finding all the people that match one of the four variables on their card.
C. For example, if I have the red number 1 card with a circle and a smiling face in the right corner, I could try to find all of the red’s, all of the # 1’s, all of the circles, or all of the smiling faces in the right corner.
D. This can be used as a getting to know you game
a. Add rules such as in order to win, after they report to me a group of four must say everyone’s names in the group, or year in school, etc.
b. If they get it wrong, they have to be sent out into the crazy world again.
E. You can also try the game with these variations:
a. You can try it silently
b. You can try it with three of a kind: they must be silent until they have 3 of a kind, and then they shout out what they need.
17. Three Things: Learned this from workshop led by Up With People
Ø Have students write down 3 things on a piece of paper.
A. Something that you know everyone in the room has in common with you.
B. Something that some people in the room might have in common with you.
C. Something that no one in the room has in common with you.