Contents/Preface/Acknowledgments
Introduction: The Theory and Practice Of Games
The Objectives Used in This Book
Appendix
Index of Games
The Games
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
A
1. Activity Mime
Participants guess hobbies and interests mimed by each other.
2. About Me
Participant make a series of self-disclosures to other single group members in quick succession
3. Amnesia
Identifying a label that cannot be seen
4. Amorous Andy
An introductions exercise in which participants introduce themselves with a word starting with the first letter of their given names
5. Am/Seem
Exploration of how group members see themselves and are seen by others.
6. Antimastermind
A circle/center exercise in which the person at the center must not mention a certain subject
7. Appreciative Disagreements
Participants try to change each other's minds while the other person practices non-confrontational responses
8. Archeological Digs
Discovery exercise with a given object.
9. Are You Sitting Comfortably?
Story-telling exercise
B back to top
10. Babel
Building exercise as individuals, and in groups.
11. Badgering
Participants pass information on about each other with their badges
12. Battle of the Sexes
Examination of attributions about men and women.
13. Bit Parts of Speech
Personifying different parts of speech wit course members constructing sentences.
14. Blind Walk
Participants take turns being led blindfolded by a partner
15. Baby Hello
Subjects say "hello" with different parts of their bodies
16. Bunker
Decision making survival task
C back to top
17. Can I Come to the Party?
Deductions based on non-verbal cues
18. Chain Mime
Imitation exercise based on mime.
19. Chains of Command
Participants examine their chain of command by constructing and labeling paper chains.
20. Chain Whispers
Passing a message via other people
21. Chairs
In Pairs Participants try to persuade each other to get up off a chair
22. Challenge Challenge
Developing responses to challenges
23. Charoodles
A relay activity in which participants take turns to solve and draw anagrams for the other team member to guess.
24. Chorus Line
Participants take turns introducing themselves, and in seeing their introduction repeated in unison by the whole group.
25. Circular Reactions
Exercise in which participants form a circle with their eyes closed.
26. Class of Their Own
Creativity exercise with a set of objects
27. Cocktail Party
Introductions simulating cocktail party conversations
28. Confessions of a Trombone Welder
Participants invent fantasy occupations for themselves and discuss these roles.
29. Consensus
A group decision-making activity
30. Continuum
Participants form each other and themselves into a line according to some quality or attribute.
31. Convoy
One Group tries to cross the room and another has to stop them
32. Create-A-Triptych
A way of systematically solving problems by the geographical location and experiential anchoring of three aspects of problem solving activity
33. Creativity Quotient
Visual word identification game
34. Cursed Assumptions
Exploration of Prejudice and reaction to it.
35. Cutting Rose's Hair
Copying exercise
D back to top
36. Discriminet
Evaluation of similarities between different kinds of prejudice
37. Domination
Participants form a line according to how dominant they feel they are.
38. Do You Come Here Often?
Simulation of party introductions.
39. Dracula Has Risen from the Grave
Problem-solving exercise in which no group has all the necessary information.
E back to top
40. Elementary
Deducing things about people from objects they have or use.
41. Exotic Fruits
A center/circle game in which people are named after exotic fruits
F back to top
42. Family Reunion
Making a card to send to a person of unspecified gender.
43. Fangs
Tag game in which participants avoid becoming vampires
44. Fantasies
Development and sharing of fantasies
45. First Impressions
Exercise exchanging first impressions
46. Fists
In pairs, participants try and persuade each other to open their fists.
47. Flattery
Negotiating the decorations and layout of a shared apartment.
48. Fleet Street Fog
Examining how understandable a passage of text is
49. Fruit Relay
Relay game reading a passage out loud.
50. Fruit Salad
A circle/center game in which parts of the group are named after fruits.
G back to top
51. The Game Game
Activity in which participants can choose to be competitive or cooperative
52. Gender Setting
Participants have to guess the gender of a member
53. General Assembly
Assembly of shapes by a team
54. Go-Go
Competition exercise based on the Japanese board game of Go
55. Good Grief
Game simulating grief for controlled and uncontrolled loss
56. Goodies
Exploring positive qualities of group members
57. Great Expectations
An exercise to ascertain the expectations of group members
58. Gripes Auction
A simulated auction of gripes
59. Group Sculpture
A sculpture represents aspects of group function
60. Grouptalk
Validation committee of group members
H back to top
61. Hand to Mouth
Imitation exercise with non-verbal distractions
62. Helping Hands
An activity in which participants learn to massage each other's hands.
63. Here and Now
A game to limit the interference effects of reflective exercises
I back to top
64. If Eggs Could Fly
Teams compete to drop an egg a stated distance
65. If I Were You
Individual act out how they think their partner would behave in a certain situation
66. Interviews
Introductions exercise asking questions and getting them answered.
67. In the Neck
Participants massage each other's necks
68. Invisible Tug-of-War
A mimed tug-of-war
69. It's Not Fair!
A competitive game in which resources are allocated unequally to groups.
J back to top
70. Just a Minute
An exercise to test knowledge of a topic by timed conversation in a competitive situation
K back to top
71. Knots
Exercise in relaxation through untying each other.
72. Knotty Problems
A physical management task
L back to top
73. Labels
Identifying a label that cannot be seen
74. Learnabout
Introductions through self-disclosure and repetition
75. Legover
A communication exercise describing how to make n object.
76. Lemon and Lime
Introductions exercise leading into examination of prejudice using fruit
77. Lies! Lies!
Self-disclosure with some people telling lies.
78. Listening Limbs
Communication exercise using parts of the body only
79. Little Attentions
Exercise in listening and not listening
80. Lost for Words
Communication exercise using minimal vocabulary
M back to top
81. Martians
A description exercise making minimal assumptions
82. Mind Scan
A method of testing assumptions about a person
83. Mirrors
Trust exercise in reflecting the actions of a partner
84. Missing Link
Communication exercise for a complete group
85. Mommie Said...
Cocktail party simulation exploring parental messages.
86. Mornington Crescent
Rule guessing game
87. Mutual Introductions
Group introduction exercise
N back to top
88. Name Plate Shuffle
Partners ascertain why they have been regrouped.
89. Number Crunches
Group members form formations of certain numbers as requested
O back to top
90. Obits
Participants write their own obituaries
91. Odd Objects
Description of objects using a restricted vocabulary
92. One A
Naming of words beginning with a given letter
93. One Dollar Auction
Participants bid for a $1.00 bill
94. On the Other Hand
One person providing the non-verbal support to another's words.
95. On Your Face
Identification of labels through the responses they evoke.
P back to top
96. Packtivity
Relay game involving packs of playing cards.
97. Pickpockets
Creativity exercise using the contents of people's pockets.
98. Picture Hunt
Group members act as a team to duplicate a series of photographs of places in their city
99. Pillow Talk
Meetings game allowing every person to have a say.
100. Poetry in Motion
Relaxation exercise based on T'ai Chi
101. Possibilities
Investigation of unconscious messages that constrain our attitude toward possible courses of action
102. Problems Without Words
Group problem solving exercise in which words are not used.
R back to top
103. Re-Inventing the Wheel
Participants invent new Activities to fit old titles
104. Remote
Exercise in having control over others, or being controlled by taking the role of a robot.
105. Research Rap
Exercise in giving presentations before a group
106. Resent and Appreciates
Ventilation of feelings about the course
107. Right Pickle
Game estimating the number of pickled onions in a jar
108. RSVP
Exercise exploring tone by the writing of party invitations
109. Rules of the Game
Inventing games and guessing what they are
S back to top
110. Sabotage
Sabotage of discussions by a third party
111. Selves and Possibilities
Comparison of self in different circumstances with ideal self.
112. Sharks
Exercise based on surviving in shark infested waters
113. Shiatsu Shuffle
A relaxation exercise
114. Silent Meal/Silent Walk
Group exercise in which words are not used.
115. Sixty-Second Solos
Exercise making one minute presentations
116. Speaking Statues
Exercise in giving descriptions without non-verbal communication
117. Spokes-People
Representation of important people in one's life.
118. Spot the Difference
Observation testing energizer
119. Statue Stop
Exercise in which participants mold one another into shapes
120. Stamps
An exchange of self-perceptions
121. Stoned
A configuration of stones represents aspects of group function
122. Story Game
Inference game based on a written passage
123. Subculture
Comparison of perceptions of the culture of a group
T back to top
124. Telling It
In pairs, participants disclose information about themselves in a structured way.
125. Time Lapse
A circle exercise in which participants imitate each other
126. Time Lines
Mapping of perception of one's life
127. Tones of Voice
Exercise in identifying tones of voice
128. Transporters
Exercise finding metaphors for an organization
129. True Stories
Participants answer questions about their feelings and beliefs.
130. Truth Option
Participants can either admit that they belong to a certain category or not.
131. Two-Minute Talks
Presentational Skills Exercise
U back to top
132. Ugly Sisters
Exercise based on exchanging shoes.
V back to top
133. Validation Posters
Mutual Validation of participants' contributions
134. Voluntaries
An exploration of why participants volunteer for an unspecified activity.
W back to top
135. War of Words
Participants take and exchange viewpoints in an argument.
136. Waxworks
Exercise in which participants do not try to communicate with each other.
137. What are you doing?
Taking turns performing a mime.
138. What'll Be My Line?
One participant guesses for what job he/she is being interviewed.
139. What Would You Do?
Participants consider what social skills they would exercise in deferent problematical situations
140. Wheel of Experience
An experience-sharing exercise
141. Whirlpool
Each person tries to get as close as possible to one person and as far as possible from another
142. Whispers
Listening exercise
143. Who's Who?
Game in which partners identify each other by touch
144. Wibble-Wobble
Exercise in which participants take turns saying "wibble" or "wobble"
145. Will to Live
Exercise simulating writing a will
146. Work Link
Exercise in which participants link words by their first and last letters.
147. Word Search
Establishing connections between the meanings of words.
Y back to top
148. You Spy
A reversal of the game, I Spy
|
.gif){kind=spacer}
