Theraplay Group Activities

Transcription

1 Theraplay Group Activities B BA C CO EC N R T games that can help with brain development games that help with body awareness games that help to diminish a child s controlling behaviours games that encourage co-operation games that encourage positive eye contact games that are nurturing games that help with regulation games that encourage positive touch All games encourage fun and positive connection N.B. Letters in brackets denote the corresponding Theraplay dimensions The overview table provides a useful at a glance guide to all the games that are listed, including their focus and corresponding Theraplay dimension. Balloon Tennis (C) CO EC Form a circle. The idea is keep a balloon in the air using specific body parts; heads, hands, no hands, shoulders and so forth. If you choose feet everyone lies on the floor and keeps the balloon in the air by gently kicking it. You can add extra balloons as the game progresses to make the challenge harder. Fill a bin bag with balloons, tape up the bag, pass the bag to each other. Try passing it fast and then slow. If the young person is confident to do so let them pop the balloons at the end of the game. Car Wash (N) N T Form two lines with participants facing each other. One participant stands at one end between the two lines, looking down the line. The chosen participant chooses a car that it would like to be stating the colour and make of the car. The person drives the car in between the two lines. The people in the lines wash rinse and dry the car as it chugs along. The next person chooses a car, this continues until everybody has had a turn. Copy the Clap (S) BA C CO The leader claps her hands in a sequence. The next person copies the sequence and the clap is passed around the circle. The sequence starts off easy but can become more complex depending on the group. Drumming (S) B BA R Participants sit in a circle on the floor placing their hands on the floor. Participants copy a drum rhythm that the leader demonstrates. A song can be added and everyone drums along either drumming on their knees or the floor. Feather Pass (E) EC R Sit or stand in a circle and one person blows a feather from hand to hand around the circle. This can progress to blowing a cotton wool ball. Follow the Leader (S) BA C R All participants to form a line holding on to the waist of the person in front of them. The first person moves in a particular way and all others copy. The leader goes to the back of the line

2 and the new leader demonstrates a new way to move round the room. This can be done in a circle sitting and moving only arms, head and shoulder. Free Throw or Snowball Fight (C) CO EC Divide into two teams, using cotton balls or newspaper balls; each team throws the balls at the other trying to get rid of all balls on their side. Funny ways to cross the room (S) BA C One participant crosses the room in a funny way all other participants copy. Participants take it in turns to lead the activity. Hand Clapping Games (E) C R The group leader starts to clap, the participants clap copying the rhythm. The pattern should start off easy with a variety of rhythms. The patterns can become more elaborate depending on the group. High Low (C) C CO This is an opposite s game. The leader says High and holds their hands up high in the air, the circle replies Low and put their hands down low. The leader says Yes, the circle says No. The leader says clap and claps their hands the circle say stomp and stomps their feet. Other opposites can be added to the game. Hokey Cokey (E) BA R T Everyone stand in a circle and sings You put your right foot in/ you put your right foot out etc. When you do the Hokey Cokey, you dance in what ever way you like. Hot Potato (E) EC R A bean bag is passed around the circle. The leader starts by saying cold potato and passing around the potato very slowly. Next the leader says warm potato and passes it around a little faster. The game progresses by saying hot potato then scorching potato the bean bag going faster and faster around the circle. Finish the game by reversing the sequence and finishing off back at cold potato. Invisible Throw (E) CO EC The leader holds an invisible object in her hand and passes the object to the next person in the circle saying I am passing you a.. an example being a mouse. The next person takes the object and passes a different object to the next person in the circle again saying I am passing you a The game can progress by throwing the invisible object across the circle to another group member. Islands (C) BA N T Place large pieces of newspaper or used flipchart paper on the floor, these are islands (you will need one piece for every 2 people) Participants walk around the islands making swimming actions with their arms. The leader shouts islands and they have to jump onto an island with another person. The paper is folded in half and the game begins again. The game continues in the same way until the paper is very small and the participants have to find creative ways to keep their feet on the island and out of the water. La La Magnets (E) CO T Standing in a circle the group leader says la la magnets whilst tapping her legs. The leader then states a body part such as elbows and everyone touches elbows as if they are stuck together. The game continues using other body parts such as hands, feet etc.

3 Lotion or Powder Pass (N) N Pass a dab of lotion or a fresh powder touch from person to person in a circle. The touch can be on the hand, nose etc. You can also make smiley faces. Mirroring (S, E) BA EC Sitting or standing in a circle (all participants need a clear view of the leaders face) the leader makes a funny face, all the participants mirror this face. The leader moves a body part for example arms and all participants copy. Get the participants to take turns at being the leader. Motor Boat (S) C R T Holding hands, everyone walks around in a circle chanting Motor boat, motor boat go so slow/ Motor boat motor boat step on the gas/ Motorboat,motor boat go so fast Gradually increase the speed to go very fast. Suddenly stop and start over with a slow tempo. This activity is good for regulation. Name game (E) CO EC Make sure all participants are wearing a name badge. The leader gets eye contact with one of the participants, says their name loud and clear and throws the beanbag to that person. The person does the same passing the beanbag to a new person. More beanbags can be added as the game progresses (three people may be throwing bags at the same time). Parachute games BA C CO EC N R Parachute games are brilliant for cooperation. Games can be passing a ball around the parachute and bouncing beanies to each other. The grand old duke of York can be sung whilst everyone holds the parachute and marches around. Popcorn is a game where everyone is given a few cotton wool balls. Everyone holds on to the parachute and when the leader says popcorn the balls are thrown on to the parachute and popped up and down like popping corn. Many more parachute games can be found on the internet. Pass a Face (E) EC CO The Leader makes a face eg. Happy, surprised. The face is sent around the circle each person passing it on to the next person. It is good to send around a variety of emotions. It is good to say the emotion as the face is passed around. Pass the Letter (N) N T Stand in a circle, one person draws a letter on the next person s back and this is passed onto the next person around the circle (see if the letter has changed by the end). Pass the Peanut (N,C) CO EC Smarties, popcorn etc. Place the handle of a plastic spoon in each participant s mouth. The player who starts the game places a peanut onto the spoon and passes it on to the next person using only his mouth. Try different sized items.to build confidence you can start the game holding the spoon in your hand. Peanut Butter and Jelly/ or Fish and Chips, Rhubarb and Custard,Jelly and Icecream: (S) C R Stand in a circle. Say peanut butter and have the participants say jelly in the same way. Repeat five to ten times varying loudness and intonation. Pillow Pass (Pillow Race) (C) CO R You need an even number of participants to play this activity. Ask participants to make a circle and go round numbering each person one, two, one two. Give one person from the ones a pillow and one person from the twos a pillow. All ones pass the pillow round the circle to their fellow ones; the twos pass their pillow to their fellow twos. The idea is that the ones

4 set off first and begin to pass their pillow around the circle as quickly as possible. The twos then set off and try to catch up with the ones pillow. Progressive Pass Around (E) EC N T Sitting in a circle, one person passes a gentle touch to the next person (such as a pat on the back or a beep on the nose) The touch goes around the circle until it returns to the beginning, the next person passes round a new touch. Another variation is that each person can add another greeting/ touch. Red Light, Green Light: (S) C Ask the participants to do something, for example, run, jump, move arms. Green light means go, red light means stop (have red and green bats for the signal or hold up a piece of red or green paper). Switch Places (E) C CO EC Stand in a circle, each person makes eye contact with another person and switches places with them. Tangle (C) CO N T Standing participants all cross their arms in front of themselves and take the hands of two others in the circle, deliberately creating a tangle of hands. Participants then untangle without breaking the handholds. It is ok to slide hands round in the grip or to face different ways when untangled. It adds to the fun to put lotion on everyone s hands first. The Machine (S) B BA R 1, Ask each person in the group to think of an action and a sound to go with that action. After counting to three everyone starts to make their sound and demonstrate their action. 2, Think of a sound and action and the first person starts to demonstrate their sound and action, follow with the second person and third person etc. Everyone keeps their action and sounds going until they get back to the first person who stops their action this is followed by the second and third person stopping their action and sound etc. The sequence continues until the machine has closed down. The Weather Report (N) N T Participants form a circle facing the back of the person in front of them. The leader tells the participants that they will be doing a weather report. The leader says the sun is shining the wind is blowing etc whilst carrying out the action on the back of the person stood in front. Participants copy touching the back of the person in front of them and make the action of the sun or the wind using gentle touch. The leader continues with the weather report adding rain, snow etc. Thumb Bump (E) C N T The leader starts by holding up their thumb and making thumb contact with the next person in the circle. The bump is passed around the circle. What Are you Doing? (E) B CO Form a circle. The first person acts out an activity e.g. swimming and the person to the left asks them What are you doing.? (e.g. Fred). They say they are doing a different activity to the one they are acting out. The second person acts out what the first person said and tells the next person they are doing a different activity, to be continued around the circle. Zoom-Erk (S) C R T Sitting or standing in a circle, the word zoom is passed around the circle quickly. When one person stops the action by saying erk the zoom reverses and is sent back the way it came.

5 A variant of the game is to say pterodactyl with the top lip pulled down over the top teeth. The word pterodactyl is passed around the circle. When one person stops the action by saying ark and putting their arms up as wings the pterodactyl is reversed. Songs B BA C CO EC N R T Everybody Do This the leader performs an action and everybody copies, actions can be sung loud or soft and actions can be big and stomping or small and tiptoeing. I ve got a body Keep On Dancing The Hammer Song Heads, Shoulders, Knees and Toes How Do You Do. Is Here Today (add any name) Hopping Is Fun All the above and many more songs can be found on YouTube

6 Challenge Engagement Nurture Structure Brain development Body awareness Controlling behaviours Cooperation Eye contact Regulation Touch Balloon Tennis Car Wash Copy the Clap Drumming Feather Pass Follow the Leader Free Throw / Snowball Funny Ways to Cross Rm Hand Clapping games High Low Hokey Cokey Hot Potato Invisible Throw Islands La La Magnets Lotion or Powder Pass Mirroring Motor Boat Name game Parachute games Pass a Face Pass the Letter Pass the Peanut Peanut Butter and Jelly Pillow Pass Progressive Pass Around Red Light, Green Light Switch Places Tangle The Machine The Weather Report Thumb Bump What Are You Doing? Zoom-Erk Songs