Energizers 1: For children aged 12-16
print resourcePosted by: Laura Avram Partner: Seeds of Hope
Theme: Games;teaching Age Group: 6-12 Date Added: October 15, 2011
Summary
Three energizers that could be used by facilitators with children losing their focus.
Objectives
Students gain energy and focus for continued learning
Main Content
Energizers for children aged 12-16
1. I do, too
Everybody needs to be in a circle, preferably seated. One person (who does not have a chair) should go in the middle of the circle and say something about himself or herself. At that point, the people in the circle sharing the attribute of the person in the middle should stand up and run for the closest unoccupied chair (which had just been left by another ¨running¨ person). The slowest one (the one who will not find an unoccupied chair) will be the next person in the middle who will say something.
The nature of the sentences (i.e. what participants say about themselves) should be determined by the leader. If physical activity is desired, participants should be instructed to say quite general things (i.e. I am wearing jeans, I have blonde hair etc.), so that a lot of people will stand up and run around. If knowing one another is desired more, participants should be instructed to say unusual things about themselves (i.e. I have seven siblings, I speak four languages), so that people will remember specific things.
2. Who am I ?
The leader should write different personas on sticky papers, then stick the papers to the foreheads of children, without allowing them to see what is written on their note and after instructing the others to not tell one another what their persona is. Afterwards, the children should go around and find out who their persona is based on the way they are treated by the others. (i.e. the children are going to say ¨your highness¨ and boy in front of the child whose sticky note says ¨king¨). After a set period of time, everyone should go back to their place and say what they think their sticky note says.
Once again, the game could be adapted depending on the instructors´ interests. If the leader simply wants children to laugh and relax, he could write funny personas on the sticky notes (i.e. cartoon characters). If the leader wanted to add an educational dimension to the game, he or she could turn it into a game about prejudices and common stereotypes. (i.e. analyze afterwards how somebody was treated just because their sticker note said ¨blonde¨, for example).
3. Groups and numbers
The children should all be in one place. When the leader yells one digit (i.e. 5), they should group themselves in groups of 5. Whoever is left over has to leave the game. The leader yells another number and the game continues.