Hobbies And Interests
Song Spot
This game tests your students' initiative and vocal cords. Have your group stand around in a circle. Provide a one-word suggestion and explain that one student needs to step forward and start singing something based on that suggestion. Say that since most people don't know all the words to a song, another student needs to jump out and "save" the current singer as soon as she thinks of a new song. Make sure that everybody takes a turn, though some can step out more than once. This requires bravery, as you must sing on your own in front of all your peers.
I Am
This game works with eight to 10 students. Have one brave student lie on the ground. The rest of the students grab underneath the other student and lift him up into the air, still in the lying down position. The student up in the air loudly chants "I am!" followed by the lifting students saying that person's name. Have the person in the air scream "I am" louder and louder and when you feel they've gotten as loud as they can, tell the group to lower the person slowly to the ground. This allows the person in the air to trust in the rest of the group while feeling strong as she boldly shout while in mid-air. Repeat this with all of the students.
Just Talk
Have your group get in a straight line facing you. Have two kids at a time step forward to do some improvised scenes talking about anything at all. The only catch is that both players that come into the scene need to start talking right away. Once they've both begun, they can continue as normal. When the players in line feel that the scene has reached its end, two players much catch each others' eyes in line and start a new scene, both pairs now talking at the same time. This teaches the students to come up with strong ideas quickly and to maintain a verbal exchange amid competing activity. Have the students restart the scene if they don't talk at the same time.
Character Switch
This is another activity that teaches kids to make strong choices. Have one student stand alone while the other students watch. Every 10 to 15 seconds, the student must talk as a different character. These can be characters that the student has seen on television or just one that he's made up. The important part is that every character must be significantly different than the previous ones. When a student tries out all these other voices, it helps him to find his own voice later when he speaks in front of a group. Make sure that the rest of your group encourages the speaker.
Create a Game
Choose a student from your group to create his own game with his own rules. He can ask for as many suggestions as he wants from you or the rest of the group, but once he creates a rule it is law for the game. This helps students take charge in creating something. Play the game for a few minutes and then choose another player until everybody has had one opportunity to create a game.