It can feel really tricky to adjust plans and keep lessons interesting whilst maintaining social distancing rules. Give these tried and tested interactive drama games a whirl.
1. Splat Topics
A fun and fast-paced warm-up game that gets everyone involved from a safe distance!
How to play:
Start by making the biggest group circle possible. Each person should have their own ‘bubble’ that no-one else is allowed to step into or break.
One person stands in the middle of the circle and gets their imaginary ‘splat gun’ at the ready (think James Bond style fingers).
If they point at someone and say "splat!" that person has to duck and the two people either side have to turn, point their splat guns at each other and say "splat"
Whoever splats last, is out of the game!
Additional rules for language practice:
The person in the middle with the ‘splat gun’ picks a topic, for example, ‘transport’. Instead of saying ‘splat’, they will say their chosen topic.
The people either side of the person who gets ‘splatted’ have to come up with words associated with that topic i.e. car, bus, ticket, plane etc.
Whoever splats last, is still out of the game!
2. Group Storytelling
Practise language skills and create a wacky story as a team!
How it works:
Nominate one person in the classroom to begin a story using only one sentence, for example ‘Once upon a time, there was a strange land called Tiptoe.’
The person next to them adds the next part of the story, using only one sentence, for example ‘In Tiptoe, there lived a man who had magical powers and only ate soup.’
Pass this around the classroom until it finds a natural ending and enjoy the funny plot twists that develop!
Additional rules for language practice:
Tell a story exclusively in the past, present or future, or challenge your class to include specific tenses you've been working on recently. You could even keep a tally on the board of how many times they use the sentence structures correctly and have a competition with another class.
3. Imagination Ball
This game is a brilliant way of using the improvisation 'rule' of "yes, and..." playing with no physical touch involved!
How to begin:
The Teacher starts with an imaginary ball in their hands that can become any object they imagine through mime e.g a phone, a half-eaten pizza a royal crown...
When they throw the object to someone else in the circle, the other person should catch it showing the same weight and size as has been established. They should also show their reaction too - maybe it's a half eaten pizza that has just landed on their white t-shirt.
After this reaction, the object should be 'mashed up' and changed into something else before being thrown to the next person.
Additional rules for language practice:
You can also enhance this activity by adding in language. For example, when the object is passed to you, you say the phrase ‘Thank-you for giving me a… (Adding in whatever you think the person before you had turned the ball into before evolving it and passing it on.)
Practice using and emphasising Articles such as ‘A’ and ‘An’ to describe the object, for example ‘Thank-you for giving me…‘An Apple’ or ‘An Umbrella.’
4. Freeze Frames
A freeze frame is one of Hello Drama’s favourite ways of asking young people to think creatively on their feet to make an interesting and intriguing still image.
Ask the group to spread out and find their own space, at a safe distance from each other.
In these spaces and without touching any-one else, ask them to create a frozen image showing how the lock-down has made them feel. For example, the first image could be how it has positively impacted their lives and the second could be how they might feel negatively towards it.
Encourage the group to use the space carefully and think of how they can still work as a group at a distance, to create a collaborative picture. Maybe that picture is of neighbours waving at each other in the street; maybe it is them trying to avoid each other in a crowded supermarket etc.
Additional Rules for Language Practice:
Pretend you have an imaginary microphone that when you hold it in front of someone who is frozen; they have to use the Present Continuous to describe how they are feeling within the freeze frame they have created. E.g. ‘I am enjoying waving to my friends’ or ‘I feel nervous in the shops.’
No need for it to be restricted to lockdown themes. Why not ask them to create a picture of 'the wedding that went wrong'?
We are pleased to say that we are back working in schools again from September 2022. Fancy having one of our British theatre professionals deliver workshops in your school?
Hello Drama strives to be responsive to changing circumstances and to make workshops that are adaptable, engaging and interactive, despite current restrictions. Have fun trying out these socially distanced games and let us know how they went!