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Grouplets RPS

11/14/2025

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Quick NOTE from Chris: This is a very parenthetical post – bear with me!

For years I’ve been interested in the idea of, “knowing what games you’re in,” “knowing what games you want to play,” and “understanding the rules” of the games and deciding how you want to play. This metaphorical idea comes from thought leaders like Simon Sinek, Seth Godin, and James P. Carse, who noted, “A finite game is played for the purpose of winning, an infinite game for the purpose of continuing to play.” (This quote is spot on to a possible outcome of Grouplets RPS.)

One of my favorite activities to explore the behaviors related to the question, “How did you play the game?” is Ubuntu (or Spot It) Steal. Participants learn the rules, play the game, and explore the question. We reflect on the behaviors experienced and observed, and dive into why particular choices were made. In short, the purpose is to share preferences and some reasoning behind them. (Do we keep our preferences right where they are, or maybe think about trying on something different? Kolb, ‘Abstract Conceptualisation’.)

Recently, I formulated an idea (meaning, the idea emerged in my brain and I thought about it until it took hold of my curiosity and then I played it out in my head until some structure occurred). Now I can use some help exploring (playing) the idea (game).

It’s a version of Rock, Paper, Scissors with a group of 20 to 40 people. (So far my thinking tells me we won’t get the dynamics with less people and the reflection might get watered down with more than 40. Exploration might prove otherwise.) 
You can certainly play this without props (participants track points on their brain score card), but I’m thinking a score card or tokens (e.g., plastic chips, pennies, or beads) - you’ll need a lot of tokens, but I think the ‘reward’ aspect will be significant for some, even if it’s marking a score card. (With a score card you don’t need a pen. If everyone is given an index card, they will make a small tear in the card - along one side of the card - to indicate a win. Write on the card during quiet self-reflection after the game(s) and then share thoughts with the group. Option: Make 'tick' marks on a white board to keep score.
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RPS Groups: Let’s Play

First we need to explore prior knowledge - does everyone know how to play RPS. (It amazes me to this day how many people know how to play RPS. I just wonder why?) Training and practice is needed if there are some people who’ve never played. Then, whether or not training occurred, play a few RPS rounds with everyone as a good warm up. The idea is to get everyone ‘on the same page’ (know the rules of the game) about the RPS expectations. Then, before the official experience, how will we know (confirm) everyone is on the same page? For example, do a few RPS calls simultaneously with everyone as you watch (check) for understanding.

NOTE: The Rock, the Paper, and the Scissors are the only signs allowed in this game. (You may or may not add this information into the instructions. In either case, there will be some things to talk about.)

We’ve confirmed. We’re confident everyone knows. (Can we ever be sure?) Let’s play the game (anyway).

When a player is ready to ‘face off’ with a partner (or a grouplet, more on this in a moment), they raise up a hand. This is an invitation to play.
Two things can happen when single players face off:
  • When player wins they get a point - they collect a token or mark their score card. No consequence for the losing player, other than ‘losing’ which could lead to something. (Thinking: The losing player would have to give back a token - what dynamic would this create?)
  • When a pair of single players ‘tie’ - they show the same sign - they form a ‘grouplet’. They are now a team and stay together.
As grouplets begin to form, two types of ‘players’ emerge - the single player and the grouplet player - gouplets are considered a single organism. A single player can play against another single player or a grouplet (everyone in the grouplet is holding up a hand to invite another ‘player’ to play) and visa versa. In other words, a grouplet can accept a challenge from a single player or another grouplet.

IMPORTANT: Before a grouplet invites or accepts an invitation to play, the people in the grouplet get together and agree on the sign they will use for their next game - everyone in the grouplet must show the same sign (think Giants, Wizards & Elves).
Four things can happen when a grouplet is in play:
  • When a grouplet plays a single player and wins, nothing happens. Both the grouplet and the single player go off to play another game. (Each person in the grouplet gets a point.)
  • When a grouplet plays a single player or another grouplet and ties – both showing the same sign – they merge, becoming a new grouplet. (No points awarded.) 
  • When a grouplet plays a single player or another grouplet and loses, that grouplet is dissolved – all the players from the losing grouplet become single players again. (Each 'winner' gets a point.)
  • If someone in a grouplet shows a different sign then the rest of the grouplet, that grouplet is dissolved – nothing happens to the single player or grouplet they are playing. (No points awarded.) 

These are the basics we have (right now).
“How Does It End?” 

A Grouplet RPS game is played for 8.5 minutes, or when there are no more invitations to play. 

(I’m envisioning grouplets, in some cases, will continue to play until they all end up on the same team. In other cases, individuals or grouplets will stop inviting people to play – hold a hand up – because they don’t want to lose or break up a group. Another case might be that two or three grouplets form and then stop inviting games so they no longer stress about losing – breaking up. It might be an all-group consensus to stop the game, feeling satisfied with their current status.) ​

I will program time for two games of Grouplet RPS. I want to explore how the second games is played after processing the first game. Will participants play the game differently after some insight? 
Possible Reflection Questions:
  • What was your original mindset going into the game – in other words, what was your self-talk, the conversation you were having with yourself when starting? Did this mindset change over time? Why? Or why not?
  • What was your mindset going into the second game? Why did you choose this mindset to play?
  • Think about the behaviors that surfaced for you – the things you did and said – as you chose the way to play the game? Share one of these behaviors that stand out to you?
  • What behaviors did you notice about others in the game? Which ones did you like? Which ones did you dislike? How did these behaviors influence the way you played your game?
  • How did collecting points influence the way you played the game?
  • After you ‘tied’ with a single person or a grouplet what feelings or ‘self-talk’ surfaced in your head? For example, did you feel excited to join the person or group, or were you bummed you  lost – didn’t get a point?
  • After you beat a person or group what feelings or ‘self-talk’ surfaced in your head?
  • Did any of you add another sign to the game? What was your reasoning for adding the sign? How did adding a sign change the game for you? For others?
  • Did anyone think about adding another sign to the game? Why did you choose not to?
  • Was it against the ‘rules’ to add another sign? What are your thoughts about this related to everyday life? How do we add rules in life? How do we change rules in life? How do we question rules in life? What stops us from doing these things?
  • Did anyone ask the person or grouplet you were about to play what sign they were going to show? Why did you ask? Why didn’t you ask? Was it against the rules to ask?
  • Let’s summarise together the different ways we played the game – what are the possible ways to play? How does this concept – ways of playing – relate to our everyday lives?
  • Did anyone choose NOT to invite anyone to play? What was your reasoning for playing the game in this way?
  • How do we learn about the rules of the ‘games’ we want to play in life?
  • What are some of the ‘games’ we are playing right now in our lives? (Using a positive lens.) What are some important reasons for understanding how someone is ‘playing a game’?
  • What do you think will stick with you the longest after playing this game?
This could be something?! Let us know what you find out. Leave a Comment below. 

All the best, 

Chris Cavert, Ed.D. 
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Choice Line Up

10/23/2025

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On a regular basis I find myself exploring the activities I know for different ways to use them. Particularly in ways that help my group members interact with each other a little more. One of the most common questions I ask myself is, “How can I add another ‘problem’ to the experience.” Problems invite interaction.

A recent exploration involved ‘Line Ups’ – the no prop activity where a group is given some parameter, followed by everyone finding their place. For example, “Line up in alphabetical order by your first name.” Or “Line up in birthday order my month and day, not the year.” Raise your hand if like to program Line Ups.

For years I’ve been providing the parameters for Line Ups. And each time I use the activity I challenged myself to bring in one or two parameters I hadn’t used before. When Ryan Eller shared ‘100 Ways to Line Up a Group’ I was all over it. Here are some of my favorites from Ryan:
  • Straightest to Curliest Hair
  • Who lives the furthest to the closest distance from where you’re standing.
  • Average time to get ready in the morning – least to most.
  • The furthest travelled away from home.  
  • Number of times you’ve moved to a new house or apartment.
  • Number of first cousins.
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Beyond the Basic Line Ups

Extension 1:
Years ago, my first extension of Line Ups was to include some time for a short conversation related to the parameter. For example, “Get together with one or two people near you and share the story of your name.” Or “Get together with one or two people around you and share your experience of a favorite birthday.”

Thought Experiment: What would be a question to discuss related to each of the parameters I picked up from Ryan? (It’s common to invite people to share a ‘scar’ story. What about a ‘hair’ story?)

​
Extension 2:
My latest change to Line Ups involves adding an additional problem to the process - choosing the Line Up. Instead of me providing the parameters, I ask the group to provide them. Specifically, I challenge them to come up with 10 different line ups to accomplish. (Why 10? The first few line ups will be the ‘easy’ ones. Then the group is going to have to work a little harder – take the time it takes – to come up with ones that everyone can be, or wants to be, part of.)

I frontload the challenge with a consideration: “As you discuss line up ideas, consider if the parameter you suggest include everyone in the group. For example, if you want the group to line up numerically by the sum of their cell phone number, does everyone in the group have a cell number? How do you know? How will you know?”

What I want to do, purposefully, is to get participants to think a little more about what they want to ask the group to do. How will they inquire? Who will lead the ‘thinking’ process? Will participants ‘share’ the space for suggestions? How will the group decide on a line up? Will they ‘check in’ with everyone? Will everyone be comfortable with the line up? Will people speak up about their level of comfort?

Yes, Line Ups, of course, can just be a fun way to get participants to interact, talk with each other, and ‘connect’. And, when you want to/can, dive in a little deeper, extend the process. Get them into some conversations to build more understanding, more awareness of each other. 

My favorite processing question after this one:
​What is something you found out during this activity that you didn’t know before?

How have you extended Line Ups? Leave us a Comment below! 

All the best, 

Chris Cavert, Ed.D.
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Double-ZOOM (and Dialogue)

10/8/2025

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Editorial Note from Chris: One of my goals for the FUNdoing Blog is to share activities and ideas that the majority of readers can utilize – either no equipment needed or the equipment is easy to access. There are times where only a minority of readers will be able to make and use an activity, but I want to share it for more than utilization. There is a creative twist or unique way to use props or people. And maybe others will be able to see a way to use the idea or process. Double-ZOOM will fit into this category. The access to a copy machine and colored copies is needed.

So, let’s put on our thinking caps. What else can we do with this idea? I’ll start: Word Circlers, how about using two Word Circle Puzzles on index cards?  
Our FUNdoing friend Gal and I had this dialogue about his crafted experience with the Zoom and ReZoom books (by Istvan Banyai). The Zoom (red cover) picture book experience with teams has been used for years to illustrate the importance of detailed commination. Banyai’s second book, ReZoom (blue cover) can be used in the same way. 
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I wrote a historical teambuilding perspective of Zoom in my book, Portable Teambuilding Activities. (Check out the ‘Categories’ in the right sidebar of the FUNdoing Blog for the ‘Zoom’ activities/variations I’ve posted at FUNdoing.)

I chose to share my dialogue with Gal, with limited edits, so you can experience a little of what I got from my first read of Gal's initial email.

Thought Experiment: Before reading my response, after reading Gal's initial email, think about what you would have asked Gal], and then check out the path I followed for clarification and thoughts I had during my reflection on this Zoom/ReZoom adventure (What I'm calling: Double-ZOOM).

Let’s go…
9/1/25
Hi Chris.
I wanted to share with you a game I recently tried in my workshops that uses the Zoom picture books…pictures that must be arranged in chronological order from the first page to the last.
 
I made a double-sided version of the game that combines the Zoom and ReZoom books that came out in such a way that after arranging all the pictures in order, if you turn them over, you will discover the second story, which is also in order. [From Chris on Copyright: Making a copy of each book for educational purposes, and not for resale, can be seen as a fair use of the material.]
 
The rules of the game itself are as follows:
  • The group must connect all 30 pages…into chronological order.
  • Since it’s a wordless picture book, the group [may not] use verbal communication during the task.
  • The group has 10 minutes to complete the task.

The group [is introduced to] all the pages mixed [around on the floor with] half of the pages [of one book’s storyline] turned upside down – [in other words] part of [both] stories are exposed. But the group does not know [yet] that there are two stories here. [Edits I (Chris) made here are clarified below, but I wanted to share them here to avoid some re-learning.]

[Back to Gal] At first, [I observed] participants approach [the pages] separately and try to start finding connections and [then] connecting different pages. They…soon discover[ed] that these are double-sided pages with a picture on both sides. At this point, they [had] to actually make a decision, which side to continue with. Once a decision is made, the group will focus on one story and find all its pages in a row.
 
In the elaboration [Reflection] of the exercise, of course, you can approach the issue of micro and macro, or the fact that at first things do not seem clear until you gradually understand the full picture, or the issue of perspective of how we look at things in our lives from different perspectives, or even the ability to zoom in or zoom out from different situations.

[In] this version of the game there is an additional element. What story do I choose to tell myself? What happens the moment I choose to focus on one story and not necessarily the other? [Chris' emphasis] The focus is on the issue of choice and its future consequences and how each choice we make creates a new story in our lives. What would have happened if we had…chosen the second story? Where have we lived? Have there been times when we stood at a crossroads and made a decision that changed the story of our lives?
 
I invite you to try the exercise and see where else you can take the adaptation.
 
Gal
9/13/25
 
Hello Gal, thanks for sharing your version of ZOOM! 
 
Right after I got your email, I read through it quickly, but I didn't have time to 'think' about it. The other day I had more time to dive in. I really like it, especially from a resource management perspective – know your resources. In this case, what's on the other side? (A great metaphor right there!) 
 
With time to think into this version I realized you place the pages down on the floor – with "half the pages turned upside down..." This is my favorite twist. Now, I get no words in the book, so no talking. I don't yet know what the learning is with no talking – how do you link this non-verbal lesson to everyday life? (Something just came to me – maybe it's simply a constraint to work with? "How did you all work around the constraint of no talking?") The 'elaborations' you use are very useful and I'm sure lead to good conversations (reflection). I love the "what story do I choose to tell myself" and what happens when I choose one story over another? (More rich metaphors.)
 
If you are willing (and can spare the time), I would love to find out how you introduced this version to your group – what is the (general) script you used and what constraints did you set. For example, no talking is one, what else did you allow or limit?
 
After thought I'm having: The no-talking is growing on me. Say I look at the other side of a page to discover another picture. I now have 'powerful' information. Do I share this information? Do I keep the secret to myself? (If I could talk, would I tell anyone?) Do I go around and turn over the pages to reveal just one story – 'make' others follow my story? More METAPHOR! 
 
One more thought: What if we made a set of pages where the two stories do not fall into the same sequence? So, lay out one story in order. Then, if you flip the pages over, the second story is not in order. Would this add anything to the experience? 
 
WOW, thanks again for sharing. This one is really making my brain work!!
 
Chris
9/13/25

Hi Chris.
​
I'll start with the instructions for the exercise:
  • The group must arrange the pages of the book in chronological order from the first page to the last. The book is 30 pages long.
  • Each page [except for the last one] has a follow-up picture in the form of a zoom in or out like a camera zoom.
  • The group has 10 minutes for the task.
  • And the twist is of course that the book is wordless and so will the game be…silently.
  • And the rule that enforces it is that if [anyone] speaks then the time is shortened for the group by 30 seconds.
 
The idea of ​​time is to create a sense of pressure to solve the puzzle before time runs out. The idea behind the wordless, besides introducing a challenging limit of non-verbal communication into the game, is also to create exactly the situation where at some point one participant will realize that there are two sides to the story, and this is where the group work actually begins.
 
Up until this point, each participant has been working alone in an attempt to understand what is on the pages. Here are a number of situations that can happen:
  • The participant will try to communicate this to others non-verbally.
  • [They] will choose to sacrifice 30 seconds to communicate it more quickly with the group
  • [They] will simply make a decision for [themselves] and choose which story to focus on and start running with it and gradually others will join in.

It very much depends on the participant.
 
In the adaptation, you can later question that participant [about how they] acted once [they] realized that there were two stories here. And what was the decision based on which story to choose?
 
Now about the idea of ​​doing the story on the other side not in sequence. I thought about that too. But in the end I actually liked the twist where I turn all the pages in front of everyone and reveal to them the story that is not told and talk about it. Sometimes every story in our lives has two sides. There is the story that we choose to tell ourselves. There are these quarters of "What if I had acted differently at the moment of the decision?"
 
I'm glad you delved deeper and liked the exercise. I have been using it recently with teenagers and also with workshops for reservists in the context of them living a double life with the story of returning to citizenship and the story of being called up again to serve.
 
Gal
So, what did this dialogue spark in your mind? Leave us a Comment to extend the thinking. 

All the best, 

Chris Cavert, Ed.D. 

P.S. After writing this point I wondered, "How many participants will be a good number for this ZOOM version?" 
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Group Memory

9/4/2025

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Recently I ran across the activity, Team Memory in, Playing with a Full Deck: 52 Team Activities Using a Deck of Cards, by Michelle Cummings. It's a cousin to Flip and Find where a small team of 4 to 6 players are trying to solve a task with the help of collective memory (click HERE for the Flip and Find video). Then getting better over several rounds as they improve their strategies. Flip and Find and Team Memory are good small team process improvement activities. And multiple small teams can play at the same time.   

An idea popped into my head to make Team Memory more collaborative – using the collective efforts of multiple teams in play at the same time. Hence, Group Memory.

Needs & Numbers:
1 - 50-foot Activity Rope (or four cones to mark the corners of a square)
1 – Deck of Standard Playing Cards ('Jumbo' Cards are my favorite)
4 – Game Spots of some sort (e.g., poly-spots, carpet squares, a piece of paper)
[If playing cards are not appropriate, make your own set of numbered cards with index cards – use two different colors when numbering the four sets of 12 or 13 cards. HERE'S a set of print-n-play cards. Be sure to use thicker paper so numbers don't show through.]

I believe this can work with one small group of six up to a larger group of 16 players. With smaller groups (six to 11 players), consider taking out the Face cards. This will limit the number of cards to turn over, saving some time to completion. 

Set Up:
Above is a graphic of my initial thinking about the set up. The activity rope circle (it could be a square) is filled with a full deck of playing cards placed face (rank side) down. The four grey circles (Game Spots) you see I call 'tables' – they will be used as a place for the collected cards.

Process: 
  • I would use this one with no less than six players, no more than 16 in the 'group', on three or four 'teams'. For example, three teams of two, up to four teams of four. Teams do not need to be equal sizes. There could be two teams of four and two teams of three.
  • The Objective The group (the collective of teams in play) is challenged to collect pairs of cards equal to the number of people in the group. For example, if there are 12 people in the group (four teams of three), collectively they need to bring out 12 pairs of cards. When there are six players, they need to bring out six pairs. A Pair: Two cards of the same rank. For example, two Aces; two fours, two Kings.
  • The Tables and the Rope may not be reconfigured. 
  • Only one member of each team is allowed to be inside the (rope) pool of cards at a time. 
  • After entering the pool of cards, a player is allowed to turn over, face up, two cards. Cards are turned over and placed down in their same location (i.e., cards may not be relocated within the pool).  
  • After turning over two cards, a player is allowed to either 1) pick up a pair to take out of the pool, OR 2) flip two cards back over face down in their same location. Then they can exit the pool. 
  • After a pair of cards is taken out of the pool they are placed on one of the tables.
  • ​The group time will start when the first player crosses the line of the pool of cards. Time stops when 12 pairs of cards are resting on the tables.
  • If any of the guidelines are violated, the round is stopped, cards are collected and then redistributed inside the pool for a restart. (Example: Reaching over the line, pointing at a card, will often put two players from the same team 'inside' the pool of cards – if this is defined as such.)  
  • Allow for enough program time for at least three rounds to explore improving the process and strategies in order to clock a fast time. 
Facilitator Notes: 
I have yet to try out this idea. I'd love to hear from you if you do. I'll let you know how it goes when I get the chance. 

Right now, there is no rule about 'taking turns' going into the pool of cards. I want to explore/observe how teams decide to share roles and responsibilities. I'm guessing, first it will be within the teams, then (I'm hoping) it will be across the group (e.g., some players will be in charge of memorizing cards). 

As for the 'team' and 'group' dynamic, I'm only emphasizing that the goal is to bring out 12 pairs, then the time stops. If they ask me, "are we working together" my response will be (like other activities of this nature), "I'll leave that up to you." I would like them to discover collaborative behaviors on their own, if, in fact, they find the need to be collaborative. 

Here is the BIG DISCOVERY IDEA in my head. There is nothing in the guidelines that stipulates how long someone can stay in the pool of cards. My guess is, a player will flip over two cards. If they are not a match they will flip the two back over and exit. Now, this will give the teams/group data, for sure, so helping others can come into play. What if, best case, four players initially went into the pool, one from each team, and each flipped over two cards? That's eight cards up. The possibility of pairs showing are increased. Some players can take out the pairs, other players will need to flip over two cards before exiting. Then, another four enter the pool. Now, we also have some 'team memory' in play. Players can take turns flip two cards each – with the help of memory these flips can be more calculated, increasing the chance of turning up pairs. This might be the most efficient way (??) to reach the lowest time. We won't know until we go...
The Things I Like About This Kind of Activity
  • The activity is adjustable to different sized groups.
  • The degree of difficulty is adjustable: Take out some of the cards (eaiser); require less than 12 pairs to be collected (easier & fast); require more pairs (takes longer, more challenging; require pairs of cards to be the same color (more challenging). 
  • There is the potential for at least two mental model shifts: From 'teams' to the 'group' and 'when' to leave the pool of cards. 
  • There are enough discoverable roles and responsibilities to keep everyone engaged. 

Possible Discussions:
  • In what ways did your 'team' work well together? What were you doing and saying? What could have been better about your team work? 
  • In what ways did the 'group' work well together? What led you to the idea that the teams could work together to accomplish the task? Who was all for helping each other? Who wanted to just focus on the efforts of their team? 
  • What roles and responsibilities evolved over the different rounds of play? What was important about each role and responsibility?
  • What ways of thinking, or mental models, changed during the different rounds? How did these changes influence your outcomes? What do we know about 'mental models'? What are some of the pros and cons of mental models? 
  • What do we want to remember about mental models as we continue our work together? 

Let us know how Group Memory goes for you. Changes? Additions? Leave a Comment below.

​All the best,

Chris Cavert, Ed.D. 
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House Puzzle of String (a Paired Activity) with Video

8/19/2025

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[NOTE from Chris: Before you watch the video, if you want to participate in a little 'Thought Experiment' check out my invitation below.]  

Several months ago, I started purposefully collecting and documenting problem-solving activities for pairs. I like using concentric circles* with groups giving all pairs icebreaker questions to answer. Then, moving one circle "to the left" three people forms new pairs quickly. Now, instead of just using icebreaker questions, why not throw some fun problem-solving into the mix where two people work together on a task? Mixing it up makes for good engagement and a bit more complex interaction.

*Concentric Circles – an 'outside' circle of people facing towards the center of the circle and another 'inside' circle with each person facing someone from the outside circle. 

A couple weeks ago in the FUNdoing Fridays email I shared a quick idea I had for a paired activity calling it the House Puzzle of String. Sam Sikes, in his 1995 book, Feeding the Zircon Gorilla and Other Team Building Activities, calls it The House – he uses a long activity rope. Here's a little snapshot of history:
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Sam's Instructions (brevity brilliance): "Ask the group to pick up the rope." [An untied 40- to 50-foot rope for up to 12 participants lying in a pile on the ground.] "Tell them they can slide their hands along the rope, but they can't let go and/or trade places in line. Their task is to form a house or an envelope, whichever they prefer, without the rope doubling back on itself. You may need to provide a sketch of the end product for them to see." [I love the reference of the 'envelope.' I wonder if that's a recognizable image now.]
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The image on the left would be the 'sketch' of the end product. So the group, everyone holding onto the rope, is challenged to form the house puzzle like the solution in the picture above. (After the group in the picture above solved the puzzle, they set it on the ground.)

House Puzzle of String
The image above on the right is the one I created for the House Puzzle of String paired challenge (the full size PDF download is below). The eight pathways in the house I call 'channels'. Using a 48-inch (122 cm) piece of string (or yarn), two people work together to lay out the string inside the channels without the string 'doubling back' on itself. The additional challenge is that the string cannot cross over any of the channel lines.

Video Note: I edited the video down to a about 8.5 minutes. It took my friend Dillon and I a little over 12 minutes to complete the task. (A majority of the time was spent getting the string within the channel lines – moving one part of the string often displaced another part of the string. Run with that metaphor!) 
housepuzzle_diagram_cavert.pdf
File Size: 8 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File
Thought Experiment: Here's an email from a FUN follower friend of ours. After reading about House Puzzle of String he inquired: 
Tell me please, why do you need a pair to do it with the string? Can you do this alone?
The Experiment: Watch the video and then speculate how I responded to our friend. After a bit more contemplative prose I'll share my response (just a little trivia and a way to hide my response for now).

The House Puzzle is a 'Transum' or 'Path Puzzle' (Dillon discovered this.) Here's an image I swiped from the results of searching 'Transum'. Solve all the shapes (tracing over all the lines and dots) without taking your pen off the paper or doubling any line. 
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One Answer for the House Puzzle of String: 
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What have you speculated? Why would I program this activity for two people? Here's my response: 
Yes, this one can be done solo. However, I'm anticipating the interaction between two people doing this task will be noteworthy – open up some good learning conversations. 

And another Yes. Many tasks are much 'easier' (in some ways) doing them alone – "I'll just do it myself." With this mindset we are losing the practice (and benefits) of working with others....I like to use partner activities for some low risk people practice. 
If you considered another reason for using this activity with pairs, I'd love to know! And, what other solo activities can we turn into a paired experience? Leave us a Comment below. 

People Practice Questions to Ask
  • What parts of the challenge were difficult? What parts of the challenge were easy? 
  • Raise your hand if you could have done this challenge on your own. What changes in a task like this when you are working with someone else?
  • What are some of the things you do and say when you're working well with someone else? 
  • What benefits do you get from knowing how to work with others in a productive way?  


Keep me posted!

​Chris Cavert, Ed.D. 
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Count to 50

7/24/2025

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My friends Swati and Agyat (doing some amazing work around the world, in part with Play for Peace), answered my call to share some of their favorite activities used with groups with a wide range of cultural diversity. 

I love all the one's they shared. (I posted the Aga Zumba Zumba action song a while back. Agyat is the one with the name tag.) Count to 50 stood out to me as a good progression to an activity I played as a participant many years ago. 

I don't recall the name or a source, but it involved math. Some of us are good at math, others, not so much. I'm in the later camp (but I'm getting better). We circled up (maybe 20 or so people). Our goal was to get to a certain number, I can't remember the goal (buried trauma?). The challenge was to count sequentially, from number 1, up to the goal. If your number was a 3 or a 7, or a 'multiple' of 3 or 7, you had to clap. (I don't recall if we had another action like 'comb your hair back' in Count to 50.) That's it! If a mistake was made, the group started over. I still can feel the panic of multiples! (And, I'll assume, that was the point. And how did I manage my panic? I think I missed the lesson!)

Needless to say, I didn't program this one AT ALL during my career. (Now I know better – I could have hooked the 'math-smart' people.) With Count to 50 I'm motivated to add it to my programming choices preceding the original version I learned years ago – a progression to the challenging multiples. 

I also like the group culture development of the way Swati and Agyat use it. When a mistake is made everyone recognizes it as an "OOps" with action (see below), and then they move on for another try. They are in the challenge together, supporting each other, making room for mistakes as learning opportunities.

​Here it is...  

Count to 50

Objectives:
Empathy-Building, Self-Awareness, Group Support, Failing Forward
 
Needs & Numbers:
  • No props are needed. Works well with 10 to 16 participants. (When you have more than 16, divide the group into smaller groups of at least 10 people.) Multiple groups can play at the same time. 
 
Process:
  • The group stands in a circle.
  • The challenge is to count from one to fifty in sequence with participants taking turns calling out one number at a time - the one next in the sequence.  
  • Any participant who gets any number that has the digit ‘4’ (4, 14, 24, 34...) in it has to clap instead of calling out that number.
  • Any participant who gets any number that has the digit ‘7’ (7, 17, 27, 37...) in it has to comb through their hair using one hand instead of calling out that number.

Rule:
  • If anyone gets confused, makes a mistake, the whole group CELEBRATES by saying 'Dhat Teri Ki' (OOPS! In Hindi) while touching their forehead with the palm of their hand. [Use whatever “darn, I made a mistake" word and gesture that works for your group. I'm going with "Oopsy Doopsy!" – more syllables work better for me with the palm-to-forehead action.]  
 
The game restarts with the same person from where it stopped with that person saying “one”.

NOTE: If someone knows a source for the 'multiples' version of this activity, please let me know. 
An educated guess tells me this version will be a little easier to accomplish – get to 50. What are the skills we need?
  • Focus
  • Anticipation 
  • Helpfulness (What will this look and sound like?)
  • Grace & Support (What does this look and sound like?)
  • Acceptance

I can see myself using the experience to talk about some of the behaviors of a successful group, discussing what mistakes are for and supporting each other through challenging, even risky, tasks. (What risks are involved in Count to 50?)

After a success (to 50!), I'll move on to other activities before trying Count to 50 again. What will the group remember about their success? What behaviors do they need? Were they just 'lucky' the last time, or did they learn what it takes to repeat their success? 

​If I assess that my group is ready, I'll add a 'change'. Same goal, a different approach. What will the group need to manage the activity with multiples – multiples of 4, a clap, multiples of 7, comb the hair back. I anticipate that 'helping' will become important. What norms will be developed for the use of helping behaviors? 

Add Another Level of Challenge Get to 50 in 60 seconds or less. Now we have a progression, three levels of challenge to work with, adjusting to the skills and abilities of our groups. 

Thought Experiment: What are some benefits to returning to a 'process improvement' activity that was done earlier in a program? (We tend to stay with the same process improvement activity for two or three attempts in a row. What if we spread these attempts out over time. What might we find?)

Have fun out there, and keep me posted!

Chris Cavert, Ed.D. 
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Card Diagram Builds

7/11/2025

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Raise your hand if you’ve done an activity with pairs that involves sitting back-to-back with each other and each partner has a set of identical materials like popsicle sticks and poker chips or pick up sticks and dominos (nod to Michelle), or toothpicks and M & M’s (my favorite). 

​One partner (the Artist) creates, in front of them, a 2D sculpture of sorts and then communicates the construction directions to their partner (the Builder) with enough details to replicate their work of art. During round one, the Builder may not ask questions of the Artist, simply doing their best to follow directions. When the Artist is finished with instructions the Builder’s replica is compared to the original – including some verbal exchange about the experience between partners. Then, right into round two. (I don’t debrief here.)​

During the second round, the first Builder is now the Artist, the Artist the Builder. However, the Builder is allowed to ask clarifying or confirming questions of the Artist this time. When both Artist and Builder believe an accurate replica has been made, they check the results. Then the debrief of this activity is heavily focused on communication behaviors – which ones were helpful, and which ones were unproductive and, “How can we learn from this experience.” 
I stumbled across ‘Business Team-Building Activities That Use Playing Cards’ at the CHRON. (Don’t ask me how I got there!?) Ms. Measom shared a similar activity using ‘Card Diagrams.’ In the spirit of taking her description to another level (a card flower diagram is good too), I wanted more abstraction to make it more challenging.

So, I created a couple of ‘scapes’ for us to use with our partner-back-to-back-artist-builder communication activity. One is a landscape, the other a seascape. One partner needs a scape, the other a deck of the standard 52 playing cards variety. The scapes (as you can see) are outlines of cards that were set down in a specific way. The objective is for the Builder to lay out the cards, directed by the Artist (holding the scape), to match the outline. (Downloads below.)
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The Builder in the first round is attempting to set out the cards that would produce the outline of landscape above – the picture below. (The lower left corner is a 'TEN'-T!) 
The Builder in the second round is attempting to set out the cards that would produce the outline of the seascape above – the card picture below. 
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When I try this one, I’m going to let partners ask questions during both rounds. Each round will be 10-minutes long. After 10 minutes pairs get to see how they did. (This timed aspect ensures all the pairs are transitioning at the same time. Adjust the time if needed.)

Between the rounds I’ll ask the partners to identify the type of questions and the type of instructions that were really helpful. I’ll let them share for about 3 minutes. Going into the second round I will encourage everyone to remember the feedback that was shared in order to improve their communication exchange. For round two, the previous Artist becomes the Builder and the previous Builder, the Artist.

After the second round, I will go into an all-group debrief about communication behaviors and how they influence our interactions with others.

Let us know what you get from this one. And, for sure, what other scapes you create!

All the best, 

Chris Cavert, Ed.D. 
NOTE: These files do not automatically download, you get a preview first. Then you can choose to download. Also, sorry, my scans aren't super clean – you can replicate!
landscape.pdf
File Size: 428 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File
seascape.pdf
File Size: 620 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File
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Quick Line Up Name Game

6/27/2025

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I’ve been playing the traditional Quick Line Up for a long time. The earliest publication I found this one in is Karl Rohnke’s Bottomless Baggie (1991). As he says, it breaks some ice and provides “a low-risk, low-skill sense of team affiliation.”
 
Here are the basics. (Refer to the diagram.) There are 24 participants in the example group above. I don’t plan this one for less than 16 people (four per team), no more than 32 (eight per team). The group is creatively divided into four smaller teams. The facilitator, the purple figure in the center of the square, is facing the ‘North’ team after setting the four teams into a square formation. (If the group is not divisible by four, some teams may have one more person than other teams – this is okay for the way I play this cooperative interaction.)

The position of each team in the square is an important part of the activity. The facilitator explains that during play each team will orientate themselves to the facilitator in the same way after the facilitator moves. The group standing in front of the facilitator is the North Team. The group standing behind the facilitator is the South Team. To the left of the facilitator is the West Team, and to the right of the facilitator is the East Team.
​
The fun begins when the facilitator changes their orientation. Let’s say the facilitator, while standing in the center of the square, simply turns around 180 degrees. The four teams will wait until the facilitator shouts, “Line Up!” After this que, all teams move (safely) to their designated position in relation to the facilitator’s orientation. The North Team moves their line to the front of the facilitator and the South Team moves around behind. The West and East move to the left and right of the facilitator respectively. When the teams reform their lines in the new location team members must line up in the same order as the last line they were in.
After this initial practice run the facilitator checks in to see if everyone understands the process, then moves again. The facilitator does a little jump-spin of 135 degrees and says, “Line Up!” Then, waits for the results. Once everyone is set, the facilitator does another 180 spin and calls, “Line Up!” After the three test runs, the group is ready for the Name Game part of the adventure.
​
[NOTE: Traditionally, Quick Line Up continues with the facilitator moving outside the square to different places in the activity area to get the teams running around and sorting themselves out. Again, as Karl said, this one’s a nice “low-risk, low-skill sense of team affiliation.” As a name game, we’re going to add a bit more challenge and connection.]

Quick Line Up Name Game Version
For the Name Game (I’m experimenting with), the facilitator explains, there are some roles to fill. (Notice in the graphic above.) Each team has a ‘Lead’ and a “Sweep.” The lead is standing at the right end of their team’s line, the sweep is at the left end – this is in relation to every team facing the facilitator inside of the square.

The facilitator, reorienting inside the square, will practice the ‘name-frenzy’ with the teams a couple times. The facilitator moves, calls “Line Up” and then the teams move. After each team relocates and line up, the Sweeps will move down their lines performing a name-frenzy, moving from person to person, saying each person’s name as they go.
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Eventually, the Sweep steps into their line just past the Lead and the Sweep says their own name.
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Now, the old Sweep has just positioned themselves as the new Lead and the person at the left end of the line is now the new Sweep (who will do the name-frenzy after the next “Line Up!”) After a couple of reorientations with the facilitator inside the circle, the facilitator ventures outside the circle to other locations in the area.

I’ll play enough rounds so everyone on each team has a turn to do the name-frenzy. The spirit of the game is to move around, help each other get to where they belong, practice names, and have some fun! My body and energy during play is upbeat, encouraging, and constantly in motion. We don’t have to process this one (of course, you can), just enjoy the chaos and interaction. 

Let us know how this one works for you! Leave a Comment below.

All the best, 

Chris Cavert, Ed.D. 
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Riddle Me This – Three

6/12/2025

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With the last FUNdoing Post I completed my trilogy of Icebreaker Questions Decks. This post will complete another trilogy – the 'Plus' Riddles Yearly Top 10s. Jump over to Riddle Me This – One (updated with some added Plus discussions) and Riddle Me This – Two for the first two downloads and more details about the Plus Process. 

In short, I like using 'bonus time' (instead of filling time) to add a little more group interaction and problem solving. Riddles are a fun way to practice asking questions, listening, and deductive reasoning. The riddles in these collections can also be used to open conversations about the topic of the riddles. For example: 
What uses words but never speaks?
The group will then proceed to ask me questions that are answered with a "yes" or "no". After deducing the answer to be A Book, I can continue with some questions about the 'topic' of books: What's the last book you read? What did you like about the book? What did you dislike about the book? What book do you recommend to others? Why do you  recommend this book – what can be experienced with this book? 

So, 'Plus' Riddles include some additional thinking and conversation. Along the same lines as Icebreaker Questions at the beginning of a program, I use these riddles after my groups have spent some time problem solving together – later in the program. 
Have these riddles in your pocket (paper or digital copies) for those bonus times to keep the connections and conversations going. I also like to print a copy and cut the riddles apart so I can distribute them to participants so they can lead the experience (with my help if needed). 

Riddle Set Three (Note: clicking on the link will show you a preview of the PDF, it does not automatically download the document.) 
riddles_top10evenmore_fd061325.pdf
File Size: 66 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File
Have fun out there! 

Chris Cavert, Ed.D. 
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Human Square: Practicing Communication Behaviors

5/9/2025

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I finally programmed time to lead this challenge with a group of 23 adults. It was a group of people who regularly connect so they knew each other’s names and they had established a comfortable level of trust with each other (I asked about this during the needs assessment).

Short Version: (published at FUNdoing, June 2014)
Move everyone together into a close-together clump (graphic on the left). Ask them to put their bumpers up and close their eyes. Challenge them to get into a square without opening their eyes (get to the graphic on their right). 


Long Version – Behind the Scenes:
One of the objectives of this group was to explore communication behaviors. They wanted to confirm which behaviors were working for them, which ones they could improve upon, and which ones they were missing. I thought that Human Square would help with detailed communication, purposefully checking in with each other, and the importance of listening.
​
Midway through the experiences of a three-hour program, I asked everyone to find some personal space, and be close enough to each other so if they reached out, they could touch the people around them on the shoulders (graphic above left). Then we all practiced the art of ‘bumpers up.’ This is where our hands are up in front of us, elbows are slightly bent, and palms are open with our fingers are pointing to the sky and thumbs are touching. This position gives us a little safety cushion when we are walking around in tight spaces with other people (especially when our eyes are closed – after bumpers up practice).
First, we mingled (I was in the crowd modelling some behaviors) with eyes open, around the activity area for about a minute saying hello to each other as we bumped bumpers and shoulders from time to time. I asked everyone to stop, shake out their hands and arms, and then put their bumpers back up. Then, I asked them to close their eyes and mingle around the group again. This time, being more purposeful with their movements and their traveling speed – slow.  

During this part of the practice, I had my eyes open watching the group’s behaviors and reactions and turning people back into the group (e.g., calling their name or using my bumpers to turn them) for more practice. After another minute I stopped everyone, had them open their eyes and shake it out. For the most part they ended up staying physically close to each other, so I was ready to introduce them to the Human Square challenge.
​
The Challenge: Starting from where everyone was standing, I asked them to bring their bumpers back up, thumbs touching……and close their eyes again. Then, I told them the challenge: “Now, I’d like you to move yourselves into a square formation – four straight sides of approximately equal length – without opening your eyes.” I paused for some dramatic effect and to notice (look and listen) for the participant’s reactions.  
I then took some time to discuss the ‘moment’ we were in. Here’s the gist of what I said:

​“Let’s take a short pause. Please open your eyes and lower your hands – shake them out a bit. Good. Let’s take a team breath. [We learned this at the beginning of the program.] Good. Now, some of you might have moved, figurativley, into a different zone of comfort when you heard what we’re about to attempt. Some of you might be ready to jump right into the challenge. [We learned about the comfort zones earlier as well.] I just wanted to take a moment to reflect. We’ve been working on some communication behaviors. What behaviors have been working for you? [We took time to discuss.] Okay. What communication behaviors haven’t been working for you, ones you’ve been starting to improve? [We took time here.] What communication behaviors do you think you will need for this next challenge? [We took time here.] So, you believe you can remember to use these behaviors to successfully move through the challenge? [Time for responses.] Knowing about the challenge, what other behaviors might you need to implement to support each other during the challenge? [Time for discussion.] Okay. Now that we have reviewed some helpful behaviors, where are you in the comfort zone levels? And if you are in the red zone, what might help you move to yellow? [Discussion here.] [NOTE: We didn’t have anyone identify themselves as being in the red, but we did have several yellows – they shared that the review helped to remind them they ‘had each other’s backs.’ It was inspiring to hear their comments.]
​
Before setting ourselves to start, I did remind them they had the choice to open their eyes if they needed to. However, if they opened their eyes they were required to stop moving and not speak. If they chose to close their eyes again, they could resume moving and speaking.
Ready! We set the bumpers up, closed eyes, and began. What I remember the most was the first verbal comment: “Does anyone have any ideas about this?” A bit of chaos began the adventure with people talking over each other, but they came up with a norm that helped. Someone stepped in to organize the comments, using names and taking turns. Eventually they formed four groups, each group linked arms into a circle then each opened into a line. Then, the ends of each line were identified and they organized themselves to connect by the ends.

I did step in to verbally share about being careful moving in their lines since some people did not have their bumpers up anymore – however, the ends of the lines did. Once they started, it took about 15 minutes for them to get into the square. (FYI: I was not allowed to share pictures of the process with this particular group. I’ll get some in the future.)

When they believed to be in their square, I asked them to open their eyes. After some celebration and the verbal release of comments and anectotes, we explored the questions we discussed before staring the challenge:
  • What communication behaviors were helpful?
  • What communication behaviors did not work?
  • And what was missing?
We spend the next 20 minutes in a productive review.

The Human Square, I felt, really helped to emphasize communication outcomes for this group. They collected data from their discussion on flip chart paper and planned to use this data as they worked on improving their interactions with each other.

As we all know, each group has a makeup of different participant’s preferences and persepectives. It’s up to us to make our best (educated) guess as to what experiences will help them reach their desired outcomes.

Thought Experiment: What are the factors that might have led this group (above) to a meaningful experience with Human Square? 

Please leave your thoughts and ideas in the Comments. 

All the best, 

Chris Cavert, Ed.D. 
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    Dr. Chris Cavert is an internationally known author, speaker, and trainer in the area of adventure-based activity programming and its relation to community and pro-social behavior development.

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