Circle Around (Each Other)

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(Editorial Note: This post will be periodically updated when new information is shared about this activity.)

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I'm dividing my creative time in three ways at the moment. 1) Helping to (along with others), provide activity ideas for the immediate needs of the virtual team building spaces (check out the FUNdoing Resources page), 2) considering, adjusting and creating activities for when we go back to in-person groups that will be practicing safe distancing and, 3) chipping away at (what we'll now be calling) traditional team building activity resources (I do hope we get to hold hands again!!). 

Circle Around is a conglomerate of a few different activities I use from time-to-time (I'm sure you'll recognize some similarities). This is intended to be a safe-spacing challenge. However, I have yet to try it. So, help me see any missing pieces to make this one work. 

Here's what you need and the set-up I have in mind so far (graphic to the right). The distance between spots will be determined by your 'distancing' procedures in place (maybe dictated by your organization's LOPs). This explanation will be based on a group of 12 participants (I would play this with groups of 8 to 16). You will need 23 activity spots for a group of 12 (one spot for each participant - for the outside circle - and one more for each participant, minus one - for the inside circle). For 12-participants, that's 12 spots in the outside circle, 11 spots for the inside circle. 

Before you can play, you'll need a way to assign everyone in your group a number - whatever you have up your sleeve to do this quickly, as well as following any 'contact' rules in place. My first thought is to use a pad of paper with numbers 1 to 12 written on the paper. Then, I'll walk around to each person (safely distancing) and show him/her what number he/she has - I would write the names next to each number on the paper - there is really no need to keep this a secret either. Everyone will be sharing numbers as soon as they start. Okay. We're ready to play.  

Procedures (so far): 

• Reiterate any 'physical distancing' procedures (so they can make informed good choices). 
• ​Ask each participant to stand on one of the outside circle spots (of course there is no spot-sharing during this activity). 
• You, the facilitator, ​walk around the outside of the circle and assign a different number to each participant (of course, randomize the numbers you assign). 
• Present the challenge: Get people in order, 1 to 12, standing on the spots of the outside circle. 
• This is the key rule to make this an interesting challenge. Participants are allowed to 'move' to the closest, open, safely distanced spot - this should omit the option to move across the circle or just simply go line up in order. (Be sure to provide examples of this so there is clarity.)
• (Optional Rule for clarity - thanks to Jed Buck) Move to the nearest open space 'adjacent' to the one you're standing on (share expectations of 'adjacent' if needed). [Another way to visualize this is, no leap-frogging other players.]
• If someone is off his/her spot, he/she must be in motion (moving) to an open spot (no standing still off of a spot). [We might need to add a rule that prevents people from simply 'wandering around' until the best spot opens up - maybe there is a 'maximum number of steps they can take between spots' rule? Let me know what you think.]

I'm on the fence right now about timing this activity if we are physically distancing. I'm thinking (so far), there will still be a lot of good discussion points after simply completing this task (e.g., What choices did you encounter during the activity? What choices had to be made during the activity? What was influencing your choices?)

Let me know what you think. What are we missing? What else should we consider? Leave us a Comment. 

Be Well! Be Kind! Be TOGETHER in whatever way you can!! 

Chris Cavert, Ed.D.