Fun Find: Line Ups

If you have been in activity programming for a while I'm sure you've used a variety of Line Ups as a way to get your groups to work together to solve a simple problem - figuring out where everyone goes in the line. (Can you figure out how the group in the picture was asked to line up with the number cards?)

Recently I met some great folks from Paradigm Shift out of Oklahoma. They do a lot of great work with youth, among other things. To find out more about their operation I went to explore their website. One of the awesome resources I found was a compilation of 101 Ways to Line Up a Group. Check it out - lots of fun ones in there. 

For me, I like to use line ups that require people to talk a bit more - giving them an opportunity to share their voice and more details about themselves (don't get me wrong, it is also important to provide some easy, less talking, line ups at first to get participants warmed up). Here are some of my favorite "talkative" line ups: 

• Distance from the point we are standing at right now to where you were born.
• Distance from this point to your favorite vacation spot. (When was the last time you were there?)
• The coldest place you've ever been - line up by cold to coldest temp.
• The hottest place you've ever been - line up by hot to hottest temp. 
• Largest picture of something (in your photos app) you have on your phone - large to largest pic. (Where was the picture taken?)
• Longest road trip, by car or bus, you have ever taken - in miles (Where were you going?).
• Longest wait at an airport (Where were you going?). 
• The most calories you ate in one sitting (your best guess based on the meal you had). (What and where was the meal?)
• The number of things - line up fewest to most - you will need with you (besides food and water) if you were stranded on a tropical desert island. 
• (Using Chiji Cards - or any other image cards) Line up by the SIZE of the object on your card - the size it would be if it wasn't confined to the space on the card. 

My hope is that my participants will be sharing more of the story behind these negotiations as they figure out where they are in the line. Once the movement stops I ask for some volunteers to share their story. Just another way to break the ice a bit more. 

If you have other "talkative" line ups for us, please share in the comments below. 

Have FUN out there. 

Chris Cavert