Memory 30 – I've used this one myself a lot this past year. Here's why. It's a great problem-solving activity for groups of 6 to 8 people. So far I've worked with one to eight groups in play at the same time without any issues. It's a great tabletop activity for groups inside and great for a sit-on-the-ground activity outside. Gear is simple – each group needs numbered spots, 1 to 30. And you can make the numbered spots yourself with colorful index cards. Finally, it plays well with older elementary ages (with 20 numbers) on up to adults (all 30 numbers).
Claps Challenge – I learned this one early in the year at the ACCT Conference. Loved It!! It was presented as a closing activity – a way to bring the group together, ending on an active success. Since I added this one to my programming, I've also used it as a small group (8- to 12-person) challenge, with six groups active at the same time. It's a nice way to get participants solving problems together, it gets them talking to each other, and they can start building success with challenging tasks. I've done it with a group of 52 adults in one big circle and one group of 22 sixth graders sitting in a circle. It's motivating, fun, and challenging.
Fantastic Stories & Connections – This is a very interactive and fun get-to-know-you print-n-play that was shared with me by a FUN Follower. I worked up a nice modern version of the original to encourage interactive conversations and connections. It's a version of the historic 'Human Bingo' – however, in this version, even though one could play to get one or more five-in-a-rows (at which point you are required to yell, "Fantastic"), it's more about participating in short meaningful conversations to get to know each other. You can play for 10 to 20 minutes with middle school ages and older.
Aga Zumba Zumba - Action Song – Since I learned this one in India from my friend Agyat (in October), I haven't had a chance to use it yet – but it got a lot a views (I think the 'video' caught attention). I love action songs. They move most people out of their comfort zones but in the end everyone realizes they were in it together, and it was actually okay. Really, most people end up having fun. I like using action songs in the beginning of a program to learn something new and take a little risk. Then, I like to end a program with "one more" round to get loud and active, bringing up the energy for a final celebration.
See you next year!
All the best,
Chris Cavert, Ed.D.