Musical Neighbors

Context
Do your remember the game musical chairs? This is a bit like that. Does everyone have their place card? If not please get it.

We want everyone to place themselves in a circle with your shoulders touching the person on both sides. Now take one step back.

Please put your place card at your feet.

The facilitator takes their place in the center of the circle.

"As you'll notice, there is one less place than people in the group. That's why I'm in the center of the circle. So, I'll begin in the center of the circle, but my task is to try and find a place on the outside of the circle and have someone else end up without a place. The way I'm going to do that is to make a statement that is TRUE for me. For example, if I am wearing tennis shoes, I might say ˜All my neighbors who are wearing tennis shoes.' If that statement is also true for you, then you must come off your place and find another spot in the circle. I could also say something like˜All my neighbors who love to swim," and if that's true for you on the outside of the circle, you must move and find a new place. You may not move immediately to your right or left and you may not move off your space and return to it in the same round. Let's do this safely. No running. No body-checking, kicking or pinching. OK. I'll start."

Stop the game when people are energized. Congradulation to the person in the center.

Online Use

Version 1: All participants must turn on their videos. Music is played and everyone moves their hands and upper bodies. When the music stops suddenly, the persons who are caught moving must turn off their videos. The game continues until there is only one person or it has gone on long enough and participants are sufficiently energised. (Shared by Hector Villarreal Lozoyo at an IAF meeting.)

Version 2: The facilitator makes a statement and those who do not identify with the statement s switch off their videos. Of the remaining persons, the one whose first name starts with a letter closest to the beginning of the alphabet makes a statement. As before, others who don't identify with the statement switch off their videos. Continue alphabetically until there is only one person left or the game has gone on long enough and participants are sufficiently energised.

Potential pitfalls: Being too silly for the group