Smith 20

Drama Activities Appendix

Atom
The teacher calls out a number, and students quickly make a group of that size. This can also be
done with equations (e.g. the teacher could call 2 + 2 and students would need to make a group
of 4. This game is a great introduction to working together and can be skillfully applied to math
lessons.
Back to Back, Face to Face
The teacher calls out either back to back or face to face and students must stand in the
instructed arrangement with another person. The teacher can participate or not participate,
whichever provides even numbers. Later, various body parts can be called (e.g. wrist to wrist, toe
to knee, etc.). If students can handle it, the teacher can add or remove themselves to create an
odd number so that the student left out each time calls the next instruction. This game is useful
for working together and body awareness.
Ball Bounce
Students bounce a real or mimed ball back and forth while saying names or lines. This can be
done in pairs, groups, or as a whole class. This activity promotes team-work and makes the serve
and return of conversation more concrete.
Blob Tag
This begins as a normal game of tag with one person it. As people are tagged, they join hands
with the first person to create a blob. Only the ends of the blob can tag. This game helps
students work together.
Counting to 20
Everyone lies on their backs and closes their eyes. The goal is for the class to count to 20, with
only one person saying each number without overlap. If there is overlap the group has to start
back at one and try again. You could do this with any number of your choosing as well. This is a
great warm-up that fosters team-work.

(Clay Sculpture)
Crows and Cranes
Divide the class in half. Each half will stand in one line, and the two lines will face one another.
Designate one line to be crows and the other to be cranes. When crows are called, the crows line
must turn around and run back to the wall nearest them for safety, while the cranes run towards
the crows trying to tag them. Any crows tagged become cranes. When cranes are called, the
opposite occurs. This is a good warm-up or lead-in to a game of wizards, elves, giants.

Smith 21
Cumulative Names
Gather students in a circle. One person begins by saying their name (e.g. John). The person
beside John repeats Johns name and adds her own (e.g. John, Emily). The person beside Emily
repeats the names that have been said and adds her own (e.g. John, Emily, Sam). This continues
until the last person must say the names of all of the people in the circle. This activity helps
students learn names, which builds trust and teamwork. Variation: say your name and do an
action. Both the name and the action must be recited cumulatively.
Directors Cut
A regular improvised scene is going. At any moment a student not in the scene (or the teacher or
a designated student) stops the scene by saying cut (they are like the director) and he or she has
the actors replay the scene with different emotions, characters, roles (Western, Happy, etc.). This
game is great for encouraging spontaneity and character development.
Fairytale in a Minute
The students will get together in groups of 3-4 people. They will be given a fairytale
(Cinderella, Aladdin, etc.) and they have one minute to act out the story (they can move and
speak for the activity). It is important that they know they have to pull out the important parts of
the fairytale to properly convey and achieve this in a minute. This is great for solidifying an
understanding of the elements of a story.
Freeze
Two students begin an improvised scene. After the scene has been played out for 1-2 minutes, an
audience member calls freeze. This member of the audience takes the place and exact position
of one actor on stage. They must begin an entirely new scene that still makes sense given their
positioning. Variation Family Freeze: students call freeze and call upon one of their peers to
take the place of an actor on stage. This can help encourage everyone to get involved, but is very
important to build a trusting community before calling on people in this way.
Frozen Tag
When a person gets tagged, they must freeze in place. This activity helps encourage stillness and
creative movement.
Variation 1: When a person is tagged they freeze with arms outstretched. Others duck under the
frozen persons arms to free them.
Variation 2: When a person is tagged they freeze in the position they are in. Others must imitate
the frozen position to free their peers.
Fruit Basket
Form a circle with one person in the middle. Assign groups of students a type of fruit (e.g. you
might have 8 oranges, 8 apples, and 8 bananas). When the person in the middle calls out a fruit,
all students with that label and the person in the middle try to find a new seat. Each fruit, pairs of
fruits, or fruit basket (everyone) may be called. Variation As Facts About You: The person in
the middle calls out facts about themselves (e.g. people wearing black, people who went away

Smith 22
for Christmas, people who have a pet) and those in the circle that share those qualities or
experiences must find a new seat.
Hitchhiker
Students will arrange 4 chairs as though they are in a car. 2-3 students will begin an improv
scene, while another will become the hitchhiker outside of the car. The hitchhiker will try to
convince the driver to pick them up and then a short car ride will ensue. Eventually, someone
will leave the car and another audience member will prepare to become the next hitchhiker.
These scenes are great opportunities for students to experiment with exaggerated characters.
Honey Walk
Have the group walk around the space. Tell them they have a special mask that allows them to
breathe in any substance, and then talk them through the exercise: players are to move about in
successively thicker substances. Go from thin air, mist, warm water, oil, honey, Jell-O, wet
cement to hard cement. End the activity by having them frozen in cement and break out with a
big bang. This game develops awareness of body in different settings and how this effects or
constrains bodys movement
Hug Tag
This is a normal game of tag, with the added twist that hugging another person or group of
people keeps you safe. This helps students become more trusting and comfortable with one
another.
In a Line
Students organize themselves in a line by a particular trait. Examples include hair length,
birthday, shoe size, house #, alphabetical by name, where you were born, etc. This promotes
working together and helps students identify where they belong.
In A, With A
This is an improvisation activity. Students suggest a location (In a _____) and an object, person,
or other circumstance (With a _____). Students improvise a scene using the two suggestions.
This is a good platform for practicing spontaneous or planned improv, accepting, and advancing.
In One Word
Students move around the room according to an adverb (e.g. sadly, darkly, sneakily). One person
leaves the room, and the class decides on the adverb they wish to act out. Bring the person back
into the room and have them ask the class to complete instructions (e.g. shake hands that way, go
to bed that way, etc.) so that they can guess the adverb. This is a great starting point for
movement and building character.
Jump, Turn, Twizzle
Students walk in a circle. When the teacher calls out turn the students must turn 90 degrees (to
face the center of the circle) and freeze. When Jump is called, students must do a 180 degree

Smith 23
turning jump (so they will face the opposite direction that they were walking in) and freeze.
When Twizzle is called, students must jump/turn 360 degrees and freeze. When Double
Twizzle is called, students must do two twizzles (landing in the middle is ok) and freeze. While
frozen, students may only blink and breathe; even shifting eyes can count as unfrozen. If students
move during the frozen period, they may be out or merely reminded to be frozen. The first
person to move during the frozen period could also become the new instruction caller. This game
helps students think on their feet and be still. There is also the potential for great connections to
the math curriculum.
Mime Telephone
Arrange students in two lines seated on the floor. All students should face forward (so that each
student is staring at the back of the person in front of them). The person at the front of the line
chooses an item to mime. That student turns around and mimes the object to the person behind
them. When the second person in line thinks they know what the object is, they turn around and
mime that object to the person behind them. This telephone-style game continues until the object
reaches the last person, who walks to the side of the line where everyone can see and mimes the
object. The last person must then guess, verbally, the object. This is a good game for developing
mime skills and patience.
One Word Stories
Students work together to create a story by taking turns saying one word. In partners, the pair
would simply take turns back and forth. In small groups or as a whole class, it works well to take
turns around the circle. This is a good activity for accepting and advancing, working together,
and plot.
Paper Improv
Students write different statements on individual pieces of paper. Once everyone has filled out a
few pieces of paper the teacher will collect them and randomly scatter them throughout the room.
The audience suggests a setting and then 3-4 students will start a spontaneous improvisation
scene. During the scene each person has to pick up one of the papers, read it, and then tie it into
the scene in some way. This game is good for developing spontaneity and acceptance skills.
Park Bench
Set up 2-3 chairs side-by side as a bench at a bus stop or in a park. One student will enter and
establish an improv scene as a particular character Another student will enter and advance the
scene. Eventually, either student may find it appropriate to leave the bench and another student in
the group (or class, if being performed) will enter in their place.
Props
3-5 students stand in a line and they are given a prop. Each student gets 15-30 seconds to used
the prop as something its not (ex. a ladle as a mic). Once they are done they pass it to the next
person and they have to do something different and so on. This game develops creativity.
Prui

Smith 24
Gather the class in a circle and ask students to close their eyes. Secretly designate one student to
be the prui. Students then open their eyes and spread out around the room. Everyone but the prui
closes their eyes. Students move around the room looking for the prui. When they encounter
another student, they ask prui? If the student they touch is prui, they do not answer. If the
student they ask is not prui, they reply prui. This activity helps students learn to listen for the
silence in the room.
Quick Draw
Students walk around the room with their squirt guns (or pointy fingers) ready. When they
approach another person, they must fire and say that persons name. Speed is key in this game, so
it is good for making sure that you know others names under pressure.
Rename It
In this activity, students walk around the room pointing to objects and labelling them with the
wrong names. For example, students might point to a chair and say sock. This also works well
in pairs, as students share random, unrelated words back and forth. This activity helps foster
spontaneity.
Rock, Paper, Scissors
The classic: Rock smashes scissors, scissors cut paper, paper covers rock.
(Sit, Stand, Lay)
Slow-motion Tag
This is similar to walking tag, but in exaggeratedly slow motion. This is a good activity for
helping students become more aware of their movement.
Soda Shop
This is an improvisation activity. Place students in pairs and choose one A and one B. A begins
and establishes a scene in a soda shop. After giving A about 20 seconds to establish the scene, B
enters the shop and advances the improv. This is a great platform for practicing accepting and
advancing, creating conflict, or the elements of plot.
(Space Jump)
The Chair Beside Me Is Free
Students sit in chairs in a circle with one too many chairs. The person to the right of the empty
chair says The chair beside me is free and I would like _______ sitting beside me and the
student called must move to that chair, leaving their original chair empty. The person beside this
empty chair repeats the phrase. Adding 2-3 more empty chairs makes this game fast-paced. This
is a great game for getting students listening to each other and using their peers names.
The Question Game

Smith 25
The goal of this game is to advance a scene using only questions as the dialogue. Try to avoid
rephrasing your partners question: eg. responding to do you want cake? with do you want me
to have cake?. This is a good game for developing creativity and problem-solving skills.
TV Tag
Play tag as you normally would. When the it person approaches, players must kneel and say
the name of a TV show to be safe. No repetitions may be made. Those who do not say a show
name in time or name a previously said show can be out or they can also become its. This is
good for getting students moving and thinking spontaneously.
Walk
Students will walk around the room. This activity gets the students moving, blood flowing, and
can promote energy, concentration, and/or relaxation. This activity can be built upon in an
infinite number of ways, including: greeting another person, shaking hands, high-fives, doseydoe (shake hands and spin back to the direction you came from) etc.
Walk in a Confined Space
Invite students to walk around the room. Stand in the middle of the room, arms outstretched and
indicate that the part of the room behind you is off-limits. Encourage students to continue
walking and reassure that there is enough room for everyone, even as you move forward and
make the space smaller. This activity shows that everyone is welcome and that there is space for
everyone in this class.
Walking Tag
Students walk around the room. Choose 1 person to be it and have them try to tag someone
else. When someone else is tagged, they become the next it. Including more its increases the
pace and activity level in this game. This activity is a good warm-up to get students moving.
Walk Through the Circle
Gather students in a circle. Invite all students to walk through the circle, crossing to the other
side, at the same time without colliding into other students. This activity helps students work
together, problem-solve, and trust one-another. Variation: Have 1-3 students close their eyes.
Invite everyone, including those with eyes closed to walk through the circle, stressing that it is
the class responsibility to take care of the person walking through the circle by telling them
when to slow down or stop to avoid collisions. This builds trust and team-work.
What Are You Doing?
Make a circle. One student begins miming an activity (eg. pulling carrots). The student to their
right asks what are you doing and the miming student responds with a different activity (eg.
eating icecream). The asker begins miming the eating icecream. The person to their right asks,
What are you doing and so, the game travels around the circle.
Who is Your Neighbour?

Smith 26
Form a circle, seated in chairs. There should be one chair less than the number of people playing
(leaving one person to stand in the middle of the circle). Have each person think up an
alliteration for their name (e.g. Eager Emily, Awesome Alea). Learn the alliterative names of the
people on either side of you. The person in the center will ask Who is your neighbour? to one
person in the circle. If that person does not answer correctly, they move to the center and the
person who was in the center takes that seat. If the person answers correctly, the person in the
center asks, Do you want new neighbours? The seated person may respond Yes and then
everyone in the circle (including the person in the middle) finds a new chair. The seated person
may also respond No. If they do, the person in the center asks, who wants new neighbours
and the seated person must correctly name 2 people in the circle. These people must try to find
new seats. This game is good for developing trust and teamwork.
Wizards, Elves, Giants
Have students choose an action to represent each creature and choose which creature defeats the
others (as in rock, paper, scissors). Divide students in half and have each half make a line. The
lines should face each other with a few feet in between. Each group meets and decides what
creature they will be (like choosing rock in rock, paper, scissors). The students line up and call
out Wizards, elves, giants, _____ and then the creature of their choosing. The winning
creatures chase the losing creatures, and the losing creatures scramble to touch the wall for safety
(as in crows and cranes). Variation: Salmon, Mosquito, Bear, other food-chain related animals,
dictators or wars in social studies, characters in a story, angles in math, etc.
Yes, Lets
Students find a space in the room. A student or the teacher asks the group to do an activity by
calling out Lets _____. The group, in unison, all respond by shouting out Yes, Lets! Then the
students individually and silently explore the activity physically, in their area. When the teacher
or student feels the activity has been fully explored he or she calls out another activity. This
game develops acceptance skills.
Zucchinis
Zucchinis are trust balances. They must be done very slowly so that everyone can feel safe.

Front Zucchini: partners face each other. Put toes together, hold hands, and lean back
slowly.
Side Zucchini: partners stand side by side so that they can put the outsides of their right
feet together. Hold right hands, lean left slowly.
Back Zucchini: partners stand with backs together. Move feet away from back so that
you are leaning on one another.
Group Front Zucchini and Group Back Zucchini