Group Size: 11 to 25
Time Needed: 11 to 20 minutes
Goal: Encourage group cohesion and address the difficulty of multitasking
Audience: Couples, Teens, Parents, Children, Singles
Special Considerations: Great energizer, works really well with teens
Resources Needed: Two regular playground-type balls or two foam balls
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Select one or two people in the class to keep score. Ask the remaining participants to stand and form a circle.
- Each person should spread his or her legs somewhat wide so that his or her feet are touching his or her neighbors’ foot on each side. Instruct participants they must constantly have contact with his or her neighbors feet.
- Hand two players each a ball. It does not matter which players receive the balls.
- Explain that when you say “go” the goal is to throw a ball through any of the other players’ legs while trying to keep other players from throwing balls through your legs.
- If a ball goes through a player’s leg, he or she receives a point.
- Immediately, he or she should quickly retrieve the ball, return to his original spot and put the ball back in play by trying to throw it through another player’s legs.
- The balls will fly everywhere as each participant will be trying to grab the balls before they go under their legs and then will try to throw the ball through other participant’s legs.
- The winner has the least number of points at the end of the game.
Tips for Discussion and Processing
This is a fun group cohesion activity but you can also use it to talk about the difficulty of multitasking. The multitasking happens when you are trying to obtain a ball to throw through another’s legs while at the same time trying to keep a ball from going between your own legs.
Note: These activities can be modified to reflect a variety of skills.