A beanbag
If you’ve been on my training courses you may recognise The Beanbag Game. It’s great for community-building and getting used to speaking out loud to the group, plus it develops skills such as eye contact, turn-taking and collaboration.
I usually start by saying There are two rules for the game:
1) Always throw to the same person.
2) Say their name before you throw.
The basic idea is that, with everyone standing in a circle, the beanbag is thrown across the circle until everyone has had a go. This then continues, with everyone throwing to the same person each time, and saying their name loudly and clearly before they throw.
More beanbags…
A second and third beanbag can be introduced. At this point, there is often a buzz of excitement and an ensuing chaos! If things get a bit crazy, pause the game and ask if anyone has a tip for the group. Participants will often suggest to each other things like Look at the person who is throwing to you. Don’t rush – wait until you can tell they are ready.
Here are three other variations / extensions:
Let’s see if we can do it now without speaking.
Let’s see if we can do it in reverse order.
Let’s see how long it takes us to throw the beanbag to everyone. The group can then try to gradually beat their time.
Reflection
After playing the game, I like to sometimes ask What skills is this game helping us practise or develop?
