Learning

Curriculum bitesize - focus on Ice breakers

Summary: Guidelines to help you include blind and partially sighted young people in ice breaker activities

• Overview
• Getting to know you games
• Physical fun to break down barriers

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This article was first published in the September/October 2006 edition of Curriculum Bitesize free with Insight magazine

Overview

We thought we’d look at icebreakers and getting to know you games. Getting to know your peers in any new setting, whether school or holiday, can be a daunting prospect for any child, but children who are blind or partially sighted may find it even tougher as they miss out on visual clues taken for granted by their sighted peers. Ice breakers and getting to know you games can make a big difference in any group setting.

Getting to know you games

These games encourage children to find out things about each other by asking questions. Pupils with little or no useful vision may need some sighted support, but where possible keep this to a minimum and allow pupils to interact without adult intervention.

The circle

Pupils are asked to stand up, join hands and form two circles, an inner and an outer circle. The facilitator asks the two circles to move in opposite directions while he makes a sound on a drum/tambourine etc. When it stops, the pupils stop moving and introduce themselves to the person opposite (they could shake hands so that the pupil with a sight problem identifies the position of their talking partner). They then swap names, ages, favourite pop groups, football teams etc. This can be done until all participants have had a chance to talk to each other.

Line Up

Instruct pupils to get into groups of five to ten people each. The first group that gets itself into order according to the category you name, wins. For example first letter of middle name, shoe size, height, birth date, etc. Be sure to pick subjects that people can line up to easily.

Sit Down if…

Have a list of questions (with each one getting wilder, and the wilder the better) beginning with the phrase, “Sit down if you …" For example, “Sit down if you… have ever stayed up past midnight.” Find out who remains standing after each round.

Clump

Everybody moves around the room, constantly moving until the leader shouts out a number. All players must then try to get into groups of that number, any group/s that don’t succeed are out. Or, to get to know things about each other, players find others who have things in common, such as same shoe size or same Birthday month.

Shoe pile

Everyone takes off one of their shoes and throws it into a big pile. Then each pupil picks up a different shoe from the pile and finds the person it belongs to. This works well for large groups. Children with little or no sight can ask questions to find out what type of shoe the person they are talking to is wearing.

Physical fun to break down barriers

Who am I?

Prepare a card for each of your pupils and write on it the name of a famous man or woman (in braille and large print where necessary). Pin a card on the back of each pupil they must then ask questions of each other in order to find out their identity. When they succeed, the card is pinned on the front of them. This introduces the class to braille.

Party Ark!

Prepare some cards with the name of an animal (using braille and large print if needed). There should be two cards for each animal. Put the animal cards in a hat. Ask each child to pick out a card, but to keep the name of their animal a secret - the children walk around the room making animal noises, until they meet their ‘partner’.

"Elves, Wizards, Giants" is a funnier and more accessible team variation of the scissors, paper, stone game.

Have people pair off. Then, when the signal is given each person strikes a pose and makes a noise like an elf, wizard or giant. Be sure to demonstrate what each one looks and sounds like (see below) before you begin. Use an assistant to demonstrate body positions if your pupil has little or no useful vision. The giant beats the elf, the wizard beats the giant, the elf beats the wizard. Eliminate the losers and pair the winners until you get a champion.

Elf - Squat down and imitate pointed ears by holding two fingers up by your ears (similar to making bunny ears). Make "Eeeking" noises while doing this.

Giant - Stand on tip toe, arms raised in frightening posture making growling / roaring sounds.

Wizard - Stand normally but with arms outstretched as if casting a spell. Make appropriate spell-casting noises!

Person Scavenger Hunt Bingo

This takes a bit of preparation, but would work well with a class including a braille user as it introduces the other children to braille as a reading medium. Instead of creating a Bingo board with numbers, create a large print and braille Bingo board of things anybody could have done or might have in their possession. Put the class into pairs (with mixed pairings of sighted children and children with a sight problem) and give each pair a copy of the board. Get them to go around asking the other pairs if either of them matches any of the details on the squares. If a player does, they have to sign their name in that square/s (For example, one square can be "Find someone who forgot to brush their teeth this morning"). Give players a time limit. The winner is the first person who gets a row or at the end of an allotted time has most names.

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Content author: curriculum@rnib.org.uk

Last updated: 22/07/2008 10:47