Ingredients:
- Pictures to act out, such as pictures of different animals, a person washing dishes or brushing their hair, etc. These can be hand drawn, found in magazines, or cards from games, like Memory.
Prep Time:
- 30 minutes to find pictures
Recipe for Fun!
Children take turns picking up a card and acting out the picture without using words. The rest of the participants guess what the person is acting out. Using gestures is a different way of communicating. It helps children who are verbal and nonverbal communicate with each other on an even playing field and helps emphasize the importance of facial expressions and gestures in communication.
Benefits:
- Nonverbal Communication is a way to use body language, gestures, and expressions to communicate thoughts and feelings to other people.
- Collaboration is targeted when multiple children are working together to guess the answer.
- Confidence is strengthened as children become aware of how they can use their body to communicate with others.
Modifications:
- For an easier time:
- Perform in front of a mirror so children can see how their movements and expressions look and how they can change the tone by altering those movements, gestures, and expressions.
- For extended challenge:
- Provide cards with printed words to act out, rather than pictures.
- Provide book or movie titles with multiple words for children to act out.
Variations:
- Use a list of emotions for children to act out (e.g., happy, sad, embarrassed, confused, angry).
- Provide categories of cards that children can choose from (e.g., animals, emotions, actions, daily living tasks). Provide the category to children who are guessing to help them focus their thoughts on the topic.