Famela Restrepo

LEI 4724
Activity File 8

Activity title: Crazy Mixed-up Stories

Source: Helgeson, E., & Willis, S. (1987). Activities. In Handbook of group activities for
impaired older adults (Vol. 9, p. 28). New York, New York: Haworth Press.
Equipment: cards each with different noun on it (e.g., basketball, snow, dog, ice cream,
automobile, lamp, church, sweater, pizza, etc.)
Description of activity:
The object of this task is to make up a mixed-up story using a variety of new pieces of
information. The group sits in a circle and one person is selected to begin. S/he must pick a card
from the stack of noun cards and use that noun to begin a short story. When s/he finished several
sentences will do-the next person draws a card and must continue the story including the new
noun in the story.
Leadership consideration: this activity could be play with any size of participant and will have
a time involved between 10 to 50 minutes. The therapist plays a role of moderator by explaining
the activity and if necessary include an example of how to make a story. Then the therapist will
change his/her role as facilitator by helping the participant starting the story if they feel nervous
or shame. The facilitator also can initiate the story and then the participant will continue the
activity.
Adaptations:
Participants with Schizotypal Personality Disorder. When participants with schizotypal
personality interact with others, they may display constricted or inappropriate emotions and poor
psychosocial functioning in general. Individuals may find it too difficult to add to the previous
story. The moderator should be allowed the participant to tell their own story. It may not be
necessary to give them a card but just ask them to tell a short, crazy, and mixed-up story. So they
will feel more relaxed while participating.
People with Avoidant Personality Disorder: participants with this disorder typically avoid
activities involving significant interpersonal contact because they are afraid that they will be
negatively evaluated or rejected. Therefore, the facilitator will ask the participant to display the
word to other participants and then each participant will write a story. The facilitator could also
include both verb and noun cards, then the participant would be required to write both a noun
and verb and to make up a story using both.