GAME TITLE Purpose NOTES Notes

Each student gets up and says 1 true thing about themselves and
1 lie. Have the class vote which they think is the true thing. (You
can try the 2 truths, 1 lie that is more well-known, but I have
found that starting with 1-1 with ESL kids is better. You can work
1 Truth/ 1 Lie Icebreaker up to 2-1.)

5 Categories of cards: People, Location, Situation, Animal,

Color/Thing. Lay cards face-down on a table, keeping all the
Categories together. Put students in groups of 5-6. Have 1
Improv / person from each group come draw 1 card from each category.
Imagination / They take their 5 Cards back to their group. That group must Requires making the card sets.
5 Cards* Storytelling make a skit that includes all 5 things. (Message me for pictures).

Groups of 3-5. Students hold out both hands with fingers

splayed. Each kid takes a turn saying something about
themselves. If that thing is true for another kid, that kid puts a
10 Fingers Icebreaker finger down. Play until all fingers are gone.

VERY advanced improv. Only attempt with REALLY high level

kids. 2-3 students are onstage. Give them a location and
circumstances, possibly also characters if needed. They must
improv a scene BUT each line spoken by the 2-3 actors must
begin with the letter of the alphabet in sequence. ("All aboard!
Evreryone on the space ship who's going to the moon!"
Improv / "Beatrice, you're always late!" "Complain, complain! All you
Imagination / ever do is complain!" "Don't forget to have your tickets
Alphabet Soup Storytelling ready!..." Etc.)

In an open area with clearly defined boundaries, tag one person

as "It." It chases and tries to catch someone else. When a
person is caught, both people are now "It." They catch a 3rd
Amoeba Tag Energy burn person and all 3 are "It." Play unti everyone is caught.
 Teams of 3 students. 1 student is the Artist, 1 is the Model, and
1 is the Clay. The Artist faces the Model and the Clay. The
Model and Clay face the artist, with the Model standing a couple
of feet behind the Clay. (Clay cannot see Model.) The Model
strikes a pose. The Artist must move the Clay to make the same
Observation / pose as the Model. Take a picture so the Clay can see the Model
Artist/Model/Clay Imagination behind them.

Good activity to create random partners. Have students draw

pieces of paper from a bucket/hat/bowl. On the papers are
various animals, two of each kind. (Two pieces of paper that say
COW, two pieces of paper that say CHICKEN.) Students are then
let loose in a large open area, and must make the sound of that
animal. They find their other half and sit down. (Write down
who draws what animal to check that they don't just sit down
Barnyard Icebreaker with a friend.)

Two circles. One circle has students standing behind chairs and
the other is a circle of students sitting in the chairs. The standing
students are the "jailers" and the seated students are the
"prisoners." The "jailers" can keep two fingers hovering in the air
over their "prisoner's" shoulder. One "jailer" has an empty chair
and he tries to steal another "prisoner" by doing subtle facial
expressions to call them over. Keep points for how many times a
prisoner moves chairs AND how many times a jailer successfully
Break out of Jail Energy burn steals a prisoner.

Two teams. Explain that this is a team version of "Rock, Paper,

Scissors." The Tiger eats the Man, the Man owns the Camera,
and the Camera captures the Tiger. Teams decide which to be
and then must do the corresponding motion in perfect unison to
Camera-Tiger-Man Teamwork beat the other team. Play to 5 points.
 Students sit in a circle. Hand a ball to one person. Then name a
category. (Animals, colors, countries, etc.) That person must
name 5-6 things in that category as quickly as they can. The ball
is passed all the way around the circle. Wherever the ball stops,
Categories Brain training that kid gets the next category.

Icebreaker / Kids in groups. Tell them to find 1 thing they have in common:
Improv / give prompts ("Worst school experience" "Favorite memory with
Imagination / family" etc.). They must combine their experiences into a
Commonality Skits Storytelling cohesive skit about that thing.

Have students sit on the floor in a circle. One student begins by

saying "1." Another student says "2." (Not sitting next to each
other.) The group must count to a number (21, 30, etc.) without
Teamwork / two people talking at the same time. If two people speak at the
Count to… (21, 30, etc.) Concentration same time, the group starts over at "1."

Improv /
Imagination / Show a group of 5 kids a card. Have each of them add 1
Dixit Card* 5-sentence stories Storytelling sentence to create the story inspired by that card. Requires Dixit board game.

Improv /
Imagination / Give a group of 5-6 kids a card. Have them make a skit inspired
Dixit Card* Group Skits Storytelling by the picture on the card. Requires Dixit board game.

Improv / Get students into groups of 5-6. Give each group a different
Imagination / card. Have the class compose a story that unites all the cards
Dixit Card* Build-A-Story Storytelling into 1 plot line. Requires Dixit board game.

Students sit in a circle with 1 less chair than players. The person
in the middle says "Everybody who…" then describes something.
("wears a watch" or "is a girl" or "likes basketball…") If it applies
Everybody Who… Circle Icebreaker to you, you must change chairs. Same warning as Fruit Salad.
 Go to a large open area. Tell students that there is NO TALKING
during this game. Then have them line up by height, tallest to
shortest WITHOUT TALKING. Next have them line up by shoe
size. Then by birthday, Jan 1 to Dec 31. Then by favorite color
Everybody Who… Lines Icebreaker in the rainbow. Etc.

VERY advanced improv. Only attempt with REALLY high level

kids. Good to do after students know and trust each other a bit.
Give each student a small slip of paper. Have them think about
things that truly frighten them - not just physical things, but also
emotional things. They write these things on the slip of paper
and put them into a hat . (You also need to add a fear so there is
1 extra at the end, just in case.) Once all the "fears" are in the
hat, the hat gets passed around and each student chooses a slip
and opens it. (They can't draw their own - if they do, put it back.
This is why an extra is needed just in case the last kid only has
his/her own slip left.) The student opens the slip of paper and
reads what the fear is. Then, they must explain why someone
Imagination / might be afraid of this thing (validation of feelings) and how they
Empathy / might feel if they encountered that feary thing if they had that
Emotional fear. Keep going until all students have had a turn at Requires paper slips, pens or
Fear in a Hat* training explanation. pencils, and a hat.

Students stand in a circle with their hands behind their backs.

One kid is in the middle. The students must pass a ball around
the circle behind their backs without the kid in the middle
Concentration / "catching" the ball. Start with small ball and then change to
Fireball* Energy burn bigger balls. Or have more than 1 going around at a time. Requires balls of several sizes.

VERY advanced improv. Only attempt with REALLY high level

kids. Put kids in pairs or trios. Give each group a "First Line."
Improv / They must make a skit of at least "X" # of lines (divided equally
Imagination / among the participants) that tells a clear story and begins with
First Line Storytelling the "First Line."
 VERY advanced improv. Only attempt with REALLY high level
kids. Put 2 kids onstage. Give them a location and scenario (Use
the "5 Cards," or take suggestions from the class) and they must
begin an Improv. When someone from the class sees a moment
in the storyline where they can change the story - usually the
actors engaged in a a creative physical pose - they call "FREEZE!"
Both actors must freeze. The classmate who called "Freeze"
goes onstage and "taps out" one of the actors. The new actor
Improv / must take the exact physical pose of the previous actor, and
Imagination / must begin a new storyline from that physical pose. *It is highly
Storytelling / suggested NOT to continue this ad infinitum. Set a timer - 10, 12,
Freeze Physicality 15 minutes - and when the timer goes off, end the game.

Kids sit in a circle, with 1 less chair than players. Assign each
student a fruit (apple, orange, grape, banana, strawberry) and
the "caller" stands in the middle. The "caller" calls out one fruit
OR a combination of fruits. Those fruits must change chairs. The
caller can say "fruit salad" and everyone must change. You can't
change to the chair next to yours. Warning: have VERY STURDY
Fruit Salad Energy burn chairs for this game.

Kids circle up - 8-12 in a circle - and one starts by saying "I'm

going on a trip and I am taking _____________." The person
sitting next to them says, "I am also going on a trip and I am
taking ___________ and he/she is taking __________." Go until
the last person must name all 8-12 things. Then reverse the
Going on a Trip Brain training direction.
 Two teams. Each team sends a "guesser" to stand at the front
with their back to the whiteboard. Post a word. The team must
get their own "guesser" to guess the word using only movement.
Teamwork / (The other team helps to judge by watching the team that is
Guess the Word (Charades) Charades acting to make sure they don't cheat.) Points to 5 for who wins.

Kids circle up and reach hands across to grasp 2 different hands

from 2 different people. Then the group must "untangle"
Human Knot Teamwork themselves.

Kids circle up and look at the floor. Tell them to close their eyes.
Walk around the outside of the circle and press into the back of
3-5 kids. They are now the "killers." The students will open
their eyes and go around shaking everyone's hand and telling
something about themselves (favorite food, favorite color, etc).
The "killers" press their finger into someone's wrist to "kill"
them. Someone who is "killed" counts to 5, then does a
dramatic death. If a student suspects that someone is a killer,
they raise their hand and can accuse. If they are right, the
Energy burn / "killer" dies, and if they are wrong then they die. (Killers can kill
Killerz Fun each other.)

Warm-up physical activity: have your right arm reach up then

reach down at the same time that your left arm is reaching up,
L/R Synchronization Brain training out, and down.

VERY advanced improv. Only attempt with REALLY high level

kids. Put kids in pairs or trios. Give each group a "Last Line."
Improv / They must make a skit of at least "X" number of lines (divided
Imagination / equally among the participants) that tells a clear story and ends
Last Line Storytelling with the "Last Line."
 VERY advanced improv. Only attempt with REALLY high level
kids. Requires 4-5 participants. 3 kids are the "hopeful dates"
and 1 kid is the questioner (dater). 1 kid can be a host, if you
have a really witty commenter type. The 3 "hopeful dates" are
given interesting characters (deaf librarian, woman in labor,
Improv / stuttering policeman, etc.) The questioner must ask questions of
Imagination / the 3 characters and the actors must answer in character. After
Let's Make a Date Storytelling 2-3 questions per character, the questioner must choose a date.

One student makes a motion and sound. Another student goes

to them and makes a motion and sound in relation. Build the
Physicality / machine with everyone in the class. Video the machine
Machine Teamwork "working" when everyone is included.

Pass a piece of fabric around the circle, and ask kids to use it as
something else. 1st time around the circle kids will make towels,
sheets, rugs, and other fabric things. 2nd time around the circle Requires a piece of fabric
tell them they must make something that ISN'T made of fabric. around 3' (1 m) x 3' (1m)
Magic Sheet* Imagination Repetition is not allowed. square.

Decide a category (animals, superheroes, etc.). Kids must choose

an animal or superhero or whatever to be. Tell them that they
are now in a magical garden where the statues come to life.
They strike poses. Wander around the garden and admire the
statues. The statues must change poses (or move to different
locations) without you seeing them. If you see them, they are
Magic Statues Energy Burn caught / out.

Give a group a random object. Tell them it is now magical. They

Improv / must decide its magical property and how much it's worth. Then
Imagination / they must make a commercial to sell the magical object to the
Magical Item* Commercials Storytelling class. Requires random objects.
Mannequins Still in development.
Mime Down the Alley Not recommended for ESL.

Put students into pairs. (I highly recommend pairing students by

height because it makes the mirrored movements more
authentic.) Have students decide who is A and who is B. Begin
with A being the leader and B being the mirror. Tell students to
look into their partners eyes, to keep eye contact as much as
possible. Remind students to move SLOWLY and go for true
exact mirroring. (I like to tell them that the goal is for me
watching them to be unable to tell who is A and who is B.) After
4-6 minutes, call for the leader to swich and have B become the
Observation / leader and A the mirror. It's good to end with either a discussion
Physicality / or reflective journal writing activity for students to explain what
Mirror Game Concentration was difficult about this exercise.

Monitor students: sometimes this can become inappropriate.

Divide students into groups of 5-6. Each student puts up a hand
with 5 fingers extended. Students will go around the circle
saying "Never have I ever…" followed by something they have
never done. If someone in the group HAS done that thing, they
must lower 1 finger. Play until only 1 person has fingers left OR
Never Have I Ever Icebreaker until a timer goes off.

VERY advanced improv. Only attempt with REALLY high level

kids. Students sit in a circle. The first student begins a sentence,
Brain training / with each student contributing a word. The goal is for the class
Storytelling / to compose a story that makes sense - has exposition, rising
One Word Storytelling Teamwork action, climax, and falling action - one word at a time.
 VERY advanced improv. Only attempt with REALLY high level
kids. Requires 4 participants. 3 kids are the "party guests" and 1
kid is the party host. The 3 "party guests" are given interesting
characters (deaf librarian, woman in labor, stuttering policeman,
Improv / etc.) The host does not know who the guests are. The guests
Imagination / arrive at the 'party' one after another, and the host must guess
Party Quirks Storytelling what each character is.

Imaginary ball is passed around a circle. Kids must sculpt the ball
into other objects, do an action with the object to show what it
is, then mash it back down into a ball and pass to the next kid.
Pass the Magic Ball Imagination Repetition is not allowed.

Beware of what props you choose: kids will find any way possible
to be inappropriate. Have 2 boxes of random objects - the more
strange, the better. Have 2 pairs of students. Each pair chooses
something from the box and must use it as something OTHER
Improv / than what it actually is. They only get 1-2 sentences, and can Requires 2 boxes of 10-12 props
Props* Imagination include movement to use their item in its unconventional way. in each box.
PSAs Still in development.

Students sit on the floor with their feet extended towards the
middle. One kid is in the middle and wears a blindfold. The
students must pass the "rattlesnake" around the circle without
the kid in the middle "catching" the person who is holding the Requires a rattle or bell or some
"rattlesnake" (by touching the feet of that person). The kid in object that makes noise at the
the middle is on hands and knees, and the students in the circle slightest movement, and a
Rattlesnake* Energy burn are not allowed to throw or toss the "rattlesnake." blindfold.
Revolving Door Still in development.
 Students stand in a circle. Choose 3 students to step to the
middle. The students in the middle will "gallop" around the
inside of the circle and everyone claps and chants "Here we go,
ride that pony, riding 'round that big fat pony, here we go ride
that pony this is how we do it." The 3 inner people then stop in
front of 3 people in the outer circle. Everyone continues the
chant: "Front to front to front my baby, back to back to back my
baby, side to side to side my baby - this is how we do it." While
facing each other, the 6 kids will "dance" at each other, first
facing the partner then back to back, then side to side (as lyrics
suggest). During "this is how we do it," the 6 students switch
places. Repeat. Make sure to call out that the inner students
must choose NEW outer circle students each time. I like to do
this until everyone has been a "pony" at least once. (See video
Ride the Pony Energy burn example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCrlvCMMWpQ )
Scenes From a Hat Still in development.

Call out various commands and kids must do certain actions as

fast as they can. Slow kids are eliminated. "Shark Attack,"
"Captain's Coming," "Swab the Deck," "3 Men in a Boat," "Man
Overboard," "Mermaid," "Port," "Starboard." Eliminate kids until
Ships & Sailors Energy burn there are 2 winners.

Give the class a location. (Park, cafeteria, beach, etc.) One kid
goes onstage and says "I am a __________" and strikes a pose.
(In a park, "I am a tree... fountain...) Another kid goes up and
says "I am a ____________" in relation to the first kid. Add kids
until there is a 'picture.' Take a photo. Show the kids / post it on Requires camera (cell phone,
Snapshot* Teamwork the projection board or print them for parent day. iPad, etc).
 Take a piece of paper and cut it into 4 pieces. Repeat to make as
many pieces as kids you have. Write numbers on each paper so
there are 2 matching numbers (2 number 1s, 2 number 2s, etc.)
and also write a prompt ("The first time you were onstage" …
"The first time you went on a plane" ... "The most fun you had
with a family member"). Crumple up all the papers into balls
and put into a bucket. When kids come in, yell "Snowball fight!"
and have kids throw the "snowballs" at each other. After a
certain amount of time (you choose), blow a whistle. Instruct
each kid to get a "snowball" in their hand - ideally the most
recent one that struck them, but whatever is lying nearest. They
will then "melt" (open) their snowball and find their partner.
Have them sit facing their partner and exchange personal stories
Snowball Fight* Icebreaker based on the prompt. Requires paper and 1 pen.

Divide an enclosed area into 4-6 quadrants (suggested: tape the

floor with brightly colored tape) and tell the students what the
floor is made of in each area (lava, slippery ice, super sticky gum,
zero gravity, super high gravity, booby trapped, etc) and let
students move from one space to another, changing their
The Floor Is… Physicality movements to accommodate the new environments. Recommended: bright tape
 Kids in groups of 6 or 7. Need floor mats of similar color and
some kind of "treasure". It is important that the mats or squares
are big enough and also small enough that it takes teamwork for
6-7 kids to all have a foot on it. Have the kids go from one mat
to another in a trail to capture the "treasure." They must ALL get
Physicality / on one mat, then ALL transfer to the next mat before going to
Teamwork / the 3rd mat. If they touch the floor, they must start over. THEN, Requires non-slip floor mats or
Improv / when teams have captured their "treasure," have them create a carpet tiles. Or you can tape
Imagination / skit based on the treasure hunt. (What is it, why they want it, squares on the floor. Also
Treasure Hunt* Team/Skits Storytelling how they got it, etc.) requires "treasures."

One kid stands in the middle of the circle and does an action.
Another kid comes up and asks "What are you doing?" First kid
responds with a DIFFERENT action, which the new kid must do.
Third kid comes up and asks "What are you doing?" Keep going
Imagination / until all kids have done an action AND given a new action to
What Are You Doing? Physicality someone else.
 VERY advanced improv. Only attempt with REALLY high level
kids. There are 3 participants: 2 diners and 1 waiter. This is great
if you've only got a few really outgoing kids and are trying to get
the rest of the students to stop being so self conscious. Make
your outgoing kid the waiter. The diners sit at a table on one
side of the stage. The waiter comes in from the other side and
asks what they'd like to drink, and then leaves to get menus.
While the waiter is gone, the diners talk about the "weird things"
the waiter is doing. One of the diners will give a specific "weird
thing" ("Did you see how that waiter kept bursting into song?" or
"Did you notice how he was doing gym exercises?") and when
the waiter returns, he/she must do the weird thing. Waiter takes
orders, leaves to put in orders. Diners state 2nd weird thing,
waiter brings food, leaves, gets 3rd thing, returns to take plates
and bring bill... It's usually best to stop when the waiter has 3
weird things that he/she is doing simultaneously. If needed, you
Improv / can provide the diners with 3 pre-determined "weird things" that
Where's My Waiter? Physicality combine voice, body/gesture, and facial expression.

Kids stand in a circle. One kid leaves the room. Choose a leader
in the circle. Leader begins motion and sound. Circle copies
leader. Kid comes back in the room as the guesser. Leader
changes motion/sound. Kid must find leader / circle must change
so smoothly that kid can't find leader. New guesser goes to the
Who Started the Motion? Teamwork hallway. Repeat.

Kids stand in a circle. One kid goes to the middle and says "Let's
Physicality / ____" (action verb) Group says "Yes, let's" and all do the action.
Yes, Let's Teamwork Next kid goes to the middle. Repeat.