By Paul Deichmann
It’s scary season everyone!
To increase your thrills and life skills, we've got 3 games for you to try with your friends and family. These will offer scary fun, but also teach valuable life lessons. Whether you're planning a Halloween party or just a casual get-together, these three improv games are perfect for a night of frightful delights.
1. Character Swap - Building Empathy and Adaptability
Getting into costume is a great way to connect to a character and how they feel. Character Swap is a simple way to try switching into the situation of another, and understanding how they feel.
Whether in costume or no, have everyone stand, and begin to walk around as a character. Have them develop their walk like they think the character would walk:
Will they limp? Will they be scared, or confident? Once they have it, tell everyone to walk up to someone and face them. Tell them on the count of three to take on each other's characters…1…2… 3! Have everyone swap characters with who they are facing and keep walking around. Continue walking and switching until everyone's tried each character, and gets theirs back.
This game helps build empathy and adaptability, as players must think and act like someone else. It's a great way to develop a deeper understanding of different perspectives and adapt to new situations – essential life skills.
Debrief questions:
What was it like to change what character you were playing?
Did the different characters feel different to play?
2. Monster Maker - Fostering Creativity and Collaboration
Monster Maker is a hilarious game that taps into your creativity and teamwork. Divide your group into teams, and each team is tasked with creating a unique monster by combining two or more classic Halloween creatures (e.g., a vampire-werewolf-ghost hybrid). In your teams have each member go one by one adding a new detail or part of the monster. After each contribution, the whole group says "YES!"
Example:
Meera: “The monster has long claws that spit venom!”
All: YES
Katherine: “And the venom is so powerful that even smelling it makes people fall asleep!”
All: YES!
Darryl: “And it smells kinda nice, so people keep getting drawn toward it and falling asleep all over town!”
All: YES!
And so on…
3. Ghost Story Relay - Enhancing Storytelling and Communication
Ghost Story Relay is a fantastic game for enhancing storytelling and communication skills. Sit in a circle, and one person starts a scary story. You can get a suggestion from the group for its title or use this one: "The Knocking on the Window"
After the first person has said a few sentences, they point to someone else, who continues the story seamlessly. As the tale unfolds, players must stay engaged, listen actively, and contribute creatively to keep the story intriguing and cohesive. This game sharpens your ability to communicate effectively and think critically.
Debrief questions:
How can we make sure we're ready to pick up the story?
What was the most fun? Did the story go as you expected?
These Halloween improv games are not only a blast but also an excellent way to practice essential life skills. Whether it's empathy, adaptability, creativity, collaboration, storytelling, or communication, these activities have a lot to offer. So, as the Halloween season arrives, gather your family and friends for a night of spooktacular improv and life skill building. Have a fantastic and skill-building Halloween!
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