Spiritual development objectives:

• Improve the expression of emotions
• Explore a range of emotions through playing and give them a name
• Develop self-confidence

Activity guidelines

All walking to the same rhythm, participants will move around the game area. When the leader gives the signal (enunciating the emotional state of the statues), the participants will stop, perfectly still, and imitate the requested emotion. They will remain in this position for one and a half minute (1 minute for younger children). For example, the statues could be happy, sad, feeling ill, angry, in love, stressed…

Then, when the leader makes a new signal, participants will walk around in the most neutral manner.

Comments

Advice: Participants should not take the time to think about or « intellectualise » the emotion. Once the signal is given, the emotion must be transformed into a physical expression within seconds. Do insist on spontaneity, the first chosen physical expression will be the right one. Young people need to have trust in what they do and impose their own vision of the various states.

This game is not a spiritual development activity per say as it is more about playing an emotion according to the leader’s instructions than expressing a personal feeling. However, the interest of this game lies in the fact that it allows young people to explore a wide range of emotions and to name them.

Material

Very soft musical background

Source

AnimerSpi - Scouts et Guides Pluralistes de Belgique

 MEGRIER D., 100 jeux de théâtre à la maternelle, Paris : Retz, 1995, p. 90 et HERIL A. & MEGRIER D., 60

exercices d’entraînement au théâtre à partir de huit ans, Paris : Retz, 1992, p. 93