Energisers and Games: Engage and enjoy with your group!
Energisers and short games are like secret weapons that a facilitator has, to keep his/her audience focused. Of course a workshop or an event’s content is the most important, but every now and then an energiser does best to entertain as well as raise the energy levels of the room.
Not just during workshops, energisers are a great asset during volunteering activities too. As a way to break ice between volunteers and beneficiaries if they are meeting for the first times, or to energise the group anytime during the activity. And it’s not just kids but everybody loves to play. So don’t think that a game seems too kid-dish, you would be surprised when the adults ask you to repeat the 1-2-3 clapping game! 🙂
Clap Energiser
The picture above is from a clapping energiser we did with kids. Volunteers asked children to clap in different ways when they said “1-2-1-2-3”. The different ways may be:
- normal clapping with hands;
- finger snapping;
- clapping with a neighbour (one hand is your’s and hand is your neighbour’s)
- Silent clapping (or visual applause or deaf applause): This visual applause was included not just for energiser but also to sensitize normal children about people with disabilities.
Increase the tempo as you go on, to see a super-charged audience!
Below are some websites that give a big list of energisers and ice-breakers. As a resource series we will be posting in detail some of the more popular energisers that we have used personally.
Some websites for energisers:
http://www.thechangeagency.org/_dbase_upl/games&energisers.pdf
http://www.lionsclubs.org/EN/common/pdfs/icebreakers.pdf
http://www.archertraining.co.uk/energisers.htm
http://peopleandplanet.org/unis/gg/icebreaker
http://dramaresource.com/games
Is there any energiser or game that you are particularly fond of? Share with us in comments or write on Volunteer Weekly about it!