Healing is an odd theme to base games around, illness isn’t usually a fun topic. these games therefore concentrate on the pool, the question, and the social position the invalid may have felt he held.
In the mat – you’ll need some towels or bedding rolls for this game as well as a box of objects. In was usual for beggars and the ill to sit on a thin mat which would have rolled up easily, but inside this roll you could hide things. demonstrate this by using a piece of paper and show how it doesn’t drop out. tell the children that they each have a mat (towel or bedroll) and that they must take an object from the box, roll the mat and transport the object safely to the other side of the room. you can either make this competitive or a team task. talk about how little the invalid would have been able to carry with him each day.
Bathseda Parachute – a great simple game for younger ones, go ahead and wobble that parachute and let them run into the moving waves, when the waves stop they need to climb out. Will work with a large bed-sheet too!
Looking up – This is a little activity about perspective. Put the children into a circle and take turns going round – the first person needs to lay on floor, they looking up to second one who needs to have their eyes above them, for example seated, the next may be kneeling, and so forth until the person is jumping in the air. then you can have the kids get smaller and smaller looking down on the next person. the older the group the more stages they will make between jumping and laying on the floor. talk about how it was to look up or down at people, how did it feel, who felt they had more power or control?
Forfeit desires – a game for older kids this involves writing forfeits out on paper (here is a list of suggestions). three people are then chosen and called option A, option B, and the subject. After blindly taking a forfeit from the pile option A and option B need to convince the subject to or not to complete their forfeit Eventually the subject must choose. you can add in some nice forfits like eat some chocolate. talk about what affects our decisions.
No arms or legs – while some may think this terrible taste other groups will enjoy ending up in a ball of laughter on the floor, just be very aware of your group before taking the risk. The aim of the game is to compete various tasks in a set time limit without one player using their legs, particularly without bending your knees, and without the other using their arms. Tasks could include : moving across the room, getting into and out of a chair, climbing through a hula hoop, carrying a glass of water to a table, putting on shoes etc – working together is advised but not essential!
