Floor Rhythm

• Age level: any
• Number of participants 10-30 (break a very large group into smaller groups)
• Suggested by Warren Linds, Instructor of Theatre, Saskatchewan Urban Native Teacher Education Program, Gabriel Dumont Institute, University of Regina; and facilitator, Saskatchewan Association for Multicultural Education (SAME)

Everyone kneels on the floor in a circle, hands on the floor. Everyone places her right hand over the left hand of the person to the right (you’ll end up with someone else’s right hand between your hands). The facilitator begins by slapping his right hand on the floor, setting off a “wave” of slaps, each hand slapping the floor in succession, keeping a steady rhythm as you go. As you can imagine, because your hands are overlapping other people’s hands, there will be some visual/mental confusion. If a hand messes up and misses a slap, it is removed from the circle. The game continues until only two hands remain.

Warren Linds suggests using this game for concentration and teamwork. He also suggests that you try mixing it up by allowing a double slap on the floor to indicate a reversal in direction.

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