As long recognized, acting games develop important skills required for acting and performing, but also vital tools for everyday life at work and socially. The games described below have been designed to develop focus of the participants.

Me to You is a really simple exercise for a large group which encourages connection and focus. It requires students to be hyperaware and really focus. Get your group into a circle.The person starting must make eye contact with someone else in the circle (working across the circle is best).They then must gesture to themselves and say “me” followed by a gesture at the other person in which they say: “to you”. It should seamless.If you are targeted you then accept the offer and continue in the same way to a new person in the circle. Once this has gone around the circle a few times, lose the words and get your students to simply use gesture and eye contact.If they are successful at this then drop the gesture and simply use eye contact.

Word Association with Clicks is a game played by professional theatre companies, and can also work really well with late primary and high school kids. Get your group into a circle. Firstly, teach your students the rhythm which they will make with their bodies: thigh slap, clap, then click (right hand), click (left hand). Get the group comfortable with this rhythm.

When clicking with the right hand the student whose turn it is must say the persons before them’s word and then a new word that associates with that word when clicking with the left hand. The next person in the circle (work in a clockwise motion) must do the same. They must repeat the last persons word with the right click and then think of a new word when they click with the left hand. The thigh slap and clap gives the game a steady rhythm and stops students panicking. Continue this until you have done a few successful laps around the circle.