The group dynamics for young That I am going to present are designed to learn in an entertaining way and reflect on facts and concepts that are not learned in curricular subjects, such as their relationship with other people or levels of morality. Although designed for young people, they can also be used with adults.
Dynamics can be useful in institutes, youth organizations (such as scouts) or other institutions, such as child or foster care centers.
This activities Help the young to mature And to reflect on things that are present in the day to day but that nobody teaches you how to face them, like making moral decisions.
The effectiveness of the dynamics can vary considerably depending on the characteristics of the group, the activity to be performed and contextual variables such as when they are performed, for example, it is not the same to perform the activity at the beginning, middle or end of the course.
It is therefore very important for the instructor to stop and carefully read the activities before doing it, in order to choose the optimum activity according to the situation. To facilitate the task of the instructors, the activities will be grouped according to their functionality and the most recommended time for their realization.
A questionnaire is also included at the end of the article to evaluate group changes that occur as time progresses.
It is advisable to fill it in at the beginning and at the end of the course, although the best thing would be to carry out a continuous evaluation and fill it up every time a dynamic is performed.
Group dynamics to start the process, clarify doubts and motivate young people to participate
Start point
This dynamic consists of filling out a brief questionnaire with questions to be made known to the group. The form presents the ideas of the young people about the group, their participation in it and the expectations it has about this process. The answers will be put together at the end of the dynamic.
Objective:
With this dynamic, the aim is to know the expectations of young people, as well as to adjust the future dynamics to the needs of the participants.
When to use:
This activity is indicated for any type of group and it is recommended to use it at the beginning, before performing any other group activity.
Process:
- The card is distributed to each member of the group.
- Participants are instructed to fill in 10-15 minutes individually.
- Once the answers are put together, it is recommended to point the answers on a whiteboard to simplify the conclusion.
- It concludes what issues will be addressed throughout the process.
Total duration: approximately 1h and a half.
Necessary materials:
Only the card is needed, it can be printed and filled or made directly by computer.
Recommendations:
Young people should be motivated to know that their ideas and needs are taken into account and that they must be sincere and express what they really care about.
It is necessary to review all the answers and spend about the same amount of time on each student so that they feel that they all import the same thing.
Table adapted from Azpeitia, Galaradi, & Arguilea, 2016.
Dynamics to break the ice and create the working climate
The onion
This dynamic is done to create a good working environment and the group gets to know each other a little more.
Objective:
Encourage group connection, trust and create a good working climate.
When to use:
When no group activity has yet been done and it is necessary to encourage group connection.
Process:
- A volunteer will be chosen from the farmer group, while the rest of the group will be the onion.
- The participants forming the onion should all be arranged together concentrically, as if forming the layers of an onion and the farmer should try to separate them to"peel the onion".
- Each time an onion member is separated from the group he becomes a farmer and should help peel the onion.
- When the dynamics is over, the group should be given time to express what the activity has felt like and what it has felt while doing it.
If the group is very large, several onions may be formed.
The total duration of this activity is approximately 15 minutes.
Recommendations:
It should be clarified before starting the activity that can not be violent, obviously must use physical force to separate the partners, but always trying not to hurt.
It is advisable to remove all objects that can be hurt (such as tables and chairs), that participants take off their shoes so as not to step on and hurt themselves and, if possible, perform the activity on a mat.
Encounter through objects
The group is divided into two subgroups. The first part will introduce A sack , For example: a brace, a bracelet, etc. And then the other part of the group will pick up an object, each one, and look for the owner of that object.
Finally, once found the owner, each couple will be presented to the rest of the companions providing the information they want.
Fears and hopes
Each component must write to a leaf with a pen , Their concerns, fears and hopes about any situation that has lived, lives or is living. Once completed, the trainer should give the floor to those who wish to participate and each one will be presenting showing the written information.
The trainer will then write it down in the Board All the opinions so that at the end of the turn of words can point out the most frequent and discuss them.
It is important that in the debate successively repeat the names of students who provide information to remember them.
Who am I? It's me
The trainer will Newspapers, magazines and reusable documents (in addition to glue, colors and paper / cardboard).
In this way each component must build a collage with the information that best represents all the material that has been provided. Finally, you will explain to your colleagues why you have selected this information and what it represents.
The questioning ball
Several teams are made, depending on the number of people in the group. It will be made available a ball And it will be necessary to use A music player . At the beginning of the music the ball will rotate for each component of the groups so that it does not stop until the music does not stop.
The person who has the ball at the moment when no sound is heard should say his name and a question asked by each member of the group.
We must specify that the exercise will be repeated as many times as it is deemed appropriate for most of the group to present themselves.
The famous person
Each component must choose a famous character with whom it shares its name. Then, in front of the whole group, you must imitate the character and the rest should guess what his name.
Dynamics to improve communication and interpersonal conflicts
The history
This dynamic serves to make students reflect on the stories that come to them, be it about their peers or other issues such as politics. The idea is to make them see that there are several versions about the same story and that they must have their own criteria and be careful about believing and reproducing everything they hear.
Objective:
Encourage good communication and critical reflection on the information that comes to them.
When to use:
It can be used in any type of group, but it is especially indicated in those in which there are impulsive members that tend to give the opinion on a subject or to count information that has arrived to them without reflecting it.
Process:
- 4 or 5 volunteers are chosen and invited to leave the class to all but 1.
- A short story is chosen and the volunteer is told that he has stayed (at the end of this section you can see an example of history).
- Once the first volunteer has heard it, it must be told to another volunteer of those who were outside, then this volunteer will tell the next volunteer and so on until there are no more volunteers left.
- Finally, the story is read again so that everyone can listen to it and reflect on what has come to them and what they have told their peers.
This activity can be repeated so many times that it is necessary for all members of the group to participate.
The approximate duration of the activity is about 30 minutes per group.
Source of history Azpeitia, Galaradi, & Arguilea, 2016.
Photoprotection
The dynamizer divides the group by subgroups, depending on the number of participants in the activity.
It offers each subgroup a photo and asks them individually to write what happened before the photo, what happens at the time of the photo and what will happen next.
When they are finished, one by one he shares his narrative with his companions. Debate among all and try to reach a common situation.
Each subgroup chooses a partner to expose in front of the other partners.
Discussion: the dynamizer should guide the debate so that each one can apply these situations to their daily life.
Passive, aggressive and assertive
The facilitator leads a brainstorm on assertiveness.
Then, individually, each should think about the most submissive person they know and write down characteristics about their behavior.
They are asked to stand up and act from side to side of the classroom or classroom with a submissive attitude, using exclusively non-verbal language.
The facilitator asks them to stand still, like statues, adopting a submissive gesture. He commented and noted how the group has characterized this behavior.
He then shifts from submissive to aggressive behavior. Previously, they have to write individually the Characteristics of aggressive communication .
Again, they have to be paralyzed and the facilitator will comment and ask for the group's collaboration to take note.
The members of the group take a seat and develop, in a group, a list of behaviors of an assertive person, especially in relation to non-verbal behavior.
Again, they have to move around the classroom taking an assertive and silent attitude. The facilitator repeats asking them to stand as statues and note non-verbal behavior.
The facilitator leads a discussion in which the different communicative styles are analyzed and how participants have felt the dynamics in each one of them.
Subsequently, situations are introduced in which behavior is assertive and practiced. Also, examples of situations in which to practice the assertive style can be used.
Freedom
Subgroups are formed, depending on the size of the group.
The dynamizer begins to speak of freedom and introduces the dynamics.
Groups should address the following topics:
"A moment in my life when I felt free.
"A moment of life in which I felt oppressed.
"A moment in my life when I oppressed other people.
After all the members of each subgroup have shared their experiences with others, they elaborate among them a definition for the word freedom and another for oppression.
All subgroups set out their definitions and discussion takes place until they reach a common agreement.
The facilitator should emphasize how to address these issues in relation to assertive communication.
Dynamics for group and individual reflection
The die
This dynamic is done to know the current situation of the group and that the young people reflect on this situation and have a debate to share all points of view.
Objective:
Reflect on the current situation of the group and improve the relations between the members.
When to use:
This activity is indicated for groups that already have a time together and have a common trajectory.
Process:
- 6 questions are written about the status of the group on paper (at the end of this section you can see an example of questions).
- All members of the group are arranged in a circle around the questions.
- One of the members begins by pulling the die and answering the question with the corresponding number and so on until all members have answered at least one question.
- The instructor should write down the questions and answers.
- Finally, all the answers that have been given to the same question are analyzed in a group and a debate is made on what could be improved and how to improve it.
This activity can last in total about 90 minutes.
Necessary materials:
Given, paper with questions and paper and pen to point the answers.
Examples of questions:
- What makes the group falter? Is there anything that threatens its stability?
- Do we communicate sufficiently in the group?
- How do we solve our conflicts?
- What is what unites us as a group?
- Do we know how to ask for help when we are wrong? Who do we turn to?
- What can I bring to the group for a better relationship?
Stimulating critical thinking
The group facilitator will launch a series of questions and guide the group's conversation. They can be: If you could choose to be someone, who would you be? If you see one person scratching another's car and do not leave a note, how would you act? If you were rich, how would you spend the money? If you see someone harassing or mistreating another person, what would you do?
Discussion: Telling children and adolescents how to think or act is not effective. Therefore, this dynamic that can generate debate, will offer better results.
The story of Juan and Juana
The participants sit in a circle and pass the ball arbitrarily and quickly. They must create two stories. In the first place, that of Juana and later that of Juan.
Each time someone touches the ball, you must add something more to the story of the character you are talking about. Thus, a story is being created among all.
When the two stories have been elaborated, the values related to each of the characters are analyzed. Have there been differences related to the gender of each of the protagonists? For this, the facilitator should be aware of what adjectives and elements are stated about each one.
Survival in the Andes
The instructor divides the group into four teams and explains that a tragedy has occurred in the Andes when an airplane crashed. The survivors had to resort to anthropophagy to survive.
At first, they will have to decide who should die to be eaten.
Once this decision is made, it will be discussed why part of the body should start eating it.
Emotional Intelligence Dynamics
Tables!
The facilitator will ask for two volunteers. They must leave the room while explaining the dynamics to the rest of the group.
The group is divided into two subgroups. Group 1 should encourage and motivate the first volunteer, the second volunteer will treat it indifferently. Group 2 must act in a neutral way before the first volunteer and discourage the second.
Enter the first volunteer and you are asked to throw the coins by trying to get them into the circle of the cardboard that is about 2 meters away.
It is repeated with the second volunteer.
Reflection on the result and how the volunteers felt. The dynamizer introduces the Pygmalion effect And is discussed.
The Dictionary of Emotions
The person in charge of conducting the group will propose the idea of creating a dictionary of emotions written by them.
To do this, they must set aside time for work. So that is one more task to perform in that group.
There will be spaces for reflection to talk about emotions or, the dynamizer will propose a specific emotion and, among all, will elaborate a definition of it.
Discussion: The result is a dictionary developed among all so that they can have it and work individually.
Lazarillo
The facilitator will ask to be placed in pairs. Once it is done, it will distribute to each of them, an antifaz or handkerchief.
One of the couple's partners will cover their eyes in such a way that they will not see anything.
The person who does not have his eyes covered, should guide his partner according to the orders that the dynamizer is saying. For example: let's walk, turn right / left, jump, run, etc.
At no time can you touch your partner. You can only address him by speaking to him.
After a while, the roles are changed. At this point, it is interesting that the dynamizer changes the orders or repeats them in a disorderly way so that no one expects what he should be doing.
Final reflection of the whole group in which they will express how they have had and if they have trusted their partner.
Dynamics of Trust
The statue
Couples will be formed randomly in order to work together with people who do not know much about each other.
One of them will adopt the role of statue and the other, you must cover your eyes with a bandage.
When they are already covered, the one who makes a statue will take a stand. Your partner must touch him with the aim of guessing the position he has taken and then imitate him.
He will imitate it without his partner removing the position and when he thinks he is finished, the facilitator will remove the blindfold so that he can compare the result by himself.
The exercise is repeated, but changing roles.
Evaluation: ask couples what role they have found easier, if they have felt comfortable with the physical contact between partners, etc.
Variation: instead of couples, do it for small groups (3 or 4 people) and only one for a statue. Thus, others can talk to each other and comment. In this way, communication would be another dimension that would be taken into account in the evaluation.
The sounds of the animals
This dynamic is ideal for the first moments of a group, because it will serve to make the members meet and share some laughter together.
The dynamizer will introduce you as a dynamic presentation and the goal is for everyone to learn the names of their peers.
The dynamizer will begin by saying his name and imitating the noise of an animal. For example: my name is Sara and"muuuuu".
Then the next person will introduce himself and add the sound of animal that he likes and will have to repeat the one of his previous companion. In this way, the list of names and noises will be increasing.
If a person is wrong, the whole group should start from the beginning.
Evaluation: After a few minutes, ask someone what their peers are called, once they have taken another seat or, they are doing another task in order to check if they have learned the names of their peers.
Leadership Dynamics
The changing circle
The members of the group will be asked to circle and hold hands.
Afterwards, they will be told to form different figures, being joined by the hands. For example: a triangle, a star, a house, etc.
Discussion: What really matters about this dynamic is not the result of the figures, but how communication flows and who are the people who take the initiative when doing the exercises. Finally, there should be a space for reflection in which these issues are addressed and all members of the group have the opportunity to express their opinion.
Paper Planes
Divide the group into subgroups. Each of them, must choose a leader.
They are given 20 minutes for each group to design their own model of airplane and make several, depending on the number of members.
For groups, each member has an opportunity to land.
Win the team that most aircraft has correctly thrown to the learning track.
Discussion: In the moment of reflection, the leaders will be asked what tasks they performed during the construction time and also the group members how they felt along the way, if they were listened to, what they took into account to choose the leader , etc.
Counting blind
Situate the different members of the group in a random manner.
They must count to a certain number (eg 20) in an orderly fashion.
They must do it without two people saying the same number at a time. Should it occur, they must begin.
Discussion: As they take a while, it will be checked how there is a greater connection in the group. We must emphasize the importance of this connection because it is not really seen or need to be close.
Other comments: Reflect on the importance of the organization, both by the leader and among the team members.
Dynamics of teamwork
Technique 6.3.5
It is a dynamic that serves to Generate creative ideas . In groups of 6 people, participants gather around a table to generate Ideas on an issue that had been previously agreed upon.
Each participant is offered a blank sheet where he has to write down three brief ideas, since he only has five minutes to power Write them down.
Once the five minutes have passed, they will pass their page to their partner, where they will repeat the process of writing three new ideas in five minutes.
Once the entire cycle has been completed and all the leaves have been circulated, 18 ideas will be available on each leaf.
The balloon
The group proposes a situation:
"A meteorite falls into the ocean creating a giant wave that leaves all the continents of the planet submerged.
However, you and five other people are flying over Teide National Park in a balloon. After a few hours, it begins to lose air But you see an island. The sea is full of hungry sharks and the only way for the balloon to reach the island is to shoot one of the occupants."
A debate must be established to decide who will leave the globe. Each of the participants has an assigned role: a priest, a Journalist, a nurse, a political advisor, a primary education teacher and a Statistics.
It is necessary to fulfill the premises that: you are the only survivors and you must ensure the continuation of the species; The decision must be taken Unanimously; None of the participants can voluntarily leave the globe and everyone should state their arguments.
The purpose of this test is to analyze the group decision-making process and to see the communication processes, as well as to analyze the capacity of Cooperation and implementation of aid, equality. You can also see the initiative and the leadership.
Common things
Participants are asked to distribute in groups of about 5 people. Next, they are told that they must find 10 things they have in Common among all of them.
They can not describe things of clothing, neither of work nor of anatomy.
They should take note of those things they have in common and write them down to put them into the great group.
General Dynamics
Role playing
This dynamic is usually used in some group therapies and aims to make the members of the group learn the best way to act in certain situations through their own experience as vicarious (observing their peers).
Objective:
Improve social skills And problem solving effectively.
When to use:
This technique is especially indicated in groups where conflicts have arisen due to the lack of communicative skills And social aspects of its members.
Process:
- It is made a brainstorm of all members of the group on the situations they would like to play role playing and choose one by consensus (at the end of this section you can see a list with examples of situations to play role playing).
- The first person who proposed the theme will be the first actor and will have to choose the other actors that are needed to represent the situation.
- First, the situation will be explained in detail, making a kind of script (it is not necessary to write it) and explaining to all the actors what the role of each one is. The rest of the members of the group will be observers and should be very attentive and take note of the performance of their peers.
- The role is interpreted as representing what each actor would do if he or she were really in that situation.
- When the action ends, the actors must express what they have felt and the observers must value with positive and negative feedback the behavior of their peers.
- At the end of the whole instructor must give some guidelines to solve that concrete situation in the most effective way possible also making actor if necessary.
The sequence can be repeated until it is done optimally or with other actors.
In order for actors to value themselves it would be useful to record the role playing session.
The entire procedure can take about 90 minutes.
Recommendations:
Situations that have recently created problems should not be chosen in order not to heat the environment.
It should be explained to the observers How do you give feedback Assertively so they do not hurt the feelings of their peers.
Examples of situations to play role playing:
- A colleague learns that another has been speaking ill of him behind his back.
- One partner has loaned something to another long ago and it has not been returned.
- A teacher calls your attention, the young man recriminates you and creates an argument.
- One partner makes a joke to another.
- You find out that your group of friends is planning to do something wrong to another partner.
Evaluation of group processes
Finally I leave the tool to evaluate the changes produced in the group due to group dynamics. As I mentioned earlier, this evaluation must be carried out at least twice, at the beginning and at the end of the whole process.
This questionnaire is a Likert scale, in which each participant must indicate a score for each question as it is more or less in disagreement with the extreme statements.
In this way, if you are completely in agreement with the one on the left you must choose 1 and if you totally agree with the one on the right you should choose 10.
Table adapted from Azpeitia, Galaradi, & Arguilea, 2016.
If you want to know more group activities for young people I advise you to read the Original publication of GAZTE FORUM .
References
- Azpeitia, P., Galaradi, O., & Arguilea, C. (2016). 24 Group dynamics to work with adolescents. Retrieved on June 29, 2016, from GAZTE FORUM.