Walk As If

Move in a variety of ways to both warm-up your body and begin to physicalize the story, to better understand how different characters might move, or to engage with the various settings in your imagined world.

First, move around the room the way you normally walk. Call “freeze.” Do this a few times quickly and also use creative types of movement to transition into a playful state. Once you’ve become involved in the game, add questions and prompts relating to the specific purpose of the game for the lesson.

Creative movement suggestions might include: Walk as if you're on the moon, wading through jellybeans, barefoot on hot sand, bouncing on a pogo stick ...

ONE ON ONE:

In a one-on-one, in-person setting, both mentee and mentor should stand and move according to the prompts. Consider passing the task of naming the next "walk as if" statement back and forth.

ONE-ON-ONE ONLINE:

Both mentor and mentee should play, using the approach described above.

ONLINE GROUP:

Players should stand up, and will likely be most comfortable if they move away from their camera to explore different styles of movement. Before beginning, you could ask for movement suggestions in the chat to add more ownership to the game.

For players who may need support with visualization, gathering pictures to match your prompts and playing them as a slideshow as the players move can support their engagement with each setting.

IN-PERSON GROUP:

While in person, all players move at once. Begin by having players move and then freeze, and then move again to build their ability to concentrate and stay in their own space. Be sure to define the game boundaries before beginning the game (such as only on the carpet, or anywhere in the room except the book corner, etc.)

If you have a player who is sabotaging the group in an in-person setting, consider using the "audience chair" as a place where they can sit and watch for a few moments before rejoining the game.

For players who are resistant, start with very simple actions such as "walk in straight lines," and "walk in zig-zag lines," then moving on to something more silly such as "walk in polka dots." By starting with actions that anyone can do and moving into more imaginative or emotive kinds of movement, you create a safer space to move from the "real world" into the world of the game.

Planning: Prompts help build a story event by event.

Sensory Exploration: Prompts explore sensory description in a setting.

Setting Exploration: Prompts explore setting details.

Idea Generation: Prompts build story ideas by starting with types of emotion, types of characters, types of setting, etc.