Age Group: PK-2

# of Students: Minimum of 6 students, but more are welcome

Overview
Students will practice learning and imitating the faces and emotions of their peers.

Materials
Open space

Duration: 10-15 minutes (or longer if they’re having fun!)

Instructions

1. Gather students in an open space and have them create a circle, seated.
2. Explain the game

Instructor: “We are going to play ‘Face Off’! It is similar to the Telephone game you might have played before, but rather than sharing words, we’ll share facial expressions. One student will choose a facial emotion/expression to start (happy, sad, scared, tired, excited, surprised, mad, confused, etc). They will turn to the person to their right and make their face show that emotion.”

“The student to the right will copy their face, turn to the student to their right, and make the same face to them. The facial expression will go around the circle with everyone copying the expression, until someone decides to change it.”

“If a student wants to change the expression to a new one, they must face the *other way* to send the ‘new face’ around the circle. The face will continue in the opposite direction until someone else wants to start a different expression and they turn the other way to send the next ‘face’ around.”
3. Questions?
4. Begin game

Reflection Questions:
1. How did you decide on which face expression to use? How did you decide whether or not to copy the same face expression being passed around?
2. Did the facial expression you used reflect your exact feelings right now?
3. Was it easier to copy the face expression being passed around or change it up?

Age Group: PreK-2

# of Students: Min- 4, Max- the more the merrier!

Overview
Students will practice working together in teams by passing the ‘ice cream’ from one side of the room to the other.

Materials

• Open space
• Cardstock to be made into ‘waffle cones’ (enough for one cone for every student)
• Small balls for the ‘ice cream,’ like tennis balls or ball pit balls (one ball per team)

Duration
10-15 minutes (or longer if students play multiple rounds)

Instructions: Ice Cream Cone Prep

Instructor should make the ice cream cones before the game starts. Older students might like to help or design their own, too. 

1. First, cut paper into a square shape. (If you are using an 8 1/2" x 11" sheet of paper, cut about 2" off the bottom to make a square.) Cardstock is best for this game.
2. Color paper or draw lines to create an ‘ice cream’-like cone.
3. Then, take the bottom right corner of the paper and begin rolling it up to the other side.
4. Tape it closed.

Instructions: Game

1. Gather students in an open space and split evenly into two teams. (You can split into more teams if you like and have enough balls to do so.)
2. Line up students in their teams, shoulder to shoulder, and pass out cones to every student and a ball (representing ice cream) to each team. 

3. Explain the game. 

Instructor: “You are going to work with your team to pass the ice cream from one cone to the next all the way across the room, from point A to point B. If the ice cream drops, you have to start over from the beginning. After each player has passed the ice cream to the next player by their side, they will run to the other end of the line to keep the line growing and moving across the room.”

4. Show an example of the game with a few students.
5. Questions?
6. Begin game!

Reflection Questions:
1. How did you feel when it was your turn to pass the ice cream?
2. If you had to start over, how did that make you feel?
3. How did you show empathy and motivate a team member who may have dropped the ball?

Age Group: 3-5

# of Students: 8+ students

Overview
Students will practice working together to get across a swamp.

Materials
Open space (best in a gym or outside), objects to be “safe rocks” (carpet squares, cardboard pieces, cardstock paper, hula hoops)

Duration
20-25 minutes (or longer if they’re having fun!)

Instructions
1. Gather students in an open space and split between 2 teams (4-8 people in each team). If needed, split into 3 or 4 teams.)
2. Divide the supplies between the teams. Each team will need 1 ‘rock’ per team member, minus 1. (8 team members = 7 rocks).
3. Explain the game.

Instructor: “The object of the game is to get all team members from one side of town to the other without touching the swamp. 

Players can only be in the swamp zone if they are standing on a rock. If players step off the rock and into the swamp, they must return back to the other side of town. 

If a rock is placed into the swamp without being constantly touched by a player, it is lost and the whole team must return back to the other side of town. 

Each team should invent a strategy for how to get all of their teammates across safely.” (The instructor may also choose to give a time limit to complete the task.)
4. Ask for questions.
5. Begin the game!

Variations

• Rename the game and tell a different story with the same goals, such as Toxic Waste Dump or Lava Game.
• Everyone must work together to race against a clock (instead of placing on teams.) Inform them that their side of town is going to explode in ten minutes and they must have everyone across by that time.
• Choose the amount of rocks based on the experience level of the group. Less rocks makes the game harder.
• Have players figure out their plan before they start and then remain silent during the game.
• Randomly blindfold or silence a few members of the group.

Reflection Questions:
1. What challenges did you or your team face when trying to cross the swamp
2. How did it feel when your team had to start all over? What did you all do to fix it?
3. If you could, what would you change about the game? Why?

Age Group: 3-5

# of Students: Min- 6, Max- the more the merrier!

Overview
Students will pass a beach ball around and answer the questions about empathy.

Materials
Open space, beach ball with prepared questions written on it with a permanent marker (if no beach ball, use a balloon)

Duration
15+ minutes

Instructions
1. Gather students in an open space and have them create a circle, standing.
2. Choose one player to start in the middle.
3. Explain the game.

Instructor: “We are going to play Empathy Ball. I will begin and toss the beach ball across the circle. Whoever catches it will answer the question closest to their right thumb. We can quickly discuss as a group, and then they will throw the ball across the circle to a new student. Let’s try to make sure each person has a turn.”
3. Questions?
4. Begin game.

Beach Ball Sample Questions

• Since animals can’t speak our languages, how can we figure out how they feel?
• How can body language express to others how you feel?
• Tell us about a time when you realized that an animal had feelings. How did you know?
• Think of a time when you were unkind to someone. How do you think they felt?
• If you could be any animal in the world, which would you choose and why?
• When do you feel like you can truly be yourself?
• If you saw an injured stray cat in your neighborhood, what would you do?
• What are the “masks” you put on when you’re at school or with friends?
• Why should you speak up or tell an adult if you see someone being mean to a person or an animal?
• What’s the best way to help an injured bird who has fallen out of a tree?
• Why do some people bully others?

Reflection Questions:
1. How did it feel to think about the feelings of other people or animals?
2. What are some ways you can show empathy? (Have them break into small groups to discuss and then share with the entire group.)
3. Were there any questions that were hard for you to answer? Which one and why?

Age Group: All

# of Students: Min- 4, Max- the more the merrier!

Overview
Students will practice their empathy skills as they play this life-size game of Sorry.

Materials
Open space, Multiple poly spots (rubber spots/squares for markers), cones, OR cardstock/construction paper taped to the floor, dice

Duration
20-25 minutes (or longer if they’re having fun!)

Instructions
1. Required set up: Create a “playing board” maze of spots around the room from point A to point B. If needed, mark the spots in order, or make sure it is clear what direction to go.

2. Depending on how many spots you are using, choose 1/5 of the spots to be marked “safe,” and 1/5 of the spots to be ‘move forward 5 steps, move back 2 steps’- etc. You can get creative with this. (Example: 20 spots- 1/5= 4 spots to be safe, 4 spots to move forward or back, etc.)
3. Gather students in an open space.
4. Explain the game. 

Instructor: “We are going to play a life size empathy version of Sorry. We will line up by birthday order (from January to December). January birthdays will go first, one person at a time.” 

“A student will roll the dice and move that many spaces on the board. If they land on ‘safe,’ they are safe until their next round. If they land on ‘move up or back,’ they must do so.”

“The next student will roll the dice and move that many spaces on the board. If they land on the same space as someone else the first person there gets kicked off and the space is now occupied by the new student. The old student has to go back to the end of the line. This does not apply to safe spaces; multiple students can stand on those at one time.”

“This will continue until someone makes it to the finish line. Any time someone lands on a spot with someone else, the person who was there first moves back to the end of the line (unless the spot is safe.). Once all kids have gone one turn, it will start again with the students on the board then go to the students in the line.”
5. Questions?
6. Begin game.

Reflection Questions:
1. How did it feel to knock someone off their spot?
2. How did it feel to be knocked off your spot and forced to go back to the beginning?
3. What did you feel when you were in a safe spot?
4. What was your favorite part of the game?

Age Group: 3-5

# of Students: Min- 4, Max- the more the merrier!

Overview
Students will practice empathy skills as they compete to become royalty.

Materials 
Open space, 4-square set up with cones, chalk, or lines on playground, 4-square bouncy ball

Duration
20-25 minutes (or longer if they’re having fun!)

Instructions
1. Pre-game set up: Number four squares on the playground. Space 4 is the ultimate Royalty: Queen or King; Space 3 is the Jack; Space 2 is the Jester; and Space 1 is the Peasant.
2. Choose four players to begin the game in given quadrants. The rest of the students should line up behind Square #1. (Note: There is a ‘service line’ in the Royalty Square. The King or Queen must always keep one foot behind this line.)

3. Explain the game. The Instructor can read the following rules:

1. Server (Royalty) must keep one foot behind the service line
2. Everyone must hit using underhand throws.
3. Ball must bounce ONCE and only ONCE in your square before your strike it (including on the serve)
4. If someone makes a mistake, each square rotates up and that person goes to the back of the line (outside the #1 square)
5. Server (Royalty) takes care of any arguments (unless it involves the server – then vote as a group, or play rock paper scissors)
6. Inside lines are out; outside lines are in. This is because inside  lines are shared, while outside lines are not shared; you know whose square it bounced in.
7. You can move anywhere outside the square or in your section of the square
8. If it bounces in your square, you MUST strike it.
9. Server(Royalty) must Ask “Are you Ready?” before serving.
10. No carrying, stalling, or holding.
11. Summary of ways that royalty can be removed from the square:
    1. 1. The ball in your square bounces 2 times
       2. You hit the ball before it bounces
       3. You hit the ball out of bounds
       4. You hit the ball to an *inside* line (outside lines are ok)
       5. You hit the ball using an “overhand” toss
       6. You hit a ball in another player’s square
       7. A ball bounces in your square and you are unable to get it out of your square before it bounces a second time.

4. Share an example of the game with a few students.
5. Questions?
6. Begin game.

Reflection Questions:
1. How did it feel to finally make it to Royalty?
2. How did you feel when you missed the ball (or other reasons that caused you to be out)?
3. How did you feel when you were able to intentionally get someone out? How do you think they felt?