Drama Game: Zip Zap Zop!

Zip Zap Zop ActivityType:  Warm-up.

Purpose:

  • To be attentive and work on quick decision making.
  • To work on focus.
  • To raise comfortability of a group.

Materials:

A big enough space for the entire class to stand in a circle comfortably.

Procedure: 

Level One

  • Players stand in a circle.
  • One player, Player A, claps his hands, ending in a pointing position toward the direction of another player. Simultaneously Player A will say the nonsense word “Zip!”
  • Player B repeats this action, clapping and pointing at another player, Player C, while saying “Zap!”
  • Player C repeats this action, pointing at yet again another player while saying the word “Zop!”
  • Players do not need to follow any order can clap and point at any other player they choose, but they should follow the patter of “zip, zap, zop.”

Level Two

  • After the group has gotten sufficiently good at this, you can have them remove the clapping or the saying of the words “zip, zap & zop.”
  • Focus is passed from one person to another by just saying the words or by just clapping, not both.

Level Three

  • When they’re really good at that, you can remove any clapping and words all-together. Focus is passed by making direct eye-contact.

Variations:

  • In some regions, the nonsense word “zop” is often replaced with “zub.”
  • At any point, the players can break from the circle and move freely about the room. They must still maintain the passing of focus from one person to the next.
  • Players can match and copy the manner in which they receive focus. Basically, you imitate the way “zip, zap or zop” was said to you as you pass it on to someone else.
  • This can also be played as an elimination game where everyone who says a word out of order (ie. saying “Zop” instead of “Zip”) or takes too long is eliminated from the game till there is only one left.


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4 thoughts on “Drama Game: Zip Zap Zop!

  1. Tjoni says:

    This games is great. I do a similar one called zip zap. Several levels;
    1. ‘Zip’ is to a person on either side, and the direction can change at any time, but must send zip with a hand clap and eye contact to a person next to you.
    2. ‘Zap’ can be sent across the circle to anyone not next to you.
    3. ‘Boing’ is where a person bends their elbows and holds up their fists to ‘deflect’ a ‘Zap’ back to it’s sender.
    4. Badda boing is where a person deflects a ‘Boing’ backs to it’s sender. In this instance the whole group jumps up and down on the spot with their arms up in deflection mode repeating the words ‘Badda boing’ with the person who ‘boinged’ and the person who ‘badda boinged’ switch places.
    5. Another extension is to remove the words, and to send zips or zaps as objects. When someone ‘catches’ a zip or zap they create something new with it, have a play with it, then send it to someone else. Eg; a ‘ball’ they might throw, a ‘glass of water’ they might pretend to splash it on someone or give it to them to drink, a ‘bird’ they might push into the air so it can fly to the next person, and so on.

  2. diane says:

    I teach dual subjects with sixth graders, Mathematics’, Social Studies, ELA, and Science. We did this game as a hook to get students to understand drama, and story telling. It is an awesome concept for learners of all ages thorough out high school.

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