Drama Game: Rain Storm

Type: Warm-Up, Focus

rainPurpose:   This is a great game to play in the beginning of a session to calm down a group of high-energy students. It’s simple, peaceful, and allows everyone to focus on one common goal.

Procedure:

1.  The goal is to create the sound of a rainstorm using only our bodies.  This requires no speaking

2.  Ask everyone to sit with you in a circle on the floor.

3.  You will begin an activity, then the person to your right will join in, then the person to his/her right will join in, etc. until it creates a wave all around the circle.  Once it reaches back to you (the leader) you begin a different activity, and this creates a second wave.

4.  Tell the students that they are to carefully copy the movements of the person to their left, and not switch activities until that person switches.  Try to encourage them to not focus on “the leader”, but instead on the person to their left.

5.  Activity 1:  Rub your hands together.  (This is the wind)

6.  Activity 2:  Tap one finger on the palm of your hand.  (These are the first raindrops.)

7.  Activity 3:  Tap all 4 fingers.  (Many more rain drops.)

8.  Activity 4:  Full out clapping.  (It’s getting more intense!)

9.  Activity 5:  Slap on the floor, or your thighs.  (Thunder enters!)

10.  After a big crescendo, repeat all the activities in reverse order as the storm dies down, until you’re rubbing hands together.

11.  Then quietly stop, and there should be absolutely silence.

12.  Reflect on whether it accomplished the goal of sounding like a rainforest.  Ask the students if there’s any other activities they could add to make it sound more realistic?  (Standing and stomping on your feet for thunder?)  Ask what other environmental sounds could be created using just our bodies?

13:  For an extended activity, group the students and give them 5 minutes to create their own “soundscape”.  Ask each group to share.

Have a suggestion or comment?  Leave it below!

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Image courtesy of moggara12 at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

 

5 thoughts on “Drama Game: Rain Storm

  1. Jennie Leigh says:

    If you have classroom instruments (xylophone, drums, rhythm sticks), you can do this with instruments.

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