Spatial Requirements: Regular classroom setup; little or no space required
Activity Type: Group
Grades: 3-12
Group Size: 10 or more
Time: 15-20 minutes

Introduction: This fast-paced activity illustrates the energy and motivation that comes when members of a group or team are dependent on each other’s contributions.

Materials:

• 2 whiteboards or 2 flip charts (or enough whiteboards, flip charts, or pieces of paper for each team)
• 2 markers (or enough markers for each team)
• Several slips of paper with drawing prompts (See sample PDF)
• Container for slips of paper

Activity:

Before the activity, cut out the slips of paper with the drawing prompts, fold them in half, and place them in the container.

Divide the group into two teams, or multiple teams of 6-8, and assign a referee for each team. Explain that each team consists of two parts: the drawers and the guessers. The goal of the guessers is to guess what their team’s drawers are drawing before the other team’s guessers figure out their own team’s picture. What makes this activity different than regular Pictionary is that the drawers are taking turns drawing a segment of the picture (for example, one student would draw the rabbit’s ear, the other might draw its nose, etc.). The drawers will line up next to their whiteboard and each take three seconds to draw part of the picture. The three seconds will be counted out loud by the team’s referee: “One one thousand, two one thousand, three one thousand,” at which time the drawer hands the marker to the next drawer to continue the picture. During each drawer’s three seconds, the marker must not be lifted from the whiteboard or flip chart, and there is to be no talking between the drawers. As the drawers are drawing, the guessers will be calling out their guesses. The first team to guess the picture correctly wins for that round.

Before beginning, have all the drawers from each team come forward. Allow one drawer to take a slip of paper from the container. Unfold it and show each drawer the word written on the paper. Have the drawers return to their team’s whiteboard and begin the activity.

As time permits, have the guessers and drawers reverse roles and do another drawing prompt.

Variation: Instead of completing prompts one at a time for each round, have teams complete as many as they can in the given time without stopping after a correct guess.

This can be done by having the drawers race to you for a new prompt after each correct guess, and is continued until the time is up. Keep track of which prompts you use in what order so that both teams complete the same words in the same order. 

Processing the Experience:

• What were the keys to success in this activity?
• Was there anything about this activity that was frustrating to you? What was it and why?
• How does this activity relate to Relational Resilience?
• How did you use your dependence on each other to do your best in this activity?
• How would this activity be different if there was just one drawer or one guesser?
• Did having to depend upon your fellow drawers increase or decrease the fun of this activity? Why?