Peter
Rowan's Warm-Ups and I asked for materials on psychodrama with children in March 2002 and July 2001 on the psychodrama list serve (grouptalk) and also offered a summarization of on the psychodrama list serve (grouptalk) and also offered a summarization of the responses I had received through March. Subsequently, at the suggestion of another grouptalk participant, I contacted Peter Rowan, Dean and Associate Professor, Expressive Therapy Program, Lesley College Graduate School. He had taught a course for a number of years on action methods with children and adolescents and was quite willing to share his ideas. I have updated his list of warm-ups. I am pleased to offer it with Peter's permission. Peter noted that his students occassionally would ask for more specifics about using these ideas. He would decline to offer more details because he wanted to encourage his studnets to be created. He ackowledged some of his references (as listed at the end of this document) may list more details. The purpose of this article is to provide the beginning student a reference for using warm-ups with groups. The article is based on the stages of group development model created by Gene Stanford and Albert E. Roark (1974). Some warm-ups are useful at more than one stage of group development.
Balloon
Play: (a) Individual; (b) Groups; (c) Collective Groups (Balloon = Become
Someone Else in the Group and Introduce Yourself – Verbally /
Become
Your Hero: (a) Introduce yourself to the group; (b) Interact with Disco Create a Band (Trio, etc.) E. S. P. (being “IT”) Emotional Drawing Fantasy Machine Inner
Circle – Outer Circle: Share with person you are facing –
(a) a time
Move an Object too Big for: one person, two persons, etc. Movement Through Various Environments Name:
(a) who were you named after; (b) How do you feel about your name; T.V. Enactment T.V.
News Interviews: Ask people to interview each other as if they were
Pass the Psychodramatic Object Share a Favorite Place
Action
Sociogram (a) Choose the person you know best; (b) Choose the Become
Your Favorite Animal: (a) Living in the forest; (b) Natural calamity
Charades Create
Using Other Members of the Group: (a) Letters of alphabet; Spectrogram:
(a) Individual position self; (b) Group by consensus position; (c) Entering or Leaving Fantasies
Milling: (a) Eye contact; (b) Body parts contact Mirroring Self-Presentation:
(a) By self, using empty chair; (b) By best friend; (c) By Empty Chair Magic Shop: (a) Run by leader (b) Run by individual group member Spontaneous Role Play Social
Atom of Body: (a) Pictures of body parts; (b) Draw body parts; (c) Sociograms Technique of Deliberate Distortion Using
Time of Year: (a) Independence day; (b) Thanksgiving; (c) Valentine’s
Write a Letter
Role Reversal and Introduction Back-to-Back Blocks:
(a) Pair up; (b) What is there about you that will prevent you from
Find the Person or Partner: (a) By saying name; (b) By identifying hands Dance: (a) Hand dance; (b) Elbow dance Play One Word Communication (with Observer)
Cocktail Party: (a) Be selling something or trying to communicate a message Communication: (a) Back-to-back; (b) Gibberish Killer Troll Bridge Tug-of-War Role Drawing Puppets: (a) Chalk puppets Saying
Name: (a) As your (angry, happy) parent; (b) As a teacher; (c) As Scribble: (a) People in pairs; (b) Individual identifying parts of scribble Tag:
(a) Throwing ball; (b) By hand; (c) Tagging with specific part of anatomy;
Bataca Fights Become Your Favorite Villain Clock:
(a) Group creates a circle; (b) People locate themselves at their Escalation of Emotion (let group pick emotion) Fairy Tale Enactment Interact
with the Dummy (Cushion, etc.): (a) Have the individual see dummy From
Here to There: (a) As a 5 yr. old; (b) Like it was Christmas morning;
Harold and the Purple Crayon Throw the Ball: Ask a question Yes-No Chorus Closed Circle Frustration Test Group Mural Pinching Game
Pot Party Structured
Role Playing: (a) Employment interview; (b) Teacher/child; Trust
Walk: (a) One to one – any way – individual chooses to lead;
Matriosha (“Matryoshka”) (Russian Nesting Doll)
Introduce Another Group Member to Group, Stressing Individual’s Positives Group Social Atom Group Story Honorary Degree Psychodramatic Wishing Well Sculpting Other Person: (a) Face; (b) Body Self-Presentation: (a) From object in pocket Tap-Out Rag Doll
Coat of Arms Family Sculpture/Tableau Form a Club: (a) Name; (b) Goals; (c) By-laws; (d) Recruit other members Lifeline:
Draw a line on a piece of paper (6-8 inches); (b) Divide line into 4
Guided
Fantasy: (a) Tree in forest: (b) Trip to museum (c) Relaxing muscle
Help Me/Help Me Massage: Dyadic or Triadic Sharing Warm-Up to Coming to Group: (a) Verbally; (b) Action Spontaneity Test “Wanted” Poster Action
Lifeline (Chronological Progression): (a) Of a specific individual;
(b) Of
Talk to a Photograph of Yourself at Some Time Change
in Life: Share with a partner in what area you have changed the most
Come into Group and Locate Self Dynamics
of a Family Warm Up: Optimal amount of comfort with each Family
Warm-Up: Each individual optimally comfortable but maintaining Paper Bag Collage Self
Portraits: (a) Share with individual or group; (b) Leave and see if
group Social Atom: (a) Primary or Family; (b) Psychological; (c) Collective Ego Building
Stages V and VI (Production and Affection) Groupings:
(a) Have group mill about, stressing no talking; (b) Inform large Behind the Back
“I Am” Posters One-Downmanship Positive
List of Attributes: Make a list of five things you or other people like
Judgement
or After Death “Bad” Word Contests Door Slamming Mad Dance Noise Contests Pillow Fights Yelling Contests
For
additional information I would recommend the journal The International
Journal of Action Methods: Psychodrama, Skill Training and Role Training,
the official journal of the American Society of Group Psychotherapy
and Psychodrama.
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