Movement, games, sport: 05) Snake [Video]

6 years and older

A simple and short game, ideal for letting off steam and having fun while being in a group.

PLAY
The players are divided in groups of five, standing one behind the other and holding on to the person in front either by the shoulders or the hips to make a snake.The player at the front is the head and the one at the back is the tail.The objective is for the head to catch the tail by running, without any player letting go of the one in front. The snake must never separate. Once the head has managed to touch the tail it changes position and goes to the back, at the snake’s tail. And so on until each person in the group has been in every position.

OBJECTIVES
Psychosocial: to develop harmony in a group. The players have to cooperate to stay physically and mentally linked, while maintaining rapid movement.
The physical contact encourages them to respect other’s bodies.
Physical: to coordinate the move- ments while increasing speed and reaction time (changes of direction).

RECOMMENDATIONS
Children like this game a lot, but it can quickly degenerate if the animator doesn’t ensure a non-violent setting. In their rush, children can hold each other roughly, tend to let go very quickly and fall easily. This does not work towards the objective of the game.The animator is there to remind the objective: harmony and coopera- tion in the group. For security, tell them not to hang onto each other’s clothes, but onto their shoulders or hips, and to start slowly.
The snake’s head is responsible for not losing the body and may need to adapt his movements for the others.
The tail must avoid the head without letting go of the body. Those in the middle have a role which requires them to trust their friends.
It is very important to change posi- tions so that everyone can experience the different responsibilities.
There is no point in starting the game with large groups (more than five players), because it becomes too difficult. But once the children have got the hang of the game, the longer the snake, the more motivating the game.

DISCUSSION
-    Which position did you like best? Can you explain?
-    What helped you to succeed? What didn’t help?
-    Was the physical contact difficult? Violent? Nice?
-    Is it easier being a long snake? Can you explain?
-    Etc.