Change Chairs

Students sit in a circle and change seats when a spoken cue applies to them; the student left standing gives the next cue.

Procedure

1. Students sit on chairs in a large circle. Remove one chair so one person (the teacher, initially) stands in the middle.
2. The person in the middle says: Change chairs if you are wearing blue trousers (or any true-for-some-students statement).
3. All students the statement applies to must stand up and find a different vacated seat. The person in the middle also grabs a seat.
4. The student left without a seat goes to the middle and makes the next Change chairs if... sentence.
5. Continue until most students have had a turn in the centre.

Tips

• Cues need not be limited to clothes: use personal appearance (if you have long hair), habits (if you came here by bus), preferences (if you like pizza), or experiences (if you have a brother).
• Avoid cues that could cause embarrassment or distress.
• Good energy raiser when the class has hit a concentration wall.
• With fixed furniture, take students outside and use jackets or bags as seat markers.