Activity
EMOTIONAL ANIMAL
Number of participants
Objectives
● To foster a sense of being seen and acknowledged within the group.
● To encourage storytelling and foster imagination for participants
● To create a safe space for participants to share thoughts and emotions.
● To introduce mime work.
Where does the activity take place within the process
Duration
Material needed
Preparation
Ask the participants to sit / stand creating a circle or half-circle (so that everyone can see and hear each other)
Step by step description
1. Tell the participants: “This exercise should get our imagination started. Let’s see what kind of moods and energies we’re starting (or concluding) this workshop with: If your mood were an animal, what would it be, and where would it be/what would it be doing? Take a moment to think, and then let’s see what kind of moods we’re working with today.”
2. You can do this exercise in three ways:
– Everyone shares their animal story by talking.
– Before telling the story of their animal, participants mime it.
– Participants share their story, and others in the group express the story in images or with sound.
3. Once you have chosen the way you want to do this exercise, ask participants to choose and express their animal one after the other.
Closing up
You can ask the group:
● What do you want to say about this exercise?
● Can a person’s mood be deduced from their animal representation?
● What kind of “zoo” would this be to manage?