Mrs. O'Grady
Mrs. O'Grady is a playful, sequential movement game designed to generate laughter and loosen up participants. It combines verbal repetition with increasingly silly physical poses, making it an excellent icebreaker or energy booster.
Use this activity at the beginning of a workshop or meeting to create a lighthearted atmosphere and encourage participants to engage with each other physically and verbally.
Solves: Shyness or reluctance to participate in physical activities; low energy levels in the group.
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Step 1: Divide participants into small circles of 6-8 people. (2 minutes)
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Step 2: Explain that one person will start the sequence by turning to their left and initiating the dialogue: "Did you hear what happened to Mrs. O'Grady?" (1 minute)
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Step 3: The partner responds, "No, what happened?" The initiator replies with "She died! With one cocked-eye" and closes one eye. The partner then repeats the sequence to their left, also closing one eye. (2 minutes)
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Step 4: Continue the sequence around the circle, adding a new physical gesture each round: "With her mouth awry," "Breathing a sigh," "With her leg held high," "Waving goodbye." (5-10 minutes)
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Step 5: Encourage participants to maintain all previous gestures while adding the new one. Conclude when fatigue sets in or the laughter becomes overwhelming. (2 minutes)
- Model the poses clearly, especially for the first few rounds.
- Encourage participants to embrace the silliness and not worry about looking foolish.
- Watch for participants who may be uncomfortable with physical touch or movement and offer modifications.
- Allow participants to invent their own gestures for each round.
- Increase the group size and have multiple circles playing simultaneously.
- Adapt the dialogue to be culturally relevant or humorous to the group.