WHO’S LEADING
CURTAINS UP ACTING STUDIO
WHO’S LEADING?
A Playful Game to Help Kids Concentrate
This drama game, played in a circle, challenges students to watch closely, imitate movements, and work together without giving away the hidden leader. One student in the middle must use careful observation to figure out who is leading the group.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Have all the players sit in a circle. Choose one player to be the Guesser. That player must leave the room or turn their back.
Choose a second player to be the Leader. The Leader starts making a rhythmic motion, e.g, snapping fingers, slapping their hands on their knees, clapping hands, etc. The other players in the circle mirror the Leader’s motions.
Instruct the Leader to change their motion from time to time. The other players need to concentrate and follow those changes as quickly as possible, since the goal is for the group to be so “in sync” that it’s difficult to tell who is leading.
Once everyone in the group is following the Leader, have the Guesser come back into the room and stand in the middle of the circle. Give them three guesses to figure out who the Leader is. Note: Tell the group following not to look directly at the Leader since it “gives away” who’s leading.
This game works well with larger groups of children, and can help a group calm down and focus.
MORE DRAMA GAMES AND THEATER ACTIVITIES YOU MIGHT ENJOY:
FREEZE WALK - Students walk in a circle and start, stop, and change direction without speaking.
GROUP MIND - Students mimic each others sounds and actions as a group until someone changes the pattern.
MORPH THE MOTION - Students mimic a rhythmic motion and sound, then transform it before passing it on.
© 2023, Friends of the Groom Theater Company
Curtains Up Curriculum by Friends of the Groom Theater Co. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Curtains Up is a training program designed for young actors sponsored by Friends of the Groom Theater Company.
It is available to the general public for free under the terms of the Creative Commons License above.