Co-operative juggling

Objective:

To appreciate that through unity of action and coordination it becomes easier to perform even difficult tasks.

Group size:

Up to about 10 to 15 participants.

Time Required: 30-40 minutes

Material required:

About 10 tennis or any other soft balls per group. You may use yarn or anything soft that can be thrown instead of balls.

Procedure:

Players stand in a big circle. The first player throws a ball to any other member of the group. The first player will always throw the ball to same member from now on. The second player throws the ball to another member of the group and so on. A person receives the ball only once, hence he should raise his one hand after he receives the ball for the first time. All players should throw the ball to the same person each time and receive the ball from another particular person each time. Care should be taken to throw the ball in such a way that it will be possible for the next player to catch it. As the ball goes around and the players improve their catching skills, the mentor slowly adds more balls. The game may
continue until a good level of coordination is achieved with a maximum number of balls.

Cooperative games help children develop the essential skills of cooperation, communication, empathy, and conflict resolution by giving them an opportunity to work together toward a common goal. These games require the skills of everyone in the group, not of just one or two people. Contrast this with traditional games, in which there is direct competition between individuals or groups, and you’ll see why cooperative games can play such a big role in teaching and  peacemaking skills.