Follow sound cues, avoid the obstacles and find your way home!
What you’ll need: Two or more people, a blindfold, body percussion (or instruments or objects that make different sounds when hit)
What’s it for?
This activity helps you to focus very carefully to follow sound clues which direct you around the room. You will have to choose someone you trust to play this game with and it might help you to boost that relationship.
Check In:
Notice how you’re feeling right now. Close your eyes and notice what’s going on inside your mind and body.
How are you feeling?
What are you thinking?
How does your body feel?
Method:
One person is the guide and the other the detective.
The guide puts some obstacles in the room, like a cushion on the floor, a soft-toy.
The guide takes the detective to the other side of the room and places a blindfold on them.
The guide goes back and for a step in each direction there is a different sound. Make sure you’ve gone through this with the detective before starting! For example (using body percussion):
A clap = one step forwards / A finger click = one step right / Rubbing hands together = one step left / A pat of the belly = one step backwards / A stamp = stop
The aim is to guide the detective who is listening to your sound clues back ‘home’ around the obstacle.
Swap roles so that everyone has a turn at being the guide and the detective.
Extra Activity: If this feels too easy, perhaps you could give a string of clues all at once (e.g. clap-clap-finger click-stamp; which would mean: two steps forward, one step right and stop) and the detective has to concentrate and remember well to find the way ‘home’. You could also experiment using quieter or louder sounds.
When you’ve finished, spend a moment reflecting on the activity and ask yourself the following questions:
How did it feel being the blindfolded hearing detective?
How did it feel being the guide?
Was it easy or difficult to tell the difference between the different sounds?
Conclusion:
This activity practises attention skills and trust. It can be a lot of fun, but you need to be careful to play safely!
Take a moment to notice how you are feeling at the end of this activity. Did you discover anything surprising? What can you take away to make you feel better about yourself from this activity?
If you would like to, share something about your experience with this activity with someone you live with! Ask the person who looks after you to send us an email if you have any questions or comments about the activity, or would like to send us any pictures (info@catcorner.co.uk). Don't forget to subscribe for more fun CAT activities!
Creative Arts Used: Music
Psychological Areas Explored: Relationships, Trust, Attention
References:
This activity was taken and adapted from ‘Listen to the Clues’ (pg. 100) from:
Hanko, J. (2007): 100 Learning Games for Special Needs with Music, Movement, Sounds and… Silence, London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers
These activities could be done by children of all ages, but some may need the support of their parent or carer to read the instructions or complete the activity safely.
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