Body puzzle
You’ll need
- Scissors
- Masking tape
- Two copies of the same image/poster/printout (one copy must be large enough to cut into multiple pieces, one for each player)
Before you begin
- Choose an image for your puzzle. Print or draw the image twice – at least one of the copies must be on a large piece of paper.
- Cut the large image into the same number of pieces as you expect to have players.
Play the game
- Give one puzzle piece and a piece of tape to each player. Each player should attach their puzzle piece to the front of their clothing.
- Attach the other (complete) copy of the image to a wall.
- Players should move around to jumble the pieces up – depending on how energetic they feel, they could walk, dance, skip, or hop.
- Once the pieces are jumbled, the players should stand still. The person leading the game should start a countdown to signal when the players can begin piecing themselves together.
- The game is finished when all of the players are lying on the floor in the correct order, so that they form the complete image when viewed from above.
- Everyone should get back together and chat about how it went. What did they do to be a good team player and help their team? Can they think of other types of teams and the roles in them?
Reflection
To complete the jigsaw, players needed to work in a team. How well did you listen to each other? Were you all following the same plan? How did you speak to each other – did you think about your words might make others feel? Were you all working towards the same goal?
Leadership was also important in finishing the puzzle. Did anyone take initiative – perhaps by figuring out something important, or coming up with a plan? Did anyone do something especially helpful? Did anyone help others who were finding it hard?
Safety
All activities must be safely managed. You must complete a thorough risk assessment and take appropriate steps to reduce risk. Use the safety checklist to help you plan and risk assess your activity. Always get approval for the activity, and have suitable supervision and an InTouch process.
Play the game in silence - no talking!
Attach the puzzle pieces to the back of your clothing, and rely on others to tell you what they can see.
Divide into smaller groups, so each puzzle has fewer pieces.
Choose a leader, who isn’t given their own puzzle piece, to direct your team.
Make it accessible
All Scout activities should be inclusive and accessible.
