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Volunteering at Scouts is changing to help us reach more young people

Volunteering is changing to help us reach more young people

Volunteering is changing at Scouts. Read more

Discover what this means

Silent shape up

Actions speak louder than words in this shape making leadership challenge. Who’ll get their team in shape first?
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Get the teams ready

  1. Everyone should get into a group of between five and ten people. All the groups should be roughly the same size.
  2. Each group should find their own space to stand or sit.
  3. Each team should choose a team leader—they may decide to nominate people in their group, or people could volunteer.

Play the game

  1. The person leading the game should give the team leaders a simple shape, for example, a square, or the letter ‘E’. The person leading the game could whisper the shape, or they could show the team leaders a drawing of the shape.
  2. The team leaders should return to their teams. Without making any noise (and without touching anyone) the team leaders should direct the rest of their team to make the shape they were given by the person leading the game. The rest of their team can’t make any noise either.
  3. Each team should follow their team leader’s instructions to make the shape. It’s up to the team leader whether they stand up, sit down, or lie on the floor.
  4. When the team leader is happy with their team’s shape, they should put their hand up. The person leading the game should check their shape.
  5. The first team ready with a well-formed shape wins a point.
  6. Everyone should keep playing, as the person leading the game changes the shapes. They could make them trickier as the game goes on.

Reflection

This activity was a chance to think about what makes a great leader, and some people had the chance to give leading a go, too. The leaders had to think on their feet and try again if things went a bit wrong. Before you start talking about teamwork, the person leading the reflection may remind everyone to talk about teamwork in general without blaming or singling out team members. Being in a team is about working together!

How did the leaders find leading without using words or touch? How did they find being in front of everyone? What did the leaders do if people didn’t understand, or if people didn’t do what they wanted them to do? Did it get easier as the game went on? Sometimes it’s easier when we know our teams, as we know what works and what doesn’t, and we learn to understand each other.

This game also needed you to communicate with your actions. Was it difficult to communicate without using words? When else may we use actions to communicate without words? For example, we may use actions if somewhere is very loud (such as a music concert), if we’re trying to give an important message to someone who speaks another language, or if someone is Deaf, deaf, or has a hearing impairment. Was it easy to understand the leader? What made it easier (or harder)?

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.

Active games

The game area should be free of hazards. Explain the rules of the game clearly and have a clear way to communicate that the game must stop when needed. Take a look at our guidance on running active games safely.

Start with simpler shapes (such as squares, the number ‘7’ or the letter ‘O’). As teams get more confident, move on to more complicated shapes (such as stars and pentagons, or letters such as ‘Q’). You could even try whole words such as ‘FUN’, or something such as a birthday cake with candles.

When talking about what makes a great leader, why not make an ideal leader? Draw around someone on a big bit of paper (old wallpaper is perfect) then write and draw things that make a good leader inside the outline. Check that every understands all of the words and drawings, then hang it up as a reminder.

No one should need to touch anyone else (unless it’s agreed beforehand, for example if someone has a visual impairment). If it’s appropriate, the team leaders should be aware of everyone in their team’s needs.

Make sure everyone’s included—you could change the rules so everyone has to stand or sit if someone can’t lie on the floor, for example.

All Scout activities should be inclusive and accessible.

Beavers Teamwork Challenge Award
Beavers YouShape Award: Lead

Everyone should have a chance to be a leader if they want to; people could support any friends who are unsure so they can still have a go.