Adapting games for virtual and socially distant guiding
How to adapt some of the most common games in the programme, from corners to beetle drive
Our programme activities are designed to be flexible, allowing you to adapt them to your and your girls’ needs.
This has been more important than ever in recent times. As we welcome back even more of our guiding family, we understand not everyone’s been able to take part in guiding over the last year for different reasons. So here are some easy adaptations that can help with some of the most common games in the programme. For more adaptation advice on individual activities check out our example programme plans and adaptations. This isn’t a definitive guide, so let your imagine run wild and make the programme work for you and your girls.
1) Corners
This is a game in which girls go to a corner of the space to answer a question or share their thoughts.
Virtual adaptation
Open the whiteboard function on your online meeting software. Split the space in four and ask each girl to write or draw herself. Label each corner as you would in the original game. Girls can then move their name or drawing to corners during the game.
Socially distant adaptation
Assign each corner a different social-distanced action. For example, spin around, touch the ground, reach for the sky and wiggle your body.
2) Throw an object to choose who goes next
Virtual adaptation
Instead of using objects, girls could call out the name of the person they want to go next. Tell them they can’t hesitate and need to say it as quickly as possible. Challenge your unit to do it without picking the same person twice.
Socially distant adaptation
Instead of using objects, girls could spin around once, and stop and point to who they want to go next. You may also need them to shout out their name!
3) Build or create something together as a team
Virtual adaptation
Use the breakout function on your online meeting software to create teams (but check you have the correct number of adults first). Everyone in a breakout room has to build the same thing using the same items. If someone doesn’t have an item, the team need to think together and pick something else to use that everyone has.
Socially distant adaptation
Give each team their items but only one girl at a time can build. The rest of the team need to stand back and encourage her and help her problem solve. Swap the girl who is building regularly (make sure everyone has washed their hands before the activity). To make it really hard, only give each girl 60 seconds to build.
4) Role-playing or creating group pieces of drama or dance
Virtual adaptation
Use the breakout function on your online meeting software to create small groups (but check you have the correct number of adults first). Give each group their time limit to create their piece. Bring everyone back together in the main room and give each group time to show off their hard work. Everyone else should be on mute.
Socially distant adaptation
Put groups in separate marked out areas. Groups should remain socially distant. To share their masterpieces, get girls to turn around in the space they’re in (if it’s dry/indoors they could sit down). There might need to be a little rearranging so everyone can see.
5) Beetle drive
This is a game in which groups have to collect six items. To do this, they roll the dice and collect the item associated with that number.
Virtual adaptation
Ask each girl to write down the six things she needs on a piece of paper. Then get them to randomly assign each item a different number between two and 12. Roll two virtual dice at a time (or real ones). Add them together and this is the number item they collect. They won’t have an item for each number. The girl that collects all her items first wins!
Socially distant adaptation
Put groups in separate marked out areas. Groups should remain socially distant. Give each girl in a group an item to represent one of the items they need. Give one girl a dice (large foam ones work best) or a virtual dice using a phone app. Assign each girl a number between one and six (if groups are bigger, use two dice and assign girls numbers between two and twelve and duplicate some of the items).
If a girl’s number is thrown once, she can pick up her item with both arms. The goal is to get all your team holding their item at once. If your number gets rolled twice, you can only hold it with one arm. Has your number been rolled three times? Bad luck, put your item back down. But don’t worry - if your number’s rolled again, you can pick it back up.
