The Snowball Toss Avtivity
Snowball Toss is a fast and fun strategy that encourages open dialogue and offers an opportunity to release your party’s pent up energy. It’s a wonderful way to reflect on and discuss issues of stress in our lives, especially as the exercise invites people to release or get rid of their stress in a fun way.
Distribute a sheet of paper and a pen to each person in your group. Instruct each person to anonymously write a thought on the paper regarding a particular topic they want to explore, for example what frustrates or stresses them out.
Here are a few examples:
- What is one thing that you wish you could remove from your life?
- Describe one behaviour you have observed in this group that you do not think is healthy.
- If there was one stress in your life that you could eliminate, what would it be?
When ready, invite each person to crumple their piece of paper. Instruct your group to toss their collective crumpled papers (which now look like snowballs) into the air, across the room, whatever.
Stray snowballs are permitted to be picked up and tossed right back across the room. Allow this pandemonium to continue for 20-30 seconds.
Then, curb the enthusiastic tossing of your group by asking each person to pick up any random snowball and hold onto it, but do not open it (yet.) Ask a question in regards to the thoughts which were written on the paper, eg what would you like to do with these frustrations?
Then, taking turns, ask each person to read the thought written on the paper to the rest of the group. Invite your group to reflect and discuss these thoughts.
Ordinarily, the thoughts which are shared do not belong to the person reading it, which is useful for several reasons. First, this process builds empathy for others. And second, it also provides a random mechanism to share the thoughts of people who feel less comfortable sharing them out loud (or in front of a large group.)
The topics of this publication: self, emotions, wellbeing, reflection, resilience, mindfulness, interactions, empathy
