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Three people sitting circle passing balls to one another as part of The Passing Game

The Passing Game

Small group initiative that demands critical thinking.

  • Simple to set up
  • Focus on systems
  • Promotes communication
  • Develops problem-solving skills
  • Ideal for small groups

Step-by-Step Instructions

  1. Collect five sets of two identical items, eg five different fruits, coloured balls, etc.
  2. Divide your group into small groups of five people only.
  3. Ask each group to sit in a circle, facing each other.
  4. Assign a label to each person representing one of the five different items, eg banana, apple, orange, etc.
  5. Randomly distribute the items into the left and right hands of each person.
  6. Finally, remove any one of the (ten) items from one person’s hand.
  7. Challenge your group to return all of the items to the person to whom they belong in as few passes as possible, ie both oranges return to the hands of the Orange person.
  8. Announce that all passes can only occur within three parameters:
    – Only one item can be passed at a time;
    – An item can only ever be passed into an empty hand; and
    – A person can only ever pass an item to one of their two neighbours.
  9. When ready, invite your groups to start solving the problem, in as few moves as possible.

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Add your Comments...

Have you played this activity? What worked, what didn't work? What type of group? Do you have useful advice for other users? Do you know a fun variation?

Comments (2)

  1. texasteambuilder

    Mark, I love this problem. I can see that the items you select for the categories could be half the fun … stuffed animals, something significant to the group … love the possibilities.
    just thinking through the option of using cards … could you even go for pair based on numeric value? I envision laying out 5 pairs of playing cards face down in the middle of their circle, number off the players 1 (ace) through 5, then ask each to draw 2 cards. So random … and what if they draw one of the cards they are assigned … given the rules of play … could be interesting dynamic. can’t wait to play.
    Any thoughts on how this could be played virtually?

    • Mark Collard

      Hey Jennifer, great ideas to mix up the objects for this initiative. If you test out your playing card idea, let us know how it goes. Re virtual, I think using Jamboard or Padlet to simultaneously move objects on the screen could work. To this end, you’d have to set up 5 separate circles as your background slide, and then create 2 small objects for each person (total of 10) in the centre. Then play as usual, but obviously, all movements will be via manipulating the objects on one’s screen. Could work?

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