Theatre Education: A Resource of Practical and Project-Based Warm-ups/Theatre Games for K-12

Guide to Warm-ups

Each warm-up description includes information on where we first learned the activity (Northwestern University is abbreviated as NU, Gustavus Adolphus College is GAC and Arizona State University is ASU), appropriate ages, necessary materials, procedures and possible variations.  Just below the title of each warm-up is a box containing the skills developed by that activity.  The skills are represented by particular icons.  See a key to these icons below.  In addition, on the right side of each warm-up is a second box that lists applicable units for each activity (however, use whichever warm-up most fits your lesson at the time).  We chose this particular format for the warm-ups to make it easy to flip through the pages and find what will work for a lesson.  Finally, instead of giving credit to the originator of a warm-up, we decided to say where we learned it.  We made this choice because of our belief in teacher legacy.  In this field, we pass down warm-ups from teacher to student.  Over time the warm-ups might change and split into different variations.  Therefore, it is very difficult to trace back and discover who invented one warm-up or another.  With this in mind, we honor where we learned our version of a warm-up and in turn honor all theatre educators who have gone before us.

An index listing each game and the skills developed follows.   The games are listed alphabetically with a second listing of games that can be used with younger children K-2nd grade.

Keys to Icons

Warm-up Index

Warm-up Index K-12

1. 1,2,3 in Pairs 2nd grade and up: focus, listening, communication, movement
2. Audience Pantomime 4th grade and up: communication, quick thinking, movement, creativity
3. Big Booty 6th grade and up: focus, quick thinking, vocal, group building
4. Big Wind Blows 1st grade and up: movement, group building, listening, energy
5. Bippity Bippity Bop  4th grade and up: focus, quick thinking, listening, group building
6. Blob Tag 2nd grade and up: energy, group building, movement, creativity
7. Bomb and Shield 4th grade and up: focus, movement, group building
8. Cricle Counting 6th grade and up: focus, group building, sensory awareness, trust
9. Circle Dash 4th grade and up: focus, movement, trust, communication, sensory awareness, energy
10. Circle Sit  4th grade and up: focus, trust, group building, movement
11. Circle Tableaux 6th grade and up: group building, communication, creativity, movement
12. Circle Walk 6th grade and up: focus, movement, sensory awareness, group building
13. Colombian Hypnosis 6th grade and up: focus, movement, trust, sensory awareness
14. Complete the Image 6th grade and up: quick thinking, movement, creativity
15. Concentration 4th grade and up: focus, quick thinking, listening, group building
16. Cover the Space 2nd grade and up: focus, movement, creativity, group building
17. Data Processing 2nd grade and up: quick thinking, group building, vocal
18. Do You Like Your Neighbor?  2nd grade and up: quick thinking, group building, listening, energy
19. Duck, Duck, Whatever Kindergarten and up: focus, movement, creativity, energy
20. Fast Shake Down 3rd grade and up: movement, vocal, energy
21. Find Families 1st grade and up: quick thinking, creativity, group building
22. Find Your Mother Like a Little Penguin 2nd grade and up: creativity, listening, vocal, sensory awareness
23. Fruit Salad Kindergarten and up: listening, energy
24. Giants, Elves, Wizards 4th grade and up: quick thinking, movement, group building, energy
25. Give and Take 4th grades and up: focus, movement, vocal, creativity, group building, sensory awareness
26. Group Juggling 2nd grade and up focus, group building, vocal, energy
27. Hug Tag Kindergarten and up: movement, group building, energy
28. Keep It In the Air Kindergarten and up: focus, group building, energy
29. Kitty Wants a Corner 2nd grade and up: focus, movement, trust, vocal, sensory awareness, energy
30. Knot 6th grade and up: focus, group building, trust, vocal
31. Liar’s Contest 4th grade and up: listening, vocal
32. Link Tag 3rd grade and up: focus, quick thinking, movement, energy
33. Look and Scream 4th grade and up: focus
34. Machine 6th grade and up: movement, vocal, creativity, group building
35. Martha Game 6th grade and up: quick thinking, movement, creativity, group building
36. Minefield 3rd grade and up: focus, listening, vocal, trust, group building
37. Mirrors 4th grade and up: focus, movement, group building, trust
38. Move Around the Space 6th grade and up: focus, movement, creativity
39. Musical Chairs Reinvented 4th grade and up: creativity, group building, trust, quick thinking, movement
40. Name 10 Kindergarten and up: quick thinking, vocal, creativity
41. Name Game 4th grade and up: focus, group building, listening
42. One up, Two Down 4th grade and up: focus, quick thinking, movement, energy
43. Pantomime Time of Day 4th grade and up: focus, movement
44. Pass the Clap 3rd grade and up: focus, group building, energy
45. Pass the Pulse 6th grade and up: focus, group building, energy
46. Pass the Sound and Movement 4th grade and up: focus, movement, vocal, creativity, group building, energy
47. People to People Kindergarten and up: movement, group building, listening, trust
48. Question Game 3rd grade and up: quick thinking, creativity, listening
49. Rain 1st grade and up: focus, group building, listening
50. Red Light! Green Light! Kindergarten and up: focus, movement, creativity, listening
51. Roll Call 4th grade and up: movement, vocal, creativity, group building
52. Sculpting 4th grade and up: movement, creativity, trust, lcommunication
53. Shapes and Numbers 6th grade and up: focus, quick thinking, movement, creativity, group building
54. Sharks and Minnows 4th grade and up: listening, communication, group building, trust
55. Ships and Sailors Kindergarten and up: movement, listening, energy
56. Simon Says 3rd grade and up: focus, movement, listening, energy
57. Stage Directions: 2nd grade and up: movement, listening, energy
58. Status 6th grade and up: creativity, group building, communication
59. Story Circle Kindergarten and up quick thinking, creativity, group building, listening
60. Sun Salutation 6th grade and up: focus, movement, energy
61. This is a. . . 4th grade and up: focus, vocal, group building, listening
62. Trust Circle Fall 6th grade and up: focus, movement, communication, trust, group building
63. Two Truths and an Untruth 2nd grade and up: creativity, group building, listening
64. Values Clarification 4th grade and up: group building, listening, trust, communication
65. Vegetable Game Kindergarten and up: focus, vocal, group building, listening
66. Wax Museum 2nd grade and up: focus, movement, creativity
67. What Are You Doing?  3rd grade and up: quick thinking, movement, creativity, listening
68. Who’s the Leader?  4th grade and up: focus, movement, group building, sensory awareness
69. Whoosh  1st grade and up: focus, movement, vocal, group building
70. Yes 3rd grade and up: focus, group building, listening, communication
71. Zip, Zap, Zop 2nd grade and up: focus, quick thinking, energy, vocal, group building
72. Zoom 1st grade and up: focus, group building, listening, energy

Warm-up Index K- 2

1. 1,2,3 in Pairs 2nd grade and up: focus, listening, communication, movement
2. Big Wind Blows 1st grade and up: movement, group building, listening, energy
3. Blob Tag 2nd grade and up: energy, group building, movement, creativity
4. Cover the Space 2nd grade and up: focus, movement, creativity, group building
5. Data Processing 2nd grade and up: quick thinking, group building, vocal
6. Do You Like Your Neighbor?  2nd grade and up: quick thinking, group building, listening, energy
7. Duck, Duck, Whatever Kindergarten and up: focus, movement, creativity, energy
8. Find Families 1st grade and up: quick thinking, creativity, group building
9. Find Your Mother Like a Little Penguin 2nd grade and up: creativity, listening, vocal, sensory awareness
10. Fruit Salad Kindergarten and up: listening, energy
11. Group Juggling 2nd grade and up focus, group building, vocal, energy
12. Hug Tag Kindergarten and up: movement, group building, energy
13. Keep It In the Air Kindergarten and up: focus, group building, energy
14. Kitty Wants a Corner 2nd grade and up: focus, movement, trust, vocal, sensory awareness, energy
15. Name 10 Kindergarten and up: quick thinking, vocal, creativity
16. People to People Kindergarten and up: movement, group building, listening, trust
17. Rain 1st grade and up: focus, group building, listening
18. Red Light! Green Light! Kindergarten and up: focus, movement, creativity, listening
19. Ships and Sailors Kindergarten and up: movement, listening, energy
20. Simon Says 2rd grade and up: focus, movement, listening, energy
21. Stage Directions: 2nd grade and up: movement, listening, energy
22. Story Circle Kindergarten and up quick thinking, creativity, group building, listening
23. Two Truths and an Untruth 2nd grade and up: creativity, group building, listening
24. Vegetable Game Kindergarten and up: focus, vocal, group building, listening
25. Wax Museum 2nd grade and up: focus, movement, creativity
26. Whoosh  1st grade and up: focus, movement, vocal, group building