The Silence Game
Material:
Comfortable place for each child to sit
For Following Exercise 2: a pin or other small item
Purposes:
Culminating Experience in Control of Movement
Self-control
Focus of Attention
Heightening of Social Awareness
Bonding of the Community of Children
Age: 3 – 6
Preparation: The children can demonstrate reasonable coordination of movement and self-control.
Preliminary Exercise: Introduction to Making Silence
Invite the children to sit comfortably.
Isolate a body part to move or wiggle and then to be still so the child can feel the contrast of movement and stillness. Begin with the toes, then feet, then legs, back, arms, hands, and head last.
Invite the children to keep their whole body still and to close their eyes.
Break the silence only when you observe that the children can no longer sustain the silence.
End the exercise with a soft poem or song.
**On following days, attempt to extend the period of silence in small increments.
Presentation: The Silence Game (darken room)
Preparation: The Preliminary Exercise
Bring the children to a state of silence. They may close their eyes if they so choose.
Explain to the children that when they hear their name to come to you as quietly as possible.
Move to a place out of sight or at a distance from the children.
Keeping your eyes straight ahead, call each child one at a time, in a soft voice. Every child should be called.
After all the children have been called, thank them for making silence.
Close the Silence Game with a soft song or poem.
Following Exercise 1: Listening to the Sounds Around Us
Bring the children to a state of silence and to close their eyes.
Allow for a length of silence before asking the children to open their eyes.
Ask the children if they had heard anything while their eyes were closed.
Allow the children to share
Following Exercise #2: Listening for a Dropped object
Invite a group of children to make silence as before.
Show the children the item to be dropped and drop it so they may hear what it sounds like.
Explain that you will drop it in different places in the room and when the children hear it, they should point in the direction of the sound.
Invite the children to close their eyes.
Walking quietly to different areas of the room and drop the object. Watch for the response from the children, let them see if they were correct, and then close their eyes again.
Continue in this way for several rounds.
Points of Interest:
Listening for their name to be called.
Keeping their body and voice quiet.
Learning to gather silently
Being able to engage in this game without a sound.
Pedagogical Notes:
This exercise is part of the control of movement section because of the control the child must exert to achieve lack of movement.
Children must be willing to participate in the game.
Call the most self-controlled children at the beginning and at the end because they will help keep the silence.
This lesson facilitates the awareness of the self and others as they work as a cohesive group to participate.
Do not try the Silence Game at the start of the school year. The children need time to build the focus and control over their bodies that Practical Life and Walking on the Line offers.