One Two Three

Age: 5 to adult
Players: Pairs
Time: 5-10 minutes
Tags: #Concentration #Group Dynamics

A quick and easy warm-up game which involves counting from one to three – but takes a lot of concentration.

Face your partner. Count from one to three between you, over and over.

A: “One”
B: “Two”
A: “Three”
B: “One”
A: “Two”
B: “Three”

Stage Two: Instead of saying the number “one”, clap your hands – but still say “two” and “three” aloud.

A: CLAP
B: “Two”
A: “Three”
B: CLAP
A: “Two”
B: “Three”

Stage Three: Instead of saying “three”, bend your knees. (You still clap for number “one”.) It’s like trying to pat your head and rub your stomach at the same time – in fact, you can try that afterwards!

A: CLAP
B: “Two”
A: BEND KNEES
B: CLAP
A: “Two”
B: BEND KNEES

Director’s Tips

• Allow time for pairs to show everybody else how they’re doing after each step. It’s fun watching people trying to concentrate, especially if it goes a bit wrong!
• If you have extra time, pairs can make up their own movement and/or sound for the number “two”.
• For language teaching, ask players to make up a word or phrase plus an action to replace the number two, for example ‘cup of tea’, ‘umbrella’ or ‘smile’.

Age: 5 to adult
Players: Pairs
Time: 5-10 minutes
Tags: #Concentration #Group Dynamics

A quick and easy warm-up game which involves counting from one to three – but takes a lot of concentration.

Face your partner. Count from one to three between you, over and over.

A: “One”
B: “Two”
A: “Three”
B: “One”
A: “Two”
B: “Three”

Stage Two: Instead of saying the number “one”, clap your hands – but still say “two” and “three” aloud.

A: CLAP
B: “Two”
A: “Three”
B: CLAP
A: “Two”
B: “Three”

Stage Three: Instead of saying “three”, bend your knees. (You still clap for number “one”.) It’s like trying to pat your head and rub your stomach at the same time – in fact, you can try that afterwards!

A: CLAP
B: “Two”
A: BEND KNEES
B: CLAP
A: “Two”
B: BEND KNEES

Director’s Tips

• Allow time for pairs to show everybody else how they’re doing after each step. It’s fun watching people trying to concentrate, especially if it goes a bit wrong!
• If you have extra time, pairs can make up their own movement and/or sound for the number “two”.
• For language teaching, ask players to make up a word or phrase plus an action to replace the number two, for example ‘cup of tea’, ‘umbrella’ or ‘smile’.