From ‘101 Drama Games and Activities’

Age: 5 to adult
Players: Whole Group
Time: 10-15 minutes
Skills: Mime and movement, Concentration, Group Dynamics

Perfect for exploring dramatic tension

Although this is a traditional children’s game, in my experience it is also great fun for grown-ups! One person is Grandma – he/she faces a wall. The others in the group start at the other end of the room, then try to creep up to Grandma and tap her on the shoulder. However, at any moment, Grandma can turn around suddenly. If she sees anyone moving, she points at them and that person must return to the start. No-one is allowed to move while she is watching them.

Whoever manages to tap her on the shoulder becomes Grandma (male or female) and the game starts again. It’s a good activity for cultivating concentration and patience – not to mention lots of cheating!

Director’s Notes

  • Afterwards, discuss with the group which strategies were most successful
  • To make it more challenging, put some hats, wigs, scarves, shoes, handbags or other items of Grandma costume on the floor. Make it a rule that you have to put on a hat or an item of clothing before you tap Grandma on the shoulder.
  • For an ‘advanced’ (tongue in cheek) group dynamics version with adults, try playing it without Grandma!
Grandma’s Footsteps is a great warm-up game for exploring dramatic tension in conjunction with this downloadable lesson plan:

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