We built collaboration skills while learning improv with Jackie Sestak in our last week of summer camp. In situations where there is no wrong answer, we have been having so much fun unraveling stories and honing our listening skills. From a simple traffic jam on the expressway that turned into finding out that aliens live among us, to talking to the dragon about his treasure only to find out that it’s cookie dough ice cream that he’s protecting with his fire breath.
Someone is driving slowly, someone is frustrated by the traffic, someone is actually from another planet
One of the favorite games of the week was Duck, Duck, Goose. It turns out that the goose isn’t always a goose. Sometimes it’s a worm or a pig, and you have to give chase as the new animal.
The ducks and the geese and all the other animals
Improv is about teamwork, and it is such an important skill for kids to develop. From putting ideas out to the group, to thinking on their feet, by the end of the week the students excelled at responding to situations and making decisions. These games built the groundwork for life skills that will carry them through adolescence and adulthood.
Jackie Sestak is an Improv Mentor with Room2Improv. Room2Improv is a non-profit organization dedicated to raising the self-esteem of students, veterans and seniors, and ultimately empower them to live enriching lives.