Activity 5: Bear Hide and Seek
Part of Chalice Children
Activity time: 15 minutes
Materials for Activity
- Extra stuffed animals for children who do not bring one
- Large blanket or cardboard box, big enough to cover or contain all the children
- Optional: Digital camera or smartphone
Preparation for Activity
- Choose an open area with enough potential places to hide all of the children's bears.
Description of Activity
Children play hide and seek by looking for their teddy bears.
Invite the children to the area you've chosen for hide and seek. Have the children hide under the blanket or in the box while you and your co-leader hide the bears around the room. When the bears are all hidden, have the children look for the bears. If the children seem to have trouble finding a bear, you can offer hints, such as "Warmer!" or "Colder!" to indicate if they're getting closer to a bear or moving farther away from one, respectively. When all the bears are found, invite children to return the bears to their owners.
After playing the game a few times, have the children put their bears in the box or under the blanket and then hide somewhere in the room. Have the bears then "look" for the children with as much improvised drama as possible!
Optional: Engage the children to talk about how they felt during the game:
- When you couldn't find your bear, how did that make you feel?
- What do you think the bears were feeling as they waited to be found?
- Did it help to know that your friends couldn't find their bears either? You might say:
Sometimes when we're worried or scared about something, it can help to share our feelings with our friends. Knowing that our friends are here to help us makes us feel that we are not alone.
Invite the children to help clean up by straightening areas that got messed up during the game, folding the blanket, or pushing the box into a corner. You could post a sign on the door or the box asking someone to take the box home for play or recycling.
Including All Participants
If any children have mobility issues, make sure that they can fit in the box or under the blanket and that there are accessible places for them to hide with the other children.