Musical Questions
Suggested Group(s): Young/Middle
Purpose: To allow group members to express thoughts, feelings and memories about their grief experience
Task/need: Group building, acknowledging the reality of the loss & approaching the pain of the loss
Activity Setup Ideas:
- Ask the kids if they have ever played the game of ‘hot potato.’ If so, explain that this game is much like hot potato, where something is passed around the group while music plays. Instead of being ‘out’ when the music ends while you’re holding the item, in this game, you will pick a card and talk about the question on it.
Materials:
- Sharing questions on cardstock
- Stuffed wind up musical toy
Description: Start the group winding the music box in the back of the stuffed toy. Have the group members gently toss it around the group like the game of ‘hot potato’. Whoever has it when the music stops draws a card and asks, answers or passes the question printed on it.
Activity Wrap Up Ideas:
- As always, thank the group for their sharing, especially sharing of difficult responses.
- Ask the children to indicate which, if any, questions were hard to answer or which answers of other children were surprising to hear.
Suggestions: The use of the toy will have to be carefully managed to make sure that the throwing of the toy remains safe throughout the activity.
You many want to consider starting the activity by having the children just toss the toy to one another without answering the questions at first, then add in the questions.
