Non-Verbal Communication Activities For Kids/High School Students
Non-Verbal Communication Activities For Kids/High School Students
Non-Verbal Communication is powerful and is occurs more times than verbal communication. You know when you get that stare from your mom meaning “You’re in trouble”, and you communicate back “Im sorry” with your eyes - that is Non-Verbal Communication.
Can we communicate without Non-Verbal Communication?
Non-Verbal Communication is communicated with your body: Hands, legs, facial expression and eye contact. Many experts believe that effective communication is 30% verbal and 70% Body Language. This itself is a huge statement as it demonstrates just how many tools we have in our power to influence.
Hands and Feet Gesture are powerful. Ever notice that service-oriented professionals like stewardess or hotel concierge welcome you with open arms? This is because the open arm gesture represents an invitation and openness. As an audience, we react to this gesture with a non-verbal communication exchange indicating new friendship. Facial expressions and eye contact are harder to control as they’re largely automated. However, you can learn to take more control in order to have stronger influence. Imagine communicating with someone with no facial expression or eye contact. How difficult would it be to absorb and digest the message? Now imagine how kids/high school students will feel.
If you’d like to improve your non-verbal communication with your kids/high school students, here are our top 3 activities for non-verbal communication we discovered to be effective:
1. Find the Treasure
Ooh! Here’s a fun game to play with your kids. You need a minimum of 2 players. 1st player should find an object and hide it somewhere in the house (or any location you’re at) whilst the 2nd player counts back from 20. The 2nd player should now search for the object, and at the same time study the 1st player’s facial expression. If the 2nd player is close to the object, the 1st player must watch the 1st the first player and as he gets closer to the hidden object, the 1st players expression gets more outrageous - either a surprised or excited expression. The further away the 1st player is, the 2nd player the less expressive the 1st player should be. This non-verbal communication activity will really get you comfortable in your own skin to express. Feel free to dance and move too! Remember, the closer the finder gets the more crazy you can go! You can play this at home or in your school.
2. Draw What?!
Now here’s a tough one, but really fun. You need 2 players. Player 1 will need a piece of paper to draw either an object or pattern. He/she will now need to instruct Player 2 to draw the same in 2 minutes. The instructions however have to be non-verbal, using the body or facial expressions! It’s tough right? Try it with your kids/high school students! This will enhance the bond between the 2 players, develop trust and improve both non-verbal communication for both parties!
3. Shhh Goals
This game can be played with 6 players or more. Split the team into two and have two goal posts on opposite sides. Just like netball, each team must attempt to pass the ball from one end to another, and the other team must defend their post and try to catch the ball and try score themselves. No dribbling or running with the ball is allowed, and you cannot speak or shout to one another. The only way to communicate is with your body. Seems simple? You’ll be surprised how chaotic we get without verbal communication. You will see, with your kids/high school students, from this game that with focus and strategic hand gestures, you can champion the game. This non-verbal communication activity is our favorite!
All of the above examples are activities for effective communication that will help you bond and connect with your kids and high school students. They seem like just games, but after playing a few times, you will see the difference on how you react and notice body language. Through these activities you have now registered new lessons for the mind to process, giving you more control over how you communicate to the world!
For tips on COMMUNICATION & PUBLIC SPEAKING:
Stress Less With These 3-Easy Steps And Improve Your Critical Thinking
7 things I learnt about interpersonal communication from my time at Scouts Malaysia
5 A's to Communicating Better with Your Child from an Educator’s Point of View
For tips on CONFIDENCE: