Daniel Ruiz

LEI 4727
Activity: Balloon Frenzy
Source: Neill, J. (2013, April 28). Icebreakers, Warmups, Energizers, & Deinhibitizers. Retrieved March
17, 2017, from The Wilderdom Store:
http://www.wilderdom.com/games/GroupTherapyIdeasThemes.html
Equipment Need: Pack of Balloons & Stopwatch

Activity Description:
1. Gather participants into groups of 4 to 10. Explain to residents that they will need 2 to 3 balloons per
person for the activity and as the facilitator, I will be holding a stopwatch.
2. Ask everyone to blow up their balloons as large as they want, and tie them off.
3. They then keep one balloon, and pile the rest in a space near the group.
4. On a signal, everyone begins bouncing his or her balloon in the air and the time is started. The
balloons must be bounced, they cannot be held.
5. Every five seconds, another balloon is added to the group.
6. The objective is to see how long the group can keep the balloons bouncing before receiving six
penalties.
7. A penalty consists of a balloon hitting the floor, or once on the floor not getting it back into play
within five seconds.
8. Every time a penalty is assessed, the facilitator shouts out which number it is. So, when the first
balloon touches the floor, the facilitator shouts, One! If another one touches the floor, or that same
balloon sits for five seconds, the facilitator shouts, Two! When the facilitator gets to six, the time
is stopped.
9. After some discussion time, the group tries to better their record with another attempt.
Leadership Consideration:
1. When implementing this activity, certain safety precautions must be taken for example having an open
room, clear from any objects or furniture that a participant can hurt themselves with. Have explained
and made clear to participants that diving for a balloon is prohibited. To keep everybodys safety in
mind.
2. For this reason, it helps to have two people facilitating this activity; one to add balloons every five
seconds, the other to watch for penalties. It is important to note, that facilitators do not initiate play
with the participants, rather the facilitator waits for the participant to make a request and then
responds, or this case when time seems appropriate to add an additional balloon to make the activity
more challenging.
3. For participants with physical disabilities, the treatment goal is to improve the physical, social,
emotional, and cognitive functions of the patients. Therefore, within these air filled balloons you might
want to carry a manageable helium tank to add some of its gas to make each balloon float just a little
longer for participants that are more physically impaired. The facilitator can also help participants that
are within wheelchairs by guiding them where it might seem needed, incase there is a balloon out of
reach. Having participants being able to cope with their depression and anxiety by introducing them
into a game like this stimulate their social interactions with other people by developing communication
and positive feedback by the facilitator after the round or time has passed. Involving the physical
functions provides them with exercise to aim to help with their gross motor skills.
4. Children and teenagers that have been affected by PTSD due to abuse, participants with behavioral
problems, or even cancer are in someway affected with by depression or anxiety, and introducing this
type of therapeutic use of play can help improve areas of communication with others and dealing with
problems and responsibilities. So by adapting the activity with a marker and having the participants
label balloons with positive sensations they get from doing the things they like to do. Once the round is
done, the facilitator can ask question to participants talk about the activities that lead them to the
sensation they label on the balloon, or how they felt during hectic period that the Frenzy was occurring
to build coping strategies, or How do you know when a group is collaborating successfully? Or how
they worked together to be successful. This form of directive play therapy as a modality provides a
realistic social framework where social interaction skill can be practiced and friendships developed
without fear of rejection. (Dattilo & Shahvali, 2016)