Emotional Charades

Activity
This is like normal charades, but the items to be pantomimed are different emotions. Do not announce this beforehand, but let the groups figure it out for themselves. The person who guesses the emotion gets a point.

Some suggested emotions that can be used are: anger, fear, happy, nervous, bored, bitter, overwhlemed, depressed, at peace, embarassed, loved, proud, detached, shocked, hate, and finally, love.

Icebreaker / Crowdbreaker Variation
In larger groups you might give each person one of the above motions. There should be at least two people that have each emotion. The objective will be to display the emotion until you find the other members of your group. When you think you have found your partners/group have a seat. Continue until all groups are seated. Then have each group strike a pose of their emotion.

Photo Variation
Obtain a variety of photos from newspaper clippings, magazines, and advertisements. Have the group identify the emotions displayed on people's faces. Discuss the difficulty of recognizing love and other emotions.

Couples Variation
couples must perform the charade and whoever guesses it gets the next item on the list to pantomime. The person who guesses the emotion and the nearest person of the opposite sex on his/her right will be the next couple to get the clue. This means the two will have to demonstrate the emotion with each other... (e.g. Anger - pantomime yelling at each other, being upset, etc.)

Application / Debrief
1. What does love look like? What actions show love? How did you find your group? How do we find love? What do our emotions reveal about us? Are negative emotions a sin? Is it easier to control positive or negative emotions? Which emotions are the easiest to show? The most difficult?
2. Discuss the different emotions Jesus portrayed in his life as revealed in the scriptures.
3. Discuss the fruits of the spirit and how they relate to our emotions.
4. Focus in on the emotion of love and use the activity for Valentine's Day
5. Use this as an introduction to a discussion on God's Love