Basic Group Juggle and Variations on a Theme
Focus: Decision making, leadership, taking turns, group goals
Materials: Many soft throwable objects
Level: Grades K and higher
Suggested Procedure: Basic Juggle
1. Clear the desks or tables away. Have students stand in a circle.
2. Tell students they need to know the name of the person on their right. Give them time to see who
that is.
3. Take one item and throw it around the circle to the right. Each person calls the name of the person
to his or her right before throwing the object. Go around a couple of times.
4. Tell students to notice the person they have been passing to – what are they wearing? This is
important because they will always pass to this same person, no matter where he or she is in the
circle.
5. Now ask students to mix up and re-form the circle.
6. Ask each student to identify where the person who used to be on his or her right is now. He or she
should continue to throw to that person.
7. Pick up an object and begin the pattern by calling the name of the person who used to be on your
right and throwing your object to that person.
8. Now tell students that, as a group, they will juggle all of the objects. Everyone must always throw to
the original throwing partner. Then throw the objects one after the other and watch chaos reign.
Group Juggle Variation: Juggling for Our Lives
1. Do the basic Group Juggle through step 7
2. Divide your throwable objects into two piles – one to go through the pattern forward, the other to go
through the pattern backward. Put all the stuffed animals in one pile (for example) and all the fleece
balls in another pile.
3. In addition to the two piles, have two wadded up pieces of paper and a cup of water handy.
4. Start with one pile. Tell students that these objects represent their lives – what they do every day,
their roles, their responsibilities. Ask them to call out some of the things they do every day (e.g.,
homework, sports teams, baby-sitting).
5. Take a few items and go through the pattern with everyone still throwing to the same person.
6. Next, take the other pile. Tell students that these objects represent all those curve balls in our lives
– the unexpected (e.g., illness, car accidents).
7. Try sending a few of these items through the pattern backwards. With these, everyone throws to
the person who was just throwing to them.
8. Take out the two wadded up pieces of paper. Tell them that these are rumors, which can go
anywhere. When in play, students can throw these to whomever they wish.
9. Finally, take out the cup of water. Tell students that this represents their school responsibilities.
You will be passing it around the circle, hand-to-hand.
10. Then start the Juggle – sending items out in all the various directions. Either they will all come back
to you, or you will need to stop the action. Be prepared for confusion and a bit of chaos (hence the
need for soft objects).
11. Ask students how they felt about this round. Generally, you will get answers like “crazy,”
“overwhelming,” “exciting.”
12. Now ask them for strategies to bring their “life” into a semblance of order. The two uncontrollables
are needing to use the same items and needing to stand in the same place. What can they control?
13. After eliciting strategies – like slowing down, communicating better by making eye contact, or
waiting until someone is ready before loading on more objects – try it again. The results can be
impressive.
From: Journey Toward the Caring Classroom, p. 174
© 2004 Laurie Frank
Facilitation Notes
This variation works well for high-school students. The metaphor resonates with many of them,
creating an avenue to issues about leadership, decision making and goal setting in their lives. It is also
a way to focus on the behaviors in life that can be controlled, as opposed to pointing fingers at others
who are outside
Sample Processing Questions for Group Juggle
 What skills/qualities did you need in order to juggle all of the objects successfully?
 How did setting group goals affect the activity?
 What made the difference between the first and second attempts? • What parts of this were you
able to control? What was outside of your sphere of influence?
 In your life, what parts are you able to control? What parts are outside your sphere of influence?
From: Journey Toward the Caring Classroom, p. 174
© 2004 Laurie Frank