The Maze
Dynamic problem-solving initiative that can be linked powerfully to real life
At A Glance
A group attempts to navigate the correct path across a series of spots on the ground.
What You Need
- Bunch of rubber spots / carpet tiles / chalk circles
- Pen & paper
What To Do
This is an ideal problem-solving exercise when you don’t have a lot of room to use.
In advance, lay a series of rubber gym spots /carpet tiles or simply draw chalk circles on the floor, arranged in rows and columns (see photograph). There’s no magic number, but the more spots, the more difficult the task will be.
Start your group at one end of the spots, and explain that you would like the group to navigate their way through the maze – one step at a time – to identify the secret pathway. The correct path starts with one of the spots in the top row (closest to the group), and will finish with one of the spots which form the final row. How the path travels between those two points is a secret.
As with electricity, suggest that the secret pathway will follow the path of least resistance, so it will not run in a straight line, and may turn in any direction, but it will never cross itself, nor use any spot twice (see sample below). Also explain that once identified, the path will not change.
Instruct your group that only one person is entitled to enter the area of the spots at any point in time. To this end, the group may choose to task several people to enter the area to navigate the path, but only ever one person at a time. Explain that every time a spot is stepped on (with both feet), you will either give the thumbs up (yes, part of the path) or thumbs down (no, not the correct path). Tally the number of “errors,” challenging the group to navigate the path with as few errors as possible.
This is the basic set-up. To add extra spice, add one or more of the variations described below.
Note, like many problem-solving activities, this activity and its execution are wonderfully applicable to many a metaphor. For example, the maze represents a journey (or the life of a group), because it has a start and an end and many unknowns in between, and to be successful the whole group must work together, etc.
Variations
Each time an error is made (stepped on wrong spot, or perhaps in wrong sequence), require the stepper to retrace their correct steps back out of the maze returning to the start.- Establish a maximum number of “errors” the group can incur to be “successful.” Based on the maze I often use (illustrated at right), most groups are able to be “successful” in 30 or less errors.
- Ask the group to complete the task silently, ie no verbal communication once the spotted area is entered for the first time. This may mean that they group can talk during their designated planning time.
- For groups still developing their social skills, use less spots or a greater number of allowable errors.
Do you have other ideas about this exercise? If so, let me and the world know by clicking here…
Up The Challenge
Hi folks,
This is not a full write-up, but I wanted to quickly share a great idea I came across which was posted on a list-server I’m subscribed to…
Many people are familiar with The Great Egg Drop problem-solving activity, but it’s been around for a while, and so the question was asked – What else is out there?
Try this – inflate a bunch of balloons using helium. Distribute one (or more) to each person or small group. The task is for each person/group to attach whatever they choose (or you could limit the resources) to the base of the balloon(s) with the objective of becoming the last balloon to reach the ceiling/roof.
The only condition is that to “win” a balloon must eventually reach the ceiling/roof.
This exercise kind of reminds me of the plot from the film ‘Up.‘
Awesome! Try it out, and tell me what you think by adding a comment…
Have FUNN 
Quick Shuffle
A good introductory, success-oriented exercise.
At A Glance
A group works together to re-shuffle seven people back to their original positions of a line in which they were standing prior to the group closing and then re-opening their eyes.
What You Need
- An open space.
- Minimum of 10 people.
- 10 – 15 minutes.
What To Do
Be careful not to reveal too much in this briefing, lest you give your group a clue as to what’s about to happen. It’s not critical, because you can always up the challenge, but it’s good to preserve the adventure for as long as possible.
Ask seven people from your group to stand in one line, side-by-side, in front of the rest of your group, and then ask the latter to simply look at the former for about 10 or so seconds. Now, instruct those who are doing the looking, to close their eyes for 15 to 20 seconds, during which time the chosen seven will totally shuffle their positions. No one leaves the line, each person simply moves to a new spot within it.
As you will have guessed, the group now opens their eyes and is charged with the responsibility of re-shuffling the group back to their original configuration. It is quite likely that not even the seven people will recall their original positions correctly – because they didn’t see what was coming either, and that’s OK.
The guts of this activity is about the looking group working together co-operatively to solve the problem. Like most initiatives, it’s not always about getting the right answer. To this end, and to prevent a “hero” from doing all of the shuffling, be sure to frame this simple exercise as a “group” problem, and suggest that every “looking” person takes a turn in making one shuffle at a time. The chosen seven should remain silent at all times during the shuffling process.
Of course, after the first round, everyone is attuned to memorising the formation of the line when the activity is repeated, but there’s still plenty of room for disagreement. Naturally, applaud the idea of using pen and paper, but disallow it!
Variations
- If you have a large group, create several sets of seven, with matching groups of three to five people to do the looking and re-shuffling.
- Experiment with larger look-at-me lines, of say 10 or more people.
- Moving only one person at a time, record how many moves it takes for a line to be correctly reshuffled.
Taken from ‘No Props: Great Games with No Equipment’
If you know of a cool variation to this activity, please add a comment…
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Who am I?
Hi, I'm Mark Collard.
This blog shares some of the most successful group games, team-building activities & programming tips I know.
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