Follow the Instructions
Almost all creativity involves purposeful play.
Abraham Maslow
This is a fun filled game which can be played by two or more players. It helps build creativity in children and an ability to observe in detail and give instructions in detail – a skill which is essential in building algorithms as they grow up.
Age
5+ years
Number of players
2 or more
How to Play ‘Follow the Instructions’ Game
Make chits with names of simple objects that can be drawn easily by children – for example teddy bear, football, toothbrush, doll, bucket, pizza slice etc. Player 1 picks up a chit.
Objective: The objective is to make Player 2 draw the picture by giving step by step detailed instructions.
Player 1 can start describing how to draw the object right away or draw the picture himself/herself as they describe it. Drawing themselves and describing makes it a little simpler and is the method recommended.
As they draw, they have to speak out detailed instructions of what they are drawing, to the other player. The other player, without looking at the picture that Player 1 is drawing has to draw the image simply by following the instructions given by Player 1.
Once the instructions are complete, the two players can check and compare with the name on the chit and the image that both have drawn.
If there are a large number of people, they can be split into groups. One member of the team gives instructions to another member of the team. If the pictures match, the team gets a point. If it doesn’t, they don’t. This is followed by team 2 drawing a picture. The team with maximum points wins.
Example
Player 1 picks up a chit which says toothbrush.
Player 1:
Draw a rectangle, half centimeter in width and around 9 cm long.
At one edge, draw a lot of thin lines starting from the base moving up into the air. Each line can be around 1 centimeter long.
This is what player 1 drew:
This is what Player 2 understood from the instructions:
As you can see, both the drawings are very different, that too when the object is as simple as a toothbrush.
Post Activity discussion
This part is very important for this game. A quick discussion on why there was a difference in understanding between the two players. How could he/she have described it to make it clearer and unambiguous.
Benefits
This is a very fun activity and children and adults can both enjoy it. It helps build creativity, clarity in thinking and clarity in expressing what you think in great detail so as to leave no ambiguity.
We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.
George Bernard Shaw
The Intelligent Parent 