Spatial Requirements: Gym/outdoor space required
Activity Type: Movement/group
Grades: 2-12
Group Size: 8-20
Time: 15-20 minutes

Introduction: Individuals who are in the “pot” have friends who affect them in both positive ways and negative ways. Students need to recognize which friends pull them down and which friends raise them up. True friends will always lift you up.

Materials:

•  1 ball, about the size of a volleyball (must be soft like a nerf ball, a lightweight plastic ball or a blow-up cloth-covered beach ball)
  
  

Activity:

Have the group form a circle with a volunteer in the middle. The object of game is to throw the ball and hit the person in the middle. The members of the circle can toss the ball to each other, trying to get a clear shot at the person in the middle. The person in the middle moves around and tries to dodge the throws. Once the person has been hit, ask for another volunteer who then becomes the bodyguard or the true friend protector. This person becomes a human shield and a protection to the person in the middle. He/she keeps their body between the circle and the person they are guarding or protecting. The protector can knock or block the ball down with any part of their body. Once the person has been hit or time runs out, everyone rotates to have a turn as the dodger and protector. For safety reasons, the ball should be thrown below the chest.

Processing the Experience:

• How did it feel when everyone was trying to hit you with the ball without protection?
• How did it feel when you had a friend to protect you?
• What does it mean to be a true friend?
• What does it mean to be a false friend?
• Why are true friends so important?
• How can true friends protect you from negative peer pressure?