Independent Living Program - Florida's Center for Child Welfare

Appendix D. Running A GroupA successful group session starts with an Opening Activity, moves on to include activities that build group cohesion (Group Activity),allows time for introspective thought (individual Activity), and ends with an activity that brings closure to the session (ClosingActivity). When designing a group session, facilitators may find this four-step design formula helpful. A more complete description ofeach step is found in Exhibit D.1. Additional tips on running groups are in Exhibit D.2.Exhibit D. 1. Group Session Activity Element DescriptionOpening Activities- These activities help the group get acquainted or re-acquainted. They are sometimes called ice-breakers orwarm-ups. Even on-going groups need time at the beginning of the session to check-in. Opening activitiesmay also give focus to the group and assess the group’s knowledge. Activities such as “Bingo”, “Have YouEver…,” and “Group Juggle,” provide an excellent way to introduce a topic and generate involvement. Theseactivities are generic in nature and may be used to introduce many skill areas. *Group Building Activities - These activities require the group to work together, building group cohesion. These activities may bevery short in nature, requiring only 10-15 minutes or take up to 1-2 hours to complete.Individual Activities - These activities require group members to think about themselves and to share their insights with others.Individual activities help group members apply, to their own lives, the content that is being presented in thegroup. This can be done in the form of worksheets, art projects, and writing assignments.Ending Activities - These activities bring closure to the group session. They may be used to summarize or reinforce the contentthat was the focus of the session. They may also be used to strengthen group spirit and to celebrate thegroup’s work. The same ending activity may be used each time thus creating an important ritual for thegroup. Good examples of ending activities are “I learned that...,” “Appreciations,” and “PositiveAffirmations.”**Ansell, Dorothy I. and Morse, Joan M. Creative Life Skills Activities, Ansell & Associates, 1994.Life Skills Guidebook 193©2004 by Casey Family Programs.