Clap Focus

Clap Focus is a very simple game where players “tag” each other by looking at another player and clapping in their direction. The tagged player immediately claps at someone else, and the game continues until people have had enough.

Players need to watch each other carefully, to see who is clapping at them. See how fast the claps can go back and forth.

Players may not notice they’ve been clapped at. The sender should continue clapping at the same target until their clapping is passed on.

Another common problem is that two adjacent players may both think they were tagged (usually because the clap was vaguely aimed). If this happens, both players can clap at other people, and two sets of claps will continue around the circle. (It doesn’t usually take long before one of the claps is lost.)

After a session of this game, ask participants: “How many people planned who they would clap to next?” Players often do this. Encourage them to put themselves in greater jeopardy by making a decision on the spur of the moment.

Multiple Claps

Start with two (or more) sets of claps. If a person is clapped to twice, they must clap out twice, to two different people. It’s hard to keep more than one sequence of claps circulating for more than a few seconds.

Own Name

While clapping, each participant says their own name. I use this game all the time as an opening workshop warmup. If you’re bad with names (I am!), it’s a good way to get to know the names of the people in classes. Clapping isn’t difficult, and neither is saying your own name, so this exercise should be pretty easy, but, in practice, people often get flustered and say the name of the person they’re clapping at instead of their own name – an interesting example of how performance anxiety can make people “choke”.

(We had two Lisas in one workshop, so we came up with Clap Focus – Lisas Edition. Whenever anyone clapped at a Lisa, they had to go back and forth between the two Lisas a number of times before it moved on. You can do the same for any two names that sound interesting together because they sound similar (Don-Dan), they rhyme, they are similar lengths, etc.)

Other Person’s Name

While clapping, each player says the name of the person they’re clapping to. Again, a good way for people to learn other people’s names. (Personally, I find this game stressful.)

Names – Two Circles

If you’re bad with names, this makes failure more fun. It works best with a larger group of players – 10 or more. In this variation, players form two circles, and clap at others in their circle, saying the name of that other person. If you don’t remember the name of the other person, or if you pause even slightly in saying it, you must banish yourself to the other circle. If you are the only person in a circle, just clap and say your own name until someone shows up.

Walking Version

Clap at another player in the circle, then start walking towards them to take their place in the circle. They must clap at someone else (and start walking) before you arrive. You can’t clap at someone who is already walking.

Slug Focus

A silly version. Instead of clapping, put your hand by your mouth and extend two fingers and a thumb to make a slug’s “horns”. Twitch your fingers and make a slurping sound to tag the next player.