Invisible Gift: Open It and Find Out What It Is

In pairs, one person hands over an invisible box, showing its size and weight, and the other opens it and decides what's inside. It works on mime precision, accepting a partner's offers, and improvisation.

How to play

1. The whole class tries invisible boxes at once: a small light one, a big heavy one, one that moves on its own. Hands always keep the same measurements (3 min).
2. In pairs, one hands over a box carefully; the other receives it, respecting size and weight, opens it, and takes out an object, using it without saying what it is. The giver guesses (4 min).
3. Now the receiver reacts to the gift: surprise, polite disappointment, huge excitement. The giver responds with the body too (5 min).
4. Round in circles of 8: the gift goes around and each person turns it into something new before passing it on (3 min).

Rules

• The receiver accepts the size and weight given: no changing the box.
• No gift can be something that scares or grosses out the other person.
• Reactions happen all at once in pairs, with no audience.
• No talking until the guess.

Variations

Adaptations

• Visual impairment: the giver describes size and weight in words and places the receiver's hands at the right spacing if they agree.
• Limited mobility: no changes needed; do it seated and hand the box over at wheelchair height.
• Insecure students: instead of improvising the object, they can draw a card with an idea.

Learning goals

• Keep the size and weight of an imaginary object consistent.
• Accept and build on a partner's offer.
• Express a reaction with the whole body.

Teacher tip

Model it yourself with a tiny box that holds something huge to set the tone. It's a good moment to mix pairs who don't usually work together.

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