Invisible Labels: How Am I Being Treated?
Each student wears a label on their back that they cannot read, telling others how to treat them while the group completes a ball transport challenge. Students work on passing and teamwork, and above all on empathy by feeling what it is like to be heard or ignored.
How to play
- Make groups of 6: they must move 10 balls from one hoop to another 15 yards away by passing, without running with a ball.
- Before starting, put a sticky note on each student's back that they cannot see: "ask my opinion," "give me a high five," "thank me," "pass to me first," "only listen to me if I insist," "listen to me carefully."
- Round 1 (5 min): the group does the challenge, treating each person according to their label without telling them what it says.
- When finished, each student guesses their label from how they were treated and then reads it (2 min).
- Round 2 (5 min): swap labels within the group and repeat the challenge, trying to move more balls.
- Circle debrief (5 min): How did you feel with your label? Was it hard to treat someone differently? Does anything like this happen at recess?
Rules
- No label may include teasing or insults.
- Pass gently and never toward someone's face.
- Anyone who feels uncomfortable can ask to change their label at any time.
Variations
Easier
Use only positive labels and a 6-ball challenge.
Standard
Use mixed labels, including one hard listening label, in a 10-ball challenge.
Harder
The group must complete the challenge in silence, applying labels with gestures only.
Adaptations
- A student with limited mobility can be the fixed receiving and passing point in the middle of the route.
- For students with autism, give a positive label and explain the activity privately beforehand.
- For more skilled students, passes must be bounce passes.
Learning goals
- Pass and catch accurately in a group challenge.
- Recognize how the way we are treated affects us.
- Show empathy and include everyone in the group.
Equipment for a class of 25
- sticky notes: 25
- markers: 2
- balls: 40
- hoops: 8
- cones: 8
Teacher tip
Choose carefully who gets the "only listen to me if I insist" label: never a student who is often left out. The final discussion matters most, so save time for it.
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