Take Down the Mats: Silent Team Cleanup Challenge

The class puts away all the mats in silence, in pairs, lifting correctly, and stacks them in the agreed order. It brings arousal down and closes the session with a useful cooperative challenge.

How to play

1. Explain the challenge: mats back in place, stacked by size, in under three minutes, without talking (1 min).
2. Cleanup in pairs: bend the knees to lift, one person at each end, communicating only with gestures (3 min).
3. Check the stack and the floor: if something's off, fix it in silence (2 min).
4. On the way out, each person quietly says one word about how the session went (1 min).

Rules

• Mats are always carried by two, never dragged.
• Lift by bending the knees with a straight back.
• No one climbs on the mat stack.

Variations

Adaptations

• Wheelchair users: direct the stacking order with gestures or carry small mats on the lap.
• Back injury: pick up small gear and check the floor.
• Deaf or hard-of-hearing students: silence levels the field; they signal start and finish with a hand.

Learning goals

• Calm down after wrestling.
• Cooperate without talking.
• Lift a load with safe posture.

Equipment for a class of 25

• mats: 15

Teacher tip

Make it clear where each type of mat goes before starting. The usual mistake is dropping mats from height: both people should crouch and set it down together.

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