Two students working on a whiteboard together

Balloon Circle

Balloon Circle: Sharing Power is the Only Way to Keep Afloat is a 30-minute activity where participants collaborate to keep a balloon floating in the air. Participants stand in a circle, close enough so their hands can touch. They can bump it with their hands or other body parts as long as it stays in the air and doesn’t touch the ground. After one person touches it, they cannot touch it again until two other people have touched it. Facilitator uses a timer to keep track of how long the balloon stays afloat, and can add additional balloons for an additional challenge.

Planning and Preparation: This is a 30-minute activity that can be done with 10-12 participants; if you have more, consider splitting into smaller groups. You’ll need balloons of various colors (up to three per group) and a stopwatch or other method of tracking time. An indoor space with a high ceiling is ideal, because wind can make doing it outdoors challenging.

Developmental Relationship Element: Share Power.

CASEL Competencies: communication, negotiating, collaborating, self-management, relationship skills, responsible decision-making.

Objective: Build and strengthen relationships among participants. Deepen understanding of Share Power in Search Institute’s developmental relationships framework.

Activity