One of our best strategies for working with kids of all ages – but particularly adolescents – is the huddle up. This strategy goes way back, to when we had a therapeutic treatment camp. They were the early pioneers of this strategy when they would call for a “huddle up” and gather around in a circle.
We still use huddle ups all the time. Here’s how we use them:
Hey everyone, let’s huddle up! Kayla just did something so great. I want to show everyone!
Let’s take a minute and huddle up. It looks like we’re struggling with this activity. Some of us seem a little confused. Let’s pause for a minute and see if we can figure out how to solve the problem we’re having.
We’re going to move on, so let’s stop and huddle up. Who wants to share how that last activity went?
Okay, we have just a few minutes before your parents come to pick up. So let’s huddle up for a minute and take a few deep breaths together to close out our day.
Calling a huddle up essentially pauses the activity to gather in a circle. When we’ve accomplished the purpose of the particular huddle up, we resume where we left off. Sometimes just a small reset is all the group needs to move on.
If you want to introduce a huddle up, here are just a few suggested guidelines. Have the group stand in a circle. Have one leader facilitate, and set the expectation that only one person can speak at a time. If a participant has something to share, he can hold his hand out into the middle of the circle and wait to be called on by the facilitator. This helps maintain order and encourages respect for each other.
Give a huddle up a shot!
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