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Pathfinder

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Illustration of person walking through Minefield activity

Pathfinder

Powerful trust-building initiative for partners & groups.

  • Very playful & fun
  • Sharpens communication skills
  • Builds trust & empathy
  • Multiple variations

Step-by-Step Instructions

  1. In advance, randomly distribute a large number of soft items and objects on the floor/ground inside boundary ropes (approx 5 x 5 metres.)
  2. Form pairs.
  3. Invite one partner (per pair) to volunteer to be blindfolded.
  4. The objective for each pair is to guide the blindfolded person from one side of the bounded area to the other without touching any of the various items inside.
  5. The blindfolded person may only move based on the verbal directions of their partner.
  6. The sighted person must issue their instructions outside of the boundaries at all times.
  7. Any other (blindfolded) person is considered an obstacle too, ie cannot be touched.
  8. Allow each pair 2 to 5 minutes of planning time in advance of their first attempt.
  9. When ready, invite all pairs to begin their traverse.
  10. When a blindfolded person touches an item, they may start over or keep a tally of touches (aiming to keep the number of touches as low as possible.)
  11. When the blindfolded person has traversed the obstacle course, they swap roles with their partner.
  12. Continue play to allow for two or more attempts for each person.
  13. To conclude, facilitate a discussion to invite your group to reflect on their experience.

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Contributor

Add your Comments...

Have you played this activity? What worked, what didn't work? What type of group? Do you have useful advice for other users? Do you know a fun variation?

Comments (3)

    • Mark Collard

      Hey YWAM, I love these two ideas, nice one. Will be trying these out next time I roll out Minefield…

  2. YWAM Playmeo

    Another variation idea: Have several small objects that the blindfolded person can hold easily in their hand. They choose one object for each hand, and instead of using the words right or left, they have to call out the name of the object in the corresponding hand.

    Reply

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