Group games are a great way to help break the ice in a room of unfamiliar individuals. If you’d like to introduce an interesting group game to the room, you may try a silent group game known as Sign Who Is It.
The game may seem difficult to understand in the beginning but will guarantee you hours of fun as soon as every player catches on.
Features of the Sign Who Is It Game
| ★ Game Name | Sign Who Is It |
| ★ Group size | small and medium |
| ★ Age | any (10+) |
| ★ Type | stationary |
| ★ Skill | reaction / acting |
| ★ Place | outdoor or indoor (gym) |
| ★ Time | up to 5 – 15 min |
| ★ Preparation | no |
| ★ Materials | no |
Aim of the Game
The aim behind the group game Sign Who Is It is for your players to pay attention to everyone else. Once a player demonstrates a sign that belongs to another player, the recipient must follow up by demonstrating another sign.
The game is like playing with an imaginary ball, except your players must be stealthy and stay quiet throughout the game.
Suggested group sizes for the Sign Who Is It game
Ideally, Sign Who Is It should be played with 4 to 10 players in a group. If you have larger groups, it may be a better idea to separate the players into smaller teams as it can be difficult for everyone to remember the numerous signs from each player.
Sign Who Is It is best played by anyone aged 10 and up.
What to prepare to play Sign Who Is It
Sign Who Is It is a great group game to play on a whim because you don’t need to prepare any materials ahead of time. Your players do, however, must come up with a hand sign or action to represent themselves.
For instance, one of your players may be represented by the action of scratching their nose, while another can be represented by nodding their heads up and down. Allow your players some time to prepare a sign that represents themselves and make sure there are no repeats among the group.
How to play Sign Who Is It
Once all your players are ready with the sign that represents themselves, you’ll be ready to start the game.
Step 1: The game master will pick a volunteer who will be “It”. The person will be asked to leave the room. The remaining participants will choose their leader who starts the moves.
Step 2: “It” stands in the middle of a circle. The leader will then show the sign to another player without being seen by ‘It”.
Step 3: The players have to pass the sign to each other without being seen. “It” has to catch a player acting out a sign, that player will be eliminated (or becomes new “It”).
The players cannot show the sign to the person next to them, only across them.
Step 4: If the sign is shown to the leader, they can keep passing it or choose another one, and the process repeats.
Alternative Variations to Play the Sign Who Is It Game
It can be a little bit more complex but fun as well.
Step 1: Begin by having your players introduce their signs to the group and pick a volunteer to stand in the middle of a circle. The first player will then act out the sign of another player without being seen by the volunteer.
Step 2: When the second player notices that their sign is being acted out, they will have to acknowledge it by repeating the sign. They can then pick another sign that represents another player to pass the turn to someone else. This is akin to your players throwing an invisible ball around the room, only that they are silent and doing it with signs.
Step 3: When the volunteer catches a player acting out a sign to indicate that they are passing the imaginary ball, that player will be eliminated. The players cannot act out the sign of the person next to them, only across them.
Step 4: The game ends when the volunteer catches every player in the circle or when the time has run out. If the volunteer fails to catch every player when the time is up, the players will be deemed the winners instead.