Listen and add to your library
Improv is fun and games until…wait, it’s always fun! This card will simulate the beloved improv game Emotional Rollercoaster by offering players a randomized location and emotion/event. Players will then take these prompts and act out whatever crazy scenarios pop into their heads.
As you play, the given emotion/scenario will change and players will need to match the new emotion as they continue the scene. Tracks with image icons are best for younger players with quicker emotion changes (60 seconds or less), while tracks with a "ha ha" icon are best for older players, as the emotions change every 2 minutes and allow for more time to develop a story.
Click the button to the right for a new game to pop up. Some helpful tips: Not all players will need to have their emotions change. It may be helpful to keep one person as “normal” (if there really is such a thing!) and have them react to those changing around them.
When you play, you can pretend to be yourself or someone else. You can and should use the location to give you ideas. As an example: a supermarket will have customers and all the people who work there. You might be the person stocking the shelves or you might be a customer who accidentally dropped a jar of pickles. Perhaps you’re checking out your groceries in the front or looking for a loaf of bread in the back.
When you are given an emotion, try to figure out WHY you have the emotion. Sure, anyone can be happy at a supermarket, but maybe you're the millionth customer and just won a shopping spree? Maybe you're happy on a boat because you're escaping from Alcatraz. Are you angry at the library because someone is chatting on a cell phone next to you while you're trying to work? Or maybe a termite ate through the very page of a book you needed for a project? Are you sad at the beach because someone kicked over your sand castle? Perhaps you just lost your car keys in the sand and you gave up on trying to find them? Try to use the WHY to craft a story. The longer tracks have 2 minutes between emotions to give you more time to come up with a fully fleshed-out idea, but the shorter tracks are fine for just pretending to feel those emotions for a minute or so and then jumping off to the next thing.
Teenagers and adults may prefer the tracks with the “ha ha” icon, as they will have more time to use each new emotion. Two minutes per emotion may be more challenging for younger children, but it really depends on preference. Feel free to test both variations and see which you prefer!
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An example for those unfamiliar with improv:
GROCERY STORE
ANGER
Person 1: "You overcharged me for this mustard and I am furious with the lack of customer service here!" Person 2: "Well you were trying to steal additional mustard, so we thought it best to charge you for all the mustard you're hiding in your pockets"
SADNESS
Person 1: "Oh but you wouldn't understand, this mustard has such sentimental value to me...*sobs* My dear ol-"
FEELING OVERHEATED
Person 2: "And now I...I...I think I need to pour this mustard on myself to cool down. Don't you have a fan in here? It's so hot!!"
Person 1: "Please, sir! That's spicy jalapeño mustard and you're about to get that into your eyes!"
Person 2: "My eyeeeeeeeeeessssss!!!!"
NEEDING TO USE THE RESTROOM:
Person 2: "I can't see a thing, but...but... I need to make use of your restroom ASAP! Please escort me to your bathroom! PLEASE!"
Person 1: "Of course, but, well, they're under construction, so you will have to use the portable facilities outside. Shame that it's snowing out there."
and so on. It takes A LOT of practice to be able to think on your feet like this, but the more you play, the better you will become. When you play with multiple people, you don't have time to argue about their ideas for a story -- you just need to go with it. If someone says they just handed you a fire-breathing sentient donut, a fire-breathing sentient donut is indeed what you have in your hands. Watch out!
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Most importantly, there are no winners or losers. Playing improv is best with more than one person, but it can be a challenging exercise to weave a story with another person. The point of the game is to work together and have a fun time! The more laughs, the better!
Age range: 4+ years
Submitted by Katya