36-Square Variety Share: 36 Ways to Share, Connect & Have Fun

I’ve been running a lot of groups myself these days, and of course my favorite website for group activities is Taking the Escalator!

It is great to provide education in group and to give group members opportunities to open up and really process emotions, trauma, recovery, and other important therapeutic issues. However, there are also times when the best thing we can do is simply give everyone an opportunity to feel comfortable, interact, share, and maybe even have some fun together.

That is exactly what this new Taking the Escalator activity, 36-Square Variety Share, is designed to do.

The activity provides 36 different ways for group members to share and interact, with plenty of variety built in. Some involve telling a story, giving support, sharing a memory, teaching the group something, offering a recommendation, using imagination, or even making the group laugh. There are several different ways to use the grid, so facilitators can keep it simple or mix things up depending on the group.

Not every group has to be heavy. Sometimes building comfort, connection, and group cohesion is therapeutic in itself. These kinds of activities can also help pave the way for the deeper work we may get into later.