Bippity Bippity Bop!

Form a circle with one improviser in the centre – Improviser A. Their goal is to catch someone out, and hence get themselves out of the circle.

Improviser A can point to anyone at any time and say “Bippity Bippity Bop!” The target must say “Bop” before Improviser A, otherwise they’re “it”, and they swap places.

Improviser A may alternatively point to a target and say “Bird”, “Beast” or “Fish” and then begin counting to ten. The target must come up with an example of either a bird, beast or fish, as applicable e.g. jackdaw, dragon or herring before the count of ten. If Improviser A reaches a count of ten, or if the target repeats an answer that has already been said, they’re it. It’s up to the group what counts as a beast.

Improviser A may also fake-out their target. The easiest way to do this is to point at them and say “Bop” rather than “Bippity Bippity Bop!” in the hope the target jumps the gun and says “Bop”, thus catching them out and making them “it”.

Purpose

This is a fun warm-up exercise that wakes students up and sharpens the mind. It always gets everyone laughing. It's also a good exercise for illustrating how putting pressure on ourselves gets us stuck in our heads. When the clock is ticking, it can be unusually hard to think of a type of bird, beast or fish. Encourage students to take a deep breath, picture an animal, and calmly say its name.

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