Chocolate Circle

1. Form a circle, sitting on the floor.
2. Place tray in middle of the circle with knife, fork, chocolate on top of it.
3. Place the clothing next to the tray.
4. Instruct your group to roll the dice, one person at a time in a clockwise direction.
5. When a person rolls a 6 they are invited to put on all of the items of clothing and use the fork and knife to cut and (if they have time) eat a small block of chocolate.
6. This person may keep cutting and eating one block of chocolate at a time until a new person rolls a 6.
7. When this occurs, the person in the middle of the circle must immediately stop whatever they are doing and take-off the clothing (to be worn by the next lucky roller.)
8. Game continues until all of the chocolate has been eaten.

Ask your group to sit in a circle, on the floor/ground works best.

Place a tray in the middle of the circle, with the knife, fork and block of chocolate sitting atop. Place the clothing adjacent to the tray.

Explain next that, one at a time, each person will roll the dice, and regardless of the result, the dice will be passed to the left around the circle.

Nothing happens unless and until someone rolls a 6, at which point (after passing the dice,) the lucky roller gets up and races into the centre of the circle.

This lucky person is now ‘entitled’ to eat the chocolate, but, they must, first, put on all of the clothing and then only touch the chocolate with the knife and fork. Their aim is to cut just one small block from the larger block of chocolate.

To provide a fuller picture, the lucky person fully clothed will attempt to eat one square of chocolate cut from the block using only the knife and fork supplied. It’s not as easy as it seems.

Even better, this lucky person is entitled to keep cutting and eating one block of chocolate, for as long as no one else in the circle rolls a 6. This is where the suspense builds and mouths water.

As soon as a new person rolls a 6, the person already in the centre must immediately stop doing whatever they were doing, take off the clothing, and return to their spot in the circle, making room for the new lucky person.

It is highly likely that a ‘lucky’ person may only get as far as throwing the scarf on before the next ‘6’ is rolled. Of course, I have also seen many squares of chocolate consumed by one person in what seemed like a drought of sixes.

Continue until the chocolate disappears or the energy wanes.

From experience, flat blocks of chocolate, you know the ones already divided into little squares, work best. Chocolate bars are often quite thick and difficult to cut, not to mention, difficult to assign small and equal portion sizes, too.

Ideally, the clothing should be relatively easy to put on and take off. That’s why I suggest a hat, scarf, and a t-shirt. Sunglasses, a coat, and gloves are also good possibilities.

With a really large group, introduce two or more dice into the circle (say, one per twenty people or so) to keep as many people engaged as possible.

Note, as it can sometimes be difficult to cut an exact square of chocolate, beware those who do not bother to cut their morsel into smaller blocks. Indeed, if you think this could become an issue, you are well-advised to break the whole chocolate block into smaller pieces before you start.

As we are dealing with food here, beware of any allergies your group members may have to the ingredients in the chocolate.

You could integrate Chocolate Circle as part of a well-designed SEL program to help establish and promote healthy and positive relationships in your group.

Specifically, this activity offers opportunities to explore and practice the following social & interpersonal skills:

Self-Management

• Controlling One’s Emotions
• Demonstrating Self-Discipline & Self-Motivation

Social Awareness

• Demonstrating Empathy & Compassion
• Respecting Others

Relationship Skills

• Build Positive Relationships
• Work Collaboratively

Responsible Decision-Making

• Anticipating & Evaluating the Consequences of One’s Actions
• Promoting Personal & Collective Well-Being

You can learn more about SEL and how it can support character education here.

Resilience

The patience required to keep trying (to throw a 6) as much as watching other people get rewarded (sometimes over and over,) speaks to the benefits of being resilient. In this game, the odds are strictly random so there is nothing one can do to improve their chances of getting access to the chocolate. In some ways, this speaks to the reality of life and the ‘cards we are dealt.’ In addition to those described in the Reflection Tips tab, invite your group to explore what it takes to be resilient with the following questions:

• How did it feel if you never got to taste the chocolate?
• What did you think when other people were able to access the chocolate?
• Do you think this game is fair? Why or why not?
• What did you notice inside of you as your frustration grew?
• How did you manage your frustration and emotions during the game?
• Is it possible to enjoy this game even if you never got to eat the chocolate?
• How might this game reflect life?

If you can think of more explicit ways in which the Chocolate Circle could be purposefully integrated into a health and wellness program, please leave a comment at the base of this page.

• Run Run Run: As above, and place the clothing at the other end of the room/hall. Rolling a 6 requires the lucky person to leave the circle and run to get at the chocolate (without or without needing to dress first.)
• Wrapped Up: Wrap the block of chocolate as many times as possible with newspaper or other wrapping paper (to slow the process) as you would with the popular children’s game Pass The Parcel. Those who roll a 6 must still cloth themselves, and will continue to unwrap the parcel one layer at a time until the next person rolls a 6 or they reach the prize inside (keep this a secret for added suspense.)
• Take a look at Farkel and Double Dice Game to enjoy two more very engaging dice games.

Do you love chocolate? I do, I can’t get enough of it. Sometimes, I feel like I would do anything to get my hands on it, which is the whole point of this next fun activity…

It is said that success is not measured by the destination but by the journey. Do you understand what this means? { allow time for discussion… ] Much like life, this next game will deal some of us lots of rewards while others not so much…

Coupled with one or more reflection strategies, here are some sample questions you could use to process your group’s experience after playing this fun group game:

• Did you enjoy playing the Chocolate Circle game? Why?
• What range of emotions did you experience during the game?
• How did it feel to finally eat some chocolate? What did you make this mean?
• Did you think to offer the chocolate to another person?