Texas Big Foot

1. Form a tight circle with people holding their neighbour’s hands.
2. On your command, ask everyone to take one large stride into the circle.
3. When ready, ask your group to take a second large stride into the circle (if they can.)
4. If your group is still standing, ask them to take one final stride forward.

There is no particular reason that this simple, low-key activity is named after the state of Texas – you could name it after any state or country for that matter – but Texas does have a reputation for being big and bold. And that’s exactly what this challenge is.

Regardless, this is one of those nonsensical games that are ideal for those groups that are willing to be silly and undertake an exercise that has no functional value, ie this is FUNN.

Start with forming a large circle, with each person facing into the centre holding the hands of their neighbours.

Announce that you plan to challenge your group to take three consecutive giant steps (into the centre of the circle) all the while aiming to maintain the integrity of the circle. To this end, if your group likes to be challenged, then take a look at the first option in the Variations tab.

When ready, instruct your group, with a confident, commanding voice, to take one large step or stride into the centre of the circle. “GO.”

As the circle buckles, you can expect some giggles to be triggered already. Presuming your group is still standing, ask your group to take a second large stride into the centre of the circle.

With this step, you can expect your circle to have wrinkled so much it will have lost all semblance of its round geometric shape. Invite your group to look around and appreciate their predicament.

Encourage your group to hang in there, keep holding hands and do their best to maintain the integrity of the circle. Invite them to prepare for one more step.

Provided your group is still listening to you, on your signal, invite everyone to take one final step into the centre.

If attempted, your group will typically collapse into a clot of contorted people having given up all hope of successful completion.

And that’s it.

If framed appropriately with the right group at the right time, you will have successfully set the tone for fun and laughter and a decent shot at acceptable, unconscious heavy-duty touching.

You can never have enough quick, no-props games you can “pull out of your back pocket” at a moment’s notice that requires little if any explanation. Add Texas Big Foot to your list.

As described by Karl Rohnke in his book Silver Bullets, “… Texas Big Foot is more apt to fail than not. If personal expectations aren’t paramount and image isn’t on self-destruct, it’s kinda fun to fail, particularly when supported by a bunch of co-failers…”

You could integrate Texas Big Foot as part of a well-designed SEL program to promote and maintain healthy and supportive relationships and to effectively navigate settings with diverse people.

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

Self-Management

• Demonstrating Self-Discipline & Self-Motivation
• Setting Personal & Group Goals
• Taking Initiative

Social Awareness

• Demonstrating Empathy & Compassion
• Understanding & Expressing Gratitude
• Respecting Others

Relationship Skills

• Communicate & Listen Effectively
• Seeking and/or Offering Support
• Build Positive Relationships
• Work Collaboratively

Responsible Decision-Making

• Demonstrating Curiosity & Open-Mindedness
• Making Reasoned Judgements
• 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.

There is no specific health & wellness perspective to this activity other than promoting the benefits to one’s well-being of enjoying a good laugh.

In a small way, you could argue that the focus required to successfully complete this nonsensical task may speak to the benefits of being mindful (of one’s own limits and those of others,) but this would not be the primary purpose of the exercise.

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

• Start Small: Start with a very tight circle that invites people to be standing hip to hip with their neighbours and arms around their shoulders.
• Easy Peasy: Begin by forming a very large widespread circle with the arms of each person stretched to the max. You can expect two successful steps into the centre before things get tough.
• Take a look at Velcro Circle to enjoy another fun circle-forming exercise.

When we think of the state of Texas, we are often reminded of its reputation for being big and bold. So much so, that even the simple task of taking three steps into a circle becomes a huge challenge…

I have presented this next task all over the world, and only the good people of Texas have managed to complete it successfully. So, let’s see what you can do…

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

• Why might you describe this exercise as nonsensical?
• Did you laugh? Why or why not?
• Do you think a group could ever successfully complete this task? How?
• Why do you think we engaged in this task? What are the benefits?