Activity Name: Identity Challenges
Time Required: 10 minutes
Ages: 10 and up
What you need:
- 1 soft ball, beanbag, or another item that can easily be tossed from person to person
Instructions:
Have family members sit in a circle (or facing each other, if there are fewer of you). Tell them that we are going to be looking at different aspects of our identity. Explain that identity is all the different parts of you that make you who you are and help you determine who you want to become. Explain that you’ll be naming different topics related to identity, then tossing the ball to someone, who will have to name something about themselves within that identity, before tossing the ball to
someone else. After a few rounds on the first topic, you will switch topics and repeat the activity.
For example, if the topic was “Relationships,” everyone would name ways they identify themselves when it comes to relationships, for example: “sister,” “friend,” “foster parent,” “grandfather,” “boyfriend,” “employee,” etc.
The following are some identity topics to choose from for this activity:
- Relationships (any relationship role that you have)
- Things you like (favorite music, movies, activities, hobbies, sports, etc.)
- Things you don’t like (anything you don’t care for)
- Things you want to do someday (could include anything you want for your future –jobs, family goals, travel plans, “bucket list” items, etc.)
- Things related to your culture (could include religion, belief system, race, ethnicity, heritage, favorite food, language, nationality, etc.)
Play several rounds of this activity, picking a different topic each time you start a new round. When you have finished this activity, explain that all the answers people gave were important parts of their identity.
Discuss:
- If someone were to disrespect, discriminate against, make fun of, or hurt any of the things you said in this game, how would that make you feel?
- When someone disrespects or hurts you or any part of your identity, is it possible to turn the disrespect into something good?
- Share an example of someone who, when their identity was disrespected, used the disrespect to do productive things or stand up against the disrespect. Try to pick an identity that resonates within your family, whether it’s a religious identity, cultural identity, racial identity, gender identity, or an identity related to another shared belief.