Paper Stone Stacking

Choose this exercise

Purpose: Observe personal and collective reactions to repeated small task failures during a low-stakes tactile challenge.

Use it when: Use during a workshop on coping strategies, team problem-solving, or stress tolerance when groups need a concrete, physical experience of trial and error.

Skip it when: Skip if table space or flat floor space is unavailable, or when groups expect analytical planning rather than tactile games.

Group arrangement: Individual practice followed by small groups of 3 to 5 participants at shared flat surfaces.

Timing: UWT suggested 15-minute pacing based on the single standalone exercise extracted from the source compilation.

Materials and tools

• 4 sheets of recycled scrap paper per participant
• 1 timer for the facilitator
• Flat tables or clear floor space

Before participants arrive

1. Count out 4 sheets of scrap paper for each participant.
2. Arrange tables or clear flat floor sections so participants can stack without bumping each other.

Say this to open

Take your sheets of scrap paper and scrunch each one into a firm, textured ball. These are your paper stones. Your first challenge is to balance three of them into a vertical stack on your table. If your stack falls, breathe, adjust, and try again.

How to run it

1. Introduce task and scrunch stones 3 minutes

   Distribute scrap paper to everyone. Direct each person to compress 4 sheets into firm, rounded balls. Deliver the opening script. Clarify that stacking must rely entirely on balance without tape, adhesive, or interlocking paper folds.

2. Solo stacking rounds 4 minutes

   Participants work individually at their own surface. Call round one: stack 3 stones vertically so the tower stands unsupported for 5 seconds. When someone succeeds, prompt them to add a 4th stone. If a stack falls, the participant resets and tests a different base angle. Stop the round after 4 minutes.

3. Shared group stack 5 minutes

   Group participants into pods of 3 to 5 (a group of 5 absorbs spare numbers). Pods pool their stones. Members take turns adding one stone at a time to build a single shared tower. If the tower collapses, the team resets and revises their plan. Teams try to reach a target height of 6 stones before time expires.

4. Facilitated debrief 3 minutes

   Gather the whole room. Ask two focused questions from the debrief list, taking a total of 3 to 4 brief volunteer responses across both questions. Close by highlighting practical persistence and communication choices observed when structures collapsed.

Debrief questions

• What physical adjustments did you make after your stack fell the first time?
• What internal reaction did you notice when a nearly completed stack collapsed?
• How did your approach change when you had to place stones on a teammate's base instead of your own?

Finished output: A completed trial where participants test solo and collaborative paper balance, identifying coping choices made when towers collapsed.

Remote

Participants bring 4 sheets of scrap paper to their webcam desk. Run steps 1 and 2 individually with cameras angled toward desks. For step 3, assign breakout pods of 3 to 5 (a pod of 5 absorbs spare numbers) where members take turns building their own stack on camera while pod members offer verbal stabilization advice. Conduct the final debrief in the main room audio and text chat.

Hybrid

In-person participants form pods at physical tables. Remote participants work in digital breakout pods of 3 to 5, taking turns stacking on camera while peers advise. Run the whole-group debrief in a shared audio room, taking alternating responses from in-person tables and remote chat entries.

Access and participation choices

• Participants with limited manual dexterity may partner with a peer to direct stone orientation and placement verbally.
• Anyone may choose to observe, record fall counts, or act as the timekeeper without having to manipulate paper.

If the session gets stuck

Paper stones roll away or pop open.

Instruct participants to squeeze the paper tightly for 5 seconds to set the creases, or flatten one small facet against the table to serve as a base.

Participants get visibly annoyed after multiple collapses.

Remind the room that the task is intentionally unstable, and invite them to pause, take a breath, and reshape stone contours before their next attempt.

Terms used here

• Paper stone: A tightly scrunched ball of scrap paper used as an irregular balancing block.
• Cairn: A human-made stack or pile of rough stones, traditionally used as trail markers.