Works with Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, or your own local model: paste this prompt and your AI will co-facilitate this exercise with you.

Help me prepare and run the exercise below. First ask for my participant count, time, setting, access needs and intended result. Check these against the stated limits. Use the supplied rules and materials. Explain any proposed changes before using them, and label them as adaptations. Do not invent source claims or require personal disclosure. Give me one step at a time when I say start. I manage the people, physical activity and clock; do not claim to observe the room. Ask me what happened before choosing a next step.

Reference revision: 5c51470dda495bf19af2b6fba675e949273b2d9dc1fcba758a4a5d5fa72f9674

# Switch

Five active runners compete to claim four corner markers when a central caller yells 'Switch'. The runner left without a corner moves to the queue, and the next player steps onto the center marker.

**Time:** 10 minutes. Playmeo suggests 5 to 15 minutes; UWT specifies 10 minutes total with a 5-minute active run.
**People:** 5 to 20. Single five-marker grid with a waiting queue for groups under 12. For groups of 12 or more, run two separate five-marker grids with remaining participants divided as evenly as possible between two queues.

## Choose this exercise

**Purpose:** Lift physical energy and sharpen spatial reaction speed through fast-paced positional resets.
**Use it when:** Use during in-person sessions to raise physical alertness after extended seated work.
**Skip it when:** Skip when floor space is tight, floors are slick, or the group requires low-mobility seated options.

## Materials and tools

- 5 floor spots or cones for a single grid, or 10 floor spots or cones for two parallel grids

## Before participants arrive

1. Lay out four markers in a square roughly 5 to 8 meters apart.
2. Place a fifth marker directly in the center.
3. If running two grids for 12 or more people, create a second identical layout with at least 4 meters of buffer space between grids.
4. Clear all bags, loose items, and obstacles from the movement area.

## Say this to open

We are playing Switch. Five players step onto markers: four on corners and one in the center. Everyone else lines up in queue. When the center player calls 'Switch', all five runners head for an open corner. The center spot cannot be claimed. Whoever misses a corner goes to the queue, and the next person steps into the center.

## How to run it

### 1. Set up grids, queues, and roles (2 minutes)

Invite five players to take the five markers: four on the corners and one in the center. Have remaining participants line up off to the side. For groups of 12 or more, set up two grids with five runners each, and divide remaining participants as evenly as possible across two waiting queues. If anyone prefers not to run, assign them as a line referee or queue manager: line referees confirm simultaneous arrivals at corners, and queue managers cue the next person into the center.

### 2. Demonstrate movement and tie-break rules (2 minutes)

Walk through one slow practice demonstration. The center player calls 'Switch'. All five players move toward a corner; no one may stay on or return to the center marker. If two runners arrive at a corner marker at the same moment, they halt immediately and resolve it with a single round of Rock-Paper-Scissors. The runner who does not win walks to the end of the waiting queue.

### 3. Run rapid rotation rounds (5 minutes)

Start live play. The center caller shouts 'Switch' when ready. The player who does not secure a corner walks to the back of their queue. The next person in line steps directly onto the center marker and calls 'Switch' when set. Keep rotations moving briskly. Continue until everyone in line has entered the grid at least once or until five minutes elapse.

### 4. Gather and debrief (1 minutes)

Call a freeze and bring the whole room together. Ask two prompt questions. Take two or three short volunteer responses to conclude the round.


## Debrief questions

- What cues helped you spot and commit to an open corner quickly?
- How did the sudden call of 'Switch' affect your decision-making under pressure?

**Finished output:** A completed series of physical rotation rounds where every queued participant enters the active grid at least once, or until the five-minute round ends.

## Remote

Switch requires physical spatial navigation and room to run. It cannot run online without becoming a fundamentally different game. For remote teams, use a rapid verbal game like Categories Rapid Fire instead.

## Hybrid

Switch cannot run symmetrically across in-person and remote settings. Remote participants cannot participate in physical running. If remote participants are present on video, assign them to track queue rotations or act as visual judges for ties, or run an alternate seated activity.

## Access and participation choices

- Participants may choose a walking pace or take an officiating role such as queue manager or line referee without physical exertion.
- Anyone may opt out of running simply by observing from the side without providing a reason.

## If the session gets stuck

**Runners collide while attempting to claim the same corner.**

Halt play immediately. Remind players that physical contact is prohibited. If two runners arrive at the same time, they must stop short and play Rock-Paper-Scissors.

**The waiting queue moves too slowly for a larger group.**

For 12 or more people, split the room across two separate five-marker grids with two shorter queues running side by side.


## Sources and adaptation

Observed in Playmeo library, attributed to Mark Collard.

Retains the five-marker square layout, central caller mechanic, Rock-Paper-Scissors tie-break, and queue rotation from Playmeo. UWT added explicit rules for handling odd-numbered queue distribution across two grids, designated roles for non-running participants, safety buffers, and a structured debrief.

[Playmeo](https://www.playmeo.com/activities/running-tag-pe-games/switch)

[Playmeo](https://www.playmeo.com/activities/running-tag-pe-games/switch/)

Current run sheet: https://unitedwetransform.com/exercises/fast-paced-group-game-that-boosts-energy-laughter-switch/