Four Square

Choose this exercise

Purpose: Offer active physical movement and low-stakes informal conversation across waiting and playing roles.

Use it when: Use outdoors or in a gymnasium during an extended workshop retreat to break up seated desk sessions.

Skip it when: Skip in tight indoor conference rooms, professional settings requiring formal attire, or when participants prefer seated non-physical activities.

Group arrangement: Four active court players in squares 1 through 4, with remaining participants queuing in a single line near square 1.

Timing: Relationship Makers Handbook suggests 15 to 30 minutes; UWT specifies a 15-minute standard session.

Materials and tools

• 1 rubber playground ball or 8.5-inch bouncy kickball
• Chalk or painter tape to mark a 16x16 foot grid divided into four equal 8x8 foot squares labeled 1, 2, 3, and 4
• 1 printed prompt sheet or index card for the waiting queue

Before participants arrive

1. Locate a flat, hard surface outdoors or in a gym.
2. Tape or draw a four-square grid (four contiguous squares numbered 1 to 4 clockwise).
3. Confirm that ceiling height and wall clearance permit safe bouncing.

Say this to open

We are going to play four square. Four players fill squares one through four, and everyone else queues near square one. Square four serves underhand to square one after one bounce. Hit the ball after one bounce into another square without catching or spiking. If you miss, let it bounce twice, or hit it out, move to the end of the line, and everyone behind you shifts up. While waiting in line, pair up and discuss the prompt on the card.

How to run it

1. Explain court rules and assign starting spots 3 minutes

   State the court boundaries, serving rules, and rotation order. Assign four volunteers to squares 1 through 4. Direct remaining participants to form a queue adjacent to square 1. Place the queue conversation card where waiting participants can read it.

2. Run initial game rounds 5 minutes

   Player 4 drops the ball, hits it underhand after one bounce into square 1, and play proceeds. When a player commits an error (double bounce, out of bounds, catching, or spiking), that player leaves the court and joins the rear of the queue. Players in lower numbered squares advance forward to fill the vacant square, and the first person in line enters square 1.

3. Introduce rotation prompts and reign challenge 5 minutes

   Continue active play. Remind queue members to talk through the prompt with their neighbor. If a single player holds square 4 for more than three consecutive serves, require them to name one lighthearted setback or game loss aloud before serving their next round.

4. Conclude play and debrief 2 minutes

   Call time on play. Gather active players and queued participants in a circle near the court. Ask two selected debrief questions to close the session.

Debrief questions

• What conversation stood out to you in the queue?
• How did the pace feel moving between waiting, talking, and active play?

Finished output: All participants complete multiple turns between conversational queueing and active court movement.

Remote

Four Square cannot run online without abandoning its physical core mechanic. As an alternative, run a structured digital rotation game such as a rapid sequential word-association circle in breakout pairs.

Hybrid

Four Square is strictly an in-person physical activity and does not support remote participation on the same court.

Access and participation choices

• Participants can serve as court referees, ball retrievers, or permanent queue conversationalists without running or striking the ball.
• Anyone may decline active striking or skip story prompts without explanation.

If the session gets stuck

Disagreements arise over whether a ball landed on a line or bounced twice.

Appoint the person at the front of the queue to make instant, final boundary calls.

The queue grows too long and waiting players lose interest.

Split groups larger than 12 into two separate courts if space and balls permit, or institute a maximum 4-round limit in square 4 before auto-rotation.

Terms used here

• Spiking: Hitting the ball sharply downward with force; prohibited in casual four square to keep the ball playable.