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: 96ad871d034dfd3bcde6bd8596a8510097923107f15c84d7bf6b064b986022ee

# Ha Ha Ha Game

Participants lie down in a chain with each person resting their head on the previous person's stomach. They take turns calling out an increasing count of 'HAs' without breaking into genuine laughter.

**Time:** 10 minutes. UWT suggested duration based on the 5 to 15 minute playmeo time band.
**People:** 4 to 20. Single connected line or zig-zag chain lying on the floor

## Choose this exercise

**Purpose:** Test group focus and observe how physical and vocal laughter spread across a group.
**Use it when:** Use during in-person energizers, drama warmups, or recreational programs where high-contact physical play and floor work are welcome.
**Skip it when:** Skip when participants have mobility limitations, head or abdominal sensitivities, professional boundaries requiring no body contact, or clothing unsuitable for lying on the floor.

## Materials and tools

- Gym mats, carpeted floor, or clean blankets (optional but recommended for hard surfaces)

## Before participants arrive

1. Confirm that the floor surface is clean and comfortable for lying down.
2. Check that all participants are comfortable with head-to-abdomen contact before beginning.

## Say this to open

We are going to play the Ha Ha Ha Game. This game involves lying on the floor with your head resting on the stomach of the person next to you. If you prefer not to lie down or make physical contact, you can serve as our official laugh judge and counter. For everyone participating on the floor, we will form a chain. The first person says one 'HA', the next says two 'HA HAs', and so on. The goal is to keep a straight face and pass the count down the line without anyone genuinely laughing.

## How to run it

### 1. Set boundaries and position chain (3 minutes)

Confirm voluntary participation and assign any non-contact roles such as judge or counter. Have the first participant lie flat on their back. The second participant lies down perpendicular, resting their head gently on the first person's abdomen. Continue adding participants in an alternating zig-zag chain so every person rests their head on another's stomach, except the first person.

### 2. Run the initial round (3 minutes)

The first person says a clear, deadpan 'HA.' The second person immediately says 'HA HA.' The third says 'HA HA HA.' Each person adds exactly one 'HA' to their call. If anyone laughs, breaks character, or loses the count, stop the clock and mark the count reached.

### 3. Attempt a clean sequence (2 minutes)

Reset the count to person number one. Challenge the group to see if they can complete the full chain to the final person without anyone breaking into uncontrolled laughter. If the chain breaks again, celebrate the attempt and let the laughter run its course.

### 4. Debrief observations (2 minutes)

Invite participants to sit up comfortably. Gather two or three observations using the debrief questions.


## Debrief questions

- What made it harder to stay serious: hearing the vocal 'HA' or feeling the stomach move underneath your head?
- At what point in the chain did resisting laughter become impossible?
- What does this game demonstrate about how emotional or physical reactions spread across a group?

**Finished output:** Completion of a physical laughter chain, noting the highest count reached without breaking into genuine laughter.

## Remote

UWT vocal-only adaptation: This version omits the physical head-on-stomach chain. Participants sit or stand individually on camera and use a displayed speaking order. The first person says one HA, the next says two, and each following person adds one. Keep a straight face; laughter, a broken count or a missed turn ends that attempt. Restart from the first person and follow the existing timed attempts. For the online debrief, ask what happened to the count and what helped people follow one another. Do not ask participants to report physical vibration or contact they did not experience.

## Hybrid

Hybrid delivery is not recommended for the physical contact mechanic. If attempted, run the vocal screen-based alternative for both in-room and remote participants simultaneously so everyone operates under the same visual-only constraints.

## Access and participation choices

- Offer non-contact roles such as game judge, turn prompter, or HA counter.
- Allow participants to sit in chairs rather than lie on the floor by resting a hand on the next person's shoulder instead of head-on-stomach.
- Participants may step out or shift positions at any point without explanation.

## If the session gets stuck

**A participant feels uncomfortable having someone lie on their abdomen or resting their head on someone else.**

Offer an immediate swap to the judge role, or have them place a flat cushion or rolled mat between their head and the other person's body.

**The group breaks down laughing on the first or second turn every time.**

Acknowledge that laughing is the expected outcome. Within the remaining time, give the group up to three total attempts to reach the fifth active participant, or the final active participant if fewer than five are playing, before calling the game.


## Terms used here

- HA sequence: The arithmetic progression where each successive participant adds one additional spoken syllable of 'HA'.

## Sources and adaptation

Observed in Playmeo collection, where the entry credits Mark Collard.

Retained the core Playmeo mechanics: alternating head-on-stomach positioning, incremental 'HA' calls, and restarting upon laughter. UWT added explicit consent checks, a vocal non-contact alternative, clear step timings, and debrief prompts. UWT clarified the delivery instructions on September 20, 2026 to preserve the stated task, make participation across locations explicit, and distinguish digital variants from physical procedures.

[Playmeo](https://www.playmeo.com/activities/fun-large-group-games/ha-ha-ha-game)

[Playmeo](https://www.playmeo.com/activities/fun-large-group-games/ha-ha-ha-game/)

Current run sheet: https://unitedwetransform.com/exercises/fun-laughter-game-for-boosting-group-energy-ha-ha-ha-game/