Sticky Beak

Choose this exercise

Purpose: Provide a quick physical movement break through a lighthearted elimination game.

Use it when: Use as an energising movement break during long seated sessions when the room needs laughter and physical reset.

Skip it when: Skip when participants have delicate skin, wear facial makeup they do not want disturbed, or prefer not to engage in close physical proximity.

Group arrangement: Milling whole group in an open space, moving in face-to-face pairs.

Timing: UWT suggested duration. The Playmeo source specifies an open elimination contest without an explicit clock.

Materials and tools

• 1 roll of low-tack painter tape or standard masking tape
• 1 pair of scissors
• 1 pre-cut strip of masking tape (approximately 10 cm or 4 inches) per person, plus spares
• 1 pad of sticky notes (for remote participants)
• 1 waste bin for discarded tape

Before participants arrive

1. Pre-cut 10 cm (4-inch) strips of low-tack masking tape for all participants.
2. Clear an open floor space free of tripping hazards, chairs, and cables.

Say this to open

We are going to do a quick movement game called Sticky Beak. Your goal is to collect tape using only your own tape loop. In the nose version, keep your hands behind your back. In the hand or forearm version, hold that arm gently in front of you and use tape-to-tape contact without grabbing. Choose the version you are comfortable with or observe.

How to run it

1. Distribute and attach tape loops 2 minutes

   Distribute one 10 cm tape strip to each person. Demonstrate joining the ends together so the sticky adhesive faces outwards. Direct participants to attach their tape ring onto the tip of their nose, or onto the back of their non-dominant hand if preferred. Give participants 30 seconds to confirm their tape stays attached without hand support.

2. Explain rules and safety 1 minutes

   Explain the safety and game rules. In the nose version, hands stay behind backs. In the hand or forearm version, the taped arm stays gently in front; do not grab tape with fingers or bring hands toward anyone's face. Match players using the same placement version. No head-butting or fast lunges; all tape contact must be slow and gentle. If tape falls to the floor, its owner steps out. A player whose tape is captured steps to the edge to cheer.

3. Run elimination contest 3 minutes

   Signal the start of the round. Participants circulate and gently press tape against tape. The player whose tape holds the other loop pulls away with both and keeps playing. If no tape transfers, both reset and try another player. Continue until one person holds all collected tape loops, or call time at 3 minutes and name the participant with the largest stack the winner.

4. Debrief and clean up 2 minutes

   Direct participants to peel off their tape loops and toss them into the waste bin. Ask one or two reflection questions aloud. Take two quick answers from volunteers before returning to seats.

Debrief questions

• What physical tactic made it easiest to capture tape without giving up your own?
• How did stepping into a quick, playful movement game affect your energy level?

Finished output: One designated round winner holding the consolidated tape stack, with all tape discarded in the waste bin.

Remote

This game requires physical contact between tape loops and cannot be run as written over video. As a separate screen-based energiser called Sticky Screen, remote participants stick one standard sticky note to their forehead or chin. On the facilitator's signal, participants try to wiggle and shake the paper off using only facial expressions, keeping their hands behind their back. The first person whose note drops wins the round.

Hybrid

Hybrid play cannot offer identical mechanics. Run the tactile tape contest for in-person participants while remote participants simultaneously run the Sticky Screen facial wiggle on webcam. The facilitator calls a unified start. In-person players finish their elimination round while remote participants cheer the in-person finalists once their own webcam round concludes.

Access and participation choices

• Participants may use tape on the back of a hand or forearm instead of the face, hold that arm gently in front, and play with others using the same placement version.
• Anyone may opt out of wearing tape and serve as a spotter, referee, or round timer.

If the session gets stuck

Participants lunge forward quickly, risking head bumps.

Pause the round immediately. Remind players that feet must stay firmly planted once within arm's reach of an opponent, and only slow, controlled contact is allowed.

Tape fails to stick because loops were made with the adhesive facing inward.

Hand out fresh pre-cut strips and show how the loop forms a circle with the sticky surface facing completely out.

Terms used here

• Sticky Beak: An Australian English expression meaning an inquisitive or prying person, referenced here because players attach tape to their noses.