--- title: "Veggie Veggie" description: "Participants assign themselves unique vegetable names and pass a verbal rhythm around a circle while keeping their lips curled over their teeth so no teeth show." last_updated: "2026-09-07" canonical: "https://unitedwetransform.com/exercises/lol-silly-group-game-for-laughter-rhythm-fun-veggie-veggie/" --- # Veggie Veggie Participants assign themselves unique vegetable names and pass a verbal rhythm around a circle while keeping their lips curled over their teeth so no teeth show. **Time:** 10 minutes. Source suggests play for several minutes; 10 minutes allows setup, practice, and brief reflection. **People:** 4 to 20. Whole group standing or seated in a single circle facing inward. ## Choose this exercise **Purpose:** Practice focused auditory attention and quick verbal turn-taking under a playful physical speech constraint. **Use it when:** Use as a light, high-energy energizer between heavy agenda topics or at the start of a casual team session. **Skip it when:** Skip when participants have facial, lip, or dental discomfort, or when the group prefers serious or low-visibility warmups. ## Materials and tools - Whiteboard or flip chart with marker to list chosen vegetables (optional but helpful) ## Before participants arrive 1. Arrange chairs or standing space in a clear circle so all participants can see one another's faces clearly. 2. If using a display or board, place it where everyone can glance at it without turning away from the circle. ## Say this to open We are going to play a quick rhythm game called Veggie Veggie. Everyone will choose a unique vegetable name. Once we start, the rule is that nobody can show their teeth at any time. You must curl your lips tightly over your teeth whenever you speak. You call your vegetable twice, then someone else's vegetable twice, trying to keep a steady rhythm. If your teeth show or you hesitate too long, the round pauses and the person to your left restarts. ## How to run it ### 1. Claim unique vegetables (2 minutes) Go around the circle. Each participant announces their chosen vegetable. If someone names a vegetable already taken, they pick another until every person has a distinct name. Write the names on the board if available. ### 2. Demonstrate the speech constraint (2 minutes) Have everyone curl their upper and lower lips over their teeth. Demonstrate the calling pattern: say your vegetable twice, followed by a target person's vegetable twice (for example, 'Pumpkin-Pumpkin, Tomato-Tomato') without revealing teeth. Run a slow practice call across two turns. ### 3. Play continuous rhythm rounds (4 minutes) Designate a starter. That person calls their vegetable twice, then targets another participant's vegetable twice. The called person immediately responds with their own vegetable twice, followed by a new target's vegetable twice. Continue passing across the circle at a steady tempo. If anyone shows teeth, breaks the cadence, or misses their turn, the round stops. After laughter settles, the person directly to the left of the caller who faulted starts the next round. ### 4. Debrief and close (2 minutes) Bring the group back to normal speaking. Ask one or two reflection questions to close the energizer. ## Debrief questions - What made it hardest to maintain the rhythm: remembering the names, hiding your teeth, or not laughing? - How did the speech constraint change your focus on listening to others? **Finished output:** Completion of multiple continuous rhythm rounds around the circle without teeth showing. ## Remote Run in gallery view with all webcams and microphones on. In step 1, list all participant names and their chosen vegetables in the meeting chat for reference. Play proceeds by calling names across video tiles. The facilitator watches gallery video to call pauses when teeth show, then designates the next starter via the chat list order. ## Hybrid Not recommended for split presence because camera angles and microphone lag make it difficult to monitor teeth and maintain shared rhythm simultaneously. If required, have in-person participants join individual webcams and mute room speakers to balance latency, or appoint a remote participant as the official visual judge. ## Access and participation choices - Anyone unable or unwilling to curl lips over their teeth can participate as the official rhythm keeper (clapping the beat) or referee watching for visible teeth. - Participants may pass their turn by pointing or typing in chat before the game starts without needing to give a medical or personal reason. ## If the session gets stuck **Participants forget who claimed which vegetable.** Write each vegetable next to the person's name on a flip chart or meeting chat before starting. **Arguments arise over whether teeth were actually visible.** Enforce a friendly facilitator-call rule: any stop is just a reason to laugh and restart, not an elimination. ## Terms used here - Cadence: The regular rhythm or beat kept by the group as calls pass from person to person. ## Sources and adaptation Observed in Playmeo database; attributed on site to Mark Collard. Retained core mechanics from Playmeo (vegetable selection, no teeth visible, double-call transfer pattern, left-neighbor restart). Added time allocations, setup details, neutral example, clear debrief questions, access accommodations, and remote protocol. [Playmeo](https://www.playmeo.com/activities/fun-large-group-games/veggie-veggie) [Playmeo](https://www.playmeo.com/activities/fun-large-group-games/veggie-veggie/) Current run sheet: https://unitedwetransform.com/exercises/lol-silly-group-game-for-laughter-rhythm-fun-veggie-veggie/