Kimberly Clifford, Assistant Professor of American Sign Language, University of Cincinnati, Clermont College

I am in a sometimes lovely and sometimes lonely stage of my life where there are no children under my roof. Lucky for me, they don’t live very far away. Even still, getting the three of us in the same space is much harder than when I was driving them places and providing their food every day.

I have made it a goal to share an experience with them each year that allows us to be together and learn something new. The pottery class the three of us took in 2024 was amazing! We all enjoyed it; however, their interests don’t overlap for many other options. So in 2025, I found myself agreeing to an exercise class with one (which turned out to be a great idea that was not implemented—unless you count one day working out in the gym side-by-side; we will have to try again this year). My other adult child talked me into taking an improv class. I was very reluctant as this felt way out of my comfort zone, but we actually had a great time! Kudos to Improv Cincinnati and our fabulous teacher, Colette! As a bonus, I gained some fantastic activity ideas to work into my classroom in the target language, four of which I will share with you here.

The first is a warm-up game used at the beginning of class or before a show to get juices flowing and help the team work together in synch, called “Categories.” In our improv class, it included a little dance that I opt out of with my college students, but it may be fun if you teach middle or high school. The group stands in a circle and one person picks a category. Going quickly around the circle, each person names something that fits in that category while not repeating anything already mentioned. A funny twist is that it is acceptable to say something random that does not actually fit in the category, which can result in eye rolls or chuckles from the rest of the group. Continue until everyone gets a chance to pick a category or for however long you predetermine. You can also include things that lead to a bit of personal sharing, like a favorite hobby, food, or something you fear. This has the added benefit of building connections and community among classmates.

The next three games can be used to create a scene. In improv, when a teammate takes a turn and says a line, it is the rest of the team’s responsibility to accept what was said and justify it. They cannot reject the idea or change it, but instead must use it and add to it. Thus, the common principle in improv is “yes, and…”

“Alphabet” is a game in which two students create a scene or role-play together. Each line of dialogue must start with the next letter of the alphabet. They must take turns and follow in a way that makes sense to the overall situation, but work in that letter at the start of their phrase. The game can start with “A” or any other letter, and then proceed in alphabetical order. A twist is to play in teams and switch off players when someone gets stuck. To keep the rest of the class engaged, have them make a list of each first word to check that the active players are following the pattern. 

“Conducted Story” involves a group of 4-6 students who work together to create a story. A conductor, perhaps the teacher or another student, points to different students at various times to take over the story. As soon as the conductor points at a different person, the one speaking must stop, even in mid-sentence, and the other person must take over. 

One more activity is called “Mystery Line.” Prior to the game, everyone in the room must write down words or phrases on slips of paper. You could limit this to vocabulary from a certain unit or phrases using a particular grammatical feature, or you could allow random phrases or even quotes. Throughout the game, the active players  pick up pieces of paper at random to fuel the scene. They may pick up as many as they’d like throughout the scene, but must use each one they pick up. The goal is for the speaker to work that word or phrase into the context of the scene. 

Hopefully at least one of these ideas sparks a plan for you to use in your language classroom. And if improv seems like something you would like to try, check out Improv Cincinnati (https://www.improvcincinnati.com) or a theater near you. You can sign up for a class or just go watch a show. Have fun!