Activity Goal: To promote cooperation, non-verbal communication, group problem-solving, and trust among participants through a playful dynamic where they must work together to solve a physical challenge: untangling themselves without letting go of hands.

Preparation: Make sure that you are doing the activity in a large, safe space where the group can move freely without obstacles.

Start of the activity: Make them form a human knot:

1. All participants, ideally in groups of 6 to 12 people, form a circle.
2. Each person extends their right arm and grabs the hand of someone across the circle (not the person next to them).
3. Then, do the same with the left arm, holding a different person’s hand (again, not someone adjacent, and not the same person they already grabbed).
4. Make sure no one holds both hands of the same person or of someone standing right next to them.

Note: It may be helpful to supervise this part to ensure the “knot” is complex enough but still possible to untangle. If the group is too large, divide into smaller subgroups so everyone can participate actively.

Implementation: Once everyone is connected:

• The group must work together to “untangle the knot” by moving, twisting, stepping over or under each other’s arms.
• Important rule: No one can let go of the hands they are holding!
• If someone feels physical discomfort or the group gets stuck, allow for pauses or partial restarts if needed.

To make it more challenging, you can impose a no-talking rule during the activity (communication only through gestures).

Wrap up/ Debrief: After completing the challenge, take a few minutes to reflect. You can ask questions such as:

• What helped you solve the problem?
• What difficulties did you encounter?
• Did someone take on a leadership role? Was it helpful?
• How did it feel to work so closely together physically?
• What did you learn about cooperation or communication in the group?

Materials: None.