What do you need to survive?

Topic
- Health
- Citizenship & human rights
Learning skills
- Self-awareness
- Creative thinking
- Fine motor skills
Activity type
- Crafting & constructing
Materials
- Basic
- Self-made
Age
- 6 - 11 years
- 12 - 14 years
>15 minutes
+5 players
Easy
Calm
Small (office, pavement)

Contributors

ARSIS- Association for the Social Support of Youth

Everything you need to play this game

Lots of magazines with a lot of different pictures of human or children (provide lots of choice, and images portraying a range of lifestyles)
Large pieces of paper (one per player)
Scissors
Glue
Colour pencils
A sample collage: make a collage yourself or find one on the internet.

A step-by-step guide to play the game

Explain the players that they will do a craft activity. They will all get a large piece of paper. The theme of today is “survival”.

Ask the players what they need to survive. Check that they understand what this means with questions like:

What do we need when we are hungry and thirsty?
What do we need if we are cold? Or are sick?
When do you feel safe?

Start a conversation about it and explain that we need all these things to live happy and healthy lives. Show the collage you made or found on the internet.

Now hand out the paper and ask them to draw a picture of themselves in the middle. They can add other family members/special people if they want.

Then they can cut out pictures from old magazines or draw things they need (food, water, books, clothes, houses, doctors, music, football, etc) and stick them on the paper.

Extra game information

Tips for the facilitator

Guide the children while making the collage: help them label the pictures, ask them questions about what they thought of in their picture, ... Link these conversations or questions to the items on the right to survive (6,7,9,10,18,20,21,23,24,26,27).
Encourage them to think about and use the language of their rights, e.g. "I have a right to food when I am hungry" and "I have a right to medicine when I am sick".

This game is part of the 'All Children, All Right(s)!' toolkit, which focuses on promoting the right to survival.

Variations

Take the players outside (local park, forest, outdoor area...). Bring a bear or another cuddly toy and build a story around it, e.g. bear is tired or hungry, what does bear need? Encourage players to find ways to meet those needs (e.g. build a shelter, find leaves as blankets, find food). Remind players of the link to the right to survive (the right to live somewhere, food, warmth, safety).
Give this exercise as an individual task in times of pandemic. For example, have them make a collage about the things they miss in their lives during or after a lockdown/pandemic.

Specific learning objectives

Reflecting on one’s own needs to survive.
Practicing creative skills; putting a thought into pictures or words.

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