ABSTRACT
The leader always needs to keep in mind the function of warm-up activities. These exercises can provide an excellent means of breaking the ice, of shaking away the immediate previous experiences the group has been subjected to, of generating some fun and energy and claiming involvement from the whole class. They are simple, demand no factual learning and give a good opportunity for developing talk and spontaneity. But they can be self-defeating. Some pupils may find them alienating and purposeless, especially when over-used. This may be in part because they themselves are threatened or insecure in the new activity, but partly also because the leader has not been able to move easily from the exercise directly into the main matter of his theme or materials: the ice may be well broken and the leader has missed all opportunities to take the plunge. The class not only want to feel the relevance of the warm-up but somewhere along the line its purpose needs to be made explicit. It is this second function which is often neglected. Each of these exercises has deeper possibilities than only warm-up; they are often microcosms of broader issues. The group needs to understand the meaning of the activity and then relax more fully into it for the warm-up to become more effective.
