What Are You Doing?

Name and Purpose

What Are You Doing? is a mime and improv circle game that gets everyone laughing and thinking quickly.
Builds creative thinking, listening, and the ability to hold two ideas at once.

a.k.a.

Age / Group / Time / Space

Ages 8-16 | 8-25 players | 10-20 minutes | Seated or standing circle, indoor or outdoor

Materials

Quick-Run Card

One player starts miming any action (e.g., brushing teeth).
The player to their right asks: “What are you doing?”
The miming player names something completely different (e.g., “I’m juggling watermelons”).
The asking player must now mime what they were just told.
The next player to the right asks the same question. Continue clockwise.

Setup and Boundaries

How to Play

Players sit or stand in a circle.
One player starts by miming any action they choose.
The player immediately to their right asks: “What are you doing?”
The miming player must say something different from what they are actually doing. The sillier the better.
The asking player now mimes what they were just told.
The next player to the right asks “What are you doing?” and the pattern continues clockwise.
The game is open-ended: go for as many rounds as the energy supports. There is no elimination.
Staff can occasionally call a “Freeze and Share” pause where everyone holds their current mime while the group guesses what each person is doing.

I-OPt Options

Start
- A (Active): Start as the first mime player with a big, expressive action
- S (Support): Help players who are unsure by whispering a suggestion for their first mime
- Q (Quiet): Choose a simple, low-key mime to start (e.g., reading a book)
- O (Observer): Watch the pattern go around once before joining
Mid
- A (Active): Try increasingly creative or ridiculous mime names
- S (Support): React enthusiastically to other players’ mimes
- Q (Quiet): Keep mimes simple and enjoy the rhythm of the circle
- O (Observer): Step back for one round and return at the next gap
Late
- A (Active): Speed up the pace by shortening response time
- S (Support): Encourage quieter players when it is their turn
- Q (Quiet): Focus on watching and reacting rather than performing
- O (Observer): Call “Freeze and Share” at a fun moment
End
- A (Active): Suggest a final round with the hardest mime chain of the day
- S (Support): Help settle the group for the debrief
- Q (Quiet): Share one word about the game
- O (Observer): Name their favourite mime they saw

Inclusion Adaptations

Players who prefer not to mime physically can call out a two-word description of an action instead of acting it out
Players who find spontaneous creativity stressful can be given a “Mime Card” with 5 action ideas written on it to choose from

Stewardship Moment

No materials to clean up
Reflection: “We were all imagining different things at the same time. How did that feel?”

Consent

Pre-brief: “This game involves performing a silly mime in front of the group. For those not comfortable performing, describing an action out loud is another option.”
Mid-game check: After the first round, do a quick thumbs up/sideways/down check-in
Opt-out/re-entry: Any player can say “Pass” on their turn and the mime passes to the next player. They can re-enter on any subsequent turn

Risks and Mitigation

Players freezing up under pressure: normalise passing and keep the pace relaxed in early rounds
Mime descriptions becoming inappropriate: staff model creative but camp-appropriate examples at the start and redirect gently if needed

Warm-Up Suggestions

“Solo Mime”: everyone mimes an activity simultaneously for 30 seconds, then shares what they were doing
“Mirror”: pairs mirror each other’s slow movements for 30 seconds to warm up the body

Debrief Questions

What? “What was the funniest or most unexpected mime chain you saw today?”
So What? “What made it hard or easy to come up with something on the spot?”
Now What? “What does it feel like to think quickly under a little bit of pressure?”

Cleanup and Reset