Three Surrealist Games for Kids

It’s been a little cold and grey, so I thought I’d get the kids interested in some indoor fun.
Since we love surrealist games, I thought I’d come up with a few variations on old favourites.
Here are the Three Surrealist Games for Kids we played!

Exquisite Corpse 
Supplies
Blank Paper
Pen, Pencil, Crayons or Markers
Method
Have each kid divide a piece of blank paper into three [or more] quadrants.
Each kid draws the head of a person, animal, or robot.
Then, he or she folds the paper over to the back, so that no one else can see the head they’ve drawn.
Once the paper is folded, the first kids slides the folded paper across the table to a friend.
This friend draws the “body” of this creature to his or her liking.
This friend folds the paper down again so that neither the head nor the body are visible, and only the lower, blank quadrant is visible.
Finally, this friend passes the folded paper across the table to the final artist.
This final artist draws the “legs and feet” of the creature to their liking.
Then, the kids unfold the papers and share their creations!
Notes: 1) Paper can be divided into additional quadrants, with body parts divided up a bit more. Try: sky, hats, heads, neck and shoulders, chest and arms, bellies, upper legs, lower legs, feet, ground.  2) Game may also be played as a “challenge” by drawing with the non-dominant hand. For more such exercises, see our We “Art” Ability post.

Monster Blazon
A blazon is generally considered to be a love poem in which the features of the beloved are listed and admired individually.   
Supplies
Blank or Lined Paper 
Pen or Pencil
Method
At the top of a piece of paper, write, “I love you for your….”
In a column on the far left of the page, list the following body parts [or the body parts of your choosing], spacing them evenly apart:  Hair, forehead, eyebrows, eyes, cheeks, nose, lips, teeth, chin, neck, arms, elbows, hands, belly, bum, tail, legs, knees, ankles, feet.
Have the first kid describe the “hair” of an ugly monster as if it was the most beautiful thing on earth.
For example, “I love your hair for the way it sticks up in uneven tufts of green, shooting gnats and slime into the air above.”
After the kid completes their phrase, they fold their section of the paper over backwards so that the next player cannot see what they have written.
Then, they slide the paper  over to a friend who completes the next body part in the list, writing what they “love” about this part of the ugly monster.
The paper is continually folded back and passed along until the kids have completed the whole list, or “blazon.”
Then, someone reads the “love” poem out loud!
Note: Similes are welcome! Encourage your writers to compare the body part of their beloved monster to the moon or the stars or a beloved twisted tree!

Wish-Then
Supplies
Blank or Lined Paper
Pen or Pencil
Method 
In a column down the left side of a sheet of paper, alternate writing “I wish” and “Because then” down the page.
The first kid writes down a “wish” and folds the top of the paper back so the “wish” is not visible.
The next kid writes down a “because then” and folds the paper backward.
The phrases are completed and the paper is continually folded over and passed along until the kids have completed the page.
Then, someone reads the wish list out loud!
Note: Encourage the kids to be as outlandish and spur-of-the-moment with their wishes/outcomes as they’d like!