A Raft - ATSEGS – Adventure Therapy for Your Class

A Raft

Age groups:

10-12, 13-14, 15-16

Activity duration:

Short activities (15-45 min. Approx. 30 mins)

Skills worked on:

Self-management, Relationship skills, Sense of belonging

Type of terrain:

Indoor space possibility, Urban or semi urban areas, Woods or similar natural/rural areas, Forest, mountains or nature areas with uneven terrain

Place a large piece of material in the center of the room—this represents a raft. Participants walk around it, pretending to swim in the water.

When the music stops, all players must fit onto the raft.
Once the music starts again, players step off and continue “swimming.”
While the music plays, the facilitator folds the material, reducing the available space on the raft.
This process repeats until all players successfully fit on the shrinking raft.

Without Music: Instead of stopping music, the facilitator calls out “Sharks are coming!”, signaling danger in the water. Once the sharks “swim away,” players can step off, but the water washes away part of the raft (making it smaller).
Outdoor Version: Use hoops or ropes to mark “islands” instead of a raft. When the music stops (or sharks appear), all players must fit onto an island. With each round, one island is removed, increasing the challenge.