Human Knot

Objectives

  • Once your teacher tells you this activity you might think there is no way you can untangle yourself without letting go! ​

  • In this activity, that’s what you’re going to try to do – as a team you will become a human knot and you will need to untangle yourselves.​

  • You’ll have to believe you can, communicate well and help each other.

Instructions

1/ Standing in a circle, everyone takes the hand of two different people across the circle from them. The human knot is now tied. ​

2/ You must now untangle the human knot without letting go of any of the hands until you end up back in a circle again. ​

3/ You’ll have to work together to figure out the best way to untangle yourselves.

Ready?

Steady?

GO!

Well done!

To complete this challenge:​

  • You had to work as a team to undo the human knot that had been made​.

  • You then had to think on your feet, changing and trying different solutions as needed.​

Reflect

  • What impact did the time pressure have on decision making and problem solving?​

  • What does this tell you about problem solving? Is it best done at speed, under pressure or better done calmly and with no time pressures?