ZOOM CAR
CURTAINS UP ACTING STUDIO
ZOOM CAR
A Face-Paced Drama Warm-up for Kids
In this energizing drama game, students practice group concentration and quick responses by passing an imaginary car around a circle while following increasingly complex commands.
Watch a Demonstration of
Zoom Car:
Step-by-Step Instructions
Level One:
In a circle, tell the students there is an invisible race car in front of you. With your right hand, you’re going to push the car toward the person on your left and say “zoom.” Demonstrate this, and then ask the person on your left to pass the car on to the person on their left in the same way.
Have the students pass the car from one to another all the way around the circle, always pushing with their right hands and saying “zoom.” Stress that the students need to concentrate and be ready to pass the car on as soon as it reaches them.
Pass the car around the circle for multiple laps, encouraging the students to move it faster and faster each time.
level two:
If the students master the first level, tell them: “Now we’re going to add something. When the car comes to you, you can grab an imaginary brake lever and go like this: (Mime pulling on a lever while making a screeching noise, like a car’s tires squealing to a stop.) If you do that, the car will reverse directions and go back around the circle the opposite way. And when the car goes around the circle the other way, you should push it with your left hand.”
Stress that each student should only pull the brake once during this round–so others get a chance to do it. Then start the car around the circle again and let the students try out the brake.
level three:
If the students master the second level, tell them: “Now we’re going to add a new twist. On a race track, when a car hits an oil slick it slides. So now when the car reaches you, in addition to the brake lever, you can go like this: (Make a wiping motion with both hands in front of you as you loudly whisper, “Oil Slick!”) When you do that, the car will slide right over the next person and continue on.”
Stress that–in this round–each student should only pull the brake once and only make an oil slick once. Then start the car around the circle again and let the students try out the brake and the oil slick.
level four:
If the students master the third level, tell them: “Now we’re going to add one last twist and make this really difficult. This time, when the car comes to you, you can go like this: (Hold one arm out at a 45 degree angle and aim it at someone on the other side of the circle. As you do, sing the first three words of the Air Force Song, “Off we go…”) When you do that, the car will fly up this ramp toward the person you’re aiming at. That person needs to catch the car with their own ramp as they sing…(Sing the next five words of the Air Force Song, “...into the wild blue yonder.”) Let’s try that. (Demonstrate the move by aiming your arm at someone and singing. Hopefully they’ll lift up their arm and sing back.) Now, as soon as you catch the car with your ramp, you need to send it on its way by pushing it right or left around the circle.”
Try starting the car around the circle again, and let the students try out the brake, the oil slick, and the ramp.
Throughout all four levels of the game, stress that the students need to concentrate in order to be ready to move the car in the right direction without hesitation.
MORE DRAMA GAMES AND THEATER ACTIVITIES YOU MIGHT ENJOY:
CONCENTRATION CLAPS - Students develop timing and group focus through synchronized clapping.
MORPH THE MOTION - Students pass rhythmic motions and sounds to each other in this energetic warm-up.
SPLASH - Students watch and respond quickly to imaginary water balloons being thrown by members of the group.
© 2023, Friends of the Groom Theater Company
Curtains Up Curriculum by Friends of the Groom Theater Co. is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Curtains Up is a training program designed for young actors sponsored by Friends of the Groom Theater Company. It is available to the general public for free under the terms of the Creative Commons License above.