Anger Management Activities for Groups

Anger management activities for groups can help people understand what makes them angry and how to deal with these emotions before they become out of control.

Role-playing anger management techniques is an effective activity for groups.

There are many anger management activities for groups you can use. While not all activities will be suited for all groups, having a few to choose from will give you a better chance in finding what will be most effective.

There are many benefits to role-playing, anger-inducing situations. All members can learn valuable anger management skills; watchers will see how they work and role players will learn how to use them and experience what it's like to control their emotions. In role-playing, a member of the group, who isn't in an angry position, slowly sees how his/her emotions change as someone starts pushing buttons. The good thing with this activity is that you can stop what is going on to evaluate what each person is doing and how he/she is feeling. Then each member can implement anger management techniques to see how to use them in social interactions. Finally, the members will then be able to see the results of the steps they took in controlling their anger.

For some people, it's difficult to recreate a situation that makes them upset. This is how journaling can be a valuable tool in groups. Members keep a journal of situations that made them feel angry. They can write down what happened, how they felt, what they did and what the result was of their actions. The next time they come to group, each member can share an experience and reflect on what could have been done differently. This not only helps the person who shares his or her experience, it helps others see how they may act to similar situations.

Anger management workbooks work similarly to journaling but also adds information. Members can read lessons on how to deal with rage, then complete different activities that have to do with those lessons. At the next group meeting, members can share their answers and discuss what they thought about the lessons.

A great way to come up with anger management techniques is to present the group with a situation that may elicit intense emotions. Ask members to come up with ways to control their reactions to the situation. It also may be beneficial to discuss how not to deal with the situation so members who may not think they are doing anything wrong, will see that they are fostering their volatile emotions.

For some people, it helps to approach serious subjects in a fun way. Anger management games can help do that.

• Charades

Write anger management techniques on cards. Have members take turns acting out the techniques and have the other members guess what they are.

• Angerpardy

Play the classic TV game show, Jeopardy but with answers that have to do with different ways people control their emotions.

• Quiz

Bring some small prizes (small pieces of candy work well) and make up some questions to ask members. Every time someone gets a right answer, throw a piece of candy to the person as a reward.

Arrange a trip to a prison, in which the members can listen to inmates discuss the repercussions of their hostility. This experience can be help group member face harsh realty.

Wake up group members but having someone else come to the meeting and discuss ways they can handle their emotions.

It's best to use activities along with lessons to achieve maximum benefits of both. You don't want to over stimulate people with too many activities but you also don't want to bore them, inhibiting growth and learning, with too many lessons. It's best to start a group with a lesson when members are most attentive, and then when their attention begins to drift, you can bring them back to the group with an activity. Paying close attention to your group and its needs is the best way to determine when you should do what to help them the best.

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