Throw Away Hurtful Words

Child development / Drama games / Throw away words

Throw Away Hurtful Words is a drama game that helps children build resilience and self-worth.

Children practise physically and mentally letting go of negative words and replacing them with positive, confident responses.

This activity is a strong visual and physical way to support anti-bullying messages and boost self-esteem.

How to play

1. Stand in a circle

Tell the group: "Sometimes people say mean things... but we don't have to believe them."

2. Demonstrate the throw-away technique

Pick a child. Say (gently), "I don't like you."

Ask them to mime catching the words in their hands like a ball, look at them, then throw them away and reply with something positive: "Well, I like myself."

3. Try it with volunteers

Pick two or three children. Give them a phrase to "catch and throw away":

"No one wants to be your friend."
"I think you're boring."
"You can't come to my party."

4. Let everyone try

Go around the circle, giving everyone a chance to throw away a negative phrase and say something empowering in return.

What it teaches

Emotional regulation - naming and discarding negative thoughts
Resilience - reinforcing positive inner dialogue
Imaginative play - turning ideas into physical action
Empathy - understanding that words can hurt and how to respond

Variations to try

Trash can game: Place a real bin in the room and let children throw imaginary "word balls" into it.
Balloon pop: Pretend to blow up mean words into balloons and pop them with a positive phrase.
Positive circles: End the activity with everyone saying something kind about themselves.

Principal's notes

This is such a special activity. It turns a hard topic into something empowering and joyful and the impact it has on children's self-esteem is wonderful.

Lucy Quick, Principal of Perform.