Charades is a popular party game, but can be used to teach nonverbal communication as well. Write down different words and phrases on several pieces of paper and place them in a box. Have a student choose a piece of paper and act out the word, without speaking. Whoever correctly guesses the word or phrase picks the next word or phrase out of the box. After the game is finished, ask the students which gestures worked and which didn't.
This activity shows your students how facial expressions can convey certain emotions. Give students a piece of paper that has pictures of several people. Instruct them to write down the emotions they think the people feel in the pictures. After you collect everyone's sheets, list on the board the most common emotions students attributed to the pictures.
Change a game of "follow the leader" by letting the students change leaders. Choose one student to be the leader. After a few minutes, instruct her to choose another leader without saying a word. For example, she could stare at another student or wink at him.
Bring a movie to class. Have your students watch the movie with the sound turned off. Because there is no sound, students have to pay careful attention to the character's movements. At the end of the movie, pass out a short quiz asking questions about the movie. Gives prizes to students who get all the answers right.