1. High fives
Giving all your neighbours a high five is a fun way of sharing the peace that’s much less formal than shaking hands, and which children enter into with gusto! You can still say the ancient greeting and response: ‘Peace be with you’, ‘And also with you’.
2. Thumbs up
If physically touching hands (either by shaking or high fives) is still beyond the pail, then try using the thumbs up at each other – still sharing the ancient greeting: ‘Peace be with you’, ‘And also with you’.
3. Strip the willow
For those who are more adventurous or know each other really well, try using the folk dance move Strip the willow where you all stand in a circle, initially in twos. On the signal ‘Peace be with you’, turn to your partner offering your right hand – the partner does the same – and you both say ‘And also with you’. Then you pass each other in the direction that you are facing and move to the next partner – offering your left hand this time – saying again, ‘And also with you’. Do this until you’ve gone round everybody in the circle a couple of times. This could be done with some fun music.