Only a Few Supplies Needed:
(Paper or 1 other simple item)
Thimble Game
Supplies: thimble, water
A
topic is chosen (such as colors, desserts, states, etc.) The “it” person stand
in the middle of the circle with a small capsule of water (bottle top) and
silently chooses and item from the category. People take turns guessing an item
form the chosen category while the “it” person holds the water in front of the
guessing person’s face. If the person does not guess what the “it” person
chose, the "it" person moves to the next player and play continues in a circle. If the person correctly chooses what the “it”
person chose, the water is thrown in their face, and they become the next “it”
person and a new category is chosen for the next round. It's fun to watch people's apprehension in guessing, afraid to get the answer right!
Human Twister
Supplies: keys or small
item, chairs for all but one person
One
person (holding a set of keys) stands and calls another up. The new person grabs 1st person’s hand in any
position/direction (through legs, around back, etc.), then calls another up and that person grabs the second player's hand in any way. Repeat with each new player…create a big mess of people, try to
be tangled! The first person is holding keys, when they drop them everyone runs for
chair-there is one less chair than players, so person left without chair begins next.
Dragon Tail Chase
Supplies: soccer sock or
other long fabric piece
Players
line up and grab shoulders in front of them. Give sock to last person and have them tuck it in
a back pocket. Person in front must grab sock from the “tail” of the line without the line breaking.
Giants, Wizards, Elves
Supplies: large space, line
or rope to mark the middle of the space
A
creative team variation of "Rock, Paper Scissors"
Teach
everyone the following three characters:
Giant - Tip-toes, raise hands above head, curl
fingers, growling sounds **wins by 'squishing' an Elf
Wizard - Crouch slightly, wave and point a magic wand,
shouting "kazaam!" **wins by 'zapping' a Giant
Elf - On haunches, hands cupped for big ears, shrill
screeching noises **wins by 'outwitting' a Wizard
Form
two teams - each team convenes to decide on a character. Teams then line up
facing each other (use a rope on the ground to separate teams) close to the
rope ( about 3-4’ away) but still a good distance from the walls or edge of the
safe zone. Facilitator announces "1....2.....3.....", then teams
adopt their poses, revealing their
identity. The losing characters try to reach a "safe zone" (e.g.,
over another rope) about 30-60 feet away (behind them as they line up) without
being captured. The winning characters (team) must chase the losing team and
try to capture (tag) as many as possible. If tagged, you’re out for the rest of
the round. Teams then reconvene and decide on their next character. Continue
until one team entirely consumes the other
3-Legged
Race
(tie 2-3 people’s feet together for relay races)
Sport
(tie 2 people’s feet together for soccer or sport)
Eat
(tie 2 people’s arms together for a meal)
Pulse Game
People: 20-40
Supplies: one chair, tennis
ball
To
set up the Pulse Game, you need to form two teams of equal size. Have the two teams line up facing each
other. Instruct each team to hold hands to form two long human chains. At the end of the two lines, place a chair
with a small object (e.g. a tennis ball) on it.
The referee stands at the front. To play, have the two players at the
front of the line watch the referee. Everyone else closes their eyes and tilts
head downward. Instruct everyone to be
silent. Referee shows the first two people what action/sign they will use to
“initiate” the current (can be flipping hands over, spreading out fingers,
looking at ceiling, etc. -something quiet that other players won’t hear) For
each round, the referee must do the action sign and the two people at the front
of the line must squeeze the hand of the next person in line as quickly as
possible. Whenever that player’s hand
gets squeezed, he or she quickly continues to “pass the electric current” by
squeezing the next person’s hand, and so on.
As the “electric current” transfers along the line, the goal of the game
is to be the first team to grab the object (the ball) on the chair. If a team successfully grabs the ball, that
team wins a point. On the other hand, if
the team grabs the ball but the referee never did the action and the current
was “fake”, then the point goes to the other team. For a short game, the winner
is the first team to score 10 points.
For a longer game, you can increase the number of points.
Oink Piggy Oink
Supplies: rolled newspaper
or stick, blindfold
Group
in circle, one person in middle blindfolded with newspaper. Middle person spins
and point at one in circle and says: Oink Piggy Oink. That person must make a
pig noise and the person in the middle guesses who made it. If right, person
who made noise is in middle. If wrong, person in middle must retry.
3-Round Name Game
Supplies: 3 slips paper per
player
Each
player puts a name on each of their papers (famous, person playing, fiction,
any…). All names mixed together. Split into two teams and sit alternating in
circle.
Round 1: each player has 20 sec. to describe as many names they pull out al possible.
Round 2: each player has 30 seconds to only say one word about the name for team to guess. No second word at all.
Round 3: each player acts out as many names as possible (no words or sounds!).
Record player totals each round for a team total at the end.
VARIATION: Use any noun for slips of paper rather than just names
Round 1: each player has 20 sec. to describe as many names they pull out al possible.
Round 2: each player has 30 seconds to only say one word about the name for team to guess. No second word at all.
Round 3: each player acts out as many names as possible (no words or sounds!).
Record player totals each round for a team total at the end.
VARIATION: Use any noun for slips of paper rather than just names
How Many
Supplies: paper and pen per
player
Sit
in circle. Each player takes a turn asking a question about if people have done
something or not (kissed, flown in a plane, eaten raw meat, etc.…). Each player
writes down if they have-yes or no- and then a number of how many people they
think will say “yes”. Everyone reads their answer; count number of “yes”
answers. If you guessed the number right you get a point. Player with most
points at end wins.
Character Guessing: Who am
I?
Supplies: slips of paper,
tape
One
person writes names of movie characters or famous people beforehand on papers
(you can do a theme, such as a particular movie, or cartoons, or Disney, etc.).
Tape a name to a player’s back or forehead and have them guess by asking other
players at the same time they try to figure out their own name. Once they guess
theirs, they can get another one put on their back and try again.
Nose-Tape Game
Supplies: a roll of masking
tape
Give
each player a 4-inch strip of tape. Instruct them to connect the ends, sticky
side out. Place the tape securely on the end of their noses. One the count of
three pair up and face each other. Lean to touch pieces of tape and pull away.
The person who ends up with both pieces of tape wins and the other is out. Pair
up with remaining players. Repeat. Pair up and repeat for another round until
only one player has all of the pieces of tape stuck to their nose. That player
wins.
Balloon Foot Game
Supplies: one round balloon
per person, and one small string to go around ankle
Each
player ties a blown up balloon around their left ankle with a string. When the
game begins, players try to pop everyone else’s balloon using only your feet to step on it. Last player with a
blown up balloon wins.
