More Games

Predator VS. Prey

Number of Participants: 5+

Equipment/Materials Needed: brightly colored rope, cotton balls, bucket, Hula Hoops (optional)

Directions:

A ratio of approx. 1 to 4 of predators to prey, or “wolves” to “rabbits” is used. The game is played on a rectangular field with sections on either side marked off to make a square in the middle. The rectangular sections on either end are the "safe zones" or the rabbits “nesting area”. The wolves must stay in the center square. The rabbits start at one end of the field, in their nesting area, and attempt to get to the opposite side and retrieve one cotton ball, which symbolizes food and water. The rabbits must then return to the side on which they started, all while avoiding being tagged, or “eaten” by a wolf. If a rabbit gets tagged by a wolf, the rabbit is “dead” and is out of the game until the next session. Each rabbit must travel down the field and back three times, gaining a total of three cotton balls. While the rabbits and running up and down the field, it is the job of the wolves to tag as many rabbits as possible.

The wolves win if they tag all of the rabbits. The rabbits win if any single rabbit makes it down and back three times, gathering a total of 3 cotton balls.

This game illustrates the concepts of natural selection and survival of the fittest.

Variations: Hula Hoops can be added for “safe zones” to make the game slightly easier.

Spud

Number of Participants: 10+

Equipment/Materials Needed: dodge ball

Directions:

This game is a type of dodge ball. Participants are numbered off and will form a circle. People with even numbers are on a team together, and people with odd numbers are on a team together. To start the game, a random person will be the Spud and will be in the center of the circle. The Spud throws the ball in the air and calls out a number. When the ball is thrown, everyone in the circle runs as fast as they can in the opposite direction. The person whose number is called will run as fast as they can to get the ball. When the ball is caught, that person yells “SPUD!” and everyone must stop where they are. The spud is allowed to take three steps toward anyone he chooses. The person that gets hit with the ball becomes the next Spud and the process is repeated. The first person or team to reach five points wins the game!

Forest Ranger

Number of Participants: 10+

Equipment/Materials Needed: None

Directions:

Pick the number of forest rangers depending on group size. The rangers stand in the middle facing the rest of the group. Everyone else is at one end and facing the rangers. Each person will choose an animal that will be unknown to the forest rangers. The forest rangers will yell out characteristics of animals. Once a person hears a characteristic of their animal, they must run to the other side while attempting to avoid being tagged by the forest rangers. Once an animal is tagged, that animal turns into a tree. The trees now must help the forest rangers tag other animals, but the trees cannot move from their current position. The forest grows as each animal is tagged.

Variations:

The animal portion of the game can be left out. The forest ranger yells “go” to start the game; the players still turn into trees once they are tagged.

Sharks and Minnows

Number of Participants: 6+

Equipment/Materials Needed: Boundary Markers

Directions:

Mark off a rectangular area with boundary markers. Have the participants line up at one end of the rectangle.  Choose 2 or 3 kids to be the "sharks" and the rest of "minnows".  The minnows must run from one side to the other trying not to get tagged. If a minnow gets tagged, they must stand where they were tagged and become a sea anemone.  Sea anemones can tag minnows and turn them into sea anemones, but cannot move. This is done until all minnows are tagged, or until the remaining minnows cannot be tagged by the stationary sea anemones.

What’s the time Mr. Wolf?

Number of Participants: 10+

Equipment/Materials Needed:  none

Directions:

One player will be chosen to start the game as the wolf. He/she will stand with his/her back turned to the others (Little Pigs) about 15 feet apart from each other. The little pigs call out, "What’s the time Mr. Wolf?" The wolf then turns to face the others and shouts out a time. For Ex: 9 o'clock. The others would then take 9 steps toward the wolf. The group will take the same amount of steps toward the wolf as the amount of hours in the wolf’s time. For Ex, 4 o'clock = 4 steps, 6 o'clock = 6 steps and so on. The wolf will then turn his back to the group again. The little pigs will continue to ask "what’s the time...." (He looks at the group only when he shouts the time at the group").  Once the group gets close to the wolf and yells "what’s the time Mr. Wolf" the wolf will say 'It’s dinner time" and run after the group. When the wolf says “It’s dinner time” the little pigs will try to get back to the starting line without getting caught by the wolf. Hopefully the wolf will catch one of the group, who will then be the wolf.

Note: Safety advisors are a must to ensure safety. The greatest risk is of participants running into each other.

Animal Sounds

Number of participants: 10+

Equipment/Materials needed:  blindfolds (optional)

Directions:

Participants are blindfolded and assigned an animal they will imitate. Each animal is assigned to 2 or more people. The object of the game is for players to call out the sound of the animal which he/she is assigned to meet up with their animal partner. Players may not talk during the exercise; only animal sounds may be used. Animals may be assigned verbally (but quietly) or players may be given a slip of paper with the assigned animal.

Note: Consider possible cultural issues if animal sacred or offensive

• Examples of animals that may be used: Wolf , Cat, Pig, Kangaroo, Snake, Lion, Crow, Monkey, Frog, Elephant, etc. Be creative and think of more!

Doctor Dodgeball

Number of Participants: 8+

Equipment/Materials Needed: 4 flag belts, 8 foam balls or disks, whistle (optional)

Directions:

This game is most easily played in a school gym, using the boundary lines for the basketball court. Participants are split into two even teams and the balls are placed on the center line. Two participants on each team are designated the “Doctor”. Doctors are normal players who also have the power to “heal” participants who have been hit. Participants place one hand on the back wall, creating an even and fair starting point. The game leader will blow the whistle or yell “GO!” to start the game. Just like in dodge ball, participants must run to the centerline to retrieve a ball, and throw it at a member of the other team. Once a participant is hit with the ball, he/she must kneel at the spot and wait for the “Doctor” tag them, thereby “saving” that person. Once the Doctor saves a person, they are back in the game. A doctor on a team who is hit can heal the other doctor. The game is over when both doctors on a team are hit at the same time, thereby disabling everyone on that team from being healed. A student may not cross the center line at any time or leave the boundaries except to retrieve a ball.

Variations: Increase the number of balls, participants, and the area in which the game is played.

Centipede

Number of Participants: 6+

Equipment/Materials Needed: None

Directions:

Divide the players into two equal teams. If there are an odd number of players, have the odd person mark the finish line, safety spotter, etc, and they can participate in the next round. Each team separates into their own lines and gets on their hands and knees. Next, each player grasps the ankles of the person behind them (excludes the player in front). Participants must work as a team to travel across the floor to the finish line without breaking apart. If a team in centipedes breaks apart, they must stop where they are, reconnect, and continue moving. The first team to cross the finish line wins!

Prison Ball                                                                                                 

Number of Participants: 10+

Equipment/Materials Needed: 10-16 soft balls (yarn balls or similar are ideal)

Directions:

This game is best played in a school gym using the lines for the basketball court. Participants are divided into two teams. Each participant on a team must have a partner.  Divide the partners up however you choose (age, birth month, etc) so that one partner is on one side of the gym and one partner is on the other. The object of the game is to get participants from the opposing team out either by hitting them with a yarn ball or catching one that is thrown. Once a person is “out” they must goes to the opposing team’s side of the court where they are a prisoner in a designated area (on the basketball court).  To get out of jail, a person must catch a ball thrown by a teammate. To free everyone in the jail a person must throw a ball into the opposing team’s basketball hoop. 

Jail: While in jail a person can pick up balls that roll into the jail and hit opposing team members.

Blob Tag

Number of Participants: 5+

Equipment/Materials Needed: none

Directions: The object of blob tag is to avoid being stuck to the human “blob.” The blob starts out as one person, who is “it,” but as the blob tags each player, the player becomes part of the blob. The person tagged must link arms with the person at the end, and has to help to tag the next person. The blob continues to grow until it has swallowed all of the participants.

Safety note: Have participants remove jewelry or other potentially sharp or harmful objects before playing. The participants must move at a safe speed in order not to cause harm to other participants. If available, use safety spotters to aid in game safety.

Variations:

Wherever the person is touched by the blob, he becomes attached to the blob at that physical point. For example, if the blob tags a person by touching their head, the blob’s hand is attached for the rest of the game to that person’s head. This makes it more and more difficult to move as the blob becomes bigger, requiring more cooperation from the unit as a whole to tag more people.

Pin Ball

Number of Participants: 10+

Equipment/Materials Needed: Soft balls, 10 bowling pins or equivalent.

Directions:  This is a dodge ball based game, and best played in a gymnasium. There are no out of bounds lines, only a center line, in this case half court.  Underneath the goals, in a standard gym, place the pins (usually 5 to each side) on the line, or parallel to the wall.  Line up the soft balls on the center court line.  Divide up your participants into two teams.  When the command to begin is given, participants will be allowed to aim for the opposing players, which upon being hit with the ball are out.  However, the goal of the game is to knock over the opposing teams pins.  Knock down a pin and it’s down for the game.  Should an entire team be eliminated and they still have pins standing, the lightening challenge begins.  Counting down from 1 minute, all remaining players of the side have the ability to cross center court and retrieve the balls, run back across center court and take aim at the pins.  If they succeed in knocking down all the pins then that side has won, otherwise it is considered a draw.  Should a team still have players on the field, but all their pins be knocked down, then the game is over since they do not have any pins remaining.

Variation:  When dealing with a smaller group, allow the return bonus.  When a Pin of the opposing side is knocked down, allow the first person who was out of the game to come back in.

Tank Commander

Number of Participants: 8+

Equipment/Materials Needed: 

Blindfolds (enough for ½ the number of participants), cotton balls (1 bag), approx 25-30 soft foam balls (any soft object to throw), orange cones to mark the perimeter.

Directions:

A large playing area is set up with lots of soft objects scattered about (old stuffed animals, cut up pool noodles, small towels, soft foam balls, etc). Everyone is paired up, with one person being the tank and one being the tank commander. The "tank" is blindfolded; the tank commander must direct the tank around the field to pick up "ammo" and fire at other tanks. Only the tank can throw the objects, and the tank commander must either stand behind or next to the tank. Every pair is for themselves!  If the tank and commander are tagged, then the tank must put cotton balls in their ears (this is an example of a communication barrier).  If tagged a second time, the commander loses all verbal communication with their tank.  If tagged a third time, the tank and tank commander must stay where they are and become obstacles in the battle field.

This is a great game to strengthen communication skills while having a blast!

Welded Ankle

Number of Participants: 10+

Equipment: Rope, cones, etc to mark off boundary lines

Directions:

This is a no-prop, no-sweat initiative game that works as well indoors or out, with both small and large groups.

Use brightly colored rope, cones, flags, etc to mark off beginning and end lines for the space across which the group must travel. Playing area can be altered as age, ability and group size allow. Have the group assemble behind the starting line and explain that the group must travel over the finish line while maintaining continuous contact with their feet. If anyone in the group loses contact with his/her partner's foot, the entire group must start over.

Hot Cocoa

Number of Participants: 10-20

Equipment/Materials needed: 20 2”x4”x1’ blocks of wood

Directions:  To begin, you will need to acquire some 2x4’s from a local lumber store.  Cut them into roughly 1 foot lengths, and depending on how long you purchase your 2x4’s it will only take a couple of boards to get the required materials.  Begin by laying out what will become known as the River of boiling hot Coco.  A safe and still challenging distance is five paces, or ten steps.  Have all of your participants begin on one side of the river of Coco, as well as having your blocks of wood sitting by.  Explain that these boards are the only sure way of every one crossing the river of boiling Coco safely; however these boards only work when in contact with human flesh.  Have the first person lay down a board and step out into the river, being sure have them walk on the boards.  There is no shuffling of the boards across the dirt.  Should a participant let go of a board, and no one be touching it, the board losses its’ power and returns to the storage box, never to be used again during this round.  Also, should a participant decide to jump into the river of coco, they are reset to the back of the line. In the end there should be a single file line crossing the river.

Variations:  Always be sure that you have enough boards to cover the rough amount of participants you expect to have.  Also, for larger groups, you might wish to extend the boarders of the river.

Six-Legged Relay Race

Number of Participants: 6+

Equipment/Materials Needed: None

Directions:

The six-legged relay is a relay race in which the participants act out insect movements while completing a race. Each participant is given a card with a picture of an insect; each team has the same insects. Each team completes the race as their insect, and the first team to go through each insect wins!

Insects:

Cockroach = Run

 Caterpillar = Crawl

 Water Skipper = Skip

 Grasshopper = Hop

 Flea = Leap

 Honey Bee = Fly

Beach Ball Bop

Number of Participants: 5+

Equipment/Materials Needed: Beach ball

Directions:

Participants must work together to keep a beach ball bouncing in the air without letting it touch the ground. The ball must be moving at all times. If participants don’t succeed on first try, they can take a few minutes to brainstorm a method for success. If there are more than 5 people, split participants into teams. The first team to complete the task wins!

Hospital Tag

Number of Participants: 3+

Equipment/Materials Needed: Large open area with boundaries

 Directions:

Hospital Tag is a game of tag where everyone is “it”.  The object of the game is to tag other participants on limbs (arms or legs). Once you have been tagged on a limb it becomes unusable.  To win you must be the last person with a still functioning limb.

Ex. If you are tagged on the leg you must then move around on the other leg only.

Chimp Race

Age Group:  10 and up

Number of Participants: 6+

Equipment/Materials Needed: None

Directions:

Set up teams and play area. The first person on each team is to bend over with feet apart and grab their ankles. On “go”, they are to race down the course and back without letting go of their ankles. Each person on the team repeats the relay. The first team to complete the relay wins!

Hoop Pass 

Equipment: Hula hoop

Instructions: Have the students form a large circle and join hands. Break the circle and place a

hula hoop between two people in the circle. Without releasing hands, the group must pass the hoop

around the circle and end at the starting point.

Skin the Snake

Equipment: None

Instructions: Line up the students one behind the other, all facing the same direction with their

legs spread apart shoulder width. Each student puts his/her right hand back through his/her legs.

Their left hand goes forward to grab the right hand of the person ahead of them. The students are

now ready for the challenge. They must untangle themselves without breaking hands or lifting

their legs over their clasped hands. If they break hands, have them start over again. When they

complete the challenge, they should be standing in a line, holding hands.

Instructor Tips:

• One solution involves the student in the back of the line beginning a slow crawl through the “tunnel” of

their classmates’ legs. The entire group will slowly crawl from the back to the front of the line without

releasing hands.

• Another solution involves the participant in the front of the line straddling and walking backwards over

the other participants heads without releasing hands

Human Knot

Equipment: None

Instructions: Divide the large group into teams of 6 to 10 students (must be an even number).

Have each group form a circle and grab the right hand of the person directly across from them.

Then, have them grab someone else's left hand. Without letting go of hands, the group needs to

untangle themselves. Students will need to twist and turn so they may shift grips while still holding

on. When they finish, they should be standing in a circle, holding hands. On occasion the solution

will be two linked rings.

Toxic Waste

Equipment: Toxic Waste cans and inner tube

Instructions: Place the toxic waste storage can at one end of the room. The smaller, toxic waste

container should be placed at least 20 feet away from the larger storage can. Students must use the

removal equipment (inner tube with ropes) to properly dispose of the toxic waste. Any spilled

waste will mean disaster for the group. The object is to move the smaller can from its original spot

and place it in the larger can without touching either can, or the inner tube, with their hands. All

students must be involved with the transport of the can.

Options:

• The difficulty of this challenge can be modified by changing the distance over which the group must

transport the can. Also, obstacles such as chairs or tables can be set up to challenge the group further.

• Fill the can with water if the group attempts this challenge outside. If the challenge is attempted inside,

place small objects in the can that will spill out if it is tipped. This will increase the group’s motivation

and excitement.

Instructor Tips:

• The inner tube's circumference is larger than the circumference of the smaller can. Because of this, when

the inner tube is placed around the can, it cannot be picked up easily. Students must all move their ropes

to two opposing points across the can and pull. This stretches the inner tube into an oval, which will pick

up the can.