Poison Rhythm - Students will echo back every rhythm you do (clapping and/or counting) except for the "poison rhythm." Have the students stand up and practice the "poison rhythm" before starting. When they make a mistake they sit down or fall dramatically. They should still do all the rhythms even after losing until 1 or two people are left standing.
"Big Tuba" - everyone sits in a chair in a circle. The chairs are all numbered (chair 1, chair 2, etc.) and the top chair is where the "Big Tuba" sits. The goal is to make your way up and eventually become the Big Tuba. To play, the group keeps a patsch/clap beat going and they start each round by chanting "Big Tuba Big Tuba Big Tuba. Let's play Big Tuba." Then big Tuba starts by saying their own chair then another, "chair one, chair __" passing it to them, who then does the same and so on. It keeps going that way until someone messes up. When that happens, that person goes back to last chair and everyone behind them moves up one and must know their new chair number for the new round. The challenge to all of this though is you keep the patsch/clap going and everything has to be said in rhythm. If you break the rhythm you screwed up and go to the last chair. I like the rule of you can't call back who just passed it to you.
"Concentration" – Sit in a circle. Everyone gets assigned a number. Teach them the ostinato pattern - Pat thighs on beats 1 and 2, clap hands on three. (Variation is pat-clap-snap-clap) To start game say "Concentration is the game, so con - cen - trate" clap-clap-clap. First person pats thighs then on beat three does their own number, then pats thighs again and does someone else’s number (a total of 2 measures). That person does their own, then a new person’s, etc. Person is out if they mess up.
Variation: To make it faster, do your own motion on beat one, and the next person's on beat 3
Variation: Use your names and an original motion
Variation: "Zoo Game" Everyone picks a different animal sound (and/or motion) and the intro is "1-2-Let's Play Zoo"
Variation: Make up a phrase and motion. Rather than animal sound.
Rhythm Pass - Have everyone make a circle. Give everyone a a paper plate to make it more fun. First have everyone practice keeping a beat with it together. To start the game, one person pats two beats, then "passes" it to the person next to them who pats the beat and passes it.
Variations - If the teacher says "Double" then change it to eighth notes, if they say "half" then do half the speed.
For an added challenge you could make eye contact with a person across the circle to "pass" the beat to
Have first chair play a rhythm, then the next person plays it and so on. Then teach a new rhythm to the first chair and they pass it down again creating overlapping rhythms. Can create as many rhythms going as you would like.
Don't Drop the Beat - Start out with partners alternating clapping to keep a steady beat. After it seems like most of the class can keep a beat with their alternating claps, have them form groups of three and they go in a circle to keep a steady beat. Than groups of four, five etc.-- Also try at different speeds.
Bounce Beat - Use tennis balls to practice keeping a beat. Bounce them first by yourself, then to a partner, then among 3-4 people. Can also say rhythms at the same time while keeping beat with the balls.
Drum Jam or Drum circle – Get in a circle. Starting with one person or a few sitting next to each other, perform a steady rhythm, then others add in. It is easier if they use a variety of sounds. You can tell them the rhythms to do do or let them choose their own.
Clapping Games - https://www.todaysparent.com/family/10-classic-hand-clapping-games-to-teach-your-kid/
Rudimental Relay - I played a specific rudiment on snare then it went around the arc clockwise. Got faster as we went. The kids needed to play it consecutively and on time (and execute the rudiment correctly!). If they missed or flubbed the rudiment they got pushups. Last one standing won.
Rhythm Detective
Players begin in a circle
Explain and give a few examples of how to create a rhythm with hands and feet, such as using clapping, snapping and stomping.
A person is chosen to leave the room.
A player in the circle is chosen to start a rhythm. Using their hands or feet, players clap, snap, stomp or otherwise develop rhythm.
Everyone in the circle copies the rhythm.
The leader of the rhythm changes it every few seconds and the rest of the group must following suit, also changing the rhythm.
The person who has been out of the room returns and tries to notice who is leading the rhythm.
They have three guesses.
If they guess correctly, the leader of the rhythm becomes the detective and the previous detective chooses the next rhythm leader.
If they can’t guess in three guesses, they choose the next detective and someone else becomes the rhythm leader.
Categories
Choose one person who will be the leader and start the rhythm and the game. Before you begin the game, practice this rhythm until everyone is doing it together: Slap knees with both hands, clap hands together, snap fingers, first one hand and then the other. Repeat (Slap, Clap, Snap, Snap) until everyone is doing the entire rhythm together several times in a row.
The leader starts the game by saying "Categories" on the snaps, dividing the word so it falls into the rhythm of the double snaps: "Cate - gories." The next person says "Names of" on the double snaps. And the next player says the title of the category they want to play, e.g., "Green foods."
Moving around the circle (or back and forth if there are only two players), each person calls out an answer to the category on the rhythm of the snaps. If a player cannot think of something in the category, they can switch it by calling out "Cate - gories" on the snaps, and the round starts again. The game ends when a player either can't think of something for the category or the rhythm is broken.
Example:
Slap, clap, "Cate - gories" (on the snap, snap)
Slap, clap, "Names of" (on the snap, snap)
Slap, clap, "Green - foods"
Slap, clap, "broc - coli"
Slap, clap, "green - beans"
Slap, clap, "Cate - gories"
Slap, clap, "Names of"
Slap, clap, "Brown animals"
And so on.
For older kids -toughen the competition by eliminating people for mistakes or by not allowing players to switch categories. If someone says a word out of rhythm, or misses a beat and doesn't say something quickly enough, they are out. The next person in line picks up the rhythm again, starting over with "Cate - gories."
One Marshmallow - Everyone pats on their legs, the teacher starts by saying "One Marshmallow" taking 2 beats, the class says "check it out" in one beat, then "Woo!" in one beat. Immediately after, the teacher says "Two Marshmallow" then the class says "check it out, check it out," then "Woo!, Woo!" The responses keep expanding by the number Marshmallow you're on.
Step 2, More advanced - Split into a group of 3, and pass each phrase to the next person.
Step 3, Most advanced - Do it as a large group circle from one person to the next.
See Technology>Games for note and rhythm game websites
Challenge Rhythm Challenge - Split the class into groups. Pull up rhythm randomizer and give them 30 sec. to look at it. The group closest to it gets the point.
Poison Rhythm - Students will echo back every rhythm you do (clapping and/or counting) except for the "poison rhythm." Have the students stand up and practice the "poison rhythm" before starting. When they make a mistake they sit down or fall dramatically. They should still do all the rhythms even after losing until 1 or two people are left standing.
Rhythm Relay Race - Lay out rhythm cards face-up on a back table (one set for each group). I clap a rhythm from the set (have a master sheet with all the rhythms on it), and they run to the back table, find it, and bring it back to me. If they get it their first try, they get 2 points, 2nd try gets 1 point. OR first group to bring it gets 2 points, then second group gets 1 point. Etc. Each person gets two tries, and if they don't get it, then the next in line gets to try two cards and so on, until they find it.
Variation: - (Can be done with a second teacher) Split the class in two and have them make two long lines next to each other making a kind of "track." At one end of the "track" are 10 cards with rhythms on them. Start the stopwatch and the first teammate runs down, grabs a rhythm card, and brings it back to the second teammate, who claps the rhythm. Then that person runs down to get a rhythm for the next person, and so on. If any rhythms are clapped incorrectly, they have to be done again at the end by the next person in line. When all rhythms have been clapped correctly, the final teammate runs down, hits the gong, and the stop watch stops. The team that gets all 10 rhythms correctly the fastest wins. It's a blast!
Face-off - Split into two teams and have have them line up so each team has one player up at a time. The first to get the flashcard (note name, rhythm counting, music term, etc.) right wins a point, then they go to the back of their lines. You can also use a buzzer app.
Rhythm kickball (like regular kickball but teacher pitches with large rhythm flashcards that kids have to clap and count before they get a base. (wrong answers are strikes).
Rhythm basketball - Have a basketball hoop, waste basket, or box. If they get the rhythm right on the first try, they get 3 shots. If they get the rhythm right on the second try, they get 2 shots. If they get the rhythm right on the third try, they get 1 shot. Throwing it in the basket gets you the point. You need rhythm exercises to play the game like in the back of the method books. Kid with the most points gets a prize of your choice.
Popsicle Stick Notation - Rhythm dictation with popsicle sticks and foam bits/rubber bands to make the rhythms. You can turn this into a race for points several ways.
Rhythm heads up. One person holds a rhythm pattern flash card up to their forehead (without looking at it). Individual students can play or clap it or the whole group. The student holding the card then has to try to notate the rhythm.
Clap along rhythm videos
Secret Chicken rhythm videos
Rhythm charades: Divide kids into groups, give them a four beat rhythm, and they have to form the rhythm with their bodies, then one of their group members who didn’t see the rhythm has to perform and guess the rhythm correctly. Alternatively, you could have 4 guessers and they have to each clap out a beat if the rhythm in a chain.
Rhythm Telephone: give a student a rhythm pattern on a neutral syllable (like bum), and we see by the end if/what the rhythm has changed into!
Rhythm relay- write out like 10 rhythms on cards and give them to each group, stand a little ways away from them, play/clap/count a rhythm and have them figure out what card it is and run to you. First one there with the right rhythm wins.
Make a staff on the floor with tape or velcro, or on a tarp, and when I call out a note they jump on it.
Grand staff twister - play twister using the a large staff on the floor.
Face-off - Split into two teams and have have them line up so each team has one player up at a time. The first to get the flashcard (note name, rhythm counting, music term, etc.) right wins a point, then they go to the back of their lines. You can also use a buzzer app.
Velcro Staff - Use my velcro staff. Split the class in half. Toss from a set line, they have to name the note it lands on to get a point.
Scale building relays- groups of kids at four corners of the field each have a picture of a keyboard and flashcards with all the letters necessary to build a scale, plus a bunch of sharps and flats. The teacher calls out a scale and they lay out a one octave scale and run to honk a bike horn at the center of the field- first team done gets 4 points, second 3 and down the line…but zero points for incorrect.
Interval or Scale-Build Race - Using a giant staff and plates with sharps and flats have the kids be the notes on the staff and hold the sharps and flats. Fastest team wins. OR just see which team can build the scale fastest using blank plates for notes, or ones with sharps and flats on them.
Technique detective or "Imposter"- one or two detectives leave the room, and one or two "sneaks" in the room do something "wrong", such as incorrect posture, hand position, etc. The detectives come back in the room and have 30 to 60 seconds to find the two sneaks.
Hot and Cold - When we are focusing on dynamics in our music, we play the dynamics game, aka Hot and Cold. Someone hides something and we use our volume to guide the finder to it. The rules are they must keep playing and consistently play with a good sound (no blasting or silly things) or we stop.
Kahoot.com or Blooket.com or Quizlet.com
Longest-note contest
Face-off - Split into two teams and have have them line up so each team has one player up at a time. The first to get the flashcard (note name, rhythm counting, music term, etc.) right wins a point, then they go to the back of their lines. You can also use a buzzer app.
Articulation - Split into two teams. Write out a pattern with articulations and have a person from the first team perform it. While the rest of the group has to write the rhythm and articulation on the board. Then team two tries. To make it easier, use the same rhythm every time.
Roll a dice to figure out how many times you would be practicing a certain measure or section of music. It just makes it a little more fun than "play it three times"
Method Book Tic-Tac-Toe (split into two teams, pick something from the method book, if first team doesn’t get it then the second team gets a chance to steal).
Action name - go around circle and say hi I'm "rioting Rick" etc. Have to be alliteration. Can also do Conqueror (like Rick the Rebel) or Western name (like Rick the Wrangler).
Name Impulse - In a circle, starting clockwise, each person says their name right after the previous person. Use a stopwatch and see how fast you can go through everyone. Try it a few times then try the opposite direction a couple times. Then go in both directions at once (and see which side goes fastest!)
Hello - One person sits a little away from the group, not looking at the group. You pick someone from the group to say "Hello," and the person's name. Suggest that they use a different voice. The person then has to try to figure out who was greeting them
Name Toss or Group Juggling - 1) Arrange the group in a circle. One person starts off by saying the name of someone else in the circle so everyone can hear it, and tossing the ball to them. That person then in turn says the name of a different person, and tosses the ball to someone else who has not yet received the ball. That continues until everyone in the circle has received the ball once. Practice the pattern a few times, always tossing to the same person in the group. Once your group has the pattern down, start adding additional balls/objects, this is where the mayhem really begins. Keep going, try to get at least five objects going at once. Feel free to try again with a new pattern and mix it up.
Variation - Web of Names
The game starts by a child or the teacher saying the name of someone else in the circle and holding on to the end of the string, while throwing a ball of yarn to the person they named. The receiver calls out the name of another child, and keeps hold of his or her end of the string while throwing the ball of string on to the named child.As this continues a web begins to be formed by the crisscrossing string. The fun really starts when the group has to undo the web by calling names and throwing the ball of string which is rewound by the receiver before sending it on.
Name Aerobics
The ideal setup is to have all group members standing in a circle, but you can also have the individuals take turns coming in front to introduce themselves. Placing people in a circle may help those who are shy to feel easier about participating. This is the only setup needed for the game to be played.
Ask for someone to volunteer to go first, or you as the host can start off the activity. The first person can either go to the center of the circle or else stay where they are, depending on your preference as the host.
Ask the person to introduce themselves by their first and last name, but instruct them to make some sort of movement or do an action for each syllable of their name. For example: The name “Jonathan Smith” (Jon-a-than Smith) would require that person to make four distinct movements of their choice.
Have each person in the group repeat the person’s name while also mimicking the actions they performed. Have the person repeat their name and actions as many times as it takes for most of the group to get it right before moving on to the next participant.
The person to the right of the one making the introduction should go next until all participants have introduced themselves with a name and simultaneous actions.
(Optional): After everyone has introduced themselves, quickly go through the group members from the first person again to make sure everyone remembers the names of the others.
Name Planes
Make sure every participant has one sheet of paper and a writing utensil. Ask them each to write their names and two questions down on the paper. You may want to specify that questions should not be too personal or uncomfortable, but this is up to your discretion.
After each person has written down their name and questions, ask them to form their paper into a paper airplane of their choice.
Start a timer and have everyone throw their airplanes around at the same time. While the timer is going, everyone should be picking up airplanes and throwing them again to move them around the room and mix all the papers together.
Stop the timer and ask everyone to pick up one paper airplane that is not their own.
Each group member should end up with a paper airplane in their hands. They must then find the original owner of the plane and ask them the two questions on their plane.
Now that everyone has found the owner of their paper airplane and have asked them the questions, have each person come up individually and introduce the person to the group by reading the name on the plane and telling the group the questions and answers given by that person.
Name Tag
Go around and say everyone’s name (if this is the first time playing, name tags help)
Demonstrate safe tagging/high fives
Form a close circle with one player in the middle.
Everyone except the player in the middle holds both hands out in front with their palms up.
The leader/teacher begins the game by loudly saying someone’s name that is standing in the circle.
The player in the middle then tries to tag that person whose name was called.
The player whose name was called must say another player’s name before s/he is tagged by the person in the middle.
When a player gets tagged before s/he can say a name, s/he switches places and goes to the middle.
The player who successfully tagged a person on the outside gets to call out a name to begin the next round.
Variations:
Have the players standing in the circle close their eyes so they cannot see the person in the middle coming towards them.
Have the circle take a few steps back so the person in the middle has to run towards the players.
Little known fact - hi, my name is "" and a little known fact about me is...
Memorable music experience - Split into groups and everyone shares their first or most memorable experience.
Stupid human tricks. Everyone shares what their trick is, like being double jointed, crossing one eye, cracking knuckles, rolling their tongue, remembering something.
Icebreaker Questions
A great way to help people open up is to ask them fun questions that allow them to express their personality or interesting things about them. Here is a list of twenty safe, useful icebreaker questions to help break the ice:
If you could have an endless supply of any food, what would you get?
If you were an animal, what would you be and why?
What is one goal you’d like to accomplish during your lifetime?
When you were little, who was your favorite super hero and why?
Who is your hero? (a parent, a celebrity, an influential person in one’s life)
What’s your favorite thing to do in the summer?
If they made a movie of your life, what would it be about and which actor would you want to play you?
If you were an ice cream flavor, which one would you be and why?
What’s your favorite cartoon character, and why?
If you could visit any place in the world, where would you choose to go and why
What’s the ideal dream job for you?
Are you a morning or night person?
What are your favorite hobbies?
What are your pet peeves or interesting things about you that you dislike?
What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever eaten?
Name one of your favorite things about someone in your family.
Tell us about a unique or quirky habit of yours.
If you had to describe yourself using three words, it would be…
If someone made a movie of your life would it be a drama, a comedy, a romantic-comedy, action film, or science fiction?
If I could be anybody besides myself, I would be…
If you were a comic strip character, who would you be and why?
What thought or message would you want to put in a fortune cookie?
If you had to give up a favorite food, which would be the most difficult to give up
What is one food you’d never want to taste again?
If you won a lottery ticket and had a million dollars, what would you do with it?
You’ve been given access to a time machine. Where and when would you travel to?
If you could be any superhero and have super powers, which one would you like to have and why?
Mount Rushmore honors four U.S. presidents: Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, and Roosevelt. If yuo could add any person to Mount Rushmore, who would you add and why?
What award would you love to win and for what achievement?
If you could transport yourself anywhere instantly, where would you go and why?
In your opinion, which animal is the best (or most beautiful) and why?
What is one item that you really should throw away, but probably never will?
Growing up, what were your favorite toys to play with as a child?
Affirmation List - Tape a piece of paper on each student's back, have each student write a positive thing about each other.
Birthday Line Up
This is a great team building or ice breaker activity.
Inform that group that they cannot talk from this point forward until you give them permission.
Have the group get in a line.
Tell them they must, in silence, get in order by height.
Once they successfully compete this challenge, you can give the following line up tasks: line up by birthday month, first name, # of years at camp, etc.
Sets
Have the kids pair up with a random partner. They must find something in common with each other, whether it is they both have stripes or they both like ninja movies. Then have each pair tell the group what makes them a “set.” Can do it as many times as you’d like.
Snowball- everyone writes three facts about themselves on a piece of paper, then crumples it up and throws it into a pile in the middle. Then everyone picks one and they have to try to find out who's paper they picked.
Two truths and a lie – Write down two truths and a lie, walk around and share them with one person at a time. They have to guess which is the lie, tell them if they are correct or not, then move on to next person. Try to get everyone in the class.
Who am I? – Write the name of a celebrity on a post-it. Mix them up and teacher passes them out face down. Tape to your forehead and ask people questions (one per person) to get clues about who you have on your head.
Variation: Classmate Edition-- Write down names of everyone in class. Hand out randomly. They tape to their foreheads and have to find out who they are. Each person they talk to tells them one thing about the other, then you get to ask a question about yourself.
Candy Introductions
Purchase several variety packs of candy, enough for each person to be able to have at least five pieces. They can be any candy type, but not too many choices (limit it to around five or six different varieties). Alternatively, you can buy gummy bears, life savers, gum drops, skittles, m&ms, or any other candy that already has a variety of colors.
Pass around the candy and tell each participant to choose anywhere from 1 to 5 pieces of anything that they want. Instruct them not to eat it yet, though. After they have chosen their candy, you will tell them what each candy type/color represents.
If there is a whiteboard or chalkboard present, write on the board the following:
Red – Favorite hobbies
Green – Favorite place on earth
Blue – Favorite memory
Yellow -Dream job
Orange – Wildcard (tell us anything about yourself!)
If you don’t have the above colors, change the above to match the candy types that you have. Each person takes turns introducing himself or herself, beginning with their name and then saying one fact for each candy type that they have.
Never Have I Ever
Instruct everyone to sit in a circle. If you have an extremely large group, tell people to form smaller circles of about ten to fifteen people; this also works. To start each round, each player holds out all ten fingers and places them on the floor. Go around the circle and one at a time, each person announces something that they have never done, beginning the sentence with the phrase “Never have I ever…” For example, a person could say, “Never have I ever been to Europe.” For each statement that is said, all the other players drop a finger if they have done that statement. So, if three other people have been to Europe before, those three people must put down a finger, leaving them with nine fingers. The goal is to stay in the game the longest (to be the last person with fingers remaining). To win, it’s a good strategy to say statements that most people have done, but you haven’t.
Playing this game, along with the benefit of getting to know each others’ experiences better, can be very humorous (e.g. saying silly statements such as, “Never have I ever skipped a class in school” or “Never have I ever soiled my pants.”) Have fun!
Who's Behind the Curtain
This is a funny icebreaker to get to know other folks in the room. A large blanket is held up between two groups, and one player from each team stands behind the blanket. The goal of the game is to be the first to identify the other person behind the blanket..
Materials required: One very large blanket (or curtain).
This game works for small, medium, and large groups, although teams of 10 people probably work best. For extremely large groups, pick about 20 volunteers to go to the front of the room to play.
There is not much setup involved for this activity. Form two large teams, preferably about 5-10 people per team. Have each team go to the front of the room. Have two volunteers hold a blanket or curtain open between the two groups, so that each group cannot see behind the blanket. If players do not know each other well, quickly have each player introduce their name to the room.
For each turn, each team chooses a volunteer to stand (or sit) behind the blanket. The facilitator will count “1, 2, 3” and then drop the blanket. The first player to correctly identify the name of the other player wins the round, earning one point.
Repeat until one team reaches a desired number of points (or whenever time runs out).
Stand in Line - Have them stand in line from novice to expert for the following different academic prompts. Can expand on some of them by having students talk with their neighbors about why they placed themselves there--have a few share out.
Doing algebraic equations
Remembering dates
Hooking up and working with electronics
Talking with people
Appreciating nature
Being competitive
Drawing/sketching
Playing music
Expressing your feelings
Expressing your opinion
Helping others
Knowing how to ask for help
Follow-up Questions:
What does it say about our skills, strengths, and experience?
Why do you think some people are good at different things?
Do you believe you have the ability to grow?
How much does WHAT we do affect what we WILL do?
How do you move from novice to expert in something?
Extension Activity - Would you like to know more about your strengths? Researchers have categorized them. What do you think these categories might be? Put ideas on the board (split into groups and have students write them on postcards and group them together and label the categories.) Then go around and look at other groups. Give them the Learning Preferences and/or Multiple Intelligences Quizzes
If You Really Knew Me
Demonstrate what one round will look like
Lead a discussion about attentive listening before beginning the activity. Help students define what “attentive listening” means and what it looks like. It is fully hearing what the other person is saying without interrupting and not thinking about your own thing or how you want to respond while being spoken to. It includes facing the person who is speaking, making eye contact, nodding or other physical responses to what is being said, etc.
Make sure students know if they are A or B.
Group student in groups of two and decide who student A is and who is student B.
Student A silently listens to student B for one minute (or shorter for younger groups).
Student B finishes off the sentence, “If you really knew me, you would know that…” What is being shared about themselves can range from
Family information- “If you really knew me you would know that I am the youngest of 4 siblings.”
School information -“If you really knew me you would know that my favorite topic in school is Art.”
Favorite/ least favorite things- “If you really knew me you would know that I hate broccoli.”
Anything else they want to share about themselves.
Student B repeats this sentence over and over again completing it with a new piece of information each time. After a minute the roles are reversed and student B listens while student A shares.
Unique and Shared
Ask participants to form groups of five people with the people around them. Pass out sheets of paper and writing utensil. The first half of the activity is the Shared part. Instruct a notetaker for each group to create a list of many common traits or qualities that all members of the group have in common. Avoid writing things that are immediately obvious (e.g. don’t write down something like “everyone has hair” or “we are all wearing clothes”). The goal is for everyone to dig deeper than the superficial. Allow about five or six minutes and then have a spokesperson from each subgroup read their list. If there are too many groups, ask for a few volunteers to read their list.
The second half is the Unique part. Keep the same groups or, optionally, you can ask everyone to rearrange themselves into new groups. On a second sheet of paper have them record Unique traits and qualities; that is, items that only apply to one person in the group. Instruct the group to find at least two unique qualities and strengths per person. Again, strive for qualities and strengths beyond the superficial and past the obvious things anyone can readily see. Allow another five or six minutes. When time is up, share the unique qualities in one of the following ways: (1) each person can share one of their unique qualities themselves; (2) have each person read the qualities of the person to their right; or (3) have a spokesperson read a quality one at a time, and have the others guess who it was.
Unique and Shared is a valuable team-building activity because it promotes unity as it gets people to realize that they have more common ground with their peers than they first might realize. As people become aware of their own unique characteristics, they can also help people feel empowered to offer the group something unique.
Whodunit
Setup and Gameplay for Who Done It (Whodunit?)
This game can be played individually or with two teams. For extremely large groups, choose ten volunteers and split them into two teams of five. To set up the game, pass out an index card and a pen for each participant. Ask each person to write down something interesting they have done. Examples include the following:
I went skydiving once.
I got arrested before.
I once drank a gallon of milk.
I lived in seven different states.
I ate bugs before.
Try to instruct people to write a fact that most people don’t already know – the sillier (or more unbelievable) the better. Collect all the cards (separate them into two piles if two teams are playing). Shuffle the cards and then pass them back out. Each person (or team) takes turns reading aloud their card and then the reader must guess whose fact he or she read. After he or she guesses, the guessed person simply says “yes” or “no”. If the person guesses correctly, the guessed person can briefly explain what they wrote (if desired). The guessing continues until all cards are exhausted. Everyone reveals who wrote which card at the end.
The Who Done It? game is a good, simple get-to-know-you game that is especially good for groups with new people, or for whenever you wish to help people get to know each other better to break the ice. Sometimes humorous facts can be revealed, leading people to exclaim, “You did WHAT?”
Find your match
Shout out a topic and they have 30 or 60 seconds to find everyone similar to them like number siblings, favorite pizza topping, favorite color, number of parents, number of grandparents, favorite pet, etc.
Where the Wind Blows – Person in middle, says one thing about them, everyone that shares it trades places
Inside Outside Circle - Make an inside and outside circle facing each other. The pairs ask each other an icebreaker question. The. The outside circle spins and ask another question.
Identity Circles / Value Circles
Identity Circles (also known as Identity Cards or Value Circles) is a deeper get-to-know-you game, during which you will have an opportunity to discuss with many friends the values that make up your identity and how you prioritize them in your life. For this activity, you will be paired up with several different people, the number depending on how many people are in your group.
The activity works best in even numbers, as pairing requires. To begin, divide your group in half and create two concentric circles (one inner circle and one outer circle). The people in the outer circle should face inside, and the people in the inner circle should face outside. Each inner circle person will pair up with an outer circle person. You can stand, sit on the floor, or use chairs for this activity; whatever is most convenient. This game works best indoors.
Setup - Purchase several index cards (or scrap paper), enough for each participant to have 10 index cards (for example, if you have sixteen players, you need at least 160 cards). Also purchase pens so that each participant has one to use.
Instructions - Hand out the index cards and pens to each participant. Ask the participants to think about their values and what makes up their identity. Instruct them to write one identity value on each index card. They should have written down 10 identity values in total. Some examples of categories that can be useful for identifying values:
Race (e.g. Hispanic, Asian, Black, Caucasian, etc.)
Religion (e.g. Muslim, Christian, Athiest, etc.)
Occupation (e.g. Engineer, Artist, Student, Teacher, Doctor, unemployed, etc.)
Family (e.g. sister, brother, mother, father, daughter, son, etc.)
Traits (e.g. athletic, musical, artistic, analytical, creative, funny, etc.)
Activities (e.g. sports, cooking, comic books, making movies, etc.)
Health (e.g. healthy, immobile, mobile, depressed, diabetic, etc.)
Socio-economic (e.g. wealthy, middle-class, financially struggling, etc.)
Once everyone has their values written down, have the participants share with their first partner why they chose to write down the values they did. After sharing for 5-7 minutes, ask all participants to rip up one of their cards. This part of the activity gives participants an opportunity to reflect on how they prioritize their values. Ripping up the card should help the participant imagine living without that part of their identity. After the participants rip up one card, the outer circle will rotate one partner to the right. Everyone should have a new partner now. Have the new pairs discuss why they ripped up the card they ripped up.
Continue this process until all participants are each left with one card — their most important value.
Optional instructions: Have each person create values cards and try to order them from most important to least important. Have each person share these values with each other and explain each one, without destroying the cards.
First Names
Good for getting students to partner up before an activity
Have everyone count the number of letters in their first name. Now ask them to find someone who has the same number of letters. Those two are now partners. If a person can't find someone let him/her use another name s/he is called by (i.e., a student named Matthew may use the name Matt and then look for someone with 4 letters instead of 7.) If they still can't find someone pair up with a person who has the closest number of letters.
Bed Sheet Ping Pong
Form two teams.
Each team holds an opposite end of a bed sheet.
A ping pong ball is placed in the middle of the sheet. The object is to get the ball to fall off of the other team’s side, for a point.
The sheet can be raised and lowered as needed, but remind the players to be careful not to "launch" the ball (as they will be very inclined to do so).
People to People
http://www.ultimatecampresource.com/site/camp-activity/people-to-people.html
Pair up in groups of two and stand back to back. Make sure participants introduce themselves to one another.
Then the leader will say different combinations that the group has to try to get to while staying back to back (right hand to right hand, left foot to right foot, head to head, right hand to left leg, etc.). The pairs must maintain all called combination until they switch partners.
Once the leader says People to People they will then go switch partners.
If you have an odd number of participants, the odd person is the leader. Once pairs switch, the odd person out is the new leader.
Hagoo
1. Make Two line stand facing each other and become teams.
2. One player from each team, at opposite end of the line, taunt each other by bowing and calling out “Hagoo”
3. The player then walk toward and past each other (like you would when jousting) without laughter or smiling, while the teams attempt to make the passerby from the opposite team burst into laughter.
4. If a player should crack a smile, they join the line of their opponents.
5. The game ends when there is only one team left, or everyone is laughed out.
Prui
1. Blindfold all players and gather them in a common area.
2. All players can start bumping into others asking “Prui?”
3. If the other player answers back “Prui?” then you have not found your Prui.
4. The group leader taps someone on the shoulder and whispers “You are the Prui”
5. The Prui is a magical animal which can see (opens her eyes) and cannot talk.
6. Once someone bumps into the Prui and asks “Prui?”, they will not hear anything in return, they grab hands, open their eyes, and become part of the Prui
7. The Prui grows by holding hands with the people who find it
8. If one finds the Prui, they can only hold hands at the end of the chain, so if they find two clasped hands, they must feel their way to the end of the line.
Hula Hoop Pass
Have the group form a circle holding hands. Ask two people to let go of their grip long enough for them to place their hands through a hula hoop before rejoining them.
The team task is to pass the hula hoop around the circle in a specified direction until it returns to the starting point.
Another way to play is two use two hoops and have them go around the circle in opposite directions.
You can also use loops of rope (about hula hoop size).
Backwards Thinking
Set Up: As simple as the title and procedure are for this greeting, it requires that we think differently about the most common interchange, a question and an answer, such that it forces us to think outside our traditional, conversational box. This can be used to get a bunch of people of all ages laughing, or to emphasize how challenging it is to think outside typical parameters in the simplest way, or it can be used to emphasize the importance and challenge of following directions (something that trips up many of our challenged learners and those who are highly ready and tend to rush to solutions).
Steps:
Each person thinks of a simple question to get to know group members better. For instance, what did you do last night? What’s your favorite color? Where would you like to travel?
Each person also thinks of his or her answer to that same question (think of the answer to YOUR question—how would YOU respond?)
Modeling this with 3 people can make all the difference in whole-group success
Starting with anyone and moving in a consistent direction, person #1 asks person #2 his/her question, to which person #2 responds with his/her own (#2’s) answer. Then person #2 asks person #3 person #2’s question and person #3 gives his/her own (#3’s) answer to his/her own question
Example:
#1 Asks #2: What’s your favorite food
#2 Answers: Went to the movies
#2 turns to #3 and asks: What did you do last night?
#3 Answers: 3. Two cats and a dog
Remind participants they will only ever say their question and their answer
Debrief: What was challenging about this activity? How did you track information? What patterns did you notice? How does humor build community? What are some other ways we can use humor to build community?
Story/Sentence – Go around circle and create a sentence one word at a time, silently passing a pen and paper. Try to make a story. Another variation is to speak and keep saying full sentence while adding until you finish a sentence.
Useless trivia - give two trivia answers and people have to guess which is real and which is fake.
Polaroid
This is like one of those story-building games, only it's all about building an image. Nothing changes or moves. I like to play it with my eyes closed because it's easier to build the image.
It's called "Polaroid" because the image develops, like a polaroid picture.
One player starts with anything, like, "a penny." Someone else adds a detail the he or she actually imagines when picturing a penny - a 1978 penny. The next player adds yet another detail. "on a red checkered table cloth." Again, the direction here is not to tell a story, not to try to be cute, but simply to say what you're seeing.
With older groups, this could be tried to create a composition—what do you hear? Add details about its shape, style, etc., and who else is playing? What happens next?
Stand by Me
An “on-going” game to begin at the start of class
1. Have everyone in your group stand around you in some ridiculous pose.
2. Have them freeze and memorize exactly how they are standing.
3. Instruct them that the game never ends and that every time you say, “Stand by me” you want them to get in this exact pose.
4. You will be timing them and doing other things during class to make it fun and interesting (like saying, “Stand by me” during flag raising, between activities, etc.).
Would you rather? - Google search “would you rather for kids”. Have them move from to one side of the room if they agree with the first statement, and the other side if they agree with the second statement. Debrief: Were there any right or wrong answers? Why did people have different choices? What kinds of things impact the choices we make?
Rainstorm – Stand in circle, go down the line- Rub hands, snap, clap, slap thighs, stomp foot (then reverse maybe?)
Animal sound game- Make a pile of cards with different barn animals Can just be four or 5 different ones.. Students draw animal name cards and then have to find partners with their eyes closed and only by making sounds of the animal.
Ants on a Log
Have everyone stand on a line (in the gym, or tape one to the floor).
Number the players from one to ten (or depending on how many are playing).
Once everyone in line in specific order, the object of the game is to get the whole group to switch positions on the line without falling off the line.
If the first player is on the left end of the line, he or she should end up on the right end of the line.
The order of the players should remain exactly how it was before, only in reverse.
Variations:
Split the players into two groups. They should be standing on the line facing the other group.
The object is to have the two groups switch places while staying in the same order.
Vary the width of the line with a wider line being easier or vary the distance of the playing area from the ground to add a challenge.
Back-to-Back Get Up
Divide group into pairs.
Have everyone stand back to back.
Have partners cooperatively press their backs together and then have them try to sit down slowly, without the use of their hands.
Once pairs sit down, have them try to stand back up while still pressing their backs together and moving their feet close to their bottoms.
Variations:
Increase the size of the group working together.
See who can sit down and get back up the quickest.
Evolution
Have the group in a circle. Everyone starts out as an egg and places their hands above their head and together so that they look like an egg. When you say go each person will find another egg. Once they found that person they will then farkle (Rock, Paper , Scissors). The loser stays an egg and the winner becomes a chicken, placing their arms as wings and making chicken noises. The chicken then looks for another chicken while the egg looks for another egg. When you win as a chicken you become a dinosaur, placing your hands out and roaring like a dinosaur. If you lose as a chicken you drop back down to an egg. Dinosaurs then find other dinosaurs, where they will play to become the ultimate people. Ultimate people put their hands over their heads like superman and look for others like them. If you lose as a dinosaur you go back to being a chicken, looking for other chickens. If the Ultimate person loses to another Ultimate person they go back to a dinosaur, and if they win they stay as ultimate people.
Partner Shoe Tie
Partner up and using one hand each, they have to untie and tie a shoe
Assassin
This is a game best played in a large group. We always played it with the 6-10 year olds at our summer camp. Sit all of the children in a circle, with legs crossed. Have all children put their heads down. The teacher would walk around the circle and tap one child on the head. This person was the assassin. The child eliminates all other players by winking at them. If you are winked at, silently count to 10, then put your feet in the middle of the circle. We always had a few drama queens who would act as if they really had been shot, and clutch their chest, and shake and scream. very funny. if the assassin eliminates everyone, then they win. They can be "witnessed" as well. If a player thinks they know who the killer is, before they get winked at, they can say they have a suspect. Such as "I suspect that Sally is the assassin." If Sally is not the assassin, then the accusers are eliminated. A less brutal version is the sandman. same thing, except being winked at means you take a nap.
Variation: Frogger - Stick out your tongue instead of wink
What am I?
1. Children sit in circle.
2. Give each child a post-it note and ask them to write any noun on it (examples like cat, table, chair....). This is done in SECRET.
3. The children place the post-it note on the forehead of the person to the left/right of him her.
4. In turns child has to ask closed (yes / no) questions about who or what they are: am I in this classroom? Do you use me to write? Can I talk? Am I alive?... each child asks 3 questions and the game continues until they guess what they are.
You could make it a competition by counting how many questions you had to ask before figuring it out
FFEACH
This might be one of the best games of all times! FFEACH is a charades race and the categories are Fast Foods, Electrical Appliances, and Cartoon Heroes. Teams compete against each other to complete a predetermined list of items. We use the term "compete" loosely, as it is a charades race, after all...
1. Divide the group into 2 or more teams.
2. Have the group spread out so that they can't overhear the next team's answers.
3. Ask one member from each team to come to the you.
4. Whisper the first word into the ears of the volunteers, and release them to their groups at the same time.
5. Once a member of the group guesses the word correctly, someone new runs to the instructor for the next word. Advise the group when you are giving instructions that no one can come up for a word twice until everyone has gone up once. This helps ensure that everyone participates.
6. The team members must tell the instructor what word their team just guessed, and the instructor tells the new volunteer the next word on the list.
7. The object of the game is to complete the entire list without cheating.
Here is a sample list - you can change the list as you see fit, based on participant age, interests, etc.
FFEACH LIST
1. Superman
2. Curly Fries
3. SpongeBob Square Pants
4. Curling Iron
5. Remote Control
6. Pepperoni Pizza
7. Incredible Hulk
8. Dishwasher
9. Microwave
10. McNuggets
11. Pizza Oven
12. Scooby Doo
13. Batman
14. CD Player
15. Bacon Double Cheeseburger
16. Air Conditioner
17. Simba
18. Blender
19. Wonder Woman
20. Onion Rings
Fruit Basket Upset
Have students pair up and lock one arm together. Place chairs in pairs around the space with one less than number of student-pairs. The pair standing says a trait or characteristic and everyone that it applies to (even if it is only one of them) has to get up and find a new set of seats. A group can say "fruit basket upset" and everyone has to switch partners.
Animal Kingdom
Identify a long object that two people can hold, such as a yard stick.
Have players stand in a large circle, allowing some space between each person.
One person in the middle will close his/her eyes and spin slowly with the yardstick. Everyone in the circle must move in a clockwise motion to a beat from one or more players.
The player in the middle will gently tap the yardstick on the ground three time to let the circle know it’s time to stop moving. The player in the middle will then, with her/his eyes still closed, extend the yardstick to someone in the circle.
Whoever the yardstick points to must grab the end of the opposite. If two players are not sure who is closest to the yardstick, they will silently play rock paper scissors. The player in the middle asks to hear an animal. The player on the other side of the yardstick must, to the best of their ability, the sound of the animal.
The player in the middle gets one guess to name which player is making the animal sound.
Players who make the sound become the new person in the middle.
Paper, Scissors, Rockstar
Review the rules of Rock Paper Scissors (also called Ro Sham Bo).
Make sure everyone understands the rules and how they support the person who won Ro Sham Bo.
Group everyone into pairs.
Have each partner group introduce themselves and play a round of Ro Sham Bo (or enough rounds to break a tie).
Everyone who does not win becomes the winner’s cheerleader, following them and shouting ‘Go _____!’
The winner moves on to play another winning student.
Each round, the winner advances to play again and the non-winners and any previous cheerleaders are now all cheering for that winner.
The game continues this way until it is down to two players and the whole group is cheering for one or the other.
Amoeba Tag
Two people are it. They hold hands and chase people. Any person they catch joins the chain by linking hands. When another person is caught they can stay together or spilt 2 and 2, but they must split even numbers and can link together at will. This game is played until nobody is left.
Ghost (passive)
Would be fun at a lock-in with the lights dim.
Three or four players are chosen to be the ghosts. The rest of the group needs to scatter across the playing space and choose a spot to stand still in. The "living" players need to close their eyes.
The ghosts will roam about the playing space. They will try to eliminate the others by standing close behind the players for 10 seconds without them knowing. If this happens, the ghost will tap them on their head and they will sit down quietly.
If a person suspects a person behind them, they would ask, "Is there a ghost behind me?" If they are right, then they become a ghost. If they are wrong, they are out and should sit down. This is a great game if you want to quiet your camp down. In summary, if you guess correctly that a ghost is behind you, you get to become a ghost, if you are wrong or get tapped, you must sit down.
One to Ten
Have the group spread out in a large area. The leader gives one instructions (i.e. shake hands with someone) on "GO" everyone performs the task and then sits down.
The leader then gives the same instruction and then adds another. Everyone does those two things. Continue to add instructions until you reach ten.
Sample
Shake hands with someone
Lie down on your back and put your feet in the air
Run around the leader
Do a somersault
Clap your hands five times
Yawn once
Play leap frog over four other people
Do a cartwheel
Jump up and down 10 times
Shout hurray
Drip, drip, waterfall - played like duck duck goose, but with a water bottle (for outside marching camp)
Ships and Sailors - Kind of like a pirate-themed "Simon Says." You will need a large open space to play and works best with larger groups. The captain is in charge of calling commands. For younger students, the teacher should be the captain, but older students could work. Mark the boundaries of the room and designate one side of the room as Starboard (right side) and the opposite side as Port (left side). Practice the commands:
The Commands (can use some or all the first time)
Starboard--Run to THAT side of the room
Port--Run to THAT side of the room
Seasick--Run to the sides of the boat and pretend to get sick
Shark-- lie on your stomach with an arm up to look like a shark fin. Sing the jaws theme.
Fish out of water-- lie on your back, kicking your knees like a fish out of water.
Man overboard--(2 players) one person lies on the floor, while the other person grabs their arm and raises the other arm up in the air.
Jellyfish friends--(2 players) partners face each other, hold hands (or not), and wiggle their arms.
Row, row, row your boat--(3 players) stand close in a line and pretend to row a boat. They should sing "row, row, row your boat"
Dinnertime (4 players) stand close together as if they were at a table and pretend to eat, with sounds.
*Captain on Deck—All players freeze where you are, face the captain, and hold the salute position. You can’t break this position until the Captain says, “At ease.” If you follow any other command before hearing “at ease,” then you will be kicked out of the game.
*At Ease—The only command to release players from “Captain on Deck” position.
Extra Commands:
Captain's son - flex down and say "grrrr"
Captain's daughter - twirl hair and say "wooo-oo-oo"
One-eyed Jack - stand on one leg, cover one eye, make a hook finger and say "Arrr"
Mermaid - lie on your side, wave your tail (legs), and coo like a dolphin
Play
Select a captain who will call out commands during the game.
Review the commands listed above.
At any point in the game, if someone is the last to perform the command or does the wrong command, then they will have to "walk the plank" and be out.
Those players who are out can help the captain spot other players to eliminate.
The captain will call out the commands for the players to follow.
Players will need to listen and react to the commands accordingly. If the command involves a partner, 3 players, or 4 players, then groups will need to form quickly to avoid being eliminated.
There are no set partners or groups.
At least one person will be eliminated in each round—sometimes more depending on the command
The game is played until the last player is standing.
The faster the captain says the commands, the harder it is.
Indoor Marco Polo
Choose one player to be ‘it’ and another player to be his/her guide.
Have the rest of players spread out in the space and review that they are walking, not running.
Review the boundaries with the players.
The player that is ‘it’ closes his/her eyes and calls out ‘Marco’ and all the other students respond ‘Polo.’
The player that is ‘it’ moves toward the rest of the students, trying to tag them, with help from the guide, who places his/her hands on the shoulders of the student that’s ‘it’ and directs him/her away from objects throughout the room.
When someone is tagged, the player who was ‘it’ becomes the new guide.
To increase difficulty, the guide can talk the person around obstacles instead of using his/her hands on shoulders.
Balloon Toss
Use bed sheets to toss water balloons to each other and catch them. Can be two people or 4 people holding a sheet. Can do, most number of catches wins.
Human Architect - Split into teams. Give them 10-20 seconds to create something using only their bodies like a donut, or piano, sushi, the letter E, the little mermaid, a marching band, elevator, etc. After 20 seconds say freeze and walk around to decide which did it best. The winning team can help come up with the next thing the human architects make. For variability, switch out students. Can follow up with questions like who stepped up in the absence of a vocal leader? What were the leadership styles of the leaders-criticism, praise, encouraging? Who were good followers?
Heads Down, Thumbs Up
Two or more children, depending on the size of your group, are chosen to stand up and all the others put their heads down with their eyes closed and thumbs sticking up.
The two left standing must then creep around and gently touch one person each on the thumb. Everyone is then told to open their eyes and the children who were touched stand up and try to guess which child touched them.
If they get it right the children swap places if not the children have another go.
Pencil in the bottle
This can either be played one-by-one or in a team relay. Tie string around a pencil. Kids then tie the string around their waists so that the pencil hangs down behind them about six inches. On “go” they must then stoop down and insert the pencil into a plastic bottle.
To do multiple people on a team, you can hold the string behind your back then the next person picks it up after it gets dropped into the bottle by the first.
Radar
Get the group into a circle with one blindfolded person in a chair in the center of the circle. Under the chair place a pair of keys or something that will make a little bit of noise when touched. As the facilitator pick out a person from the circle to try and get the objects.
The person in the center is to then try and figure out where the person is coming from by pointing directly at them. If they find the person then they remain the person in the center. If the person is able to get the object, then they become the center person. If they point in the wrong direction, then the person is clear to take it.
Sing it Loud
1. You start the icebreaker of by dividing the campers into groups of 5 or more.
2. The leader yells out a word.
3. The groups huddle up for 1 minute to pick a song that contains the word.
4. When time is up, the leader calls "stop” and points at each group and they sing the part of the song they picked that contains the word.
5. If the group gets stumped...then they are out (if you’re keeping track like that).
Note: two groups cannot have the same song.
Example: Counselor (YELLING): Heart!
Group 1: "QUIT PLAYING GAMES WITH MY HEART!"
Group 2: "YOU'RE TEARING UP MY HEART WHEN I'M WITH YOU!"
Group 3: "MY HEART WILL GO ONNNNNNNNNN!
The Dream Game
One to three people leave the room (depending on how large the group is, more can leave) believing that the rest of the group are creating a dream they had the night before. This is not the case.
When the 1-3 people come back to the rest of the group, they will have to ask yes/no questions to figure out this dream. The reason they ask yes/no questions is because the rest of the group will be answering yes to the questions that end in with a vowel (Did this dream involve a slice of provolone cheese? Yes), no to the questions that end with a consonant (Was I in the dream? No) and maybe to the questions that end with the letter "Y" (Did the dream take place at Frost Valley? Maybe). The person or people asking questions have to figure out the pattern.
Honey If You Love Me - In a circle one person looks at the next and says "Honey if you love me, you will _____" and fill in the blank with an action. If either person laughs they are out. Then person that did the action tells the next person an action, again using the phrase "Honey if you love me, you will______"
Variation: SNORT - One person turns to the next and snorts like a pig except the second person also responds with a snort and they go back and forth until either one laughs. If neither are laughing, keep going down the line.
Categories
With pen and paper
Each player is given a pen and a sheet of paper. Can also be done in small groups or pairs.
A category is chosen. Just for example: names of countries, last names of celebrities, makes of car, or names of films.
A letter of the alphabet is chosen. The letters Q, U, V, Z, Y or Z can make the game too challenging, and mental blocks in this game will cause frustration and boredom, which is why those letters were removed from the dice in the similar game called Scattergories.
Set a countdown timer for one minute.
Aim
The goal of the game is to score points by writing words that start with the given letter and fit into the given category.
You are rewarded for originality: a word is only worth points if other players have not also thought of it.
Play
Start the timer.
Everyone spends the next minute writing down as many valid words (those that fit the category and start with the correct letter) as they can think of.
When the timer ends, everyone stops writing immediately.
Each player reads through their list of words out loud. If one of their words was also written by another player, that player should say so. That word scores no points for either player. Every word that only appears on one player's list scores one point for that player.
If anyone thinks a word does not fit the category, all players can vote on whether to accept the word or cross it off. In the case of a tie, the word is disqualified.
The player with the most points wins.
Variation: Without Pen and Paper
This simpler variation removes the need for a pen and paper, or for points scoring. Instead, players take it in turn to give a valid answer, and if they take too long to think of one they are eliminated, or take a forfeit. This version is great at times that you cannot write, such as during a car journey.
Play
Everyone gathers into a circle.
Decide on a category and a letter of the alphabet, as above.
In clockwise order, starting with a random player, each player must give one valid answer.
If a player cannot think of any, or takes more than five seconds to give an answer, they are eliminated from the game.
A new category, letter, or both are decided upon, and a new round begins starting with the player to the left of the eliminated player.
The last player standing is the winner.
Instead of eliminating a player, you can have them take a drink. It won’t improve their ability to give an answer in the next round, though!
Deserted Island – Get in small groups. Each person gets to bring an item with to a deserted island. The teacher thinks up scenarios and each group gets a point for every time they have an item that would be useful. Like you are being attacked by a shark. It starts raining. There is no shade and you want to keep from burning. It is very cold outside. You need to get to the top of the tree for its coconut, but can't climb unaided. The only food source is fish, how do you get one? One person committed a crime and needs to be restrained. The boredom gets to be too much for someone and they need something to do. Your only fresh water is full of bacteria. There are animals to hunt but you need a way to hunt or capture them.
Electric Current
How about a fun game that involves fast reflexes? There are two teams — everyone is holding hands. Can your team squeeze hands and send an “electric current” faster than the other team?
This game works great as a camp or youth retreat icebreaker, or as a large group activity (more than 50 people). It can be played indoors or outdoors. The activity is relatively short (about 5-10 minutes) to play.
The Electric Current Game (also called the Electricity or Pulse game) is a game that resembles two fast moving electric currents!
Setup
Nothing much is needed to prepare this game, except a small coin (like a quarter) and two small objects (such as a paper cup or foam ball) that can be grabbed. Place each object at the end of both lines. Arrange everyone into two long lines of people, approximately equivalent in length. Have everyone hold hands as a chain, with everyone facing forward in the same direction.
Playing the Electric Current Game.
Ask all players to close their eyes, except for the two people at the front of the chain. This game is to be played silently. At the start of each round of gameplay, the facilitator does a coin toss. Whenever “heads” is showing, the facilitator simultaneously lightly taps the shoulder of both team leaders and the “electric current” begins. The two people at the front of each team squeezes the hand of the next person in the chain as fast as they can. The next player who received the hand squeeze then also squeezes the next person in the chain, rapidly continuing to “pass the electricity” down the team. The first team who grabs the object (the paper cup or foam ball) at the end of the chain is the winner. As facilitator, it is important to flip the coin slowly and wait several sections between flips. If someone grabs the object but there was no “heads” coin toss, that team loses a point.
You may change up the team order after each round if desired. Play continues for several rounds. The winning team is the one that gets six points first.
Fear in the hat
A good activity to run at the beginning of a class semester, Fear in a Hat (Also known as Worries in a Hat) is a teambuilding exercise that promotes unity and group cohesion. Individuals write their personal fears (anonymously) on sheets of paper which is then collected in a hat and read aloud. Each person tries to describe his or her understanding of the person’s fear. This leads to good discussion centered around the fears.
This teambuilding exercise requires writing utensils, sheets of paper, and a hat. Allow about five minutes of writing time, plus one to two minutes per participant. The recommended group size is at least eight, but no larger than 20. It’s possible to run this activity with a large group, if the group is divided into smaller groups and if there are enough facilitators. This activity is for people ages 14 and up.
Setup
Distribute a sheet of paper and a writing utensil to each person. Instruct them to anonymously write a fear or worry that they have. Tell them to be as specific and as honest as possible, but not in such a way that they could be easily identified. After everyone is done writing a fear/worry (including the group leaders), collect each sheet into a large hat.
Running the Fear in a Hat Teambuilding Activity
Shuffle the sheets and pass out one per person. Take turns reading one fear aloud, and each reader should attempt to explain what the person who wrote the fear means. Do not allow any sort of comments on what the reader said. Simply listen and go on to the next reader.
After all fears have been read and elaborated, discuss as a whole group what some of the common fears were. This teambuilding exercise can easily lead to a discussion of a team contract, or goals that the group wishes to achieve. This activity also helps build trust and unity, as people come to realize that everyone has similar fears.
Air Balloons
Materials needed:
In order the play this game you will need the following materials:
Basic rubber balloons for air
A timer or stopwatch for each team
Optional: small paper or plastic fans
How to set up the game:
If you would like you can have each team blow up their balloons, but to make the game fairer it is better if you inflate all the balloons for each team ahead of time. Make sure to inflate extras in case of breaking balloons.
How to play:
Separate the group into different teams of 3-5 people You can play this game with as many teams as you’d like.
Give each team a balloon to use as well as a paper or plastic fan (fans are optional, balloons are not).
Choose a player from each team to be the time-keeper. Give them one of the timers or stopwatches to record the time that their team keeps the balloon in the air without touching it.
Instruct players that the rules of the game are you cannot touch the balloon at all once it is in the air. Balloons must be kept in the air for as long as possible without being touched and without touching the ground at any time. Each time a balloon is touched by a member of the team or touches the ground, the time on the stopwatch must be reset back to zero. The only thing players are allowed to do to keep their balloons up is to use air either from their fans or by blowing on the balloon.Tip: try to give each team a different colored balloon so that there can be no mix-ups if the teams overlap at any point.
Winning the game:
The team that manages to keep their balloon in the air for the longest consecutive amount of time will be the winners. They should not sabotage any other competing teams during this time. Monitor the teams as they’re playing to ensure they are keeping time properly.
All Tangled Up (Human Knot)
Divide everyone into small groups of up to twelve and have them form a tight circle.
The players take one hand and grab the hand of anyone in the group except the people standing next to them.
The players take their other hand and grab the hand of anyone in the group except the people standing next to them and the person they are already holding hands with.
The challenge is to get untangled without letting go of each other's hands.
Emphasize that getting untangled requires a lot of communication and cooperation.
Variations
Make the groups larger.
Add restrictions to their communication methods
Concentration Crunch
Begin with a warm up of stretches.
Review the correct way of performing an abdominal crunch. Pulling the belly button to the spine is important.
Practice a few reps of abdominal crunches.
Have the participants sit in a circle.
Instruct them to count off around the circle starting with the number one, and tell them that they MUST remember their numbers. (can also be done with names)
The game begins with one participant chosen by the adult, calling out a random number.
The person whose number is called must immediately call out another number and do a crunch.
If a participant significantly hesitates, s/he will perform five abdominal crunches.
The participant then calls out a new number and the game continues.
Story Starters
For very large groups, simply have everyone split into smaller groups of 4-6 people.
Setup of this icebreaker is flexible. Materials required: notecards and plenty of ballpoint pens.
The facilitator can prepare cards in advance, or the following could be written on a chalkboard/whiteboard/Powerpoint slide.
Write the following sentences, one on each card:
“Once upon a time, I…”
“My favorite place I ever went to is…”
“The silliest thing I ever did was…”
“My ideal vacation is…”
“The craziest thing I ever did (that I’ll admit to) is…”
“If my life were a book, I would title it…”
You can also come up with many more.
Distribute these cards to each group (or show these on a chalkboard/whiteboard/Powerpoint on the front of the room). Within each small group, each group member must choose one Story Starter and begin a story using one of these sentences as a starting point.
Designate a person to start the game or read one of the story starters provided above. End with the word “suddenly…”
The next person picks up the story and tells three more sentences, taking the story in any direction they’d like. After three sentences, they end with the word, “suddenly…”
The game continues until one of the following happens:
Every player gets a turn and the game has filled the time allotted.
Every player gets several turns and the game has filled the time allotted.
The players gets stuck, in which case you can either pass to the next person or start a new story.
Each group can vote on which story is the most interesting. The most interesting stories can be shared to the larger group.
Tips and Notes
Encourage players to make their stories twist and turn. Challenge each player to try to stump the person next to them.
If players have difficulty coming up with three sentences, give each sentence an objective to help get their creativity flowing. The first sentence should introduce the new scenario (the thing that suddenly happened). The second sentence should add to the story with narration, description, or backstory. The third sentence should begin to move the story in another direction, ending with suddenly…
Here are two sample story starters.
Jane liked to help her parents on the family’s farm, and caring for the chickens was her favorite chore. Every morning she would feed the chickens and collect fresh eggs as soon as she got out of bed and before she had eaten breakfast. But this morning, she heard a strange noise before she entered the chicken coop. Suddenly…
Jake had never had a pen pal before, so when the strange letter addressed to “My Friend” came in the mail, he wasn’t sure what to make of it. He opened the letter carefully, noting there was no return address. He read the first line of the letter, “Dear Jake.” Suddenly…
Ultimate Ninja
Works best in groups of about 10
Have all players stand in a circle, facing each other, in the middle of a room. To begin, have everyone say together, “Ultimate Ninja!” And then everyone can freeze in a ninja pose. At the beginning of the game, everyone must remember their turn order. Turns go clockwise; thus a person should remember who was before and after them.
The goal of the Ultimate Ninja game is to be the last ninja standing. To stay in the game, you must not let anyone hit your hand. If someone hits your hand, you are “out” and must leave the game. Each player takes turns. On a player’s turn, he or she is allowed one motion: one smooth motion to attack another player, or one smooth motion to move somewhere (to jump or take a large step in any direction).
Attacking another player
When you attack another player, you try to hit their hand with one smooth motion. When you attack, another player is allowed one smooth motion to try to dodge your attack, even if it is not their turn. That is, he or she can react by moving their arm or hand away; however, he or she must hold this new pose. If you have a successful attack (i.e., if you hit their hand successfully), that person must leave the game.
As soon as a player takes his or her turn, the next person in order may immediately take their turn. He or she does not have to wait (this is where it can go fast!)
The last person remaining wins. Have fun — may the best ninja survive!
Hot and Cold
Gather group members together in one room. It’s time to select the 1 or 2 people that are the “chosen players” for the first round. You can ask for volunteers or else choose the first players for yourself.
Send the chosen players out of the room. Once they are out, have the group come up with an action they must perform when they come back into the room. Moderate this process to make sure an appropriate and safe action is chosen.
Bring the chosen players back into the room and instruct them to try to figure out and do the mystery action. Other group members should be observing the chosen players and cheering or encouraging them when they are getting closer to doing the action (“hot”) and booing when they are getting farther from doing the action (“cold”). No words should be spoken by the group about the mystery action and no gestures should be used to indicate what needs to be done.
The game is over once all the chosen players perform the mystery action. You may choose the next players by who was the most encouraging, who came up with the final action ideas, or any other criteria you see fit.
Winning the game:
Normally there is no winner or loser in this game as it is just a fun activity to help with group bonding. Alternatively, you can divide the group into two or more sets of people with their own chosen player and mystery action. Set a timer and let the teams compete to see whose chosen player will complete their action first. You can also time each chosen player to see how long it takes them to complete their mystery action. The one with the shortest time is the winner.
Mafia
1. Print out the character cards on card and laminate if you can as this game can be reused. Or see the other setups below.
2. Tell the students that they are each going to receive a card. They must not tell anyone what is on their card. Tell them that they must find who are mafia before the mafia kill all the citizens. The doctor can save one person per round and the police officer can investigate one person per round.
3. Give each student a card.
4. Tell the students to “go to sleep”and close their eyes. You can say “citizens of ________ go to sleep”
5. Ask the Mafia to wake up and choose who they are going to kill. When they have selected a person by nodding or pointing tell them to “go back asleep”
6. Next invite the Doctor to “save someone”. Again like the Mafia this will be done in silence. When they have chosen tell them to go back to sleep.
7. Then ask the police officer to “wake up” and choose who they would like to investigate. They chose in silence and you nod and agree whether they are or are not Mafia.
8. Next say “Citizens of _____ wake up! Last night there was a brutal murder and ______ was killed. We know there are 4 Mafia amongst you. Who do you want to accuse?”
9. Invite students to guess who they think is Mafia. The first round is usually quiet because anyone can be Mafia, however by the second round students quickly become more vocal and accusations fly around the room. Remember Mafia must defend themselves and avoid being detected. People who are killed in the rounds cannot participate in the accusations or give any information that may let the other know. Remember, only the police gets to truly decide who is Mafia.
10. Continue until either the Mafia or Citizens win.
Different Setup #1: This is with a deck of cards.
Aces are your Mafia
Queens are your doctors and
Kings are your Sheriffs
All other cards (2 thru J) are civilians
In our case, prepare two aces, 1 Q, 1 K and 4 other cards besides the listed.
The mayor will hand each player a card face down to each player. These cards will not be revealed to other players during the game.
Setup #2: This is without cards.
Instead, we'll be using taps, so it is up to the mayor to remember how many people he picked and which character he assigned.
Everybody will close their eyes and the mayor will walk around to assign roles.
If the mayor taps you once, you are mafia.
Twice is doctor
Three times is sheriff
And if you don't get tapped you're a civilian
(More simple setup; the mayor should make sure not to choose extra characters or mistakenly bump into other players)
Trust Fall
Divide the group into partners, partners should be of similar body type.
Briefly discuss the concept of ‘trust.’
Have students practice everything before beginning the game.
Designate a signal to get into ready position and a signal to begin the dialogue.
Demonstrations:
Ready Positions
Faller: Feet together, legs stiff, arms folded across chest.
Catcher: One leg back and straight, and one leg forward and bent, with both arms slightly bent in front of chest with palms facing outward.
Verbal Cues Before Fall:
1. Faller says "Spotter ready?"
2. Catcher says "Ready."
3. Faller says "Falling."
4. Catcher says "Fall on."
Choose a pair to demonstrate the entire sequence of ready positions, verbal cues, falling and catching and getting back to ready position.
Pick a open space with enough room for the group and a softer ground, such as grass or carpet over blacktop.
Have partners stand in two lines facing each other. Have one side turn around.
Give signal for both sides to get into ready positions.
Signal for verbal cues.
Students fall and get back to ready position.
Let them go through cycle with the same roles three times and have them switch roles.
Once they switch, go back to the step-by-step instructions.
Variations:
Form a circle of five students, standing shoulder to shoulder in the catcher ready position. Have one student in the center in the faller ready position. The student in the center allows their body to fall in any direction around the inside of the circle while the catchers gently support them.
Have two groups of six students line up facing each other with their arms outstretched and interlaced. One student stands on a chair in ready position with his/her back to the two lines. Go through the verbal cues and fall back onto the interlaced arms. If you want to make it even more challenging, have the person falling stand on a table versus a chair.
What Are You Doing
Explain the rules and do a demonstration.
Have players explain the rules back to you or to someone next to them.
Players get in line and the first two face each other.
Player A does a motion like in charades, and then player B asks “What are you doing?”
Player A must name a motion that doesn’t match the motion that they are doing.
Player B must do the motion that player A named.
Player A then asks, “What are you doing?”
Game continues until someone makes a mistake. When a player messes up, they go to the end of the line and the next person steps up.
Variations:
Have multiple lines going to increase participation.
This game can also be played in pairs, eliminating the rotational style and shortening the time of play.
Speed Pass
The goal of this activity is to give a group an opportunity to work together to achieve a simple goal. The task is to pass an object so that each member of the group,one at a time, physically touches it. Allow for group planning time. This can be a timed event. They have to arrange themselves in four different ways.
Minute to Win It Games
For all Games First Place gets 4 points, 2nd gets three points, etc.
Reed case stack - try to stack 5 reed cases on end.
Sheet Music Scramble - cut a piece of music into 16 pieces and try to put it back together.
Card Throw - Cut a watermelon in half and make the juicy side face the player. Give the player a stack of playing cards and have him/her stand a few feet away from the watermelon. The player needs to throw a card in such a way that it will stick into the watermelon. The player who sticks the most cards wins.
Cereal Bracelets - See who can thread the most fruit loops onto a pipe cleaner only using one hand.
Cookie Monster - Have everyone place a cookie on their forehead. Give everyone one minute to get the cookie from their forehead to their mouth without using their hands.
Don't Blow the Hokey - Place a deck of cards (with the Joker on the bottom) on top of a glass container. When the minute starts, have the player gently blow the cards off of the bottle until he/she gets to the Joker. The player that blows all of the cards off of the bottle except for the Joker in under a minute wins!
Feather Breath - Give each player a feather and have them blow it across the room into a bucket. The feather must be kept in the air at all times and no body parts may be used to help the feather. An easier version of this is to just keep the feather in the air for 1 minute without trying to move it across the room.
Grab Bag - Select 5 gift bags or paper sacks and cut them to different lengths. Line these bags in a row on the floor. Have the player pick each bag up with his/her mouth and put it on the table. The catch is that the player cannot let any body part touch the ground except for his/her feet.
Listen Carefully - Take 5 old soda cans and fill them with varying amounts of the same small object (nails, screws, metal nuts, etc.).Write the amount on the bottom of the can. On each player’s turn, have him/her shake the cans and arrange them in order from can that contains the most objects to can that contains the least. The player that does this correctly the fastest wins!
Suite Kick - Set a small table or designate a space about ten feet in front of the players. Have the player slip their heel out of their shoes, so that it is still on their feet but will come off easily. On go, have each player try to kick their shoe off so that it lands upright on the designated spot. The players can have as many tries as they want. The players that complete this task in one minute win!
This Sucks - Place a small amount of beans on a table and give each person a straw. Place a bowl on a table about ten feet away. Give the contestant one minute to suck a bean onto the straw and run it to the other bowl. Whoever can do the most in a minute wins!
For more Minute-To-Win-It Games just Google it!
Games and Activities - http://www.originsonline.org/educator-help#all
Team Building - http://www.ultimatecampresource.com/site/camp-activities/team-building-activities.html
Ice Breakers - http://www.ultimatecampresource.com/site/camp-activities/ice-breakers.page-1.html
More Games - Playworks