Ages: 10 and up.  Recommended # of People: 20 and up (large groups work fine too!).  Messiness factor: Might break a small sweat!  Materials Required: None.  Recommended Setting: Indoors or Outdoors.

Giants, Wizards, & Elves

• For the giant, each person stands on their tippy toes, lifts up their arms, and makes an angry growling noise: “Roooar!”
• For the wizard, each person crouches a little bit, flutters their fingers as though they are casting a spell, and they make a magical noise: “Woooo!”
• For the elf, each person gets down very low on their knees, cups their hands around their ears, and makes a high pitched elf noise: “Eeeeee!”

Practice each motion together a few times.  Divide everyone into two teams and have them separate into opposite sides of the room. The game invovles several rounds.  For each round, the following takes place:

1. Each team forms a huddle and decides to become a giant, wizard, or elf.
2. Both teams then line up and face each other, about 5 feet apart.
3. The facilitator says “3..2..1..Go!”
4. Each team acts out the giant, wizard, or elf (whatever they decided to become).
5. As soon as they act out their character, the winner tries to grab the loser and pulls as many people over to their side as they can.  The loser tries to run away, back to their side, in order to be safe.  The winner of each round is determined by the following.The giant defeats the elf because giants “squash” elves.
   Elves defeat wizards by outsmarting them, chewing at their legs.
   The wizard defeats the giant by “zapping” them with a magic spell.
   Identical characters are a draw (no one wins).This process keeps repeating for multiple rounds until one team is entirely consumed (or when time runs out.)

Variations

Other variations of this game exist – or you can make up your own.  Be creative!

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Ages: All.  Recommended # of People: At least 40 people.  Messiness Factor: Might break a small sweat. Materials Required: A coin, a chair, and any small object like a tennis ball.  Recommended Setting: Indoors.

Pulse Game

The Pulse Game (also known as the Electric Current Game or the Electricity Game) is a great way to break the ice, especially if you have a large group people.  In a fast paced action game, two long lines of humans resemble a fast moving electric current!

Setup

To set up the Pulse Game, you need to form two teams of equal size.    The easiest way to do this is probably to have each player pair off with another person.  When you’ve divided the group evenly, have each team member face the same direction, and have each team facing each other.  Instruct each team to hold hands to form two long human chains.  At the end of the two lines, place a chair with a small object (e.g. a tennis ball) on it.  The referree stands at the front (see picture below).

Playing the Pulse Game

To play the pulse game, have the two players at the front of the line watch the referee.  Have everyone else close their eyes and face downward.  Instruct everyone to be silent.  For each round, the referee does the following:  Flip a coin and quietly show it only to the first two players at the front of each team.  Whenever the coin shows ”Heads,” the two people at the front of the line must squeeze the hand of the next person in line as quickly as possible.  Whenever that player’s hand gets squeezed, he or she quickly continues to “pass the electric current” by squeezing the next person’s hand, and so on.  As the “electric current” transfers along the line, the goal of the game is to be the first team to grab the object (the ball) on the chair.  If heads was flipped and a team successfully grabs the ball, that team wins a point.  On the other hand, if the team grabs the ball but heads was not flipped, then the point goes to the other team.   After each coin flip, wait several seconds and then flip again.  Keep flipping until the coin shows “Heads.”  For a short game, the winner is the first team to score 10 points.  For a longer game, you can increase the number of points. 

Have fun playing this fast paced, quick reflex action game.

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Ages: 10 and up. Recommended # of people: At least 5 players. Messiness factor: Hiding and a lot of running involved. Materials: None, flashlights optional. Setting: Outdoors at night, a safe, large outdoor area to play in.

Ghost in the Graveyard

Ghost in the Graveyard is a game that involves hiding, seeking, and chasing. It’s a good activity for nighttime family or group fun.  Be sure to wear comfortable sneakers, as the game involves some running around.

Setup for Ghost in the Graveyard

There is no real setup necessary for this game, except to ensure that the area is safe from dangerous obstacles. Choose a central location to be the “home base” for the game.

How to Play Ghost in the Graveyard

Gather everyone at the home base. You’ll need a large outdoor play area for this game. Tell everyone the boundaries of play and make sure everyone knows not to go past these boundaries.

To begin, choose a volunteer to be the “ghost.” This person leaves the base and hides somewhere within the boundaries while everyone else closes their eyes. After a minute or two, the rest of the group counts aloud: “One o’clock, two o’clock, three o’clock…” until they reach midnight.

At this point, everyone leaves the base and searches for the ghost. The first person to spot the ghost yells “Ghost in the graveyard!” and all the seekers rush back as fast as they can to base. The ghost chases after everyone and whoever is tagged becomes next ghost.

This game is best to play when it is early evening or dark, but be sure to take measures to keep everyone safe, as running in areas with low light can lead to possible injury. Keep safe and have fun!

(Contributed by Vince) Thanks Vince!

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Ages: 8 and up. Recommended # of People: A group of 8 to 16 people. Messiness factor: Might break a sweat. Materials: None. Setting: Indoors or outdoors.

Follow the Leader

Follow the Leader (also known as the Copycat Game) is an action game that serves as a good energizer or warmup activity. It can be pretty hilarious watching people mimic the leader, especially if the leader does some wacky movements. There is no preparation needed for the Follow the Leader game. Find a large open space, either indoors or outdoors, and you’re ready to go!

How to Play

Ask everyone to stand and arrange the group into a circle, facing inwards. Ask one person to leave the room for a minute. This person will be the guesser for the round. While he or she is gone, the group decides who should be the “leader.” The leader will be the one who sets the movements for that round. When this person is chosen, invite the guesser to come back. The guesser stands in the very center of the circle.

When the round begins, everyone starts swinging their arms up and down. The leader will eventually begin to do other movements, and everyone else mimics the leader’s actions, without being too obvious to reveal who the leader is. The leader can do just about anything he or she wants, such as:

• clapping
• making a kicking motion with his or her leg
• jumping up and down
• singing a line from a song
• patting his or her own head
• a dance move

 

Everyone in the circle should be careful to avoid prolonged eye contact with the leader, so the leader’s identity is not given away. The guesser must keep turning his or her head to try to figure out which person is the leader (the person who is starting of all the group’s movements). The guesser is allowed to make up to three guesses. If the guess is incorrect, the round continues. If the guess is correct, the leader becomes the new guesser for the next round. If all three guesses are exhausted and the leader is not correctly guessed, the round ends and you can either keep the same guesser or switch it up.

This action game tends to be hilarious, as people try to copy the leader’s silly movements. Enjoy.

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Ages: 10 and up. Recommended # of People: 15-30. Messiness Factor: No Sweat.  Materials: None. Recommended Setting: Indoors with ample space, but not open space.

Sardines (Reverse Hide and Seek) Game

Sardines is a fun game which is very much like hide and seek, except it is done in reverse.  It can be pretty humorous, as many people end up hiding in interesting places, resembling a bunch of sardines jammed together!

How to Play

One person is picked to be “it”. This person is given some time to hide while everyone else sits in a neutral spot with their eyes closed for a specified amount of time. When the time is up, everyone searchers for the person who is “It”. When this person is found, instead of ending the game, one tries not to let other people know where the person is; instead, he or she joins the person at their hiding spot. The object is to not be the last one left. The first person that found “It” gets to be “It” the next time. Be sure to have proper guidelines in place for appropriate boundaries and hiding spots.  Safety always comes first.

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Ages: 8 and up. Recommended # of people: At least 4. Messiness Factor: Get ready to break a sweat! Materials required: A small bouncy ball of some sort (e.g. a racquetball, tennis ball, etc.). Recommended Setting: Outdoors or in a very large room with a flat wall (e.g. side of a building) and a hard, flat floor.

Rules for Wall Ball

Wall Ball is a classic playground game played by children everywhere. It’s fun for adults too!

The object of the game is simple: a person throws a ball against a wall, and anyone can try to catch it. The person who tries to catch it must catch it cleanly (no drops). If a person drops the ball or touches the ball in any way without catching it, that person must quickly run up and touch the wall before another person can catch the ball and throw it against the wall.

If the ball hits the wall before the player is able to touch it, the person is given a “strike.” Each player gets three “strikes” before they are out of the game (or you can assign some form of mild punishment, like making the person do the chicken dance).

Variations

Many different various exist for Wall Ball. For example, when someone catches the ball, they can assign rules such as:

• one handed catch only
• catch on one foot
• left handed catch only

And so on. If someone forgets to follow the rule, they must also run to the wall and touch it to prevent getting an “out”.

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Ages: 10 and up.  Recommended # of People: 20+. Messiness Factor: Sweaty. Materials Required: Two flags (any durable, safe, and noticeable object). Recommended Setting: Outdoors.

Capture the Flag

Capture the Flag is a popular team-based action game that is typically held outdoors.  It is a fast paced cousin of “It Tag,” with lots of running and chasing, and some strategy.  The following is the traditional version, although there are many variations of the game.

How to Play

Divide the players into two teams. Agree upon the legal boundaries of play, determine the location of two “jails” (one for each team) and set up a middle boundary between the two teams. At the beginning of each round, each team hides and defends their own “flag,” which is any object that is durable and safe to toss around and run with (e.g. a bright T-shirt or cone). The flag must not be obscured; it needs to be more than 50% visible. Optionally, you may have more than one flag if there are enough people. The object of the game is for one team to grab the flag of the other team and bring it over to their own side. When a member of the opposing team crosses over the middle boundary into the opposing team’s territory, the other team is allowed to tag the person and take them to a “jail” where they stay until they are released (tagged) by one of their own team members who has not yet been captured.

Be sure there is plenty of space outdoors, as there will be lots of running involved.  Also remember: safety first. Clear the area of any dangerous obstacles or hazards.

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Ages: All. Recommended # of people: At least 8 players. Messiness factor: Lots of running and throwing. Materials required: A soft ball that does not hurt when thrown. Recommended setting: Outdoors.

The Spud Game

Spud is a simple, fast-paced action game that contains running, dodging, and throwing. It is a popular camp or kids game, but youth group students, college students and adults will probably enjoy playing this game too. Lots of variations exist for this game — be creative!

How to Play Spud

To set up the Spud Game, have each player count off and remember their number. An optional variation is to have more than one person per number. After everyone is assigned a number, have each player group together in a bunch. One person starts with the ball in the center of the bunch.

At the beginning of each round, the person with the ball (who is in the center of the bunch) throws the ball upwards to the sky while yelling a number. Everyone disperses and runs in all different directions away from the bunch except for the person(s) whose number was called. The person whose number was called catches the ball and then yells “Spud!” When he or she yells this, everyone must freeze. The person with the ball then is allowed to take three giant steps toward any player. He or she throws the ball and tries to hit someone. To dodge, players are allowed to move all parts of their body except they may not move their feet at all. If a player is hit the first time, he or she earns the letter “S”, eventually spelling the word S-P-U-D. The person who was hit becomes the new thrower; otherwise, the thrower who missed earns a letter. The next round begins and play continues. Whoever spells the letter S-P-U-D is out of the game; alternatively, if you do not wish to eliminate players, you can set a time limit and whoever has the least amount of letters when time expires is the winner.

(This game was contributed by Andy M. Thanks Andy!)

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Ages: Younger kids. Recommended number of people: Less than 10. Messiness factor: Might break a little sweat. Materials required: None. Recommended setting: Outdoors.

Mother May I (also known as Captain May I)

How to Play

This game is a simple childhood action game that might be good for reinforcing the use of manners. One person is chosen as the “mother” (or “captain” if it is a male).  She or he stands facing away from a line of kids and selects a child at random, or in order.  The mother/captain calls out a direction, step type, and number of steps.  For example, the mother/captain can say: “Scott, you may take seven (or any other number)’ baby/normal/giant steps forward/backward.” The child then responds with “Mother may I?” (or “Captain may I?” if it is a male player in charge).  The mother/captain states “Yes” or “No”, depending on her whim, and the child obeys and takes the steps.  If the child forgets to ask “Mother may I?” then he/she goes back to the beginning of the line.  The first one to touch the Mother/Captain wins and becomes the new Mother/Captain.

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Ages: 10 and up. Recommended # of People: Teams of 7-10. Messiness Factor: Quite messy! Materials: Bananas, at least 1 per team. Setting: Outdoor.

The Banana Pass Game

The banana pass is an outdoor action game that is essentially a messy relay race. The “baton” is a banana — except the catch is that you can only use your feet to pass it! Eww..

How to Play

Players lie down on the grass, head to toe in a straight line with each person’s toes about 2 feet away from the next teammate’s head. When the game begins, the first people in line grab hold of the banana with their feet and pass it over their heads to the next person’s feet. The next person receives the banana with his or her feet and passes again until the entire team is done. When the banana has been passed to the last person, this person must peel the banana and eat it (ewww!). After eating it, the person then must run back to the starting line, finishing the race for the team.

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