Page last updated 22nd February 2004
See this page http://www.oocities.org/Heartland/Plains/3209/FunGames1.html
Name game
One player is designated to be IT. She takes her place in the centre of the players, sitting in a circle on chairs. IT suddenly points at one of the players and asks "Who are your next door neighbours?" If the player who was asked the question, can't name both neighbours correctly, she becomes IT. If he does name them correctly, IT asks her "How is So and So?", naming either of the players. If the reply is "OK", the players remain seated, but if the answer is "Not so good", all players must change seats. While everyone is shifting IT tries to get a seat. If she succeeds the one without a spot then becomes IT.
Note: Until everyone is sure of the names, IT must give them time to learn the names of their neighbours before they shift.
Mosquito Tag
An energetic game with no winner or losers. Split girls into two groups. Everyone in the first group has been bitten on the back of the neck by a mosquito - they swat the mozzie and keep their hand on it. The other group have been bitten on the back of the knee and do the same thing. Whenever one girl catches another they change bites - the one who had her hand on her neck changes to having her hand on the back of her knee and vice versa. Play to exhaustion.
Pringles Tube Game!
You need: 4 pringles tubes and 2 tennis balls
Thanks to Claire L for this game!
Divide into 2 teams. Each team lines up down one side of the hall & numbers off from one to however many there are in the team (someone may have to take 2 numbers if the teams are uneven). Place 2 of the tubes (without lids, upright) at one end of the hall and the other two at the other end so each team has one tube at each end of the hall. The team's tennis ball gets dropped into one of their tubes. The leader then calls out a number - the two girls with that number each run to their tube iwth the ball in, take the ball, run to their other tube & put the ball in and then run back to their places. Whoever gets back to their place first (with both their tubes upright and the ball in the correct tube) wins a point for their team.
Chopstick Game
Another game witih sweets. Each team needs a pair of chopsticks and a bowl of sweets. Soft, unwrapped sweets are easy, wrapped sweets not too bad, hard sweets are really difficult. Number the people in the team from 1 to however many. The team sit by the bowl of sweets & chopsticks. The leader calls a number and a way of moving, eg. "number 2, hopping" then the number 2 person from each team must hop to the other end of the hall & back before picking up a sweet from the bowl with chopsticks. If they manage it in the time limit they get to keep the sweet. Photos are here on chopstick game page.
Cascudinho (Little Bee) - a game from Brazil
This is a football game for two teams. There is one goal, and one person is the goalkeeper and she is not in either team. The two teams try to get the ball into the goal - whichever team does so gets a point so when one team is attacking the other is defending, but as soon as the defenders get the ball, they become the attackers.
Tip
The guides' favourite sort of game... it involves eating sweets!
Put a selection of different coloured sweets (eg. smarties or jelly beans) on a plate in the middle of the circle of guides. One girl is chosen as the guesser & she goes outside while the other girls pick a sweet. She comes back and points at one of the sweets. If it's the one the others chose then everyone else shouts "Tip!", her turn is over and someone else goes out while the girls choose a new sweet. If it's not the one they chose she gets to pick it up (and eat it) and then point at a second and so on until she points at the chosen sweet. Then restock the sweets and pick a new guesser.
Balloon Games
We were going to play lots but ran out of time so we only did this one... a relay race. You need one balloon per team. The front person in the team rolls the balloon along the floor with their nose until they reach the other end of the hall. Then they pick up the balloon, run back & give it to the next team member who does the same. Click here for a picture. At the Halloween party we played balloon volleyball. Lots more balloon games are on GuidingUK here.
Skittle
Equipment: 1 skittle, 2 balls.
Get into two teams, each team lines up along one end of the hall. In the middle is a skittle. Number the people in each team 1 to however many they are. Number one from each team gets given a ball. They throw or roll it towards the skittle, to try and knock it over. If they miss then number two has to run & get the ball then go back to their place, then *they* try to knock over the skittle. As soon as either team knocks over the skittle the game stops - that team win a point, and you start again (from a different number this time). Whichever team has the most points at the end of however long wins the game.
Hopping Jane
Equipment: none
Find a partner more or less your own size. Number each pair, and name each person in the pair either A or B. All the "A"s line up down one side of the hall, all the "B"s down the other. When the number of the pair is called they both fold their arms and hop into the centre. The objective is to cause your partner to put her foot down by bumping in to her... but without putting your own foot down. First to make their partner put down her foot wins a point for her team. Click here for Hopping Jane page for photos.
Four Square (a simplified version)
Divide the hall into 4 rectangles (we did this with 2 long ropes, you could use chalk or something else). One person stands in each rectangle and the rest of the people line up against one side of the hall. One of the people in the squares starts with the ball & hits it to one of the other squares - the person in that square must hit it to another square without letting it bounce more than once. You are out if:
* you hit the ball and it bounces in your own square
* the ball bounces more than once in your square
* you send the ball "out" of the playing area
Once a person is out they go to the back of the line of waiting players and the person at the front takes their place.
Some other games we haven't played for a while are
* Ladders (but be careful of safety)
* Indoor snowball fight (needs some preparation)
Click here for instructions.
Page last updated 22nd February 2004