COLOURS
Group Size Any Size
Materials None
Where and When A good game to play when the group’s concentration is fading. It is quick, gets people’s bodies moving, and you can then lead into another session or carry on where you left off. It is not advisable to use this activity on groups who are unfamiliar with each other as it can be threatening.
Procedure The leader calls a part of the body and a colour that can e found in the room. Everybody must then rush and place that part of their body on that colour eg noses on red. Everyone must stay in that position until another colour has been called.
NOTE: be careful not to let this drag on too long or it will become a de-energiser
FLYING CARPETS
Group size: Approx ten
Materials: 1 Blanket for each group
Procedure: Each group has to stand on their blanket and race down to the other end
of the room. They must stay on their blankets at all times. The first
group to reach the end is the winner.
KNIGHT; MOUNT; CAVALIER
Materials Large open space
When and Where Use to release energy and for lots of fun. Excellent in playfairs.
Procedure Ask the group members to pair off, finding a partner roughly the same size. Explain that this activity is called „Knight; Mount; Cavalier“. There are three positions that they need to know.
1. Knight: One person kneels on one knee with their partner sitting on their other knee.
2. Mount: One person gets down on their hands and knees, the other person stands over them.
3. Cavalier: One partner picks up the other person
(Demonstrate these positions)
Proceed to call out the different instructions in a random order, giving people just enough time to get into one position before you call out the next.
NOTE: Don’t let this activity drag on – it should be short or people will get sick of it and drop out.
Variations 1. Make it Competitive: Anyone doing the wrong position is out.
2. Change the roles around so that the person being picked up is then the one who picks up the partner and so on.
SANDWICH GAME
Group Size 10 and up
Materials None
When and Where Great for breaks in between sessions and for use in playfairs. However, close physical contact is involved and may be intimidating for groups who are unfamiliar with one another.
Procedure Divide the participants into 5 equal sized groups. Nominate each group with a part of the sandwich. There must be 2 groups allocated bread, 1 group allocated meat, 1 group allocated tomato and 1 group allocated lettuce. The aim is to then make the sandwiches. There needs to be a piece of bread on the bottom (one person lies down), a piece of ham (the next person lies on top of the first), the lettuce and ham and then finally the last piece of bread on the top of the pile. On completion there should be a pile of five people making the sandwich.
NOTE: This will work most effectively if demonstrated first by people who are familiar with both the leader and the game.
STATUES (MAKE THEM FRIENDLIER)
Group Size 7 people (4 boys and 3 girls), plus as many spectators as you want
Materials None
Procedure Take 5 people (3 boys and 2 girls) outside and keep 2 inside. Bring in a male, and tell him take the two people inside and „make them friendlier“. After he has finished, get him to swap places with the male. Bring in the next girl. Do the same, and swap with the girl. On the last male do the same, but get him to swap with the girl, leaving the two males in a slightly sexual position.
EVOLUTION GAME
Group Size 10 and up
Materials None
Where and When A good game to begin a session or just generally wake a group up. Game works most effectively with people who know each other as there is an element of honesty involved.
Procedure There are four stages to this game: Egg, Chicken, Bird and Superman. The idea is that participants evolve through the four phases.
Everyone begins walking around the room banging their fists on their foreheads chanting „egg egg egg egg egg“. Participants pair up and have a game of paper; scissors; rock. The winner of this game evolves to the next stage, the looser stays an egg.
The game continues and the participants who evolved walk around like a chicken, flapping their arms and squarking, the eggs continue to be eggs. The chickens pair up with chickens and the eggs pair up with eggs to once again play paper; scissors; rock. Those who win evolve to the next stage where as those who loose remain where they are. The game continues with the birds flapping their arms and supermen soaring around with both arms in the air.
When the game works correctly there should be one egg, chicken and bird left and the rest of the players are supermen (or superpeople to be politically correct)
WET PANTS
Group Size 3 volunteers (but any number of people can watch)
Materials 3 funnels
3 spoons
3 blind folds
3 jugs of water
1 packet of jaffas
When and Where Use on a hot day where people have the opportunity to change their clothes. Also with people who will not kill the demonstrator.
Procedure Get three people up the front. Put the funnel in the front of their pants and the spoon in their mouth. Put the jaffa on the spoon, count to three and get them to drop it in the funnel. Easy. Tell them that they will now be blindfolded and will have to do it again. Blindfold them. Count to three, but on two pour water into the funnel.
MASTER/SLAVE
Group size: Any size
Materials: None
Procedure: Divide the group into three groups and form a group of three with one person from each group. Nominate one person as the leader on
the group. This person becomes the Master of the other two people in the group who are now Slaves. The Master then has one minute
to command the slaves to do anything they say ( within reason of course). Swap the roles to give every member of the group the
chance to be Master
STEAMROLLER
Group Size Any Size
Materials None
Where and When A trust building, physical boundary breaking activity which can be great fun for a group who are comfortable with physical contact, but may be awkward with groups who find physical contact more difficult.
Procedure Have the group lie diagonally across the room on their backs, as close to one another as possible. The person at one end then proceeds to roll over the top of the others to reach the other end, where they lie down next to the last person. When they arrive the next person does the same.
Variations 1. Group lies on their backs on the floor, with every person lying in the opposite direction to the person next to them. Close everyone up so that their heads ‚interlock‘. Everyone then stretches their hands above their heads. One member of the group lies down along the top of the outstretched arms and is passed along the top of the arms to the other end.
NOTE: It is necessary to have someone, preferably the leader at first, at both ends to start each person off carefully and catch the head of each person as they finish. Also, start off with lighter people and gradually build up group confidence in tackling the heavier members.
2. Place a 20 cent piece on the first persons chest. The aim is to pass the 20 cent piece from one person to another without touching it with anyone’s hands or dropping it on the floor. This variation requires each person to roll only onto the next person and then back to their original position. The 20 cent piece should make it to the other end of the chain.
NOTE: This can be made competitive by having two teams going at once. The winning team has the 20 cent piece arrive at the other end of the chain first.
HUMAN TUNNEL BALL
Group size: Three or four groups depending on the size of the group.
Materials: None
Procedure: The groups line up one behind the other, facing the same direction each person about an arms length behind each other. They spread
their legs apart and join hands, the right hand going under their legs joining with the persons left hand behind them. The race begins
the first person moving under the tunnel and not breaking the linking hands and the tunnel moves under itself until all the group has
gone through the tunnel hands always linked.
HUMAN PYRAMID
Group size: Approx 10
Materials: None
Procedure: Each group must form a human pyramid and walk the pyramid forward towards the other end of the room. The first group to reach the
end wins. The pyramid classically consists of 4 people on the bottom level, three on the next, then two and one person on the top.
MUSICAL PARTNERS
Group size: Any
Materials: Music (that can be stopped and started)
Procedure: The group forms into pairs. The pairs then kneel facing each other with their hands on each others shoulders, forming an inner and
outer circle. When the music starts the outside circle stands and begins to move clockwise, the inner circle at the same time works in
an anti clockwise direction. When the music stops the circles must re-pair and kneel with their hands upon each others shoulders. The
last pair to do so is OUT. The game continues until only one pair remains
STRUCTURES
Group size: Groups of between 2 and 8
Materials: None
Procedure: The group is split into smaller groups of between 2 and 8 people. The leader then gives an example of a particular structure which the
groups construct by linking themselves together
Examples, Tree, Crane, Modern building, Bridge, Plane / Helicopter, Car / truck/ Bus, Ship, lighthouse etc
HUMAN OBSTACLE RACE
Group size: Approximately six or size to suit Materials-None
Procedure: The teams line up and the race begins. No.1 moves down the line:
Patting No.2 on the head;
Going through No.3’s legs;
Linking arms and spinning twice with No.4;
Sitting on No.5’s right knee,
Blowing in No.6’s ear.
No.1 then joins the line and No.2 goes down the line carrying out the tasks in the same order, and so on. The list above is only an
example of tasks for each number. Use your imagination
ARM LINKS
Group size: Any size
Materials: None
Procedure: In pairs sit back to back and link arms. Then try to stand up. Do the
same in threes, fours, fives etc until you can do it with the entire group.
BALLOON GAME
Group size: Approx ten
Materials: 1 Balloon per Person
String
Scissors
Procedure: Distribute 1 balloon and a piece of string to each person.
Instruct each person to blow up their balloon and tie it to their ankle.
Once all balloons are in place, tell the group to burst as many balloons belonging to other people as possible.
Sit down when your balloon has been burst.
Activity is best if no one is wearing shoes.
GROUP SLIME
Who: A group of people, between 10 and 20.
Where: Inside a large room
Objectives To coordinate your progress with others
Instructions Participants lie in a circle on the floor as far from the centre of the room as possible with all heads toward the centre.
Group closes eyes, and slowly crawls into the centre, forming a pile, then each person crosses to the other side of the room.
This should take about 5 minutes.
Conclusion A fun activity for people who know each other relatively well.
PEELING THE SNAKE
Who: Large groups of people (up to 50 in each group)
Where: Inside a large room or outside
Instructions Form single file lines for each group
Each person faces the back of the person on his or her right.
Bending over, each person places their right hand back between their legs and reaches their left hand to grab the right hand of the person in front of them.
The last person in the line lies down, and the snake unpeels by the rest of the line slowly walking backwards, still joined, over the top of that person who has lay down. One by one each person lies down, still holding hands, with the others passing over the top of them.
The group who are all lying down first win.
CHUCKLE BELLY
Who: Large groups of people (say at least 30 in each)
Where: Inside a large room or outside.
Objectives To watch a human chain reaction
To test people’s ability not to laugh (in the variation)
Instructions Instruct each group to lie down so that each person’s head is resting on the stomach of the person before them.
Tell the person at the head of the each line a joke, and they will giggle. When the person with their head on that person’s stomach feels them giggle, they will also giggle and your chain reaction has started.
Variation Have the first person cough, and then each subsequent person cough, but no-one is allowed to laugh or giggle.