Back Pocket Program Hints, Too

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expressly provided above, no part of this book may be reproduced or

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Boys & Girls Clubs of America

1275 Peachtree St. NE

Atlanta, GA 30309-3506

(404) 487-5700

www.bgca.org

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Back Pocket Program Hints, Too would not have been

possible without the generous support of The Coca-

Cola Company and the WellPoint Foundation. Also,

Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) thanks the many

professionals who have shared successful programs and

activities from their Clubs for inclusion in this edition.

Special thanks goes to those Clubs who pilot tested many

of the activities in

Back Pocket Program Hints, Too

Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Denver

Denver, Colo.

Boys & Girls Clubs of New Rochelle

New Rochelle, N.Y.

Boys & Girls Clubs of Northwest Tennessee

Union City, Tenn.

Boys & Girls Clubs of Thurston County

Olympia, Wash.

Boys & Girls Clubs of Venice

Venice, Calif.

Boys & Girls Clubs of Wichita Falls

Wichita Falls, Texas

Navy MWR Midatlantic Boys & Girls Club

Virginia Beach, Va.

The following BGCA staff members have been

instrumental in bringing the Triple Play initiative and its

sports and fitness components to fruition:

Judith J. Pickens Senior Vice President, Program &

Youth Development Services

Romero Brown Vice President, Program & Youth

Development Services

Wayne Moss Sr. Director, Program & Youth

Development Services

Lori Huggins McGary Director, Program & Youth

Development Services and

Project Manager

Lauren H. Taylor Director, Editorial Projects,

Program & Youth

Development Services

Ellen Westing Graphic Designer,

Creative Services

Katy Griggs contributed her considerable editing skills to

ensure this guide is one of the best resources available to

Boys & Girls Club professionals.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1 Introduction

11 Ball Games

25 Balloon Games

29 Billiard Games

39 Card, Dice and Boards Games

45 Contests

53 Easy Magic

57 Icebreakers

69 Impromptu Games

83 Movement Games

93 Relay Races

101 Running and Jumping Games

113 Table Tennis

117 Emergency Numbers

118 Notes

introduction

INTRODUCTION

As a youth development professional, you are well

positioned to play a critical role in shaping young lives.

By teaching young people the basics of healthy habits,

you can enable them to become physically active,

interact with others and engage in positive relationships.

One great method for putting youth on the path to a

healthy lifestyle is Triple Play, BGCA’s comprehensive

health and wellness initiative. Triple Play is comprised of

three components:

• Mind: Helps young people acquire healthy habits,

such as making smart food choices, understanding

appropriate portion sizes and creating fun and

balanced meals.

• Body: Promotes becoming more physically active

through fun daily fitness routines.

• Soul: Strengthens interpersonal skills, positive

behavior and good character through social

recreation programs.

Back Pocket Program Hints, Too is designed to support the

Triple Play program. A sequel to the popular Back Pocket

Program Hints, it offers hundreds of activities that can be

played at a moment’s notice – and gets youth excited to

become more active. These activities can also help create

an environment for developing healthy relationships with

peers and adults.

introduction

Back Pocket Program Hints, Too also supports BGCA’s

Formula for Impact. The Formula for Impact is a research-

based theory of change that describes how individual

Clubs and the Movement as a whole will increase our

impact – exponentially – on the young people of America.

Our Formula begins with the young people in Clubs. It

calls for us to consistently provide the most powerful

Club Experience possible – by implementing the Five

Key Elements for Positive Youth Development, offering

high-yield activities, providing targeted programs and

encouraging regular attendance – all of which we know

help youth achieve priority outcomes. Then, because

attending the Club more frequently and over a greater

length of time makes young people even more likely to

achieve positive outcomes, we must also pursue strategies

to increase attendance, program participation and member

retention. In an outcome-driven organization, the entire

organization shares clear goals for youth, broken down

into age-specific milestones, and everyone is on board

with a clear plan to achieve them. While almost all

activities in this guide are designed to help members lead

healthy lifestyles, many of the activities are coordinated,

purposeful and designed to advance one or more of our

priority outcomes.

introduction

While almost all activites in this guide are designed to help

members lead healthy lifestyles, many of the activities are

considered “high-yield activities,” which is one of the critical

components of the Formula for Impact. High-yield activities

are designed to provide youth with fun experiences that are

hands-on and interactive; they intentionally develop critical

thinking or other skills. Often described as “fun with a

purpose,” they help members:

• gain new knowledge and skills or reinforce those

learned in school;

• experience new ways to apply knowledge already gained;

• engage in creative expression; test their own

solutions to real-world issues; and/or

• work in groups to achieve a goal.

Activities are labeled “high yield” because they extend

learning by providing opportunities to practice skills,

such as:

• communication (reading, writing, verbal communication);

• problem-solving (math, science, technology);

• character and citizenship (the rights and responsibilities

of citizenship, civics, volunteerism); and

• healthy living skills (integrating diet and exercise

into one’s life, avoidance of risky behaviors).

The possibilities are limitless – activities need only

be fun and purposeful. We know great programming

is critical for participation, retention and achieving

outcomes. That’s why high-yield activities are a key

part of a well-rounded program schedule. Even though

Back Pocket Program Hints, Too is an extension of the

social recreation program that is critical in any Club

Experience, there are activities contained in this guide

that drive outcomes in all three of BGCA’s priority youth

outcome areas – Academic Success, Good Character and

Citizenship, and Healthy Lifestyles.

introduction

How to Use This Guide

Rainy days. Canceled speakers or activities. An

unexpected change in attendance. Situations like these

happen often in Boys & Girls Clubs, and they call for a

backup plan.

This guide was developed to help Club staff navigate

through days like these, when having fun, healthy games

and activity ideas handy can make all the difference.

Sorted by activity type and then by age, each listing

includes what you’ll need, and simple, straightforward

instructions for conducting the activity.

To make it easier to find activities for a certain sized

group, listings also include the recommended number

of participants. Unless otherwise specified, the number

of players required for each activity is based on small,

medium or large group sizes:

• Small: 12 and fewer participants

• Medium: 13-25 participants

• Large: More than 25 participants

In addition, many activities are marked with one or

more of the following symbols that indicate that it

is considered a high-yield activity. This means that

it is designed to drive one or more of BGCA’s priority

outcomes – Academic Success, Good Character and

Citizenship, and Healthy Lifestyles – and it is marked

with one of the following symbols:

introduction

Program Planning

The words “program” and “activities” are often used

interchangeably when describing what occurs in a Boys &

Girls Club. However, activities can either be stand-alone

occurrences, or components of a larger program. A strong

program has a set of objectives, target audience, specific

time period, is structured and typically has an assessment

at its conclusion. Keep these thoughts in mind when

planning your social recreation program:

• The purpose of the Club is to develop youth.

Activities are the tools we use.

• Set objectives and goals for program elements and

check periodically on the progress made.

• Provide a wide range of activities.

• Provide some free time with no scheduled activity.

• Vary programs to take full advantage of seasonal

activities, holidays and special community or

neighborhood events.

• Include activities that involve cooperation as well as

those that feature competition.

• Develop progressive programs that build on particular

skills and culminate with a program “finale.”

• Emphasize opportunities in which all youth can

participate, rather than always relying on the same

youth to participate in athletic activities.

• Plan your work and work your plan.

introduction

Program Planning

The words “program” and “activities” are often used

interchangeably when describing what occurs in a Boys &

Girls Club. However, activities can either be stand-alone

occurrences, or components of a larger program. A strong

program has a set of objectives, target audience, specific

time period, is structured and typically has an assessment

at its conclusion. Keep these thoughts in mind when

planning your social recreation program:

• The purpose of the Club is to develop youth.

Activities are the tools we use.

• Set objectives and goals for program elements and

check periodically on the progress made.

• Provide a wide range of activities.

• Provide some free time with no scheduled activity.

• Vary programs to take full advantage of seasonal

activities, holidays and special community or

neighborhood events.

• Include activities that involve cooperation as well as

those that feature competition.

• Develop progressive programs that build on particular

skills and culminate with a program “finale.”

• Emphasize opportunities in which all youth can

participate, rather than always relying on the same

youth to participate in athletic activities.

• Plan your work and work your plan.

Program Planning Tip:

Make sure that your program is FUN for all members! The

more fun numbers have, the more they will participate in

programs and activities, thus increasing your Club’s average

daily attendance and your impact on members’ lives.

introduction

Getting Ready to Play

Although many activities in this book are designed to be

played at a moment’s notice, being prepared can make a

tremendous difference in how games are implemented.

Here are some steps you can take to ensure all activities

are implemented properly:

• Gather all of the materials you’ll need, and set up

the play area.

• Assemble all participants.

• Explain how to play the game. Modify the rules to fit

the group’s skill level.

• If necessary, ask a volunteer from your audience to

help you demonstrate how it is played.

• Ask participants if they have any questions.

• Play the game.

• Try to end it while interest in it is still high so they

will want to play it again in the future.

introduction

Toolbox

Having a ready-made toolbox filled with materials for

fun activities can be especially helpful on any given day.

Your toolbox can be a box, basket, gym bag – anything

that holds what you need and is easy to carry. Keep your

toolbox in a safe place to ensure that all of your materials

are kept together. Following are some suggested items:

Balloons

Bandanas

Baseballs

Basketballs

Beach balls

Blindfolds

Bowling pins

Brown paper bags

Buckets

Chalk

Checkerboard, checkers

Clothes pins

Cones

Cups

Deck of cards

Dodgeballs

Dry-erase or chalk board

Flags and belts

Flip chart

Football

Frisbees®

Hula-Hoops®

Jars

Jump ropes

Kickballs

Lined index cards

Markers

Masking tape

Milk crates

Music player

Paper

Parachute

Pens

Plastic bottles

Rope

Soccer ball

Stopwatch

String

Table tennis paddles and

balls

Tennis ball

Whistle

WIFFLE® ball and bat, bases

…. Most of all, don’t forget this booklet!

introduction

Maintaining Members’ Attention

If you think that you must have a whistle, clipboard,

megaphone and a striped shirt to prove you’re in

charge, then generally you’re not relying on your

natural playfulness, energy and personal power to

exert the authority needed to start a game. Through

several techniques, you can playfully get young

people’s attention. These techniques can also help make

explaining the game and safety rules seem more relaxed

and less forced. Here are some suggestions:

• For younger members, use the “Freeze and Melt”

technique. Through Merlin-like wands or gestures,

direct members to practice wiggling and then

“freezing” various body parts, leading up to their

whole body, including their voice. Then have them

“melt” and sit down.

• Hold up five fingers and ask the group to do the

same. Everyone counts down loudly from five, and at

one they all become silent.

• Say, “1,2,3, eyes on me.” They say, “1, 2, eyes on you.”

• Say, “When the hand goes up, the mouth is closed

and the ears are open.”

• Ask the group to put their hands over their ears. It’s

amazing that when they can’t hear, they stop talking.

• Tell the group to take a deep breath and raise both

hands over their heads. As they bring hands down in

front of them, they say, “Ssshhh.”

• Say, “If you can hear me, clap once.” The few

students who are listening will clap once. Their clap

will get the attention of others. Then say in the

same tone, “If you can hear me, clap twice.” Then

members will clap twice. Keep this going, and soon

you will have all of the kids’ attention. It usually

works after about the third clap.

introduction

• Chant, “Hands on top” while putting your hands on

your head. They respond, “Everybody STOP” while

putting their hands on their heads.

• Say in a regular toned voice, “If you are listening,

touch your ear.” If not everyone is tuned in,

continue with “touch your nose.” If needed,

continue this exercise, switching to elbows, eyes and

knees, etc., until the group is with you.

Forming Teams

Being picked last or close to that can be a demoralizing

experience. Instead of having team captains choose

players, consider these alternatives for splitting groups

into teams:

• Count off by number. All of the ones are one team,

the twos on the other.

• Divide participants by months. January - March

birthdays can be team one, April - June birthdays

are team two, and so on.

• Divide the group by articles of clothing. Players

wearing shirts with lettering on them go to one side,

those without, to the other.

• Hand out different flavors of gum, colored hard candy

or names of animals. Have everyone join others with

the same flavor, color or name to form a group.

Take a look at how the teams are divided. Make sure

skill levels are balanced and fairly matched. Switch

players if necessary.

Now you’re ready to get started. Turn the page, and let’s

have some FUN!

ball games

BALL GAMES

Baby in the Air

Ages: 6-9

Equipment: 1 big ball, numbers on

paper, hat

Participants: Large group

Each player picks a number out of a hat. Then the oldest

child takes the ball and throws it in the air, crying out,

“Baby in the air number ___,” and then runs away. The

player whose number is called grabs the ball and yells,

“Freeze!” The person with the ball takes three steps

toward any other player and gently throws the ball at

him/her. If the person is hit, he/she gets a B. If missed

or if the ball is caught, the thrower gets a B. The first

person to get all four letters in the word “baby” is out.

Duck Duck Hoops

Ages: 6-9

Equipment: 2 basketballs or kickballs

Participants: Medium group

Direct all players to sit in a circle at the half-court line of

a basketball court, and then place two balls just outside

the circle. Designate one person to be “It.” It walks

around the circle, patting each person on the head and

saying, “Duck” with each pat. When It pats someone’s

head and says, “Hoops,” both of them run, grab a ball

and try to shoot a basket. The first player who makes

a basket successfully gets to sit down, and the other

person is now It.

Frogger

Ages: 6-9

Equipment: Cones, dodgeballs, Hula-Hoops®

Participants: Large group

Using markers, such as cones, identify start and finish

lines. Place Hula-Hoops® randomly throughout the court

ball games

or open field. Select two players to stand on opposite

sides of the field to throw balls, or “cars,” at the other

players. The rest of the participants, or “frogs,” stand at

the start line. At the whistle, the frogs try to hop toward

the finish line without getting hit by a car. If a frog gets

hit, she/he has to go back to the start line. Frogs can

stand in a Hula-Hoop® for safety. The first frog to make it

to the finish line wins.

Popcorn

Ages: 6-9

Equipment: 1 soft foam ball

Participants: Small to medium group

Participants stand in a circle and decide who goes first.

The first person throws the ball in the air, claps once and

then catches the ball without dropping it. All of the other

players do the same as the ball makes its way around the

circle. When the ball reaches the person who went first,

he/she throws the ball in the air, claps twice and catches

it. With each round, the number of claps increases. Players

who don’t clap the proper number of times or catch the

ball are out. The last person standing is the winner.

Catch Me if You Can

Ages: 6-12

Equipment: A ball, a stopwatch,

anything to establish boundaries

Participants: Medium to large group

This game can be played with one group or several teams.

If divided into teams, each team will have one person

play the rabbit, and everyone else will be foxes. (If

played with one large group, one person is the rabbit and

everyone else will be a fox.) Establish a perimeter before

starting the game.

Place one team and another team’s rabbit within the

perimeter. The time keeper tosses the ball to a fox in

the playing area and starts the clock. The rabbit runs

ball games

from the fox that has the ball. Any fox is free to move

anywhere within the perimeter as long as he or she

doesn’t have the ball. Once foxes receive the ball, they

have to freeze and are allowed to only move their arms

as they try to tag the rabbit. Foxes can pass the ball in

the air, on the ground or by whatever means possible to

get it to the closest fox to the rabbit. Once a fox tags the

rabbit with the ball, the clock stops and time is recorded.

After the rabbit is caught, a new team and another

team’s rabbit will enter the perimeter. The team’s rabbit

that lasts the longest without getting caught wins.

Dribble Pirates

Ages: 6-12

Equipment: Basketballs

Participants: Small to large group

Give each player a basketball. Once the start signal is

given, all players continuously dribble their balls. The

object of the game is to knock away other players’ balls

while staying in control of your own. The last player left

who has not lost control wins.

Protect the President

Ages: 6-12

Equipment: 1 soft dodgeball

Participants: Medium group

Players stand in a large circle with

two people in the middle. One person in the middle is

the president, and the other is the bodyguard. Those

standing in the circle try to hit the president with the

dodgeball. The bodyguard may do anything to block the

ball with his/her body: Jump, squat, dive, etc. If the ball

touches the president at any time, the person who threw

the ball (or the last person to touch it) then becomes

the bodyguard, the bodyguard becomes the president and

the president joins the circle. The moment the president

is hit, the new president is vulnerable because the

transition is instantaneous. The new bodyguard must be

fast at getting into the circle to defend him or her.

Zig-Zag Kickball

Ages: 6-12

Equipment: 6 bases (one is home plate)

and a large playground ball

Participants: Medium to large group

This game is based on kickball, with the following

differences:

1. There are five bases and a home plate, and kids run

from base to base in a zig-zag pattern. (See diagram

below.) This allows more kids to play at once, and

gives them more running time.

2. There can be any number of kids on a base at any time.

Like kickball, the team behind home plate tries to score

runs (points), and the team in the outfield tries to tag

runners out, or get the kicker out by getting the ball

to the pitcher before he/she reaches first base. Upon

getting three outs, the teams switch.

ball games

500

Ages: 6-15

Equipment: Football

or baseball

Participants: Large group

Select one person to be the thrower. All other players

place themselves within throwing distance. The thrower

then tosses the ball high in the air toward everyone else,

and announces a number between 50 and 500, such as,

“I’ve got 200 up for grabs.” The person who catches the

ball gets as many points as the announced number (in

this case, 200). A player who drops the ball loses the

same number of points (negative scores are possible).

The first person to get 500 points wins and becomes the

thrower for the next game.

Crate Toss

Ages: 6-15

Equipment: 12 milk crates (or boxes of

equal size), 10-15 tennis balls, 2 buckets

Participants: Medium group

Stack three sets of empty milk crates at different height

levels. Assign different points for each height level of the

crate (1 for lowest, 3 for middle, and 5 for highest level).

Divide players into two teams. Line up teams four feet

away from the crates, and place buckets of tennis balls at

the starting points. When the whistle blows, one player

from each team tries to throw one tennis ball into any

crate. After the first player’s turn, the next player has a

chance to shoot. For each ball that goes into the crate, the

team gets those points. The object is to get as many points

as possible within one minute (or your allotted time).

ball games

3-Pin Soccer

Ages: 10-12

Equipment: 6 bowling pins, 6 Hula-

Hoops®, 1 soccer ball

Participants: Small to medium group

This game is played like soccer, but instead of goals, each

team has three Hula-Hoops® that are scattered on their

respective sides of the field. Place one bowling pin inside

of each hoop. Divide players into two teams and have them

take positions like they would for a soccer game kickoff.

Each team defends their bowling pins while also trying to

knock down the other team’s pins with a soccer ball. Players

are not allowed to enter Hula-Hoops®. The first team to

knock down all three of the opposing team’s pins wins.

Bucket Ball

Ages: 10-12

Equipment: Tall bucket, ball

Participants: Small to medium group

Place a bucket somewhere in the room and line up

participants a few feet away from it. As you explain the

game, announce that only a certain number of players

may advance to the next round (i.e., 10). Starting with

the first player in line, each participant gets one try to

throw the ball into the bucket. The first 10 participants

who make a bucket advance to the second round. With

each round, the leader places the bucket in a more

challenging location, and successful players advance. The

game ends when one player is left.

Hit the Snake Dodgeball

Ages: 10-12

Equipment: Soft foam ball

Participants: Small to large group

Three people form a snake by linking arms and placing

hands on their waists, creating a head, middle section and

ball games

a tail. The remainder of the group forms a circle around the

snake. Then, using a soft foam ball, players in the circle try

to hit the tail of the snake. The snake must move around

quickly to prevent being hit. Circle players can pass the ball

to each other to outsmart the snake and get a shot at the

tail. The person who hits the tail becomes the snake’s head.

The tail player takes the thrower’s place in the circle.

Knock Down That Bottle!

Ages: 10-12

Equipment: Empty 2-liter bottles (one

for each player), at least 5 kickballs/

dodgeballs

Participants: Medium to large group

Divide participants into two teams, and assign each team

to one half of the court. Give all players a bottle to stand

up on their side of the court. Call out, “Hands off” so

they can no longer touch or move their bottles. Line up

balls on the center line. On “Go,” play ensues like regular

dodgeball except catching a ball doesn’t mean anything,

and players try to knock down opponents’ bottles with

balls. The game ends when a team knocks down the last

bottle on the other side.

Kickball Basketball

Ages: 10-15

Equipment: Soccer ball, basketball, basket-

ball hoops, cone or Hula-Hoop®, whistle

Participants: Large group

Separate participants into two teams, one for the field

and one to kick. Set up a cone or Hula-Hoop® about 10

feet away from home plate (the kicking spot). Line up the

kicking team behind home plate. Place the field players and

basketball over by the basketball net. At the sound of a

whistle, the first kicker kicks the ball, and then runs to the

cone and back to home plate as many times as possible until

someone in the field makes a basket. Kickers score a point

ball games

each time they touch home, and teams count points aloud

to keep track. Each field player only shoots once per turn. If

someone shoots and misses, he/she has to let everyone on

the team try before shooting again. Once a basket is made,

the field team yells, “Stop,” and the next batter is up. After

every batter has kicked, teams switch sides. The team with

the most points after three innings is the winner.

Hoop

or Cone

Run back

and forth

for points

Make

baskets

here

Home

Plate

Ages: 10-18

Equipment: Basketballs, basketball net

Participants: Medium group

Youth line up along the three-point line on a basketball court.

One person shoots the ball, and if he/she makes the basket, then

the following person must also make a basket, or he/she gets

10 points. Once 50 points are accumulated, that player is out. If

players shoot an airball, they get 20 points. The game goes on

until only one person remains (and wins).

Bowling Pin Dodgeball

Ages: 10-18

Equipment: 6-10 bowling pins, dodgeballs

Participants: Medium to large group

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Members are separated into two teams. Each team has three

to five bowling pins set in any order on their side of the

room. Play commences as in the game dodgeball, except

the first team to knock all the opposing teams’ bowling

pins down is the winner. If players are hit by a dodgeball,

they are out, but can return to the game by doing various

workouts, such as 25 push-ups or 35 jumping jacks.

Dr. Dodgeball

Ages: 10-18

Equipment: Dodgeballs, whistle

Participants: Medium to large group

Separate participants into two equal teams. Each team

huddles up and secretly chooses one person to be the

doctor. Once this is done, they will line up on the wall and

wait for the coach to blow the whistle. Then they will play

regular dodgeball except when players get hit, they have

to sit down and wait for the doctor to come “heal” them

(lightly tap their shoulder) so they can return to the game.

If the doctor is out, everybody who gets hit will be out for

the rest of the game.

Gatorball

Ages: 10-18

Equipment: Soccer ball, 2 goals

Participants: Large group

Split the group into two teams, and assign each team

to a goal. Play starts with a kickoff similar to a soccer

game. A player may kick the ball to another teammate at

any time. Players may also carry the ball in their hands,

but only if caught out of the air, (no picking up the

ball from the ground) or they kick the ball in the air to

themselves. When players have the ball in their hands,

they may run with it until they are tagged or they score.

Once tagged, they must put the ball on the ground and

only play with their feet.

ball games

Scoring in Gator Ball goes as follows:

If the ball is thrown into the goal = 1 point

If the ball is kicked into the goal = 2 points

If players use head to score a goal = 3 points

Variations: Add more teams, have teams defend more than

one goal or have several balls played at once.

Human Foosball

Ages: 10-18

Equipment: 2 ropes, soccer ball, cones

Participants: Large group

Divide players into two teams. Next, line participants

up and have them hold onto a rope just like a row of

men on a foosball table (rope must be long enough for

a whole row). One soccer ball is put into play just as if

it were on a table. Teams try to kick the ball into the

opponent’s goal (marked by cones) by moving left to

right, but they cannot move forward or backwards.

Protect the Cone

Ages: 13-15

Equipment: 4 tall cones, 16 half cones,

4 jump ropes, 8 dodgeballs

Participants: Small to medium group

Place one tall cone in each corner of a square playing

area, six inches away from any wall. Place one jump rope

per corner diagonally so that the cone sits inside a right

triangle. Divide the playing area into four equal parts

using the half cones. Split participants into four teams.

Tell the group the object of the game is to knock down the

opposing team’s cones using the dodgeballs. Teams may

not stand inside the cone triangles. If players are hit by a

dodgeball, they are not out. A group is out when their cone

is knocked over by an opposing team. Once a team’s cone

is knocked over, it must perform a fitness task – such as 10

pushups or 15 jumping jacks – to get back in the game.

ball games

Choice Ball

Ages: All

Equipment: Kickball, WIFFLE® ball,

bat, bases

Participants: Medium group

This game, a combination of kickball and WIFFLE® ball,

is run like kickball, except when players approach home

plate, they decide whether to kick a pitched ball or pick

up a bat to hit a WIFFLE® ball.

Create a playing field with four bases arranged like a

baseball diamond. Determine how many innings you

are going to play. Divide players into teams and then

position one team in both the infield and outfield. Direct

the other team to line up behind home plate. Game play

goes as follows: If a player wants to kick, the kickball

is rolled toward home plate. If a player decides to pick

up the bat, the pitcher throws the WIFFLE® ball toward

home plate. If the ball is caught in the air after the

kick/hit, the kicker/hitter is out. Players are also out if

the ball hits them while running the bases and they are

not touching a base. If a thrown ball misses them, they

may only run to the next base. Once a team gets three

outs, the teams switch sides. A team gets one point each

time a runner makes it all the way around the bases.

Whichever team has the highest score at the end of the

game wins.

Green and Go Lock Up

Ages: All

Equipment: Soft foam ball, masking tape or chairs

Participants: Large group

Form two-person teams. Create a “time out” spot using

tape on the floor, chairs or tables. Designate boundaries.

To start the game, ask participants to scatter throughout

the play area. Teams do not need to stay together. Throw

the ball into the game area. Players must try to avoid

ball games

being hit by the ball. Once the ball hits the ground, a

player can pick it up, take five steps and throw the ball

at another player within five seconds of the fifth step. If

the targeted person catches the ball, the thrower is sent

to time out. If the ball hits a participant, he or she must

go directly to time out. Once in time out, players can

only be released by their partners tagging them on the

hand. Once both partners are in time out, they are out of

the game. Players may not grab the ball from each other

or double touch the ball once it is on the ground. The

last team or player standing wins.

Hit and Sit

Ages: All

Equipment: Minimum of 3 soft dodgeballs, increase the

number of balls depending on number of participants

Participants: Large group

Place the dodgeballs in the middle of the room. At the

referee’s signal, all players rush to pick up the balls and

throw them at each other. Players with balls in their

hands can only take three steps before throwing the

ball. Targeted players may dodge the balls by jumping,

rolling or other necessary means. If a player is hit below

the shoulders, then he/she has to sit down. If a player

catches the ball, the throwing player sits down. If a

player is hit above the shoulders, it does not count.

Variations: Sitting players can pick up balls and hit players

who are still in the game. Once they hit someone, they

can get back into the game, and the hit player sits down.

Sitting players cannot hold onto the ball for longer than

five seconds. If they do, their throws won’t count.

ball games

Silent Ball

Ages: All

Equipment: 1-3 dodgeballs

Participants: Medium group

Players stand in a circle. They toss a ball to each other,

remaining quiet the whole time. If they talk or miss the

ball, then they are out. The last one standing wins.

Triple Play Trivia Ball

Ages: All

Equipment: Beach ball,

trivia questions

Participants: Large group

Prepare trivia questions. Divide the group into teams.

Instruct teams to keep a beach ball up in the air for

as many touches as possible without it landing on the

ground. The ball can only be touched twice in a row

by any one participant. Teams accumulate points by

correctly answering a trivia question (perhaps pertaining

to some Triple Play material, e.g., naming fruits and

vegetables) that must be answered correctly within 20

seconds while the group keeps the ball in the air.

ball games

BALLOON GAMES

Ages: 6-12

Equipment: 2 dozen balloons

Participants: For 2 or more teams

Separate the group into two teams. Place two dozen

slightly under-inflated balloons on the floor. Teams line

up at the starting line. At the signal, one player from

each team hops onto the floor on one foot, holding the

other foot up behind with one hand. Players try to hop

on balloons to pop them. As each player succeeds, he or

she runs back to the team so that the next teammate can

go. The first team to finish wins.

Balloon Portraits

Ages: 6-15

Equipment: Balloons, permanent markers

Participants: Small to medium group

Hand out permanent markers to all players. Divide

participants into pairs and have them draw a portrait

of their partner on an inflated balloon. Once finished,

players will sit in a circle and put their portrait balloons

in the middle. Then everyone tries to see if they can

match each person correctly to a balloon.

Variation: Have members draw important civic leaders

instead of their partner. Have members guess who the civic

leader is and what they have done to contribute

to society.

Balloons on the Wall

Ages: 6-15

Equipment: Balloons, whistle

Participants: Medium group

Put a large pile of inflated balloons in the center of the

room. Each player or team is allocated an area of wall.

At the whistle, players rush to grab balloons, rub them

balloon games

on themselves, and then try to stick them to their walls

using static electricity generated by the rubbing. If the

balloons stick, players add more to the walls. After five

minutes, the winner is the team/player with the most

suspended balloons.

Balloon Messages

Ages: 10-12

Equipment: Balloons, paper, pens

Participants: Small to medium group

Prepare balloons with action messages inside (e.g., sing

a song, bark like a dog, dance). All players sit in a circle,

and a balloon is passed around. Each player has to sit

on the balloon with all their weight for three seconds. If

someone breaks the balloon, they must do what it says

on the message. Note: Be aware of sensitivities about

weight, and experiment first with getting the right

amount of air in the balloons.

Variation: Have messages for the entire group to

do together.

Blow It Off

Ages: 10-12

Equipment: Balloons, 15 paper cups, waist-height

table, whistle

Participants: Small to medium group

Line 15 cups on a table, one inch apart. When the leader

blows the whistle, the participant has one minute to blow

up a balloon with as much air as possible and then blow

all the cups off the opposite side of the table using the

balloon air.

balloon games

Zombie

Ages: 10-12

Equipment: Balloons, string

Participants: Large group

Pick one person to be the zombie. Give all players except

the zombie one balloon with a piece of string to tie

around the waist. Once the balloon is tied on, players

must position the balloon to the middle of their back,

clearly exposed. Players are given a 45-second head start

to hide from the zombie. The zombie is released to create

more zombies by popping other participants’ balloons.

Once a player’s balloon is popped, (either accidentally

or by a zombie) he/she becomes a zombie and begins to

pop other players’ balloons. When the allotted time is

complete, any non-zombies will be given a treat.

Balloon Challenge

Ages: 10-18

Equipment: Balloons

Participants: Small to large group

Divide the group into pairs. Challenge teams to insert one

balloon inside another and inflate both. This is a good

problem-solving and teamwork exercise.

Balloon Globe Drawing

Ages: 10-18

Equipment: Balloons, permanent markers

Participants: Small to large group

Hand out permanent markers to all participants. Divide

players into pairs and ask them to draw a map of the

world on a balloon by memory as accurately as possible.

balloon games

Balloon Juggle & Sort

Ages: 10-18

Equipment: 1 balloon for each participant

Participants: Small to medium group

Each person blows up a balloon. When the leader yells,

“Go,” all players toss their balloons in the air. The entire

group works together to keep the balloons in the air.

Once they’ve gotten the hang of it, ask them to keep

juggling the balloons, but sort them into colors. To make

it more challenging, place restrictions, such as keeping the

balloons up without using your hands.

Balloon Cacophony

Ages: All

Equipment: Balloons

Participants: Large group

Invite participants to create as much sound with inflated

balloons as possible without popping them. This will

result in all sorts of squeaking. Divide into small groups

and announce a noise-off competition to see who can

“out-noise” others.

Variation: Hand out uninflated balloons and invite another

cacophony by having participants blow up balloons and let

the air out slowly.

billiard games

BILLIARD GAMES

*Refer to descriptions on next page.

Kitchen Area

(Behind head string)

Head Rail Foot Rail

Rack Area

Head Spot Foot Spot

Side Rails

Foot String

Head String

billiard games

Brush Up On Your Pool Lingo

Apex Ball: Ball at the head or front of the rack, or

“apex,” of the triangle rack and is placed on the

foot spot.

Ball in Hand: Placing the cue ball anywhere on the

table for the next shot.

Call Shot: Before shooting, players must designate

the called ball and called pocket.

Foot Spot: The spot that is marked on the foot of

the table where the balls are racked.

Head String: A line that runs across the table from

the second diamond (from the head rail) on one long

rail to the corresponding second diamond on the other

long rail. In most pool games, the opening break shot

must be performed with the center (base) of the cue

ball behind the head string.

Opening Break: The opening break shot is taken

with cue ball in hand behind the head string. The

game is considered to have commenced once the cue

ball has been struck by the cue tip.

Racking Balls: When racking balls, a triangle must

be used, and the apex ball is to be placed on the

foot spot. All of the balls must be lined up behind

the apex ball and pressed together so that they all

have contact with each other.

Scratch: When a player pockets a cue ball.

Courtesy of Billiard Congress of America

*Refer to diagram on previous page.

billiard games

8-Ball

Ages: All

Equipment: Pool table, balls, cue

Participants: 2-4 players

The object of the game is to pocket a set of balls numbered

one through seven (solid colored) or nine through 15

(striped) before pocketing the 8-ball on a call shot. Rack

balls in the standard pool method, and direct the first

player to make an open break. If that player pockets any

balls, she/he is assigned the set (stripes or solids) of the

pocketed balls and may continue to shoot. If no balls are

pocketed, it’s the opponent’s turn. As players take turns,

they must try to hit one of the balls from their set first, or

their opponent gets a ball in hand. If a player hits the 8-ball

into the wrong pocket (different than the called pocket) or

on any stroke before his/her set is cleared, he/she loses.

Obstacle Course Pocket Billiards

Ages: 6-12

Equipment: Soft, blunt objects, pool table, balls and cues

Participants: 2 to 4 players

Play by any standard pool rules, except place soft, blunt

objects on the table for players to shoot around.

Pool Table Curling

Ages: 6-12

Equipment: Pool table, balls

Participants: Any number

Give each player three pool balls. Instruct them to roll

their balls as close to the opposite end of the table as

possible without touching the rails. Players alternate

rolls. A ball is out of play if it touches any rail on the

roll or if it is knocked into a rail by another ball. The

ball closest to the rail scores three points, second closest

earns two points, and third closest gets one point. If one

person knocks his/her opponent’s ball into a pocket, that

person subtracts one point. If a player knocks or rolls his

or her own ball into a pocket, they subtract two points.

Keep any balls that have hit a rail on the table, just keep

track of which ones have hit. Play to whatever score

wished, but recommendations are 15 or 21 points.

Fortune Cup Pocket Billiards

Ages: 6-15

Equipment: 5-6 paper cups, pool table, balls and cues

Participants: 2-4 players

Set up the table with standard racked balls and a cue

ball. On the inside seam of five to six paper cups, write

different messages, such as, “You win,” “Spot one

ball,” “Place cue ball anywhere,” “Pocket one of your

opponent’s balls,” “Pocket one of your balls” or “Win

a prize.” Be sure that there is always a “Game Over”

cup. Randomly place the paper cups face down on the

opposite side of the table from the racked balls. Play the

game as you would 8-Ball, except players can knock over

cups. Players can only knock over one cup at a time or

he/she loses. When a cup is knocked over, the message

must be obeyed. Players may just shoot at cups if desired.

Balloon Billiards

Ages: 10-15

Equipment: Balloon, pool table, balls and cues

Participants: Small group

Place on the center of the table an inflated balloon that

has been rubbed against the billiard table felt to make

it cling. Play the game as you would 8-Ball, except if a

player knocks the balloon completely off the table and

onto the floor with his/her object ball, he/she wins the

game. Players do not necessarily have to pocket the balls

to win. If the balloon is knocked off illegally, it is simply

placed back on the center of the table.

billiard games

Table Tennis Pocket Billiards

Ages: 10-15

Equipment: 15 broken table tennis balls, pool table, balls

and cues

Participants: Small group

Place approximately 15 broken table tennis balls on the

pool playing surface. Set up the table and play like you

would play 8-Ball, except if players knock in a table

tennis ball, they may pocket any two of their balls by

hand. However, the cue ball must touch one of their

object balls before a table tennis ball goes into a pocket.

The 8-ball cannot be pocketed by hand.

Pool Points

Ages: 10-15

Equipment: Cardboard or paper, masking

tape, pool table, balls and cues

Participants: Small to medium group

Create boxes using cardboard or paper and masking tape

and set them up, open end on the side, on a pool table.

Designate a different point number for each box. Set up

balls and cues on the table as in standard pool. Instruct

players to use the cues to shoot balls into the boxes.

Each player gets six shots. Add up the points based on

box point numbers and number of shots made. The player

with the highest score wins.

Good Character Pool

Ages: 10-15

Equipment: Pool table, balls, cues; 6

pieces of paper, tape

Participants: 2 participants at a time

As in standard pocket billiards, rack all 15 balls. Label

each pocket with one of the six Pillars of Good Character:

Trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring

and citizenship. The object of the game is to possess as

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many of the Pillars of Good Character as possible. Two

Club members play a regular game of pool. Every time

participants pocket the ball, they are able to “possess”

that pillar – if they can give an example of how they

have demonstrated it. At the end of the game, whoever

has the most pillars wins.

41 Pool

Ages: 10-18

Equipment: Pool table, balls, cues

Participants: 4-6 players

As in standard pocket billiards, all 15 balls are racked in a

triangle. Each player is secretly given a number from 1 to

15. The object is to pocket balls with a combined value of

41 when added to the secret number. For instance, a player

assigned to the number 10 could pocket the 3, 6, 9 and

13 balls which, when added to 10, totals 41. A player who

exceeds 41 must call out, “Burst,” and all balls pocketed by

that player are placed on the foot spot. That player gets a

new number and starts over. Any player who exceeds 41 and

does not declare burst before shooting again is eliminated. If

a player scratches a ball, the next player can place the cue

ball anywhere on the table. A player who commits a foul

after pocketing a ball has to return that ball to the foot spot.

The first player to score 41 points wins the game.

Add Up Pool

Ages: 10-18

Equipment: Pool table, balls, cues

Participants: Small group

Set a point goal for all players, such as 30 or 75. After

racking the balls on the table, instruct participants to

shoot at whichever balls they want using a cue and cue

ball. As they knock balls into pockets, they must add the

ball numbers to their total. Standard pool rules, such as

those concerning scratches and call pockets, are followed.

If you miss a shot, it’s the next player’s turn. The first

one to the point goal wins.

billiard games

Bobcat Pool

Ages: 10-18

Equipment: Pool table, balls, rack, cues

Participants: Small to medium group

Place a single ball in front of each pocket, and then place

the rack at the foot spot. To start the game, the first

player shoots any ball with a cue. After the first shot,

the leader determines the next ball to be pocketed. As

long as a ball is pocketed, the turn continues. Pocketing

two balls on one shot allows for a miss later in the

round. Any ball touching the rack ends the round. If

members hit all the balls in without touching the rack or

missing a pocket, they win (staff can put a prize in the

rack and for each member who achieves this).

Variation: Setup and play is the same, except one ball is

placed at each corner of the rack.

Count ’Em Pocket Billiards

Ages: 10-18

Equipment: Pool table, balls and cues

Participants: Small to medium group

Two balls are placed side by side in front of each of the

six pockets on the billiard table. The remaining three

balls are placed side by side in the middle of the table.

The first player must break by hitting the three balls in

the middle. If any balls are pocketed on the break, the

player continues to shoot at any balls, keeping track of

how many balls are pocketed. He/she continues to shoot

until no balls are pocketed. Count the number of balls

pocketed. However, if the player pockets all 15 balls,

the table is set up again, and he/she continues to play

until the ball misses. If a player pockets all the balls the

second time, his/her score is 24. The player with the

highest score wins.

billiard games

36 Pool

Ages: 13-18

Equipment: Pool table, balls, cue

Participants: Small group

The game begins with any three balls placed on the head,

foot and middle spots of the billiard table. Place the cue ball

behind the foot line. Using a cue to hit the cue ball, the first

player tries to hit the numbered balls. If the player doesn’t hit

any balls or scratches a ball, it’s the next player’s turn. The

cue ball remains in place for the next shot or player. Players

get one point for any pocketed ball. If a ball is pocketed,

it comes back out to the closest unoccupied spot. Players

earn three points for making the cue ball carom off any two

numbered balls, and nine points for making the cue ball carom

off all three numbered balls. Numbered balls hitting each other

do not count. The first player to score 36 points wins.

Variation: If a player scratches a ball, he/she will lose

the points scored on the turn.

Bank

Ages: 13-18

Equipment: Pool table, balls and cues

Participants: Small group

This game is played like 8-Ball, except every shot has

to be banked (hit a rail). To create a faster-paced game,

agree on a time limit. The player having the most

pocketed balls is the winner.

Golf Pool

Ages: 13-18

Equipment: Pool table, balls, cues

Participants: 1-4 players

Number each pool table pocket from one to six. Place a

numbered ball on the table’s head spot. Put the cue ball behind

the foot line. Using a cue, the first player shoots the cue ball

billiard games

toward the numbered ball, trying to land it into hole number

one in as few shots possible. After the first shot, the cue ball

remains in place for the next shot. The player shoots until the

ball is pocketed and the number of shots are recorded. Play

continues with a ball reset (as in the beginning of the game)

for the next hole. In the event of a scratch, add one stroke,

place the cue ball behind the foot line and start over on that

hole. The person with the lowest number of shots wins.

Variation: Four foursomes can compete tournament-style.

One-Pocket Pool

Ages: 13-18

Equipment: Pool table, balls and cues, coin

Participants: Up to 6 players

In this game, each player or team is assigned to one pocket

to sink all of their balls into. To set up, rack balls in the

standard triangle rack, and place the cue ball. The winner of

the coin toss breaks and calls one of the two corner pockets

nearest to the rack as the object pocket, with the opponent

being assigned the other one by default. The first player

must make a ball in his chosen pocket to continue shooting.

Players may sink balls legally only in their assigned pocket,

and balls sunk into any other hole are taken out and

spotted. Players may continue to shoot as long as balls go

into designated pockets and do not scratch. Balls that fall

into the opponent’s pocket are credited to the opponent,

except when the player scratches. In that case, the ball is

removed and spotted, and the player gives up the shot and

is penalized one ball. The first player to legally sink eight

balls in the assigned pocket is the winner.

Table Tennis Billiards

Ages: 13-18

Equipment: Chalk, pool table and balls

Participants: Small group

Block off all the table pockets. Draw a line with chalk

across the middle of the table’s width to represent the net.

billiard games

The cue ball represents the table tennis ball, and any two

balls may be used as paddles. To start play, place the two

colored balls on head spots on opposite sides of the table.

Place the cue ball approximately four inches in front of the

server’s colored ball. Using the colored ball, the server must

hit the cue ball over to the opponent’s side of the table

without letting the colored ball go over the chalk line.

Players have one shot to put the cue ball on the opponent’s

side. If it does, they get a point. Failure to do so results in

a loss of a point. Putting the cue or colored ball on the line

is also a point loss. The point winner always serves. The

first player to accumulate eight points is the winner.

Christmas Pool

Ages: All

Equipment: Pool table, balls, cues

Participants:

Rack the balls up to look like a Christmas Tree and play

regular pool. For other holidays, participants could play

by 9-Ball rules using red, white and blue balls for a 4th

of July pool, or orange and black balls for Halloween, etc.

Nail Pool or Screw Pool

Ages: All

Equipment: Flattop nail or screw, pool table, balls and cues

Participants: Small to medium group

Place three balls, all touching each other, in the center

of the table. Place a flat nail or screw head down in

the middle of the three balls, which are in a triangular

formation. Instruct players to use the cue and cue ball

to try to knock the nail over once the three balls are

hit with the cue ball. The Trick: If the screw is placed

directly in the middle, not touching any of the pool

balls, the objective is almost impossible. In order to

knock down the screw every time the screw must be

placed touching the head ball, the head ball being the

one that is at the top of the triangular formation.

billiard games

CARD, DICE AND BOARD GAMES

Run for It

Ages: 6-12

Equipment: 6 dice, paper and pencil

Participants: Small group

This is a simple game of sequences. Roll the dice and look

for sequences starting with one (one-two, one-two-three

and so on). Each dice that is part of a sequence scores

five points. There can be more than one sequence in a

roll. The first player to 100 points is the winner.

Beat That!

Ages: 6-15

Equipment: 2 dice (up to 7 dice for older

players), paper and pencil

Participants: Small group

Roll the dice and put them in order to make the highest

number possible. If you roll a four and a six, for example,

your best answer would be 64. Using three dice, a roll of

three, five and two should give you 532, and so on. Write

down your answer, pass the dice, and challenge the next

player to “Beat That!” Play in rounds and assign a winner to

each round. For a change, try making the smallest number

possible. This is a great game for reinforcing the concept of

place value. If you are playing with younger children, explain

your reasoning out loud and encourage them to do the same.

Diagonal Checkers

Ages: 6-15

Equipment: Checkerboard, checkers

Participants: 2 players

This game is played with the same rules as regular checkers,

except the game is set up with either nine or 12 checkers.

The board is positioned diagonally with a single playing

card, dice and board games

square at the base for the nine-piece game or a double corner

at the base for the 12-piece game. Pieces are placed on the

nearest three rows. Kings are achieved by reaching the three

or four squares nearest to the top and bottom corners (three

for the nine-piece game and four for the 12-piece game).

Giveaway

Ages: 6-15

Equipment: Checkerboard, checkers

Participants: 2 players

The rules are the same as in checkers, but the objective is

different. When playing Giveaway, the winner is the first

to lose all of his/her pieces or is unable to move.

Kings

Ages: 6-15

Equipment: Checkerboard, checkers

Participants: 2 players

Set up the checkerboard as usual and assign the power of kings

to all pieces. Play checkers with these more powerful pieces.

Balderdash

Ages: 10-12

Equipment: Dictionary, slips of paper or

index cards, pens or pencils

Participants: Medium to large group

Before you start, choose words from the dictionary with

which youth are unfamiliar, or use vocabulary words from

your members’ school. Write the correct definitions on slips

of paper or blank index cards. Supply participants with

blank paper slips or index cards that look identical to the

ones on which you have written the correct definitions.

Divide the group into teams, which will compete to

guess the correct meaning of the words. Announce one

of the words from the pile of index cards and ask each

card, dice and board games

team to write a definition of the word on a slip of paper.

Encourage youth to make their definitions sound as much

like a dictionary definition as possible. Instruct all teams

to give their slips of paper to you. Read the definitions

aloud one at a time, including the correct one that you

have prepared. As you read them through a second time,

ask each team to vote on the definition they believe is

correct. Teams score points when another team votes

for their made-up definition and when they vote for the

correct definition. The team with the most points wins.

Human Checkers

Ages: 10-12

Equipment: Chalk or tape, hats

Participants: Medium group

A large checkerboard is marked on the ground using chalk

or tape, with each square being at least one square foot

(a little larger is best). Divide participants into two teams,

Light and Dark, and designate captains for each team.

The game is played similarly to traditional checkers. As

captains state their moves, the “human checkers” move as

instructed. Jumps are made leapfrog fashion, and jumped

players leave the game board. When a participant reaches

the king row, they put on a hat or baseball cap.

Human Tic-Tac-Toe

Ages: 10-15

Equipment: 9 chairs, questions

Participants: Medium group

Make a list of trivia questions and answers. Set up nine

chairs into three rows and three columns. Divide the

group into two teams, X and Y. The first person from

each team comes to the front of the room and answers a

question posed by the leader. The first person to answer

the question correctly without any help sits in the chair

of their choosing. The game continues with the next

players. The first team to get all Xs or Ys in a row wins.

card, dice and board games

1,000

Ages: 10-18

Equipment: Paper, pencil and 5 dice

Participants: Small to medium group

Players sit in a circle. They each roll one of the dice, and the

highest roll goes first. The first player rolls all five dice, and

the game continues clockwise around the circle. Each member

rolls the dice one time during their turn. Scoring is kept as

follows: A one equals 100 points, a five equals 50 points and

three dice with the same number will equal the number on

the die times 100. For example, if players roll three twos,

they would have 200 points but if a player does not roll three

of one number or a 1 or 5, they do not score. If they stop

at that point, they keep the total for that turn. If they roll

again, they must add to the score, or they lose that turn’s

points. The first player to score 1,000 is the winner.

Hearts

Ages: 10-18

Equipment: Deck of cards (no Jokers),

pen or pencil, paper

Participants: 3 or 4 players

If there are four players, deal 13 cards to each player. For

three players, remove the two of the clubs and deal 17

cards to each player. Players assess their hands and pass

three cards to another player. Typically, cards are passed

to the left, but players can pass cards across the table, to

the right, or in whatever fashion the table agrees. Players

must accept the three cards they are given.

Play begins with the person to the left of the dealer. Each

player puts down one card. Players must follow the suit

of the lead card. If they have no cards of that suit, they

may get rid of whatever card they choose. The person who

plays the highest card of the lead suit takes the trick.

The game is called Hearts because the cards of that suit play

a critical role in determining the winner. Each heart taken

card, dice and board games

in a trick is worth a point. The goal is to end up with as few

points as possible. The only non-heart card that is worth

points is the Queen of Spades, which is worth 13 points.

During play, a heart can only be the lead card if the hearts

have been “broken,” which occurs when a heart is played in

a trick where another suit is “lead.” After each hand, tally

the number of points each player has accumulated and write

them down. If, after a hand is completed and the points are

tallied, a player has reached 100 points, the game is over.

The player with the fewest points is the winner.

Speed

Ages: 10-18

Equipment: 1 deck of cards

Participants: 2 players

Place two stacks of five cards face down. Put two single

cards, side by side and face down, between the two stacks

of five. Deal 20 cards face down to each player. Then

players pick the first five cards from their decks and look

at them. On the count of three, they turn up one of the

single face down cards from the center at the same time.

They try to get rid of their cards by playing them on the

turned up cards. A player can play a card either one below

or one above the value of the turned up card. For example,

if a king is turned up, a player can play either a queen or

an ace. If neither player can play on the turned up card,

they both flip the next card from the stacks of five. As

they get rid of cards, they draw one more from their stack.

They can only have five cards in their hand at one time.

The first player to play their entire stack of cards wins.

Spoons

Ages: 10-18

Equipment: 1 deck of cards, spoons (1 fewer than the

number of players)

Participants: At least 3 players

The object is to collect four cards of a kind (e.g., four

twos, four kings) and not to be the person left without a

spoon. Place the spoons at the center of the table within

grabbing reach of all players. The dealer gives each player

four cards and keeps the deck face down. To begin the

game, the dealer picks a card from the deck and decides

whether it works with anything in his/her hand. He/

she slides one card face down to the player on the left.

That player takes the card and does the same, moving

as quickly as possible. Four cards must be in hand at

all times. The player to the right of the dealer places

discarded cards in a pile for the dealer to draw from

when the original deck is used up. Play continues until

one player has four of a kind, at which time he/she takes

a spoon from the pile. The spoon may be grabbed secretly

while continuing to pass cards until someone else

notices. Or he/she may grab a spoon quickly, creating

a mad rush for spoons. The player left without a spoon

has lost the round. If keeping score, that player gets an

S. Once a player spells S-P-O-O-N-S, he/she is out. The

player left at the end is the winner.

Zapped

Ages: All

Equipment: Deck of cards

Participants: 12 or fewer players

Remove three aces from a deck of cards. Seat players in

a circle facing each other so that they can see everyone’s

eyes. A stack of cards, one for each player, sits face

down in the middle of the circle. One ace is among those

cards. Each player gets up to draw a card. The player

with the ace has the “zapper” card. She/he will try to

eliminate other players in the circle by winking at them

without being discovered by others. If a person is winked

at, he or she throws in their card and says, “I’ve been

zapped.” If players want to guess who has the zapper

card, they can name the person. If incorrect, the accuser

is eliminated from the game. When the zapper has been

discovered, the round is over.

card, dice and board games

contests

CONTESTS

Brown Bag Game

Ages: 6-12

Equipment: Paper bag, scissors

Participants: 4-30 Players

Give each contestant a small paper bag. Direct all

participants to put their bags on the floor open side up,

and then bend down to pick them up with their mouths,

keeping both feet on the ground and hands behind

their back. If successful, cut an inch off the paper bag.

Continue until there is one winner.

Variation: Arrange youth participants in a circle and place

only one paper bag in the middle. The object of the game

is for the kids to balance on one foot and be able to pick

the bag up by only using their mouth. Each member takes

a turn rotating clock wise and once the bag is successfully

picked up the player then can use their hands to rip off

the piece that was bit.

Flour Mound

Ages: 6-12

Equipment: Bowl, flour, chocolate (such as a Hershey’s

Kiss), knife

Participants: 6 or less

Fill a bowl with flour, and pack firmly. Empty the flour

mound onto a large plate or small tray, so that it retains

the shape of the bowl. Place an unwrapped chocolate on

the top. Players take turns using a knife to slice a part

of the mound and slide it away from the rest (1/2 an

inch is enough). Eventually, one person will do it and the

chocolate will fall into the pile of flour. The person must

retrieve the chocolate with his/her teeth.

contests

Guess the Number

of Gummy Worms

Ages: 6-12

Equipment: Jar, gummy worms

Participants: Any number

Put a large quantity of gummy worms in a jar, counting

them as you go along. Ask participants to guess how

many are in the jar. The person who guesses the closest

number wins.

Variation: Use any small object in place of gummy worms,

such as buttons, other candies, pennies, etc.

Clothes Pins

Ages: 6-15

Equipment: 2 clothes hangers, 40 clothespins

Participants: Small to medium group

Take two clothes hangers, and clamp 20 clothespins all

over each of them. Give two contestants the hangers.

When you say, “Go!” they must remove as many

clothespins as possible – with one hand and without

dropping or putting any of them down. Whenever

someone drops a clothespin, stop and count the total for

each. Whoever has the most in hand is the winner.

Cotton Ball Scoop

Ages: 6-15

Equipment: 2 large bowls filled with cotton, 2 empty

bowls, 2 blindfolds, 2 spoons

Participants: Medium group

Choose two participants, blindfold them, and give them 30

seconds to transfer as many cotton balls as possible into

their empty bowl using only the spoon (no help from their

other hand). It’s hilarious because they often are scooping

and transferring nothing at all on the spoon! The player who

transfers the most cotton balls wins.

contests

Ice Cube Breath

Ages: 6-15

Equipment: Ice cubes, buckets

Participants: Medium group

Divide contestants into teams. Place a bucket of ice by

each team line. Place empty buckets (one for each team)

on the other side of the room or field. At the whistle,

the first player on each team picks up a piece of ice, puts

it in his/her mouth, runs across the room and spits the

ice into the bucket. The first team to transfer their pile

of ice cubes into their bucket wins.

Ice Cube Meltdown

Ages: 6-15

Equipment: Two large blocks of ice, towel, stopwatch

Participants: Medium group

Assemble two teams and give each team a large block of

ice. Players line up behind their ice. At the sound of the

whistle, the first player of each team sits down on the

ice for one minute. Then teammates take turns doing

the same thing. Players rotate through as many times as

necessary. The first team to completely melt the ice wins.

This is a great game on a really hot day. Some members

may not like the idea of being wet, so you may want to

use a towel for them to sit on.

Fear Factor

Ages: 10-18

Equipment: Mats, balls, Hula-Hoops®, puzzles and

different foods

Participants: Large group

Essentially, this game is about challenging young people

to try a series of new things, such as physical activities,

thinking games and unusual food (make sure you don’t

bring foods to which participants may be allergic). First,

divide the group into teams. Then challenge each team

to complete an obstacle course using mats, bats and/

or Hula-Hoops® that you’ve set up. Next, they are to

complete puzzles as fast as they can. Finally, they will

try a new food, such as baby food, Spam or an unusual

vegetable. Time each team to see who can make it

through each event the fastest. The ones with the fastest

scores will move on to the next event, until there is one

winning team.

Minute to Win It

Ages: 10-18

Equipment: Table tennis balls, cups, M&M’s, straws,

balloons, tables, whistle

Participants: Medium group

Set up stations for the following games: Blow it Off, Take

It In and Wall Bounce (page 33, 66 and 67, respectively).

Starting with the sound of the whistle, participants have one

minute to compete in a game. When the minute is up, they

rotate to the next the station, and so on. Give participants

points for completion and making the effort to try new

games. Minute to Win It can be played on an individual or

team basis.

Needle in a Haystack

Ages: 10-18

Equipment: 2 bowls of dry rice, 40 paper clips, 2 blindfolds

Participants: Medium to large group

Disperse 20 paper clips in two bowls of dry rice. Divide

players into two teams. Blindfold a representative from

each team and give them 60 seconds to find as many

paper clips as possible in the rice bowls. Encourage teams

to cheer them on and count down with you as the time

gets down to the last 10 seconds. The team with the

most paper clips wins.

contests

Take It In

Ages: 10-18

Equipment: Pool or long table, 2 cups, M&M’s (or other

candies that are larger than the straw opening), straws,

whistle

Participants: Small to large group

Place two cups four to five feet apart on the table. Inside

one of the cups there are up to 30 plain M&M’s. The

participant stands in front of the M&M’s cup with one

straw in his/her hand. At the sound of the whistle, the

player starts trying to get 12 M&M’s inside the empty cup

in a minute by sucking them to the bottom of the straw

and carrying them from one end of the table to the other.

Variations: For a team format, use two sets of cups. Or use

spoons instead of straws.

Toilet Paper Mummies

Ages: 10-18

Equipment: Toilet paper roll

Participants: Large group

Divide players into teams of three, and give each team

a toilet paper roll. Upon hearing the start signal, two

teammates wrap the third one in toilet paper to make

him/her look like an Egyptian mummy within two

minutes. The winning team is the one that has the

neatest and most covered Mummy.

Wall Bounce

Ages: 10-18

Equipment: Table tennis balls, cups, water

Participants: Medium to large group

Set up a cup filled with 10-12 table tennis balls five

to six feet away from two cups filled with a quarter of

water and set three feet away from the wall. From the

spot with the table tennis balls, participants have one

contests

minute to bounce four balls into the two cups. They must

first bounce the ball against the floor and then the wall

before it goes into the cup.

Variation: To play this game using teams, just add another

cup with a quarter of water against the wall and have

another cup with 10-12 table tennis balls for participants.

Blindfold Pudding Eating Contest

Ages: All

Equipment: Pudding, spoons, blindfold

Participants: Medium to large group

Divide the group into pairs. One person is blindfolded

and given a spoon. The other has the pudding. The

blindfolded person feeds the pudding to the other

person. Whichever team feeds all of the pudding the

fastest with the least amount of mess wins.

Dollar Bill Grab

Ages: All

Equipment: Dollar bill

Participants: Any number

Players stand with their backs and heels against the wall.

The staff member puts a dollar bill underneath the toe

of one shoe on the ground. The object is to bend down

and pick up the dollar bill without losing balance while

having your heels staying in the same place (like a toe

touch against the wall without moving your feet).

Variation: Place a coin next to each player’s feet. At the

start signal, contestants try to pick up their coin without

moving their heels away from the wall. The first to pick

their coin up wins.

contests

Positive Reinforcement Cards

Ages: All

Equipment: 1 deck of cards

Participants: Large group

Whenever Club members arrive on time from breaks,

lunch, etc., give them one playing card. You can also

hand out cards to youth who volunteer for activities,

are helpful or answer a difficult question. At the end of

the day, play one hand of 21 with those who have cards.

Give a small prize to the person who goes closest to 21

without going over.

Variation: You could have them add up all the cards

at the end, and the person with the highest score wins.

Note that the more cards a person has, the better the

chance of winning.

Trash Scavenger Hunt

Ages: All

Equipment: Gloves, plastic bags

Participants: Any number

Divide participants into teams, and direct them to go

outside to gather trash. Each team weighs their trash

or counts how many bags they gathered. Teams with

the most win. Variation: Have the groups create a junk

sculpture from the trash they collected and put on an art

show of the pieces. Discuss with members the importance

of volunteering in the community and how by even just

helping pickup the garbage around the club can make a

difference. Ask them what other ways they can think of

to volunteer in the community

contests

easy magic

EASY MAGIC

Bottle and Straw

Ages: 6-15

Equipment: 1 bottle, 1 straw

Participants: Medium to large group

The magician offers to lift a bottle with a straw. The

straw is bent so as to make a short section, and it is

pushed into the bottle at the bend. The short section

then springs out, acting as a lever or catch by which the

bottle can be lifted when the straw is raised.

Egg Trick

Ages: 6-15

Equipment: Hard boiled eggs, salt

Participants: Any number

How to balance an egg on its end with no visible means

of support: Make a tiny pile of salt on a flat surface, and

balance the egg (with the larger end) on the pile. Then

carefully blow away the excess salt, leaving just the few

grains actually supporting the egg. (Obviously this needs

preparing in advance. If pressed to repeat the trick, place

the egg down hard enough to break the shell, which will

also enable it to balance.)

Magic Writing

Ages: 6-15

Equipment: 1 piece of paper, lemon juice, light bulb

Participants: Any number

Show what appears to be a blank piece of paper to

the audience. The paper may be passed around for

examination or even signed by one of the spectators.

Yet, upon holding the paper over a lightbulb, a message

mysteriously appears on it. (Note: This works best when

you pass the paper in front of a lamp with the shade

removed to expose the lightbulb.) Here’s how: Before

the program starts, you make “ink” out of lemon juice

and write any message desired on the paper with it. The

writing will be invisible until the heat of the light brings

it out and reveals the secret message.

Birthday Math

Ages: 10-18

Equipment: Pens, paper, calculator

Participants: Any number

Using this trick, you can tell your volunteer his/her birth

date and age (even if you don’t already know). Have your

volunteer write his/her birth date in numbers on a piece

of paper; the month is written as such: 1 for January, 2 for

February, 7 for July, and so on. Then ask him/her to write

the day of his/her birth in two digits. If the date is a single

digit, he/she should put a zero in front of it (i.e., 07 for 7).

This way, 1011 is October 11th and 703 is July 3rd. Then

ask the volunteer to do the following:

• Multiply his/her birth date number by 2. Example:

1011 x 2 = 2022

• Add 5. Example: 2,022 + 5 = 2,027

• Take that answer and multiply it by 50. Example:

2027 x 50 = 101,350

• Add his/her age to that number and then tell the

answer. Example: 101,350 + 10 = 101,360

You must subtract 250 from your volunteer’s answer.

Now you can tell what his/her birth date and age is. For

example: 101,360 - 250 = 101,110. The last two digits

are your volunteer’s age (10 means he or she is 10 years

old), and the first four digits, 1011, tells you that his/

her birth date is October 11th. Use a calculator to double

check the math.

easy magic

Column by Column

Ages: 10-18

Equipment: Deck of cards, table

Participants: Small to large group

Shuffle a deck of cards or turn them face down to mix

them up with your hands. Put three cards face up on the

table. Overlap three more cards on top of these face up, and

continue until you have three columns of seven cards each.

Put the rest of the deck aside. Ask someone to choose a

card (without touching or picking it up), but not tell you

which one it is. He/she tells you which column the card

is in. As you pick up the cards, you want the column with

that person’s card in it to be in the middle – not the first

column you pick up and not the last. Pick up the rows of

cards, sliding the cards in each column together so that

they stay in the same order. Turn the pile of cards face

down in your hands, and again make three columns with

the cards facing up. Ask the person which column his or her

card is in. Pick up the cards, again making sure the column

with his or her card in it is in the middle of the deck. Make

three columns for a third time and again ask which column

his or her card is in. Gather them up as you did before. Turn

the cards face down. Then turn them over one at a time. As

you get to the eleventh card, ask the person if that is his/

her card. He/she will be amazed that you picked the right

card. The chosen card is always the eleventh card.

Phone Number Math Trick

Ages: 10-18

Equipment: Calculators

Participants: Any number

Using a calculator, key in the first three digits of your

phone number (not the area code). Multiply by 80. Add

one. Multiply by 250. Add the last four digits of your

phone number. Add the last four digits of your phone

number again. Subtract 250. Divide the answer by two.

Recognize the answer?

easy magic

The Jacks Tell All

Ages: All

Equipment: Deck of cards, table

Participants: Any number

Mondo the Magnificent (that’s you!) divides the deck of

cards into four piles. A participant looks at them and

remembers the top card in each pile, without showing

them to Mondo. Mondo gathers the cards up and picks

out the top cards. Magnificent! Here’s how it’s done:

Before you begin, place the four jacks on the top of

the deck. Only you know these cards are there. When

you perform, start making four piles by placing the top

four cards (the jacks) on the table. Build up the piles

by placing several cards on each pile until all the cards

have been used. Ask your friend to look at the top card

in each pile, but not to show them to you. Gather up the

cards by placing one pile on top of the next. This way,

a jack will be on top of the top card in each pile. Spread

the deck out in your hands. The top cards will be the

first card on the left (the top card in the first pile) and

the three cards to the right of the three jacks. Pull these

cards out of the deck, place them on the table, and bask

in the glow of your audience’s amazement.

The Unpoppable Balloon

Ages: All

Equipment: Balloons, pins

Participants: Any number

Blow up several balloons and give them to participants

along with a straight pin. Tell them that if they know

the right magic words, they can stick a pin in a balloon

without popping it. Have several try. Of course, all the

balloons will pop. Now stick a pin in your balloon. It

doesn’t pop. The secret to this trick is to put a small

piece of transparent tape on your balloon. When you

stick the pin through the tape – and don’t pull it out –

the balloon won’t pop.

icebreakers

ICEBREAKERS

Air-Water-Fire

Ages: 6-12

Equipment: Small ball or knotted

handkerchief

Participants: Small to medium group

All players except one sit in a circle. The extra player,

the thrower, stands inside the circle and throws a small

ball or knotted handkerchief at someone, while calling,

“air,” “water” or “fire,” then quickly counting to 10.

The player at whom the handkerchief was thrown must

mention an animal living in the named element, or if

fire is called, he/she must remain silent. If she/he fails

to correctly name an animal before 10 is counted, or

mentions an animal that another player has already

named, then she/he switches places with the thrower.

Animal Scramble

Ages: 6-12

Equipment: Paper, pens

Participants: Medium to large group

On a slip of paper, write the names of animals that make

an obvious noise. Create five to 10 slips for each animal.

Give each participant a slip of paper, instructing them to

keep their animal a secret. When the leader says, “Go,”

participants look for the rest of their kind while making

the animal’s noise (no talking allowed). Once two of the

same kind have found each other, they stay together to

find more. Continue until all of the like animals have

created one big group.

Variation: Plant a couple of dangerous animals (e.g., snake,

lion, tiger) that, if incorrectly approached, can take players

out of the game. Non-dangerous animals should try to

gather together to be safe in a pack; they can even fake

being a dangerous animal but cannot take out anyone. The

last survivor is the winner.

icebreakers

Follow the Leader

Ages: 6-12

Equipment: None

Participants: Small to large group

Assign one person to be the leader and everyone else to

be followers. Tell the leader to start doing something.

She/he can walk, run, dance, sing, talk or do any activity

or combination of activities she/he wants, in any order.

Instruct the rest of the players to follow the leader,

doing exactly what the leader does. Anyone who doesn’t

follow exactly is out of the game. Signal the end of the

game when only one person is left following the leader.

That person then becomes the leader of the next game.

At the end of the game, discuss the importance of being

a positive leader and what to do if someone is not being

a positive leader.

Numbers Change

Ages: 6-12

Equipment: None

Participants: Medium to large group

Designate someone to be “It.” Arrange players in a circle,

or two circles if there is a large crowd. Give each one a

number: 1, 2, 3, 4, etc. It is in the center and calls out

two numbers. Players with those numbers run to trade

places while It tries to get into one of those places. If It

is successful, the player who was supposed to claim that

spot becomes It.

Quarter in the Crowd

Ages: 6-15

Equipment: 1 quarter or several dimes

Participants: Large group

Secretly give one quarter or several dimes to random

members of the group. The others, of course, do not

know who holds them. The leader announces that

icebreakers

someone or some people will give a quarter to the tenth

person who shakes their hand. Everyone begins shaking

hands. The one who has the quarter puts it in his pocket,

keeps track of how many hands he shakes, and gives it

to the tenth person.

Yes or No

Ages: 6-15

Equipment: Beans, corn kernels, paper clips or other

small items

Participants: Large group

As each participant enters, she is given 10 small items.

Participants are then told to ask questions of each other,

collecting a bean from everyone who answers a question

with a “Yes” or “No.” A prize can be awarded to the

person with the greatest number of small items when the

time is called.

Catch Ball

Ages: 6-18

Equipment: Sponge ball or other soft ball

Participants: Small to medium group

This is a good exercise for introducing members of a group.

The leader throws a ball at one of the players, who then

introduces himself. That player throws the ball to someone

else. Challenge the group to complete the introductions

without throwing the ball to the same person twice.

Variation: Players ask questions as they throw the ball to others.

Huggy Bear or Cluster

Ages: 6-18

Equipment: None

Participants: Large group

Direct players to scatter about in an open area. One

person, the caller, yells out a number. Participants then

must create groups of that number by hugging each other

or huddling together. For example, if the caller yells,

“One,” everyone gives themselves a hug. But if the caller

says, “Three,” the group makes pods of threes. Anyone

leftover is out. Pods must scatter apart between numbers.

Keep playing until down to just three players. The last

two players are the winners.

Variation: Clusters can be formed according to the same

shoe size, sock or eye color, etc.

Paper Airplane Game

Ages: 6-18

Equipment: Paper, pens

Participants: Large group

Players make paper airplanes, and write their names

and something they like and dislike on them. On cue,

everyone throws their airplane around the room. Each

player finds an airplane, picks it up and keeps throwing it

for one or two minutes. When time is up, everyone must

have one paper airplane. Participants then must find the

airplane’s owner and introduce that person to the group.

Variation: Add additional questions for players to answer.

The Four C’s

Ages: 6-18

Equipment: None

Participants: Medium to large group

Ask participants to name a cartoon character, color, car or

cuisine that best describes their personality and why.

Alphabet Search

Ages: 10-12

Equipment: Buckets

Participants: Any number

Divide players into small groups. Ask participants to

search their pockets (or a specific area) for objects

icebreakers

beginning with letters ranging from A to Z. Place items in

buckets. The group or person (if done individually) to get

all 26 letters wins.

Talking Behind Your Back

Ages: 10-12

Equipment: Piece of paper, washable

markers, tape, pencils

Participants: Small to large group

Each person writes his/her name lightly in pencil on a

piece of paper. Players help each other tape their own

pieces of paper to their backs, name side down. Using

washable markers, each person writes something positive

about everyone else on their respective backs. The leader

removes all the papers and displays them for everyone

to see. After reading the papers (with comment sides

up, name sides down), participants predict which one

they think may have been on their back. Then, everyone

turns the paper over and finds their own paper.

Hopefully they will keep their papers, feeling great

about what others had to say about them.

Either/Or

Ages: 10-15

Equipment: None

Participants: Large group

Players stand in the middle of a large space. The leader

instructs participants to answer an either/or question

by running to designated sides of the room or field.

For example, ask participants if they prefer a sweet or

savory treat. Those with a sweet tooth run to one end

of the room, and those who prefer savory go to the

opposite end. Ask another either/or question, but this

time ask the people to congregate at the sides of the

room so that everyone has to change position. Choose

a set of questions that are relevant to the event, and

let the exercise continue until participants look like

icebreakers

they’re starting to get to know each other. Another

sample question: Ask players whether they have ever

volunteered in their community.

M&M Game

Ages: 10-15

Equipment: Bag of M&M’s, Skittles or any colored candy,

list of questions

Participants: Small to medium group

For each color of candy available, prepare a question for

the participants to answer. Seat participants in a circle.

Pass around a bag or bowl of candy and have players take

as many as they want. Next, choose a color and tell any

youth holding that color of candy to stand up. Then ask

the corresponding question and let each person answer

the question. Have everyone sit back down and repeat

until you’ve read all the questions.

Favorite Animal

Ages: 10-18

Equipment: Name cards, pens/markers

Participants: Large group

As participants arrive, ask them to tell you their favorite

animal and three adjectives to describe it. Write the three

adjectives on a name tag before their name, omitting

the animal name (i.e., loyal, cuddly, playful Sherrie.)

Tell them to mingle with the crowd, sharing why these

adjectives best describe their own personality. Ask

participants to guess which animal the words represent.

Five Card Draw

Ages: 10-18

Equipment: Deck(s) of cards

Participants: Any number

Take a deck of cards and give everyone a playing card.

If you have more than 52 people in your group, add

icebreakers

another deck of cards. Tell them that they have three

minutes to find the other three (or seven) of their kind

and introduce themselves.

Variation: Instead of finding everyone who has their

“kind,” have players form groups with card numbers adding

up to 21 (with a minimum of three people in their group).

Group Juggling

Ages: 10-18

Equipment: 4 tennis balls

Participants: Small to medium group

Form the group into a circle and place four tennis balls in

the middle. One person begins the game by taking a ball

and throwing it to another person in the group. The person

who catches the ball throws it to another person, and it

continues until everyone catches and throws the ball. The

last person to catch the ball throws it back to the original

person. It is important to remember the throwing order

as it remains the same throughout the game. Repeat the

process without stopping. Once the cycle is established,

introduce another ball into play, and continue until all four

balls are in play at the same time. See how long the group

can keep the four balls in play without dropping them.

Variation: Add elements, such as saying the person’s name

before throwing, or trying it backwards, to keep the game fun.

Human Knot

Ages: 10-18

Equipment: None

Participants: Small to medium group

Players form a close circle, holding hands. Instruct

everyone to raise his/her right hand first and grab

another person’s right hand, then do the same with

the left hand. Mention that they cannot grab the same

person’s right and left hand, nor the person’s next to

them. Now, they must try to untangle the “knot” without

icebreakers

letting go. They may have to climb over or crawl under

arms. It helps to be limber.

Variation: Form the same circle, with one player standing

outside the circle, facing away, who will be the “doctor.”

While holding hands, the circle people turn and twist,

and go under and over other players’ hands. Then the

group chants, “Doctor, Doctor, we need help.” The Doctor

untangles the circle without causing anyone to break

hands. Debrief with members the different leadership skills

the Doctor and other participants used in solving the knot.

Hum That Tune

Ages: 10-18

Equipment: Paper, pen

Participants: Large group

Write the names of nursery rhymes or other well-known

songs (e.g., “Row, Row, Row Your Boat,” “Rock-a-Bye

Baby”) on small pieces of paper. Note that the number

of songs must correspond to the number of groups to be

formed, and the number of slips of paper with the same

song must correspond to the number of participants in

each group. Give one song to each participant. Then

instruct them to all start humming their tune and find

everyone else who is singing the same song. Groups are

then formed, and they sit together.

Leadership Bingo

Ages: 10-18

Equipment: Blank Bingo cards, slips of

paper, pens, hat or box

Participants: Large group

Leadership Bingo is similar to regular Bingo except instead

of drawing letters or numbers, players draw leadership

traits. At the beginning of the game, participants

brainstorm to list the various characteristics of a good

leader. Players then choose which characteristics they think

are most important and write them on their Bingo cards.

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Write each characteristic on a slip of paper. Mix them up

in a hat or a box, draw them out one at a time and call

them out. If the called-out characteristic appears on a

player’s card, he/she writes “X” on the corresponding box.

The first person to have five boxes marked with an “X” out

in a row yells “Bingo” and wins.

Silent Identification

Ages: 10-18

Equipment: Paper, pens or markers, safety pins

Participants: Large group

Each participant is asked to either silently write words

or draw pictures that describe themselves. They pin

the paper onto their shirts and walk around the room.

Everyone looks at each other’s papers. Papers are removed

from the shirts and shuffled. Then each person is given

someone else’s paper and must find the owner.

Sort and Mingle

Ages: 10-18

Equipment: None

Participants: Medium to large group

There are two parts to this icebreaker. The first half is

“Sort,” which is similar to Either/Or. The moderator calls

out two contrasting choices, (i.e., “Do you prefer nature

or cities?”) and everyone must move to the east or west

sides of the room. Then the moderator shouts out two

more choices, and everyone moves north or south of the

room. Sorts that work well include: Dogs vs. cats, books

vs. movies and sweet vs. salty.

The second half of the icebreaker, “Mingle,” works as

follows: The moderator shouts out a general category, and

participants are asked to find others who have the same

answer, and they clump up to form a larger group. After

about thirty seconds to one minute, the moderator asks

each group call out their answer. If a person is unique

and is the only one with a particular answer, that’s okay.

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Examples of mingles include: your favorite place, your

favorite dessert and the kind of animal you like best.

Famous Characters

Ages: 13-18

Equipment: Paper, pins,

pens

Participants: Medium to

large group

Prepare beforehand slips of paper with names of famous

leaders in our society, both present day and historical.

Make sure they are people participants are familiar with.

As players enter the room, pin a slip on their backs

without them knowing what it says. Players observe each

other’s slips and then converse as if they were talking

with the person whose name is on the slip. As this goes

on, each person can ask questions and tries to guess who

he/she is supposed to be. The remarks should not be so

leading as to give away the identity too soon.

I, Me, My

Ages: 13-18

Equipment: Beans or other small items

such as paper clips, sunflower seeds or

rubber bands

Participants: Large group

Give 10 beans (or other small item) to each participant.

All players converse and mingle. If anybody says the

words “I, “Me” or “My,” they must give a bean to the

person with whom they’re talking. Whomever is able to

get others to open up about themselves and has the most

beans within five minutes is the winner.

Variation: Have members discuss questions related to how

they feel about certain topics, i.e., what characteristics

make a good leader, how they contribute to their

community.

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Name Six

Ages: 13-18

Equipment: None

Participants: Small group

Players sit in a circle with the leader in the middle. The

leader chooses one participant to name six places that

he/she has visited. The next team member also answers

the question, and the question is posed to players all

around the circle. The process is repeated with another

subject, but starting with the next player in the circle.

Continue the session with additional subjects. It’s best to

start with safe subjects. Other possible subjects could be

the following:

• Jobs or roles that you have had

• Things you are good at

• Things that you find difficult

• What embarrasses you

• What you like

• Things you dislike

• What characteristics do you find important in a leader

• Discuss the rights and responsibilities of being a

good citizen

Pairs Game

Ages: 13-18

Equipment: Lined index cards, pens

Participants: Any number, as long as there’s an

even number

Make up famous pairs or groups of people such as Mickey

and Minnie Mouse, or Barbie and Ken. Give each person

a card with the name of one member of the pair on

the lined side, and one member of another pair on the

plain side. Players must find the match to name of the

pair listed on the lined side first. When they find their

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matches, give them a topic to discuss, such as why is

it important to volunteer in one’s community. Then, on

cue, they turn their cards over to the plain side and find

their new match. They then discuss with their partner

the best volunteer experience they have ever participated

in and what made it good.

Three Questions Game

Ages: 13-18

Equipment: Paper, pens

Participants: Medium to large group

Everyone in the group writes down three thought-

provoking questions they would like to ask others in

the group. Questions could be something like, “Where is

the most interesting place you have ever traveled?” or

“Name a topic you feel absolutely passionate about.” If

you are focusing on certain issues in the Club, you may

also encourage members to write those questions down,

such as “Have you been bullied before and if so, how have

you dealt with that?” Give them time to mingle and to

ask three different people in the group one of their three

questions. Call the group back together, and have each

person stand and give their name. As they say their name,

ask the group to tell what they know about this person.

Two Truths and a Lie

Ages: 13-18

Equipment: None

Participants: Medium to large group

Ask participants to sit in a circle. Choose one to go first.

Have that person tell the other players three things

about him/herself. Two should be true and the other

one should be a lie (in no particular order). All three

statements should be believable, yet a bit off the wall to

make it harder to figure out. The rest of the players try

to guess which statement is the lie. Continue around the

circle at least once until each member has had a turn.

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impromptu games

IMPROMPTU GAMES

Cat in the Hat Bingo

Ages: 6-9

Equipment: Paper for Bingo cards,

crayons, chalk or dry erase markers, chalk

or dry erase board, index cards, Dr. Seuss

books, hand wipes

Participants: At least 5, small group

Select 25 words from Dr. Seuss books that you would like

members to learn. Create Bingo cards with 25 squares and

write one word in each square. Make sure you make several

versions of the Bingo card so that words are not in the same

squares on every card. Laminate the Bingo cards. Then write

all of the words (one on each card) on index cards.

Give each player a laminated Bingo card, crayon and

baby/hand wipe. Assign a volunteer or older member to

assist younger members. Draw the first index card out of

a hat, read the word out loud and write it on the chalk

or dry erase board. Players find the word on their cards

and mark it with a crayon. When a player has marked

five words in a row vertically, horizontally or diagonally

on her/his card, she/he calls out, “Seuss!” Play stops

while all winning cards are verified. All players are given

a prize for participating, with winning players receiving

an extra incentive for their achievement.

Musical Hula-Hoops

Ages: 6-9

Equipment: 5-10 Hula-Hoops®, depending on the number

of players

Participants: 5-10 players

Place Hula-Hoops® randomly throughout the room. There

should be one less Hula-Hoop® than there are players.

When the music is playing, kids run around the room,

and when the music stops, they have to find an open

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Hula-Hoop® to stand in (only one player can stand in a

Hula-Hoop®). If two kids get to one hoop at the same

time, they are asked some type of educational question.

The player who answers the question first and correctly

gets to stay in the Hula-Hoop®. Like musical chairs, one

Hula-Hoop® is removed at the end of every round. The

last person standing in a Hula-Hoop® wins.

Pumpkin in the Pumpkin Patch

Ages: 6-9

Equipment: None

Participants: Large group

Participants all lie down or sit in a designated area. A

staff member picks one person to be a pumpkin buyer and

another to be a pumpkin seller. The seller picks a person

to be his/her pumpkin, but doesn’t tell anybody. Then

the buyer asks the seller yes or no questions such as,

“Pumpkin seller, pumpkin seller, is your pumpkin wearing

red?” The buyer responds with “Yes” or “No.” After more

questions, the buyer guesses who the pumpkin is. If the

buyer is right, he/she becomes the seller and the pumpkin

becomes the buyer.

The Mighty Wind

Ages: 6-9

Equipment: None

Participants: Medium to large group

Ask youth to sit in a circle with one member in the

center. The member in the middle says a sentence

describing a quality or characteristic related to members

of the group. For example, he/she might say, “The

mighty wind blows for those who speak two languages.”

All members who speak two languages must stand and

find another seat (but not to the left or right of their

current seat) before all seats are taken. The one left

standing is now the member in the middle. Repeat the

above directions.

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Gators

Ages: 6-12

Equipment: None

Participants: Medium to large group

Line all of the participants up at one end of the gym.

Assign one person to be the Gator. The Gator must make

simple commands for every player to follow. For example,

“Gators, stand on a free throw line.” The players then run

to the free throw line. Whoever is last is out and sits out

until the end of the game. But if anybody moves when

the key word “gator” is not said, he/she is also out. Play

until there is only one participant left.

People Memory

Ages: 6-12

Equipment: None

Participants: Large group

First, two people, the guessers, leave the room. As soon

as they are gone, the other players find partners. To

prevent easy guessing, pairs should be formed of people

who don’t usually hang out with each other. Then each

of the pairs agree on something related to the chosen

theme, such as a color, animal or star. The partners split

up and mix with others, and the guessers return to the

room. The first guesser starts by tapping a player on the

shoulder. This player has to say their color, animal or

star. Then guesser number one has to find the partner.

If correct, the guesser starts again with a new pair, but

if wrong, it becomes guesser number two’s turn. Now the

pairs in the room are hunted out like a memory game.

The winner is the player who finds the most pairs.

Circle Dash

Ages: 6-15

Equipment: None

Participants: Medium to large group

In this silent game, all participants except one form a

circle. The remaining person stands in the middle of the

circle. The object of the game is for any two people in

the circle to silently signal each other and switch places.

The person in the middle tries to get an open spot

before the switchers. The remaining person takes the

spot in the middle.

Fruit Salad Toss Up

Ages: 6-15

Equipment: 1 chair per participant

Participants: Medium group

The group sits in chairs in a circle. One person stands

in the middle of the circle and does not have a chair.

All players are assigned fruit names: apple, orange, pear

or plum. The middle person calls out one or more fruit

names. The called fruits must change chairs. The middle

player tries to sit in the empty chair before the fruits do.

The middle person may also call, “Fruit salad toss up,”

for which all players must change chairs. The player left

without a chair becomes the middle person.

Bumpity Bump Bump

Ages: 10-12

Equipment: None

Participants: Medium to large group

All players stand in a circle with someone in the center.

The center person, who is trying to eliminate all players,

points at someone in the circle and says, “Right, Bumpity

Bump Bump Bump” or “Left, Bumpity Bump Bump Bump.”

The pointed person has to say the name of the person to

her/his right or left before the phrase is finished. If the

pointed person fails to do this, she/he is out.

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Holidays A to Z

Ages: 10-12

Equipment: Flip chart, markers

Participants: Medium group

Write all of the letters from A to Z vertically on a flip

chart. Ask participants to fill in a holiday word or phrase

that starts with each letter. Here are examples for you to

use. Give bonus points for the letters Q, U, V, and Z. The

participant who comes up with the most is the winner.

A. Angels

B. Bells

C. Candy canes, candles, cranberries

D. Deck the Halls, doves

Spaghetti and

Marshmallow Towers

Ages: 10-15

Equipment: Dry spaghetti, marshmallows

Participants: Any number

Divide players into groups of four or five. Give each group

dry spaghetti and marshmallows. Announce that they have

15-30 minutes to build the highest structure in the room (or

the widest bridge or tallest arch). Afterwards, review with

the groups the issues they faced, such as team building,

motivation, time management, organization, planning,

communication and resources.

Iron Man

Ages: 10-18

Equipment: Cups, pool, air hockey, foosball and bumper

pool tables and equipment, stopwatch

Participants: Medium to large group

This activity incorporates many game tables, such as

pool, air hockey, foosball, bumper pool, carpetball and

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cupstacking. Set up an obstacle course. For example,

have the first player “up stack” a 3-6-3 cup stacking

arrangement to start the timer for the event. Then, the

member moves to the pool table, where he/she has to

shoot one ball into the far corner pocket. Next, he/she

moves to the air hockey table and has to make a puck

into the opposite goal. After that, the player moves to

the bumper pool, where he/she has to send the ball

through the “middles” before making it into the opposite

hole. Now, the member moves to the foosball table to

make a goal shot. Finally, the player returns to the 3-6-3

stack and now “down stacks” the cups to stop the timer.

Then the next player does the same course, and so on.

Record times so you can see who finishes the obstacle

course the fastest.

Minefield

Ages: 10-12

Equipment: None

Participants: Large group

Divide the participants into three groups. One group, the

mines, is stationary and scattered throughout the playing

area. The second group, the rowers, try to get across

the playing field while keeping their eyes closed. Group

three is the assistants, who shout out directions to the

rowers from the other side of the field. On “Go,” rowers

make their way across the field as fast as they can, and

if they bump into a mine, they “blow up.” Groups rotate

so that everyone gets to play each part. After everyone

has taken turns discuss how they felt during each role.

Discuss how important trust is in relationships with

friends and family, and that trustworthiness is a goal to

which to aspire.

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Ying-Yang-Yoo

Ages: 10-12

Equipment: None

Participants: Medium group

Everyone stands in a circle. The first person says, “Ying,”

and puts his/her hand on top of the head, pointing

left or right. The person in the direction pointed then

must respond, “Yang,” and put his/her hand under the

chin, pointing in another direction. The person who was

pointed at must say, “Yoo,” and point to anyone in the

circle. That person then starts again by saying “Ying,” and

follow the same Ying motion previously mentioned, and

so on. Ying Yang Yoo can only be spoken in that order.

Zip-Zap-Zop

Ages: 10-12

Equipment: None

Participants: Medium group

Everyone stands in a circle. Ask participants to repeat

the words, “Zip, Zap, Zop” simultaneously three to four

times. Then explain to them that they will be passing a

bolt of energy to each other, and as they do, they will

have to say, “Zip,” “Zap” or “Zop.” To start, send the

bolt out of your hands with a strong forward motion

to someone in the circle, (using your hands, body and

voice) saying, “Zip.” It is important to maintain eye

contact as the bolt is passed. The receiver must take the

energy with the whole body and pass it immediately to

someone else while saying, “Zap.” Then that person must

say, “Zop” to another player. And so the game continues,

“Zip, Zap, Zop.” Players who slow down the pace or say

the words out of order are out of the game. Play until

one contestant is left standing.

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Circle Story

Ages: 10-15

Equipment: None

Participants: Medium group

Everyone sits down in a circle. The first player begins

a story – just one or two sentences to get the story

started. He/she then points to the person sitting next

to them, who must continue the story. It can be fun if

players stop their part of the story at a critical point for

the next person to pick it up.

Mime Madness

Ages: 10-15

Equipment: None

Participants: Medium to large group

Designate several people to be mimes. Have a staff

member take them out of the room and then name

one person to come back into the room. After mime

number one returns, ask him/her to act something

out, such as changing the diapers of twins or bathing

an elephant. Before the first mime starts, call out for a

second mime (who doesn’t know what the act will be)

to join the group, and ask him/her to watch. When the

demonstration has been completed, the first mime sits

down, and the second gets up to do what the first mime

did. Again, before starting, ask the third mime to come

into the room to see the demonstration. The game ends

when the last mime has performed the act. Ask that

person what the act was supposed to be.

Spelling Objects

Ages: 10-15

Equipment: Paper, pen

Participants: Small to large group

Divide participants into groups of four to six, and give

each group a word of about 10 letters that is relevant to

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the day’s activities (e.g., leadership). The first group spells

out the given word using objects that they have with

them (or if they don’t have objects with them, make this

a scavenger hunt around the facility to find the objects).

The first letter of each object should be the same as one

of the letters in the given word. For example, a loop,

earring, apple, disk, etching, ring, snack, hat, ink and a

pen spell “leadership.” Once completed, the next group

has a turn. The game ends when all the groups have

spelled out their words. The group that guesses the most

words wins.

5 in 5

Ages: 10-18

Equipment: Stopwatch, digital wristwatch or a watch

with a second hand

Participants: Medium to large group

Ask participants to sit in a circle. Call on someone to

be a volunteer. Members are given five seconds to name

five things (e.g., cars, actors, countries, T.V. shows).

Don’t say what the topic will be until starting the clock.

If the volunteer successfully names five things in five

seconds, then you (the staff member) have to do a task,

such as five push-ups, 10 jumping jacks or sing a song.

However, if the volunteer doesn’t complete the task,

then he/she has to stand in front of the group and do

something, (an easy task that will not be a deterrent)

such as one push-up or two jumping jacks. Allow time

for multiple volunteers to participate.

Alphabet Brainstorm Race

Ages: 10-18

Equipment: Dry erase or chalk board,

markers or chalk

Participants: Small to medium group

On a board, write the alphabet vertically with spaces next

to the letters, one alphabet per team. Write a sentence

on the board, such as, “A beautiful child is a ________

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child.” On “Go,” the first player from each team fills in

the blank with a word beginning with the letter A and

then marks off the letter for his/her team. Then the

second player from each team does the same with the

letter B, and so forth. Teams go as fast as they can.

Team members may help each other decide which word

to write. The first team with the most words within a set

amount of time wins.

Detective

Ages: 10-18

Equipment: None

Participants: Medium to large group

Seat the group in a circle with their eyes closed. One

participant is designated “It” when he/she receives a tap on

the back. The staff member tells participants to open their

eyes. Players then stand up and walk around the room,

shaking hands. It eliminates people by squeezing their

palms (instead of just shaking their hands). The person

whose hand was squeezed counts to 10 before falling to the

ground dramatically. The rest of the group plays detective

and tries to guess who It is. If someone guesses wrong, he/

she falls to the ground dramatically. Once a player is on the

ground, he/she cannot be a detective.

Great Ice Cream Caper

Ages: 10-18

Equipment: Ingredients to make ice

cream sundaes

Participants: Large group

Have groups represent different cultures, each with its

own special ice cream product. Some groups will have a

surplus of ingredients, and others will not have enough,

so they must trade with each other to create the ultimate

ice cream sundae.

When the project is complete, bring participants together

to talk about how they felt doing a project to promote

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diversity, what they learned from the experience and

ways they can continue their work in the future.

The Last Word

Ages: 10-18

Equipment: None

Participants: Small to medium group

Participants stand in a circle. The first

participant walks over to stand in front of another. He/

she makes a statement, e.g., “It is such a lovely day.”

The person spoken to will go to another player and say

something starting with the last word in the statement,

e.g., “Day one of the course was very tiring.” Each

participant takes turns to ensure that everybody gets a

chance to participate.

Telephone Pictionary

Ages: 10-18

Equipment: Stacks of sticky notes

(5-6 sheets per player), pencils for

each participant

Participants: Small to medium group

Have all participants sit in a circle with a small stack of

sticky notes and a pen or pencil. Instruct participants

to think of a subject (e.g., a movie title) and write that

down in the first sticky note sheet. All participants then

pass their note stacks to the left, and the next person has

to draw a picture of what is written on the paper on the

next sticky note. After they draw pictures, they fold over

the top note that the first person wrote on, so only the

drawing is shown. Everyone passes the papers to the left.

Participants look at their pictures and try to guess what

they are, writing what they think it is on the third sticky

note in the stack. Then they fold the paper down, hiding

the picture and pass it to the person on the left. The next

participant draws a picture on the forth sticky note and

follows the above steps. The fifth person who receives the

paper writes down what they think it is on the last note.

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One at a time, participants unfold the paper, read the

original statement and their statement and see how close

they came.

Biggest Fan

Ages: 13-18

Equipment: None

Participants: Large group, even numbers

Divide the group into pairs. Each pair plays Rock, Paper,

Scissors in a two out of three format. The loser of the

match becomes the winner’s “Biggest Fan.” It’s the job of

the player who didn’t win to cheer the champion on as

he/she seeks out another opponent. Each time a player

wins, he gets all the “fans” the losing player had. The

game ends when one player has all the fans. This gets

loud, rowdy and is a ton of fun!

Comic Strip Chaos

Ages: 13-18

Equipment: Comic strips, cut into

individual frames, large container

Participants: Large group

Find comic strips that can be cut into individual frames.

The number of comic strips must equal the number of

groups that need to be created. The number of frames for

each strip must equal the number of participants for each

group. Participants take turns picking a comic frame out

of a container. After everyone has a frame, they search

for others with the same comic strip sequence. Once they

have found their group, players must arrange themselves

so that the frame sequence is in chronological order to

form the comic strip correctly. Upon completion of the

sequence, the newly formed group sits together. This is a

great game for forming smaller groups.

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Scavenger Hunt

Ages: All

Equipment: 10-20 buckets or pails,

items to hide

Participants: Large group

Place the buckets randomly, but in plain view, around a

park or field. Place the buckets upside down over the top of

the hunt items. Divide participants into teams of five to 10

players. Assign each team member to find a specific item.

All team members must stay together. Players will then run

from bucket to bucket, trying to find their item. When they

do, they return to the starting point. The first team to find

all of their items wins.

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movement games

MOVEMENT GAMES

Air Writing

Ages: 6-12

Equipment: None

Participants: Medium to large group

Ask participants to spread out and then start moving in

place (jumping, marching, hopping or twisting). Call out a

letter, number, word or shape. Players are to stop moving

and then draw the letter, number, word or shape in the

air using their hand, arm, leg, head, elbow, knee, bottom,

or any combination of body parts until the next activity is

called. This is a quick and easy game with no winner.

As If

Ages: 6-12

Equipment: None

Participants: Medium to large group

The leader reads the following sentences to participants,

who then act them out for 20-30 seconds each.

• Jog in place as if a big scary bear is chasing you.

• Walk forward as if you’re walking through chocolate

pudding.

• Jump in place as if you are popcorn popping.

• Reach up as if grabbing balloons out of the air.

• March in place and play the drums as if you are in a

marching band.

• Point as if the paintbrush is attached to your head.

• Swim as if you are in a giant pool of JELL-O.

Students may create their own sentences for additional

activities.

movement games

Garbage War

Ages: 6-12

Equipment: Tape, lots of newspaper, toilet paper and

other “dry garbage”

Participants: Medium to large group

Divide the room into four sections and mark it off with

tape. Evenly distribute all the garbage into the sections.

Split participants into four groups and assign each to a

section. Tell them that the object of the game is to get

all of the garbage out of their sections and into the other

teams’ sections. At “Go” they start scooping up the stuff

and throwing it into other sections.

Variations: Use a volleyball net as a divider or give

participants mops, brooms and pails to clean up their area.

Or instead of using garbage, use “soft” balls, bean bags, etc.

Scrambled Eggs

Ages: 6-12

Equipment: None

Participants: Large group

On a large field, tell the children they are all pretending

to be scrambled eggs in motion. One child chooses the

first ingredient to add to the scrambled eggs. The chosen

ingredient will be the signal to stop. For example, say

the ingredient is broccoli. The staff member says, “Run!”

and the children run around until the staff member yells,

“Broccoli!” All the kids stop. Then a new ingredient is

chosen, and the game is played again.

Variations:

• Memory:Childrenstopandrecallalltheingredients

named at any point in the game.

• Upperbodyexercise:Kidspretendtobestirring

(waving arms) each time they are stopped.

• Nutrition:Kidscategorizetheingredientsbyfood

groups at the end of play.

movement games

• Languagearts:Playerscopyandalphabetizethe

ingredient names when games are over.

Windows and Doors

Ages: 6-12

Equipment: None

Participants: Medium to large group

Children stand in a large circle, just close enough to hold

hands. One child is chosen to be “It.” While holding hands,

players in the circle raise their arms high into the air to

create arches. It weaves in and out of the upraised arms. The

children in the group randomly lower their arms to try and

block It’s progress. If It is not able to get around the circle,

then she/he joins the circle and a new child is declared It.

Making Waves

Ages: 6-15

Equipment: Large parachute

Participants: Medium group

Seat all players around a parachute. Then ask them to

stand up, grab hold of the parachute and move it in an up/

down motion using only their wrists. Next, instruct them to

also use their elbows. Then tell them to use their shoulders,

too. As the activity goes on, the waves get larger.

Merry Go-Round

Ages: 6-15

Equipment: Large Parachute

Participants: Medium group

Spread the parachute out on the floor. Ask participants to sit

around the edge of the parachute. Then tell them to stand

up and pick up the parachute with only their right hand.

Instruct them to move in one direction. Have them change

their movements every few seconds, e.g., jog, walk, gallop,

jump and skip. When the right hand has practiced several

movements, ask participants to switch to the left hand.

Obstacle Race

Ages: 6-15

Equipment: None

Participants: Medium to large group

Construct a number of obstacles that each player must

pass in the course of the race. In a gymnasium, for

example, they can be made to go over a “horse,” do a

forward and backward roll, etc. An outside variation

could include crawling through a sack with the bottom

cut open, running three times around a tree, or taking

off shoes and putting them on again. Divide players into

teams and conduct the obstacle course race.

Parachute Tag

Ages: 6-15

Equipment: Large parachute

Participants: Medium group

After spreading the parachute on the ground, seat the players

around it. Give each participant a number from one to four.

Ask them to lift the parachute up high overhead. When a

number is called, the kids with that number will run, hop,

skip, twirl or crawl to a spot where one of the other players

has left before the parachute comes down and tags them.

Slide Right

Ages: 6-15

Equipment: 1 chair for each player

Participants: Medium group

All players except one are seated in chairs in a close circle,

which contains one extra chair. The extra player, who is

“It,” stands in the center, then tries to take the vacant

seat, which is continually being taken by the person next

to it. It calls, “Slide right” or “Slide left,” controlling

the direction of the group’s motion. When It says, “Slide

right,” the person who finds the chair on his/her right

movement games

is vacant quickly tries to slide into it. As soon as the

command, “Slide left,” is called, players are responsible for

the chair on their left. When It gets a chair, the person

who should have taken that chair becomes It.

Human Obstacle Race

Ages: 10-12

Equipment: None

Participants: Medium to large group

Form teams. Five participants take their places as “human

obstacles” in line with each team of runners. The first

obstacle stands erect, the second stoops in leapfrog position,

the third stands astraddle, and the fourth and fifth join

hands to make a bridge. At “Go,” one runner from each team

must run around the first obstacle, leap over the second,

crawl under the third and go between and around the fourth

and fifth. The runner must then hurry back to touch off the

next runner. The first player then takes his/her place at the

end of the line. The team that finishes first wins the race.

Math Shipwreck

Ages: 10-12

Equipment: Cones, tape or

rope, math problems

Participants: Any number

Prepare math problems (addition, subtraction, multiplication

and division) according to participants’ skill levels on a

piece of paper. Place five lines on the ground using rope,

tape or cones. Label each line with an answer to one of

the math problems. Line all players up on the half court

or middle lines. As soon as the leader calls out a math

problem, kids will run to the line that corresponds with the

answer. The last participant to the line is out. Call out more

math problems until there is only one player standing.

movement games

Snowball Fight

Ages: 10-12

Equipment: Newspaper, masking tape, cups, 2 tables

Participants: Large group

On a day when only indoor games will do, post that you’re

having a “snowball fight” and leave it at that to draw a

lot of players to the game. Create “snowballs” by rolling

newspaper into balls and taping them down using masking

tape. Draw a line down the middle of the room with

masking tape. Set up two tables, one on each side of the

room, and stack cups in a pyramid style on them. Divide

players into two teams and place them by their respective

tables. On “Go,” throw the snowballs into the middle of

the room. Players will then run to pick up the snowballs

and throw them to knock down the other team’s cups.

Word Tag

Ages: 10-12

Equipment: Adhesive

labels, permanent marker

Participants: Large group

Based on the number of participants, write individual

letters on adhesive labels (excluding Q, X, and Z and

repeating the most used letters, such as R, S, T, L, N and

vowels). To designate who will be the chasers, ask who

thinks they are the fastest in the group. Pick the two

members who raise their hands first. Then ask who thinks

they are the smartest. Again, select the two who raise

their hands first. Divide the four members into two teams,

each with one “smartest” and “fastest,” then send each

pair to opposite sides of the gym/field. Randomly give

remaining members an adhesive label with a letter on it

to stick on the upper left of their shirt. Divide them into

two teams. These members must go to the center of the

gym/field, which is their home. When the leader blows

the whistle, the chasers begin trying to tag the members

in the middle. Once tagged, they must go to that chaser’s

movement games

home side. After all members have been tagged, give the

chasers an allotted amount of time (one or two minutes)

to perform a certain task with the letters that they’ve

“captured” (e.g, make the biggest word, make the most

words). This can be repeated, picking new chasers, and you

can create your own point system for tasks.

Yes, Let’s

Ages: 10-12

Equipment: None

Participants: Medium to large group

Instruct players to take turns suggesting an activity for the

group to mime. The first player makes one suggestion, and

everyone simultaneously yells, “Yes, let’s,” and starts to do

the activity. Once the activity has been mimed for a while,

another one is yelled out and the group responds with,

“Yes, let’s all dig holes.” Every manner of hole digging will

begin, complete with sound effects. Then someone will

suggest a new activity, and the cycle continues.

Animated Words

Ages: 10-15

Equipment: Two packs of large

alphabet cards

Participants: Large group

Players are divided into two teams and stand facing each

other in lines 15 feet apart. Designate a spelling line

for each team. Select as many letters from each pack of

alphabet cards as there are players on a team and give

one to each player (both teams should have the same

letters). Try to have at least 24 on a side. The leader calls

a word, and players with the word’s letters run to the

spelling line, arrange themselves in the order in which

the letters appear in the word, and hold their letters up

in front. The team that first holds all the letters correctly

in plain sight receives one point. The leader picks the

winner, keeps score and announces the score after each

word. The first team to score 11 points wins.

movement games

Elephant, Giraffe, Palm Tree

Ages: 10-18

Equipment: None

Participants: Medium to large group

Form a circle with one person in the middle. The middle person

will point to someone, who, along with players on each of

his/her side, will quickly form what was called out (elephant,

giraffe or palm tree). As soon as an object is formed, the

person in the middle of the circle has to point to someone else.

The faster the game is played, the more fun it is.

Elephant: The targeted person will form an elephant

trunk by putting arms straight in front at the wrists.

Players on each side will form the ears by bending toward

the targeted person, cupping around the mouth with

hands as if whispering.

Giraffe: The targeted person points raised arms above the

head, extended and with fingers closed. Side people will

grab his/her waist while bending over.

Palm tree: The targeted person raises his/her arms above

the head in Y formation, fingers open. Side people do the

same but lean away from the first person.

Ninja

Ages: 10-18

Equipment: None

Participants: Medium group

Gather everybody in a circle. Choose a person to start the

game and a direction that the game will go (clockwise/

counterclockwise). On the count of three, participants

strike a “ninja” pose and freeze. The person who starts

can take one step and one arm movement to “attack” any

other participant. The object is to hit somebody else’s

hand with your hand. If you are being attacked, you

are allowed to take one step or arm movement to avoid

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contact. As soon as one player attacks, the next person

can make their move. Once your hand gets hit, you leave

the circle. The last player standing wins.

Double Simon Says

Ages: All

Equipment: None

Participants: 2 leaders, 2 groups

This game is similar to Simon Says, except participants

continue to play instead of getting out. Divide the players

into two groups and put them on opposite ends of the field.

Pick one person from each team to play Simon, and have

them stand facing their group. Assign someone to keep

track of the time, and have him/her call the start of the

game. Simons will instruct players to do various moves, and

participants must perform the actions if “Simon says” is said.

If participants don’t do what Simon says, they will not be

out. Instead, they will run to the other team and play there.

No matter how many times they mess up, they keep playing.

Each game lasts 2-3 minutes. The team with the least number

of members wins. Simon commands can include smile, wave

hello, flex your biceps and turn around. One command not

allowed is, “Simon says everyone goes to the other team!”

Mirror Image

Ages: All

Equipment: None

Participants: Any number

This activity involves one person mirroring the actions

and movements of another person. Split the group into

pairs. To demonstrate, invite a volunteer to stand facing

you a couple of feet away. Initiate action, with the

other person following in “mirror image.” Make your

movements interesting and slow enough for the other

person to mime as if they were a full length mirror.

Include zany stretches/contortions to get a few laughs,

movement games

especially facial gymnastics. Perform action sequences for

tasks like brushing your teeth. The demonstration helps

loosen up conceptions and inhibitions. Then have the

group play the game. Debrief as you see fit.

movement games

relay races

RELAY RACES

Texas Hold ’Em Relay

Ages: 6-12

Equipment: Old deck

of playing cards, flip chart or whiteboard

and markers

Participants: Large group

To prepare, write “lose a turn” on all the face cards (Jack,

Queen and King). Divide the group into two teams. Draw a

line down the center of the white board or flip chart. Draw a

card and write that number in each team’s column. Explain

that the first player on Team 1 draws a card and writes that

number under the number you wrote. That player then adds

the two numbers together. If the answer is correct, the next

person on the team draws a card and continues until a “lose

a turn” card is played. If the answer is incorrect, the answer

and number are erased and the other team gets a turn. The

first team to reach 100 points is the winner.

Variations: For members who are learning their

multiplication tables, change the math operation from

addition to multiplication. For older members, assign each

card suit a math function (hearts = addition, spades =

subtraction, diamonds = multiplication, clubs = division).

All Boxed In

Ages: 6-15

Equipment: Strong, large cardboard

boxes, including some extras

Participants: Large group

Give each team a large cardboard box with the tops and

bottoms open. Assemble teams at the starting line and set

up a turnaround line. First contestants from each team

put both of their feet in a box, and on “Go,” they run to

the turnaround line and back while in the box. They tag

the next teammate, who also runs in the box, and so on.

The first team to make it to the finish line wins.

relay races

Balloon Over and Under

Ages: 6-15

Equipment: Two inflated balloons

Participants: Medium to large group

Divide participants into equal teams. Each team must

stand in a single file line with about a foot between

them. Hand an inflated balloon to the first person in each

line. When the leader says, “Go,” the first players must

pass the balloon backwards over their heads to the team

members behind them. Those people then pass balloons

through their legs to the person behind them, and players

after them alternate over and under. The team to get the

balloon to the last person in line first wins.

Leaf Race

Ages: 6-15

Equipment: Dry leaves

Participants: Large group

Go outside and collect one dry leaf per participant. Assemble

everyone along one line and have them spread out one arm

length apart. Set up a finish line on the opposite end of the

room. Instruct the children that on the signal they are to blow

their leaves to the finish line without touching their leaves.

Do “blow offs” for winners if desired, or just keep going for

fun. Suggestions for the game:

• Generally this is accomplished by crawling and

blowing. The lower on the ground, the better.

• If they are not able to blow, participants may use a

fan, folded up newspaper or hand pump.

• This may be done in teams or as a relay.

• You may substitute leaves with lightweight paper

flowers, snowflakes or fish.

relay races

Standing Broad Jump Relay

Ages: 6-15

Equipment: Tape, button, or penny

Participants: Medium to large group

Split up participants into teams. The first player on

each team lines his/her toes up at the starting line, and

when the leader says jump, they all jump as far as they

can and mark their spot with a piece of tape, a button

or a penny. The second player on each team lines his/

her toes with the mark made by their first teammate and

on signal, they all jump as far as possible. Repeat until

every player has jumped. The team that has jumped the

farthest wins.

Worm Relay

Ages: 6-15

Equipment: None

Participants: Medium to large group

Divide players into teams. Each team’s players sit in a

line on the floor, one behind the other. The first person

in each line grasps the ankles of the one behind him/

her, and he/she the next player’s ankles. On the leader’s

signal, each team moves forward as best as it can. The

first team to have its last player across the goal line wins.

Animal Relay

Ages: 10-12

Equipment: None

Participants: Large group

Divide players into groups of four. Two players from each

group stand facing each other at opposite ends of the

room. Demonstrate each of the following movements, and

ask participants to practice them all:

Crabs: Squat down and move sideways.

Bunnies: Hop on two feet.

Elephants: Walk stiff-legged with hands on knees.

Storks: Hop on one foot with arms flapping in the air.

Assign one member from each team to be a different animal.

When they hear the leader shout, “Go,” the crabs will squat

down and move sideways to tag the bunnies at the other

end. Then the bunnies hop to the other side to tag the

elephants, and so on, until all animals have gone. The team

that finishes first wins. Hold a number of relays, changing

who is which animal after each relay.

Variations: Ask players to think of different animals they

could be and how they would move. Use these as the basis

for other relays.

Balloon Swat Relay

Ages: 10-12

Equipment: 2 balloons

Participants: Medium group

Divide players into two teams. Designate a start/

finish line and turnaround point. Give each team an

inflated balloon. At the start signal, players race to the

turnaround point and back while keeping the balloon in

the air and without catching it. If the balloon touches

the ground, the player must return to the starting line

and begin again. Once the first player races across the

finish line, the next player runs, and so forth. The first

team to complete the relay wins.

Box Car Races

Ages: 10-12

Equipment: Large, strong cardboard boxes

Participants: Large group

Divide contestants into teams of eight to 10. Each team

elects two or three players to push a cardboard box across

relay races

the course, which must be on a rug or carpet. Designate

a turnaround point. Teams line up at the starting line.

At the whistle, the first player on each team climbs into

a box, and the pushers push the box to the turnaround

point and back. If the player falls out, he/she must

get back into the box. The race continues until all

participants except pushers have ridden in the boxes.

Draw From the Well

Ages: 10-12

Equipment: 1 table, 2 buckets, 2 clear cups or glasses, 2

spoons, water

Participants: Large group

Set up a table and place two clear cups or glasses (one

for each team) on it. Place buckets filled with water on

the other side of the room from the table. Divide players

into two teams. Ask teams to line up behind a bucket of

water, and give the first person in each line a spoon. On

“Go,” the first players fill their spoons with water from

the bucket and quickly transport it to the cup across the

room. Then they run back and hand off the spoon to the

next person in line. The first team to fill their cup wins.

Frisbee

Leak

Ages: 10-12

Equipment: 2 Frisbees®, 2 glasses or bottles of water

Participants: Large group

Split the group into two teams. Send half of each team

to one side of the room and half to the other. At the

whistle, the first players on each team must begin

walking across the room, balancing a Frisbee® filled with

water on their heads. Then they pass the Frisbee® to the

next teammate in line, and so on, until everyone has

gone. If any player drops the Frisbee® from their head

or spills out the water, they must fill it up again and

start over. First team to have all players cross the room

successfully is the winner.

relay races

Go and Go Back

Ages: 10-12

Equipment: None

Participants: Medium to large group

Form teams of two to three and designate base and goal

lines. Players stand at the base line. When the whistle is

blown, one player from each team runs toward the goal

line until the whistle blows again. If the runner hasn’t

reached the goal, he/she must run back toward the base

line. Each time the whistle sounds, runners change their

direction. The race may end at the goal or base line. If

the race ends at the goal, the runner must dash back to

touch the next player in line so they can stay in the race.

Hoop Chain

Ages: 10-12

Equipment: 2 Hula-Hoops®

Participants: Large group

Form teams by lining participants up along opposite

walls, facing each other. Tell team members to hold

hands, creating two long chains. Give one Hula-Hoop®

to the first player on each team. On the start signal, the

first player must maneuver the Hula-Hoop® over to the

next person without letting go of hands. Teams must

wiggle and squirm their Hula-Hoops® over their arms,

shoulders and heads. The first team to get its Hula-Hoop®

over the last participant in line wins.

T.P. Over and Under

Ages: 10-12

Equipment: 2 rolls of toilet paper

Participants: Medium to large group

Divide the group into two teams and line them up, one in

front of the other. Give the first person in each line a roll

of toilet paper and instruct them to loosely unroll some

relay races

and carefully pass it under their legs. The next players in

line unroll more toilet paper and hand it over their heads

to the next people in line. Players alternate under and

over all the way to the end of the line, and then back

again. The first team to do so wins.

Knobby Knees

Ages: 10-15

Equipment: 2 quarters and 2 jars

Participants: Medium to large group

Divide participants into two teams. Place two jars five

feet away from the lined up players. On “Go,” the first

players from each team put a quarter between their

knees, walk over to the jars and attempt to drop the

quarter into the jar. If they miss, players must put the

quarter back between their knees and keep trying until

they are successful. Once they drop the quarter into the

jar, they pick the quarters up, run it back to their team

and give it to the next player in line. The first team to

complete dropping the quarter into the jar wins.

Looney Ballooney Relay

Ages: All

Equipment: Balloons (1 per team), table tennis paddles

(1 per team)

Participants: Players divided into teams of 3-5

Each team is given one table tennis paddle and one

deflated balloon. The first person on each team must

blow up and tie the balloon. Then, using the paddle, he

or she must keep the balloon in the air all the way to the

designated line and back. Then she/he passes the paddle

to the next teammate without dropping the balloon to

the ground. The second person must do the same thing.

The race continues until all the people on the team have

gone. The team that finishes first wins.

relay races

100

Nutra Time

Ages: All

Equipment: Any item related to

nutritional education, i.e., flash cards,

books, nutritional balls, worksheets

Participants: Large group

This game helps youth learn about teamwork and nutritional

facts. Players are divided into teams and then sit in the

center of the room. In each corner of the room, staff place 50

flash cards with any of the

MyPlate

groups on them: grains,

vegetables, fruits, oils, dairy and protein. All teams get six

sheets of paper, one for each food group. At the start of the

game, one member from each team runs to any corner, grabs

a flash card and brings it back to the group. Once the flash

card is in the team’s circle, the next member will get another

flash card while the rest of the team figures out to which

food group the flash card belongs. This continues until all

of the flash cards are taken into the teams’ circles. The team

that categorizes the cards the best wins.

Over-Under Ball Relay

Ages: All

Equipment: Balls

Participants: Medium to large group

Split the group up into teams. Have each team line up

behind a starting point, and give the first player on

each team a ball. At “Go,” a ball is passed between the

first person’s legs, over the head of the next, and so on,

alternating down the line. When the last person gets the

ball, he/she races to the front of the line. The first team to

have all players serve at the head of the line wins.

relay races

101

running and jumping games

RUNNING AND JUMPING GAMES

Song Tag

Ages: 6-9

Equipment: None

Participants: Medium to large group

Pick a popular children’s song. Decide who will be “It.”

It has to sing the song while chasing the other players.

Once tagged, the player links arms with It, and together

they continue to sing while chasing other players. The

game continues until all players are linked arm-in-arm,

singing the song. The last person tagged becomes It.

Chicken Catchatorie

Ages: 6-9

Equipment: 2 rubber chickens

Participants: Medium to large group

Two players (or another number) are taggers and another

two are given rubber chickens. The taggers try to tag,

or freeze, the other participants. The members with the

rubber chickens run around to unfreeze the “frozen.”

After a few minutes, switch the taggers and the chickens.

Hula-Hoop

Freeze Tag

Ages: 6-9

Equipment: Hula-Hoops®

Participants: Medium to large group

Scatter several Hula-Hoops® around the floor. Assign

taggers to freeze the other players. Members inside a

Hula-Hoop® cannot be frozen, but they can only stay in

a hoop long enough to count to 10. Only one player per

Hula-Hoop® is allowed.

102

running and jumping games

The Giants and the Trolls

Ages: 6-9

Equipment: 4 cone markers,

1 flag per player

Participants: Medium to large group

Mark two lines on opposite ends of the play area. Divide

the group into two teams: Giants and Trolls. Both teams

stand with their backs to each other on opposite lines.

Each player has a flag tucked into the back of his or her

shorts, with at least half of the flag hanging out. Upon

the leader’s silent signal, the Giants creep toward the

Trolls. When the Giants get close to the Trolls, the leader

shouts out, “The Giants are coming!” When the Trolls

hear this, they turn around and try to tag the Giants by

pulling their flags before they get back to their own line.

Once tagged, Giants join the Trolls.

Variations: Players move in other ways, such as walking,

skipping or hopping. Vary the starting positions. Have both

teams sit cross-legged with backs to each other on opposite

end lines.

Cat and Rat

Ages: 6-12

Equipment: None

Participants: Medium to large group

All players except two join hands in a circle. One person

is chosen to be the rat and stands inside the circle, and

the other, the cat, is outside. The cat tries to catch the

rat. The circle players favor the rat and allow him to run

in and out of the circle, but they try to prevent the cat

from following him by raising and lowering their arms.

When the rat is caught, the cat and rat choose two

other players to become the cat and rat and then join

the circle. To speed things up, a second cat may be sent

to help, or the circle may slowly count to 25 and then

demand that they select a new cat and rat.

103

running and jumping games

Circle Tag

Ages: 6-12

Equipment: None

Participants: Medium to large group

Form a circle with players holding hands, then ask them to let

go and take one step backward to make the circle larger. Now

have them all turn to the right, and at the signal, they all

run in a circle, each person attempting to catch the person in

front of them while also avoiding being caught by the person

behind them. When the leader blows the whistle, everyone

reverses and chases the person who had been chasing them.

Clothespin Tag

Ages: 6-12

Equipment: Clothespins and rope

Participants: Medium to large group

Mark off a play area of at least 40 feet by 40 feet using rope.

All players pin five clothespins to the back of their shirts and

then spread out around the edge of the rope. At the start

signal, all players try to capture clothespins from each others’

backs without loosing their own. If you capture a clothespin,

you must get down on one knee while pinning it on your back.

No one can take your clothespins while you are down. If you

go out of bounds, you lose a clothespin. No pushing or pulling

clothes are allowed, and players may only touch clothespins.

Any violators will lose one clothespin to their victim. The

person with the most clothespins in the allotted time wins.

Variation: Play using teams. The team with the most pins wins.

Dragon Tails

Ages: 6-12

Equipment: 2 flags or bandanas

Participants: Large group

Choose two players to be the Dragons and give them

bandanas or flags to put into their back pockets. Ask

104

the rest of the players to form a circle and then sit

down Indian style. As soon as the leader says, “Go,” the

Dragons try to grab each other’s bandanas, or tails. Those

sitting in the circle can also win the game by grabbing

the tails, but they must remain seated at all times.

Dragons may not guard their tails.

Variation: Ask the Dragons to choose a stage name and

then bow before the round starts.

Frogs In The Pond

Ages: 6-12

Equipment: None

Participants: Medium to large group

First, select one person to be Froggy. All other

participants gather around Froggy, placing one finger on

Froggy’s arms, legs, or back. On the leader’s signal, all

players become frogs and start jumping. Froggy jumps

around, trying to tag a frog. If tagged, frogs become

princes or princesses and have the power to tag other

frogs with a wand. Once all frogs have been tagged,

continue the game with a new Froggy.

Heads or Tails

Ages: 6-12

Equipment: Quarter, hoses, rope or tape

Participants: Small to large group

Divide players into two teams, the Heads and the Tails.

Using hoses, rope or tape, (depending on whether you

are outdoors or in) lay out two parallel center lines three

feet apart. Then set up two boundary lines about 20 feet

from the center lines for each team to cross for their safe

zone. To start, make teams stand at the center lines with

their backs to each other. Toss the coin into the air. Once

the coin has landed on the ground, call out whether it

is heads or tails. If it is tails, the Tails must run to their

safe zone. The Heads will turn around and try to tag the

Tails before they reach their safe zone. Tagged players

running and jumping games

105

are out of the game. After each toss and chase, players

are to return to the center line. The team that captures

everyone on the other team first wins.

Hoop Tag

Ages: 6-12

Equipment: Gym floor and Hula-Hoops®

Participants: Medium to large group

Select two to four players to be the rollers. Position them

across both sides of the play area or gym floor and give

them Hula-Hoops®. Line up the rest of the players across

the gym floor. When the instructor yells, “Go,” players

run from one end of the gym to the other to keep from

being tagged by the rolling Hula-Hoops® thrown by the

rollers on the play area sides. As players are tagged, they

will join the rollers on the sides, using additional Hula-

Hoops® to tag existing runners.

Jungle Gym Tag

Ages: 6-12

Equipment: Jungle Gym

Participants: 3-10 players

This is played like a standard tag game, except on a

jungle gym. The last person to get on the equipment is

“It.” Rules include:

• The ground is off-limits

• If you walk/jump on the ground, then you

become It

• Older kids give one- to two-second leeway to

younger kids

• It may not walk on the ground to get to another

player easier (a five-second penalty shall be enforced

in such situations)

• There are no tag-backs for five seconds

running and jumping games

106

Mr. Wolf

Ages: 6-12

Equipment: Flat play area (gym floor or

parking lot)

Participants: Small to medium groups

Choose one player to be Mr. Wolf. Mr. Wolf will stand at

one end of the play area and all of the remaining players

will be at the opposite end. The other players will all say

at once, “What time is it, Mr. Wolf?” The wolf may answer

with a numeric time, such as 2:00. If he does, the players

will step closer and repeat, “What time is it, Mr. Wolf?” He

again answers with another time until he feels that they

are close enough to chase. Once Mr. Wolf thinks that they

are close enough, he will respond instead with, “Time

for dinner and to eat you!” Mr. Wolf will then chase the

players, and the first one who is tagged will become the

next Mr. Wolf.

Sharks and Jets

Ages: 6-12

Equipment: 1 football

Participants: 5-6 players

One person is chosen to be the Shark, and the rest of

the players are Jets. Jets line up on opposite sides of

a designated area. To start the game, the Shark throws

a football to one of the Jets. The catcher has to run to

the other side without the Shark tagging him/her. Once

tagged, players become Sharks and tag the other Jets.

However, the new Sharks are not allowed to move from

the spot where they were tagged.

running and jumping games

107

Amoeba or Blob Tag

Ages: 6-15

Equipment: None

Participants: Medium to large group

One person is “It,” or the “Amoeba.” Everyone tries not

to get tagged by the Amoeba. Once you are tagged,

you join hands with the Amoeba and chase the rest of

the participants. Only the end person can tag while the

others help trap the runners. The last person tagged wins

and becomes the Amoeba.

Animal Game

Ages: 6-15

Equipment: None

Participants: At least 10

Choose one player to be the caller. Everyone else must line

up in front of the caller, who whispers an animal name to

each player. Once all the names are given out, the caller gives

them 10 seconds to run around. Then the caller starts yelling

the animal names. The person who was given that animal

name has to run from everyone, and all the other players try

to tag him/her out. The caller doesn’t have to wait until the

person is out to call the next animal. This goes on until there

are only two players left. The remaining players must go to

a designated area with boundaries to play a sudden death

round. They do the same thing, but they are not allowed to

step out of the boundaries. If they step outside or are tagged,

they are out, and the last one standing is the winner. The

winner will be the caller in the next game.

running and jumping games

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Buzz Tag

Ages: 6-15

Equipment: None

Participants: Medium to large group

Split up participants into teams and set up team

boundary lines. One person from any team tries to cross

the other team’s boundary line. Once across the line,

they have to make a buzzing sound the whole time – on

one breath. They try to tag as many players without

getting tagged or out of breath. The tagged players are

out of the game. If another player grabs the buzzing

player from behind and holds him/her until they run out

of breath, all those that were tagged are free, and that

player is out of the game.

Octopus Race

Ages: 6-15

Equipment: None

Participants: Large group

Choose one player to be the Octopus. Divide the players

into two large groups and place them at least 20 feet

apart. Ask the Octopus to stand between the two groups.

Then the Octopus yells out, “I’m hungry,” cueing the two

teams to run to the other side. The Octopus keeps all the

runners he/she tags, and the new octopi hold hands to

form a line. Then the Octopus yells, “I’m hungry” again.

This time, the captured runners get to help catch new

octopi while continuing to hold hands, but only the people

on the end can tag.

Sharks & Minnows

Ages: 6-15

Equipment: 6 cones, 2 sets of flags,

1 whistle

Participants: Medium to large group

running and jumping games

109

Give all players flags to tuck halfway into their back

pockets. On a basketball court, one team, the Minnows,

lines up along the baseline, while the other team, the

Sharks, lines up along half-court. At the sound of the

whistle, the Minnows run towards the opposite baseline.

The Sharks try to pull the Minnows’ flags. Once the

Minnows make it to the other baseline, the remaining

team members line up on half-court and become Sharks,

and the Sharks line up at the baseline and become

Minnows. The game is repeated. It ends when an entire

team is eliminated.

Army/Navy

Ages: 10-12

Equipment: None

Participants: Large group

This game is played in a gym. Divide all players except

one into two groups, the Army and the Navy. One side of

the gym is labeled Army and the other Navy. Designate

one person to be the caller, who calls out orders to the

Army and Navy players. If a player does not follow an

order correctly, she/he is out. In the case of “submarine”

and “man overboard” orders, participants are out if they

move before “all clear” is called. This is a great game to

practice running drills in a fun way, with members not

even realizing it. The winner is the last one standing.

The orders are:

• Army: Run towards the Army side.

• Navy: Run towards the Navy side.

• Submarine: Members dive towards the ground.

• Man overboard: Players must find a partner as

quickly as possible. One partner must lie on his/her

stomach while the other places a foot (gently) on

their partner’s back.

running and jumping games

110

Fox Hunt Squirrels

Ages: 10-12

Equipment: Cones

Participants: Large group

Set cones around a large play area. Designate which

players will be squirrels, foxes and trees based on how

many kids are playing. For example, for a group of 20,

you need two foxes, four trees, and the rest will be

squirrels. The staff member is the lumberjack. At the start

of the game, foxes begin to chase squirrels. Squirrels can

run to the trees (which are two players forming an arch

by joining hands up high and giving enough room for

people to pass under) for protection. The archways under

the trees are safe zones. Once squirrels are there, trees

count three seconds, and the squirrels have to leave.

When squirrels are tagged, they are out and get down on

one knee. The lumberjack eventually goes from tree to

tree, cutting them down. Cut down trees become squirrels.

Soon there are no trees and everyone is tagged.

Memory Tag

Ages: 10-12

Equipment: Cloth for blindfold

Participants: Medium group

Designate someone to be “It.” Players form a circle

around It, who has five to 10 seconds to study the group

before being blindfolded. It tags other players by naming

them in the order they were standing. The other players

may not move after It is blindfolded.

Variation: After It is blindfolded, allow two people to change

positions and see if It can identify who moved.

running and jumping games

111

Pizza Shop

Ages: 10-12

Equipment: None

Participants: Medium to large group

Two people, designated as Pizza Makers, stand in the

middle of the room, and the rest of the players stand

behind a line at one end of the room. The leader goes

down the line, informing participants which topping they

are, such as pepperoni, mushroom or ham. To start the

game, the Pizza Makers call out one topping, and those

who represent that topping run across the room, to the

safe line. The Pizza Makers try to tag the toppings. If

they’re tagged, they must stop where they are and sit

down. They also try to tag anyone that passes them during

the game. Keep playing the game until there are only two

players remaining. They become the new Pizza Makers.

Zookeeper

Ages: 10-12

Equipment: Playground or large area,

piece of foam or rubber

Participants: Small to medium group

Mark off two goal lines approximately 50 feet apart.

Between the lines, off to one side, designate a 10-foot

square space for the “zoo.” Choose one player to be the

Zookeeper, and have him/her stand in the center of

the play area. Secretly give the rest of the players an

animal name. More than one person can have the same

animal. From the center of the field, the Zookeeper calls

out an animal, one by one, until one emerges from the

group. Once a player’s animal is called, he/she runs to

the opposite goal line and back. The Zookeeper then runs

to the zoo, gets the “net” (something soft, such a piece

of foam or rubber) and returns to the center to tag the

running animal. Tagged animals are taken to the zoo,

where they will stay until all animals have been called.

running and jumping games

112

Elbow Tag

Ages: All

Equipment: None

Participants: 2 or more

Decide who “It” will be. All players must place and keep

their hands on their hips. It has to tag each player using

only his/her elbows. The last person tagged is the new It.

Thief

Ages: All

Equipment: 6 Hula-Hoops®, 6 sports

balls (any kind), flags for each player,

tape or cones

Participants: Large group

This game is similar to Capture the Flag, but instead

of flags, players capture balls. Evenly distribute Hula-

Hoops® and balls on the far side of each team’s area. Set

up a “time out” spot on each side using tape or cones,

and give all players flags that are attached to a belt or

that can be slightly tucked into pants. At the start of

the game, teams are to rush to their opponent’s side

to capture all of the balls without having their flags

pulled. Once a flag is pulled, the player must go to

the time out spot. To be freed from the time out spot,

a teammate must tag the player. When capturing the

other team’s balls, a player is safe standing in one of the

Hula-Hoops® for five seconds. Balls can be run down the

field or thrown to teammates. If a thrown ball hits the

ground, it returns to the last Hula-Hoop® it was in. The

game does not end until one team has all of the balls in

their Hula-Hoops®.

Variation: Add more objects to be captured.

running and jumping games

113

table tennis

TABLE TENNIS

Breeze Ball

Ages: 6-12

Equipment: Table tennis or pool table, table tennis ball

Participants: Small to medium group

Place a table tennis ball in the middle of the table. On

the signal, players try to blow the ball off the opponent’s

side of the table, or if using a pool table, into the

opponent’s pockets. No one is allowed to touch the ball.

If using a small table, players may only stay on their

side, but if a larger table is used, players may walk up

and down opposite sides of the table while blowing on

the ball.

Variation:Largetablescanbeusedtomakethisintoa

team game, with players stationed on sides of the table.

Pillar Pong

Ages: 6-12

Equipment: Table tennis table, paddle,

balls, 12 paper plates

Participants: Small group

On each side of the table, place six plates with each of

the Pillars of Good Character on them: Trustworthiness,

respect, responsibility, fairness, caring and citizenship.

Line players up on each side of the table. Have members

play a game of table tennis. Keep track of every time

the ball hits a plate. Once the ball stops being in play,

participants must give an example for every pillar the

ball hits on their side of the table. Whoever gives the

most examples gets a point. If each player answers the

same number of traits, they each get a point. Have

two new participants play. Rotate down the line until

someone reaches 10 points first.

114

table tennis

Around the World Table Tennis

Ages: 10-18

Equipment: Table tennis table, 2-4

paddles, balls

Participants: 2-4 players

Participants line up at each end of the table, paddle

in one hand. One player serves the ball, and all of the

participants run around the table to hit the ball before

it lands on the floor. If a person misses the ball or if

the ball does not bounce on the table after she/he hits

it, they get a strike. Once a participant receives three

strikes, he/she is out. The game will then resume with

the remaining players until one person is left standing.

Variation: Instead of lining up at each end of the table,

members line up around the table (like a circle), when

they are at the ends of the table, it is their turn to play.

Continue play the same as above.

Bottle Ball

Ages: 10-18

Equipment: Table tennis table, balls, paddles

Participants: 2-4 players

This game is played like singles or doubles table tennis

except a plastic bottle is placed on either side of the net.

Bottles must be at least one paddle’s length away from

the net. If a player knocks down an opponent’s bottle,

she/he gets two points and takes over the serve. If a

player knocks over his/her own bottle, the opponent

receives two points and the serve.

115

table tennis

Mini-Football

Ages: 10-18

Equipment: 2 table tennis tables, balls, paddles

Participants: 2 players

Put two table tennis tables end-to-end so that the length

is doubled, leaving the nets on the tables. Play like

regular table tennis, except the ball may bounce any

number of times in the middle of the tables between the

two nets, and then hit the opponent’s side – and still be

legal. Or, a player may hit the ball over the middle section

to hit only the opponent’s side. The winner of the last

point serves. Play this game up to 10 points. A player

does not have to win by two points to win the game.

Paddle Pong

Ages: 10-18

Equipment: Table tennis balls, paddles

Participants: Small to large group

The object is for participants to see how many times they

can hit a table tennis ball in the air to themselves in a

row. Before beginning play, explain the game and then

demonstrate it. Instruct participants to practice hitting

the ball in the air. Then, count the number of times each

individual hits the ball in a row. Players get one chance per

day or session. They can continue practicing after being

counted, because they have a chance to do better at the

next session (maybe the next week) than they did that

day. When everyone’s been counted, the session is over.

Variation: Play in teams. Partners stand opposite one

another about two feet apart to see how many times they

can hit the ball to each other in the air without the ball

touching the table, wall or ground.

116

table tennis

X Challenge

Ages: 13-15

Equipment: Masking tape, table tennis table and balls

Participants: Small group

Make multiple Xs using masking tape on one side of a

table tennis table. Assign a point value to each X, some

positive and others negative. From the opposite end

of the table, players take turns hitting the ball with a

paddle, trying to land it on one of the desired Xs on the

first bounce. Each participant gets five shots. The first

bounce is all that counts. The player with the highest

score wins.

Table Hockey

Ages: 13-18

Equipment: Pylons, cross bar, tape, table tennis table,

balls, paddles

Participants: 2 players

Set up goals at both ends of the table using pylons and

a cross bar or by taping off a goal on the wall behind

each player. Mark side boundaries. If the ball touches a

player’s playing side and then hits or goes through the

goal, the opponent scores one point. It is legal to hit the

ball before it hits the player’s side and to hit the ball if

it goes off the end of the table. It is also acceptable if

the ball hits the player’s side, lands on the floor and is

then successfully returned. The ball may hit the floor

twice before it is returned, but after three bounces the

ball is dead. If the ball hits out of bounds, it is dead.

Whoever gets the highest score wins.

117

emergency numbers

EMERGENCY NUMBERS

CLUB DOCTOR: _____________________________________

Address: ________________________________________

________________________________________

Phone: ________________________________________

LOCAL AMBULANCE SERVICE PHONE: __________________

________________________________________

EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICE PHONE: _________________

________________________________________

NEAREST HOSPITAL ________________________________

Address: ________________________________________

________________________________________

Phone: ________________________________________

POLICE DEPARTMENT PHONE: ________________________

FIRE DEPARTMENT PHONE: ___________________________

POISON CONTROL PHONE: ___________________________

DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES PHONE: _____________

________________________________________

HOTLINES: _______________________________________

_________________________________________

___________________________________

118

notes

NOTES

FiveKeyElementsforPositiveYouthDevelopment: BGCA worked with

the nationally recognized Search Institute to review relevant research

and study highly effective Clubs. Through Club visits and interviews

with managers, program staff, teens and community leaders, the five

key elements that determine the level of impact a Club makes on the

development of young people were identified. High-yield activities: The

research of Dr. Reginald Clark has demonstrated that high-achieving

students spend more time engaged in activities that reinforce the

skills and knowledge they learn in school. “Enhancing the Educational

Achievement of At-Risk Youth,” an evaluation of BGCA’s national

education strategy, Project Learn, confirms the effectiveness of using

such high-yield activities in Boys & Girls Clubs. Targeted programs: BGCA

offers many national programs that are designed to help young people

achieve our priority outcomes of Academic Success, Good Character

and Citizenship, and Healthy Lifestyles. Many of BGCA’s targeted

programs have been evaluated for their effectiveness. See the Proving

Impact section of bgca.net (bgca.net/DemonstratingImpact/Research_

evaluation.aspx) for a complete list of program evaluations. Some of

BGCA’s targeted programs have also been deemed “evidence based” by

the federal government.

“Making Every Day Count: Boys & Girls Clubs’ Role in Promoting Positive

Outcomes for Teens.” Public/Private Ventures, 2009. This national,

longitudinal study links participation in the Club to young people’s

positive and healthy development in our three priority outcome areas.

119

notes

back pocket

program

hints,

too

National Headquarters

Boys & Girls Clubs of America

1275 Peachtree St. NE

Atlanta, GA 30309

www.bgca.org

CHIP BOARD

National Headquarters

Boys & Girls Clubs of America

1275 Peachtree St. NE

Atlanta, GA 30309

www.bgca.org

CHIP BOARD