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How many times have you heard the
expression "Go outside, it's beautiful today!" Well guess what,
pardners? It's true! (Depending on where you are, of course.) So
turn off this computer, get out of your chair, and get out there!
While you're there, why not try some of these fun activities?
There's one for every letter of the alphabet!
Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves
The group, sitting in a circle, chants “Ali Baba & the 40 thieves,”
repeating an action as they chant. On the beat, the leader changes
the action, prompting the next person to repeat it. The action goes
around the circle in time to the beat. The leader must change the
action each time, so that eventually each player is performing a
different action.
Back to Back
In pairs, players stand back-to-back. It calls out “back to back,”
and the players back up to each other. At the prompt “face to face!”
partners turn to shake hands. Each time the call changes, players
must switch partners. If it gets a partner, there will be one player
left over. That player is now it.
Cat and Mouse
With everyone in a circle, two players are picked, one a cat, the
other a mouse. The mouse must catch the cat in the center of the
circle. Whenever the mouse runs between two players, they are to
join hands trapping the cat. If the cat catches up to the mouse,
however, he eats him.
Dancing Bear
Tie rope to a tree trunk. Pick a bear. The bear holds the rope. The
remaining players run around taunting the bear. If the player is
tagged, he joins hands with the bear, helping to catch players.
The Electric Fence
String a rope from a tree or fencepost. Players try crossing the
fence without getting “electrocuted.” This is a good team building
exercise.
Fight for My Attention
Two players stand in front of the group. They each deliver speeches
on a topic simultaneously. At the end of the allotted time, everyone
else must decide who held the attention of the crowd for the longer
time. Can also be played with three, four, five, or more speakers.
Good Morning Captain
A player is chosen to be captain. He is blindfolded. Someone says
“Good morning, captain!” The captain then attempts to identify the
speaking player. If the captain chooses correctly, the speaker takes
over as captain. If not, the game continues.
Ha Ha Ha
Each player takes a place lying their heads on the belly of the next
player. The first player yells “Ha,” and the next person follows by
shouting “Ha ha!” It continues down the line until hilarity ensues.
Islands
Place islands on the ground using hula hoops or coiled jump ropes.
As the music stops, everyone must find an island. Remove islands one
at a time until there’s only one left. Everyone must crowd together
on the same island.
Juggling
Teams stand in a circle. One person tosses a ball to another. He
follows suit. If the ball touches the ground, game over. Continue
adding balls to increase excitement.
Keep It Up
Like juggling, only instead of using their hands, players must keep
the ball in the air using only their feet!
Ladders
Form two lines of players. Sitting down, facing one another, players
pair off. When the corresponding number of their pair is called,
they must run through the line, over the legs of other players. The
first person back to their spot wins a point for their team.
Machines
As a team, players must re-enact the motions of a large machine.
Each player should represent a different part of the machine. No
talking. The remaining players attempt to guess the machine.
Name Train
Form a circle. One player chugs along the circle. As he meets a
player, he tells him his name. The player responds in turn, and
grabs on. The train proceeds, chanting the name of the new “car” as
it goes. Each time it picks up a new car, the chant changes to the
new name.
Order out of Chaos
Everyone is blindfolded and assigned a number. Without using words,
the players must line up in proper numerical order. How you’re
supposed to do this, I have no clue.
Pass the Ring!
Lying in a circle, players pass a ring or other small object around.
A person who is chosen as it sits in the middle, attempting to guess
where the ring is.
Quack
The is arranged in a circle. Six players enter the middle. They bend
over, grabbing their ankles, and walk around backwards. If they bump
into one another, they must shake hands between their legs and… hey
wait a minute. Perhaps you should skip this one in favor of
dodgeball or something.
Rabid Nuggets
Toss tennis balls around the area. When the leader calls out “rapid
nuggets!” the other players must keep the balls moving constantly.
If the leader sees an unmoving ball, he cries “Dead nugget!” and
begins counting down from three. If the ball is not moving before he
reaches zero, that is one strike. The game continues.
Samurai Warrior
Players stand in a circle. Inside the circle the samurai passes his
sword either over the heads of players or under their feet. You
should probably not use a real sword for this game.
Taffy Pull
Two teams. Team taffy links arms, legs, and hands. The taffy-pullers
try to pull them apart. For extra fun, everyone should actually be
covered in taffy.
Ultimate
Like football, only a disc is used. Players are not allowed to run
with the disc. There are two ways to get turnovers – dropping the
disc or an interception.
Vampire
Everyone is blindfolded. People may bump into one another with no
consequences, but if they bump into someone who’s been appointed
“vampire,” they too become a vampire. Good clean fun.
What’s Missing?
Set out a tray with many different objects. After the players study
it carefully, hide the tray and remove an object. The first player
to guess the missing object is the winner.
X
There are no games that begin with X. Invent one.
Yankee Doodle Cracker
Each player is given a cracker. The first one to eat his cracker and
whistle “Yankee Doodle” is the winner. There are other versions of
this game, but it doesn’t count unless you whistle “Yankee Doodle.”
Zip Zap
The player who is it indicates another player and says either “zip”
or “zap.” If it’s zip, the player must name the person to his left.
If zap, the person to his right. Pretty crazy.
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