Table of Contents
 Icebreakers
 Teamwork Activities
 Communication Activities
 Large Games (outdoors)
 Energizers
 Calmers
 Review Techniques
 Communicating in Print
THE CHALLENGE NETWORK // THE IDEAS BIBLE // 2011 // PAGE 2
Two Truths and a Lie
(used in Evening Session 2)
How Long it Takes:
What You’ll Need:
10 minutes.
12 pens; 12 scrap pieces of
paper.
Instructions:
1. Ask everyone to sit in a circle and give every person a pen
and a piece of paper to write on. Ask each person to write
down three things about themselves: two that are true
statements and one that is a lie. Allow approximately 5
minutes for this.
2. Select a person to go first and read his or her three
statements. Then ask him or her to read them again, and
ask the rest of the team to vote on which statement they
believe to be the lie.
3. Ask the selected person to reveal which statement was the
lie. Each team member who guessed correctly gets one
point (they can keep a tally on the scrap piece of paper
where they wrote their three statements).
4. Repeat this process until you have gone around the entire
circle
5. Have everyone count how many points they received and
announce the winner!
THE CHALLENGE NETWORK // THE IDEAS BIBLE // 2011 // PAGE 3
The Stinger (a name game)
How Long it Takes:
What You’ll Need:
10 to 15 minutes
Nothing!
Instructions:
1.
Ask the group to form a circle and close their eyes.
2.
The facilitator chooses the Stinger by tapping or squeezing
this person on their shoulder.
3.
The group is then asked to get to know each other better
by introducing themselves and shaking hands.
4.
The Stinger kills his or her victims by injecting poison with
their index finger while shaking hands
5.
The person stung must wait 5 seconds before “dying”
dramatically for the whole group to see
6.
When someone thinks that they know who the Stinger is,
they can make an accusation. If someone seconds that
accusation within 10 seconds, they can formally accuse the
person they believe to be the Stinger by pointing to who
they think the Stinger is by the count of 3 and shouting their
name.
7.
If they both point to the same person, and are correct, the
team wins and the game is over
8.
On the other hand, if they: a) both point to different people
or b) both point to the same person but are wrong, then the
game continues until the Stinger strikes again and
someone else makes an accusation.
THE CHALLENGE NETWORK // THE IDEAS BIBLE // 2011 // PAGE 4
Empires (a name game)
How Long it Takes:
What You’ll Need:
15 to 30 minutes
Pens and paper
Instructions:
1. With everyone sat in a circle hand out pens and paper to
everyone and ask them, without letting anyone see, to
write the name of a famous person that they would most
like to be.
2. Once this is done take in all the names and read them out
for the group to hear.
3. Once the list has been read out get one person to guess
which one person in the group chose which famous person
(i.e. Sally- Lady Gaga). If the guesser is correct then the
person comes and sits at their feet (they are now part of
their empire) and they are allowed another go. However, if
they are wrong the person that they incorrectly guessed
about gets a chance to guess and so build up their empire.
4. If someone correctly guesses the identity of a player who is
the head of an empire then the guesser not only gets that
individual, but they also gain their whole empire too!
5. The game continues until there are just two empires left.
THE CHALLENGE NETWORK // THE IDEAS BIBLE // 2011 // PAGE 5
Hovering Bunnies (a name game)
How Long it Takes:
What You’ll Need:
5 to 10 minutes
Nothing
Instructions:
1. Instruct the group to sit in a circle with their chairs. Tell
them the cover their teeth with their lips, and that no one is
to show their teeth for the duration of the game.
2. The game works by everyone in the circle (with teeth
covered) rhythmically patting their knees twice before
bringing their hands up to their ears (to look like rabbit
ears) while chanting “hovering bunnies, hovering bunnies”.
Once this cycle has been completed twice one person
(while still patting their knees etc to the rhythm) must say
“their name” to “another name in the group” (i.e. “Andrew
to Colin, Andrew to Colin”). Following this there will be
another round of “hovering bunnies, hovering bunnies”
before Colin then passes the name on (i.e. “Colin to Helen,
Colin to Helen”). All this with everyone’s teeth covered.
3. Should anyone show their teeth at any stage in the game
everyone should stop chanting, put their hands to their
ears and point with their elbows at the perpetrator while
shouting “teeth, teeth” at them (all while their teeth are still
covered).
4. Following this, that person is now out and the game will
start up again and continue in the same fashion until there
is just one person left.
THE CHALLENGE NETWORK // THE IDEAS BIBLE // 2011 // PAGE 6
Directions, Directions
How Long it Takes:
What You’ll Need:
10 to 15 minutes
Nothing
Instructions:
1. Break the group up into groups of 4 or groups of 6.
2. One person starts, identifying and performing a small task,
such as clapping hands.
3. The next person in the circle must repeat this task, while
also adding one of their own that is different from the
previous action (e.g. sticking out their tongue)
4. This continues as you move around the circle. Anyone who
cannot remember the sequence is out until the next round.
5. Keep going around the circle until the actions keep
increasing and a winner is declared.
THE CHALLENGE NETWORK // THE IDEAS BIBLE // 2011 // PAGE 7
Name Scrabble (a name game)
How Long it Takes:
What You’ll Need:
5 to 10 minutes
12 pens. 12 scrap pieces of
paper
Instructions:
1. Split the team into groups of 3.
2. Get each group to write down each of their first names on
their piece of paper
3. Groups then have 5 minutes to try and make as many
different words as possible (or the longest word possible)
out of those letters. Letters cannot be used twice. The
team with the most words or the longest word wins.
THE CHALLENGE NETWORK // THE IDEAS BIBLE // 2011 // PAGE 8
Idol
How Long it Takes:
What You’ll Need:
10 minutes
Nothing!
Instructions:
1. Instruct the team to sit in a circle.
2. Ask everyone to think of someone they look up to or
admire.
3. Go around the circle once and get each member to
describe the person they are thinking of without saying
their name. The group needs to guess who it is.
4. Once someone has guessed the name ask the original
person to explain: Why did they choose this person? What
is it about this person that they respect? Which of these
qualities would they like to see in themselves?
5. Emphasize the importance of listening and paying attention
to the speaker.
THE CHALLENGE NETWORK // THE IDEAS BIBLE // 2011 // PAGE 9
Champion
How Long it Takes:
What You’ll Need:
5 to 10 minutes
Nothing!
Instructions:
1. Ask every member of the team to find a partner to play
rock, paper, scissors with.
2. The person who loses becomes a member of the winner’s
team (of two people!) by placing their hands on the
winner’s shoulders.
3. This team finds another team (of 2 or more) and the
leaders both challenge one another. Before they play,
however, the team must form a circle to cheer itself on by
roaring, yelling, etc.
4. The losing team joins the winner’s team by linking up
(placing hands on shoulders) to the end of the winner’s
chain.
5. This process continues until at the end there are only two
teams left. As the teams grow, the energy of the room
increases as each team becomes louder and more
energetic by cheering itself on before each rock, paper,
scissors battle.
6. The team that wins the final battle is the winner!
THE CHALLENGE NETWORK // THE IDEAS BIBLE // 2011 // PAGE 10
The Human Knot
How Long it Takes:
What You’ll Need:
5 to 10 minutes
Nothing
Instructions:
4. (at least 4) Team members move together in a close circle
and join hands with any two people in the circle
5. Instruct team members that they must untangle
themselves, without letting go of any hands, so that they
are standing in a perfect circle at the end.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Backward Clumps
How Long it Takes:
What You’ll Need:
5 to 10 minutes
Nothing
Instructions:
1. Divide the group into pairs. Ask each pair to sit on the floor
with their partner, backs together, feet out in front and
arms linked. Their task is to stand up together. Once
everyone has done this, two pairs join together and the
group of four try to repeat the task. After they succeed,
add another two and try again. Keep adding people until
your whole group is trying to stand together.
THE CHALLENGE NETWORK // THE IDEAS BIBLE // 2011 // PAGE 11
Chairs
How Long it Takes:
What You’ll Need:
5-10 minutes
Nothing!
Instructions:
1. Instruct the group to take a chair and spread out so that
everyone is dispersed around the room.
2. Once this is done ask one person to stand up and walk to
the opposite side of the room to their chair. Once they
have done that inform that person that their aim in the
game is to now to sit back down on an empty chair.
However, they cannot move faster than walking pace and
the rest of the team will be working together to stop them
doing this by moving to fill the empty chair (but leaving
another empty chair behind as a result)
3. Once contestants stand up they cannot sit down on the
same chair. If the individual manages to sit down on a
chair then the last person to sit down then takes their
place.
THE CHALLENGE NETWORK // THE IDEAS BIBLE // 2011 // PAGE 12
Who is it?
How Long it Takes:
What You’ll Need:
5 minutes
Nothing!
Instructions:
1. A chosen Guesser goes out of the room
2. The facilitator then picks a leader
3. Whatever the leader does, the group must copy
4. When the Guesser enters, they must try and figure out who
the leader is by trying to find out who is initiating the
movements (Hint: instruct the group not to look at the
leader, as this makes it harder for the Guesser).
5. Once the Guesser correctly guesses the leader, he or she
can pick another Guesser and the process can be
repeated.
THE CHALLENGE NETWORK // THE IDEAS BIBLE // 2011 // PAGE 13
Wielded Ankles
How Long it Takes:
What You’ll Need:
5 to 10 minutes
Nothing!
Instructions:
1. Instruct the team to line up and move their legs apart
slightly so that their ankles are touching
2. Like a giant three-legged race, the team must move as a
whole to the other side of the room, or some other target
destination, while keeping all of their ankles together.
3. If some people lose contact with each other’s ankles, the
whole team must start again from the beginning.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Circle Time
How Long it Takes:
What You’ll Need:
5 to 10 minutes
Nothing!
1. Instruct the team to make a circle, holding hands
2. They then have to way to effectively turn the circle inside
out, so that every person is facing outside.
3. The trick is that they must find a way to do this without
letting go of each other’s hands.
THE CHALLENGE NETWORK // THE IDEAS BIBLE // 2011 // PAGE 14
Alternate Lean
How Long it Takes:
What You’ll Need:
5 minutes
Nothing!
Instructions:
1. Instruct the entire group to stand in a circle, holding hands
2. Every second person must lean in, and every other person
in between must lean out. Stress that they must do this
simultaneously.
3. Discuss why it worked so easily, or whether difficulties
were encountered. What might this mean?
4. Can use this as a starting point for a quick discussion on
the importance of teamwork, and what needs to happen for
a team to function effectively.
THE CHALLENGE NETWORK // THE IDEAS BIBLE // 2011 // PAGE 15
Trapped on a Desert Island
How Long it Takes:
What You’ll Need:
15 minutes
A couple of sheets of paper
and a few pens and pencils
Instructions:
1. Split the team up into three groups of 4
2. Tell the groups that they are all trapped on a different
desert island
3. Because they are trapped, they must choose which 5 items
they would need and rank them in terms of priority
4. This will allow them to work as a team and compromise
when strategizing about what items should be on the list
and in what order
5. If there is time, the teams could compare their lists. Which
things did they choose? Where did they place them on the
list? Why?
THE CHALLENGE NETWORK // THE IDEAS BIBLE // 2011 // PAGE 16
Scattergories
How Long it Takes:
What You’ll Need:
Approximately 10 minutes.
Could be made longer if you
play more than one round.
Pens and paper
Instructions:
1. Split the group up into groups of 4
2. Tell each group to create 8 categories on a piece of paper
3. The categories are: Movie, TV show, Place, Food, Animal,
Famous Person, Thing, and Book or Song Title
4. The facilitator then gives everyone a letter
5. Each group must come up with a word beginning with this
letter that fits each category. They are given 60 to 75
seconds to do so
6. The goal is to guess things that the other teams won’t
because each team receives: 0 points for a blank, 5 points
if they share an answer with another team, and 10 points if
they have an answer that no other team has.
7. This can be repeated as many times as is useful for the
team. Points will be tallied at the end to determine the
winning team.
THE CHALLENGE NETWORK // THE IDEAS BIBLE // 2011 // PAGE 17
The Hog Call
How Long it Takes:
What You’ll Need:
10 to 15 minutes
12 blindfolds (use clothing)
Instructions:
1. Have the team pair up
2. Each pair decides on a two word phrase, such as “hot
dog”, or a celebrity couple such as Posh and Becks
3. They then move to different parts of the room and put on
blind folds
4. The pair must find each other again using these two words.
For example, one person can only say “hot” and the other
can only say “dog”.
5. Once everyone has found each other, each person
introduces their partner to the group.
THE CHALLENGE NETWORK // THE IDEAS BIBLE // 2011 // PAGE 18
Directions, Directions
How Long it Takes:
What You’ll Need:
10 to 15 minutes
Nothing!
Instructions:
1. Break the group up into groups of 4 or groups of 6.
2. One person starts, identifying and performing a small task,
such as clapping hands.
3. The next person in the circle must repeat this task, while
also adding one of their own that is different from the
previous action (e.g. sticking out their tongue)
4. This continues as you move around the circle. Anyone who
cannot remember the sequence is out until the next round.
5. Keep going around the circle until the actions keep
increasing and a winner is declared.
THE CHALLENGE NETWORK // THE IDEAS BIBLE // 2011 // PAGE 19
Picture This
How Long it Takes:
What You’ll Need:
10 to 15 minutes
Some paper, pens or pencils
Instructions:
1. Ask the group to split up into pairs
2. One person in the pair will be the drawer, one will be the
instructor. The activity will be repeated so each person will
have a chance to take on each role.
3. The facilitator then gathers the instructors together and
whispers to them what they will instruct their partner to
draw. It should be something relatively simple, like a cat or
a house.
4. The instructor must then instruct their partner, using only
commands like, “line”, “small circle”, etc. The instructor can
also say things such as “line…line…line... stop” to indicate
how long the line should be.
5. After 5 minutes or so, the group is told to stop and each
team reveals their drawing, see how close each team got
to what the picture was intended to be.
6. Have the partners switch roles and repeat the process.
7. If there is time, the team can discuss what techniques the
instructors used that worked well for them and which ones
didn’t. For example, people might find that direct, concise
instructions worked better than vague ones.
8. Twist: This game can be done with the instructor not being
able to speak and having to sign instead
THE CHALLENGE NETWORK // THE IDEAS BIBLE // 2011 // PAGE 20
Hear No Evil See No Evil
How Long it Takes:
What You’ll Need:
10 to 15 minutes
One blindfold; any object that
can act as the “treasure” to
be found
Instructions:
1. Choose one person as the seeker, and one as the
instructor. Put a blindfold on the seeker.
2. Have the rest of the team line up. The instructor faces the
line and cannot turn around.
3. At this point, the facilitator places the treasure object
somewhere in the area. Only the team that is standing in the
line can see where it is located.
4. The key to the game is that the instructor can speak, but
cannot gesture or see where the treasure is placed. The
team that is lined up can see where the treasure is, but they
cannot speak, they can only use gestures. The seeker can
neither talk nor see.
6. Using these gestures, the team that is lined up must point to
the direction where the seeker must go to find the treasure.
7. Using these gestures as a guide, the instructor must tell the
seeker to go left, right, back, forward, etc.
8. The whole point of the exercise is that they must
communicate and work as a team in order for the seeker to
find the treasure. Note: it is important that the facilitator
follow the seeker to make sure he or she does not walk into
anything or get hurt.
THE CHALLENGE NETWORK // THE IDEAS BIBLE // 2011 // PAGE 21
The Listening Triad
How Long it Takes:
What You’ll Need:
10 to 15 minutes
Nothing!
Instructions:
1. Break the group up into groups of three
2. Assign the role of speaker, listener, and observer to each
member
3. The speaker talks about a certain issue that he or she feels
strongly about. This can be as serious or as crazy as the
speaker wants.
4. When the speaker is finished, the listener reflects, as
accurately as possible, the content of what the speaker
discussed
5. The observer then determines how accurate the listener’s
portrayal of the speaker’s monologue was.
6. Switch roles, so that each person has the chance to play
the role of speaker, listener, and observer.
THE CHALLENGE NETWORK // THE IDEAS BIBLE // 2011 // PAGE 22
Back-2-Back
How Long it Takes:
What You’ll Need:
15 minutes
Nothing!
Instructions:
1. Have the group split up into groups of two.
2. Each pair sits back to back, each person asks the other
five questions.
3. Afterwards, have them discuss what it felt like to actively
talk and listen without looking at the other person directly.
What does this say about the various aspects of
communication and what it takes to communicate
effectively?
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Blindly sorted
How Long it Takes:
What You’ll Need:
10 minutes
blindfolds
Instructions:
1. All members of the group are blindfolded. They have the
challenge of standing in a row according to size, age etc.
Talking is not allowed. How quickly can the groups solve
the different tasks?
THE CHALLENGE NETWORK // THE IDEAS BIBLE // 2011 // PAGE 23
((
))
Dodgeball
What You’ll Need:
How Long it Takes:
20 minutes
A long rope/piece of string;
approximately 5 balls to
throw
Instructions:
2. Mark off a square area using the string
3. Select a group of people to be inside the square area. This
group could be organized as boys or girls only, teams, age
etc.
4. Everyone else stands outside the sectioned off area and
throws balls (below the knees) at the people playing
5. When hit, the player is out and must stand outside the
playing area
6. The last person playing is the winner!
THE CHALLENGE NETWORK // THE IDEAS BIBLE // 2011 // PAGE 24
Danish Rounders
How Long it Takes:
What You’ll Need:
25 minutes
A volleyball (or a similar type
of ball); three objects to
indicate where the bases are
Instructions:
1. Split the group up into two groups
2. One team lines up behind the home plate, the other stands
in the field by each of the three bases, just like in baseball
3. The batter at the home plate kicks the ball out into the
playing area
4. The batter then runs around the bases
5. Someone from the other team must catch the ball after it is
kicked and throw it to another team member. Their goal is
to try to get it to the base before the batter reaches it
6. If the ball beats the player home, he or she is out
7. If the batter beats the ball home, he or she scores a point
for his or her team
8. The team with the most points at the end of the game wins
THE CHALLENGE NETWORK // THE IDEAS BIBLE // 2011 // PAGE 25
Ultimate Frisbee
How Long it Takes:
What You’ll Need:
20 – 30 minutes
1 Frisbee; 4 objects to use as
markers for two sets of goal
posts at each end of the field
Instructions:
1. Set out two goal lines at either end of the playing area.
Divide the group up into two teams
2. The game starts with each team standing behind their goal
line facing the other team at the other end. One team
throws the Frisbee to the other team to start the game.
3. The goal of the game is for each team to pass the Frisbee
to another member of their team that is behind the goal
line, marked by the two objects acting as posts. If they can
do this, they get one point
4. Everytime a team scores, they change ends. To restart the
game the teams stand in their new goal areas and the
team with the Frisbee throws to the other team.
5. The only major rules are that players only pass the Frisbee
to other members of their team, and there is no tackling or
other forms of physical contact.
6. Players gain control of the Frisbee by either catching it or
knocking it down to the ground while in the air. They then
gain control of the Frisbee and throw it to their team
member.
THE CHALLENGE NETWORK // THE IDEAS BIBLE // 2011 // PAGE 26
Capture the Flag
How Long it Takes:
What You’ll Need:
30 minutes
Some string or rope to
outline each team’s territory
(if necessary); two items to
use as flags
Instructions:
1. Divide the group up into two teams
2. Mark out the territories for each team. Natural boundaries
such as a creek or hill could work. String or rope can also
be used for this purpose
3. Each team will receive their flags and hide them
4. Decide what will happen to people who are captured. They
can: a) be out, b) become a member of the other team, or
c) go to the jail, where they can only be released if a
member of their team successfully rescues them by
tagging them and running back together without being
caught by the other team
5. Each team now splits up into “attacker” or “defender”
groups. Attackers attempt to sneak across the enemy
border and bring the flag back without being caught.
Defenders work to protect their own flag
6. The first team to capture the flag and bring it back to their
side of the border without being tagged by a member of the
opposing team wins
THE CHALLENGE NETWORK // THE IDEAS BIBLE // 2011 // PAGE 27
“Killer”
How Long it Takes:
What You’ll Need:
20 – 25 minutes
1 ball; a few feet of string or
rope
Instructions:
1. If there is enough string or rope available, use it to mark
out the shape of two connected squares
2. Divide the group up into two teams, with each team in one
square. If there is not enough string to do this, simply
indicate the territories for each team and place a dividing
line in the middle
3. Like in dodge ball, each team tries to hit members of the
other team below the knee with the ball
4. If someone is hit by the ball, they are out; if they catch it
(without the ball bouncing), the person who threw it is out
5. When a person is out, they move behind the other team’s
square. While standing there, if they successfully receive
the ball from a member of their team on the other side,
they can use it to hit members of the opposing team. If
they get someone then they are no longer out and can
return to their team’s side
6. The winning team is the team who gets everyone “out” at
the same time.
THE CHALLENGE NETWORK // THE IDEAS BIBLE // 2011 // PAGE 28
Kick the Can
How Long it Takes:
What You’ll Need:
20 minutes
A can! (or something to
defend)
Instructions:
1. Ask for five volunteers to be “it” (this number can change
depending on the exact size of the group). The people who
are “it” must protect their can from being kicked or knocked
over, otherwise they lose the game
2. Everyone else tries to knock over or kick the can
3. If someone tries to kick the can and they are tagged, then
they’re out
4. If someone does manage to kick the can, then everyone
else wins the game
5. If the people who are it tag every person, they win. They
can also win if they manage to successfully protect the can
for 20 minutes
THE CHALLENGE NETWORK // THE IDEAS BIBLE // 2011 // PAGE 29
Sardines
How Long it Takes:
What You’ll Need:
10 - 20 minutes
Nothing
Instructions:
A classic game which works well with large groups.
Set a few ground rules before playing i.e.
 No hiding in dangerous places
 No damaging rooms or furniture etc.
1. Designate someone as the ‘hider’ for the first round.
2. Tell them to hide while the rest of the group close their
eyes
3. When they are hidden the rest of the groups split up and
look for the hider.
4. The aim of the game is to find the hider and then hide with
them without the rest of the group seeing you.
5. Gradually there will be more and more people squashed in
with the hider (hence the name of the game)
6. The game finishes when there is only one person left
looking for the hider
7. A second round can be played with the last person looking
from the previous round becoming the hider.
THE CHALLENGE NETWORK // THE IDEAS BIBLE // 2011 // PAGE 30
Tadpole to Superman
How Long it Takes:
What You’ll Need:
5 to 10 minutes
Nothing!
Instructions:
1. Every member of the team starts out as a tadpole (and
moving around as a tadpole). Each tadpole challenges
another tadpole to a game of rock, paper, scissors.
2. The winner moves up, becoming a chicken (they must walk
around, flapping their wings and clucking like a chicken,
too!). The loser remains a tadpole and can only challenge
other tadpoles.
3. Chickens challenge other chickens. Whoever wins
becomes a monkey. Whoever loses becomes a tadpole.
4. Monkeys challenge other monkeys. The loser moves down
to a chicken and the winner becomes superman.
5. The first person to become superman is the winner! Note:
tadpoles can only challenge other tadpoles; chickens can
only challenge other chickens, etc.
THE CHALLENGE NETWORK // THE IDEAS BIBLE // 2011 // PAGE 31
1-Clap-Three!
How Long it Takes:
What You’ll Need:
5 to 10 minutes
Nothing!
Instructions:
1. Ask everyone to sit in a circle and pair up. Alternatively, the
facilitator can simply ask the group to break into pairs.
2. Each pair must count to three. For example, partner 1 says
“1”, partner two says “2”, and then partner three says “3”.
Ask them to count to three in this way a few times, getting
faster and faster.
3. Next, replace saying “2” with a clap. If one or both of the
partners make a mistake, start the counting again, with
each person clapping when they come to the number 2.
4. Replace “1” with a snap, keeping “2” replaced with the
clap. Now the partners are counting with two replacements
and only saying “3”.
5. Finally, replace “3” with a stomp! See how long each pair
can keep this up without making a mistake 
THE CHALLENGE NETWORK // THE IDEAS BIBLE // 2011 // PAGE 32
The Countdown!
How Long it Takes:
What You’ll Need:
5 minutes
Nothing!
Instructions:
1. Ask the team to form a circle
2. Tell them they will be counting down from 10 using their
arms and legs! The facilitator can demonstrate how it
works first and the rest of the team will quickly catch on
3. The countdown starts by shaking your right arm ten times,
counting out loud
4. Do the same with your left arm, then lift your leg and shake
it 10 times, counting down from 10, and do the same with
your right (by now you have shaken both arms and both
legs, counting down from 10 each time)
5. Repeat this process, now shaking each arm and leg nine
times. Next do this eight times, and so on until you get to 1!
6. You can repeat the whole activity if necessary and try to
increase the speed to raise the energy of the group!
THE CHALLENGE NETWORK // THE IDEAS BIBLE // 2011 // PAGE 33
Dog and Bone
How Long it Takes:
What You’ll Need:
10 to 15 minutes
One object that team
members can grab that will
act as the “bone”
Instructions:
1. Divide the team up into two equal teams and have them line
up facing one another with about a 3 metre space in
between them
2. Place the object that is the “bone” in the centre between the
two lines
3. Give each player a number that corresponds with another
member of the other team. For example, there will be two
#1s, two #2s, two #3s, etc.
4. The facilitator then calls a number and both players with that
number must race to try and grab the bone first. Whoever
grabs the bone first wins a point for his or her team
5. The facilitator can run the game like this for a while and then
add the twist
6. Twist: The facilitator calls out a number and the two players
compete, as they did previously, but this time you can also
get a point if you tag the person who grabbed the bone
7. Now you can get a point in two ways: 1) you grab the bone
first and bring it back to your team’s side without being
tagged, or: 2) you don’t grab the bone first, but tag the
person who does before they reach their side.
THE CHALLENGE NETWORK // THE IDEAS BIBLE // 2011 // PAGE 34
Time bomb
How Long it Takes:
What You’ll Need:
5 minutes
Nothing!
Instructions:
1. Instruct everyone to stand up. Ask them to look around the
group and, without telling anyone else, to choose one
person in their group who is their bomb (who will explode if
they get close to them).
2. Once they have done this ask them, again without telling
anyone, to choose someone who is their shield (who will
protect them from their bomb)
3. Once everyone has done this instruct them that for the
next 5-10 minutes they need to do everything ensure that
their shield is always between them and their bomb. If that
isn’t the case at the end of the time then they will die.
4. Everyone should then run around trying to do this for the 5
minutes. Once the time is up shout “Bang” and get
everyone to own up to who was their bomb and who was
their shield.
THE CHALLENGE NETWORK // THE IDEAS BIBLE // 2011 // PAGE 35
Earth, Air, Water
How Long it Takes:
What You’ll Need:
10 to 15 minutes
One ball
Instructions:
1. Have the team form a circle with the facilitator standing in
the middle
2. The facilitator throws the ball to a person in the circle,
saying: “earth”, “air,” or “water”
3. The person receiving the ball must think of one animal that
lives in one of these three places as he or she throws it
back to the facilitator
4. If the player hesitates or says an incorrect answer, he or
she is out and must sit down
5. The facilitator speeds the game up by throwing the ball
faster and faster as the circle gets smaller and smaller.
THE CHALLENGE NETWORK // THE IDEAS BIBLE // 2011 // PAGE 36
Knights, Castles, Dragons
How Long it Takes:
What You’ll Need:
10 to 15 minutes
Nothing
Instructions:
1. Ask the group to stand in a circle. Explain to them that the
aim of the game is to form groups based on the
instructions you call. If you call “Knights” everyone must
pair up with one other person, if you call “dragon” everyone
must try to get into a group of three, and if you call “castle”
everyone must try to get into a group of 5.
2. If anyone does not manage to get into a group of the
correct number then they are out.
3. Vary your calls until there are just 3 people left and then
call “knights”, which will then leave you with the two
winners!
THE CHALLENGE NETWORK // THE IDEAS BIBLE // 2011 // PAGE 37
I Love You, Honey
How Long it Takes:
What You’ll Need:
10 minutes
Nothing!
Instructions:
1. Have the group form a circle, with one person standing in
the middle.
2. The person in the middle walks over to one person in the
circle and tells him or her, ‘I love you, honey.”
3. The chosen “victim” must respond by saying, “I love you
too, but I just can’t smile” without smiling.
4. If the victim does smile, he or she must either replace the
person in the centre of the circle and repeat the process,
trying to make their chosen “victims” smile, or they can join
the person in the middle and they can both choose victims
who they can tempt to smile 
THE CHALLENGE NETWORK // THE IDEAS BIBLE // 2011 // PAGE 38
Screamer
How Long it Takes:
What You’ll Need:
5-10 minutes
Nothing!
Instructions:
1. Get everyone standing in a circle. When you say “Heads
down”, everyone has to look down and think of someone in
the group.
2. When you say “Heads up”, everyone has to look up and
immediately stare at that person.
3. If that person is not staring back at them, then they’re still
in. However, if they are staring back at them, then they
both have to scream loudly. They are both out.
4. Last one in wins.
THE CHALLENGE NETWORK // THE IDEAS BIBLE // 2011 // PAGE 39
Would You Rather…
How Long it Takes:
What You’ll Need:
10 to 15 minutes
Some pens or pencils, a few
scrap sheets or pieces of
paper (one per person). A
hat, cup, or small container
Instructions:
1. Ask everyone to sit in a circle and hand out one pen/pencil,
and one piece of paper to each person.
2. Instruct everyone that they will have five minutes to write
down a question: ‘Would you rather……’
3. Give the group an example, such as: “would you rather live
without a TV or a computer?” or “would you rather have a
lot of money and no true friends, or true friends but little to
no money?”
4. Once they are done writing the questions, collect them in
the hat, bowl, or whatever is being used as a container
5. Each person will then pick one question from the hat and
ask the person to their right, who in turn will do the same,
until everyone has had a chance to both ask and answer.
THE CHALLENGE NETWORK // THE IDEAS BIBLE // 2011 // PAGE 40
Chain Storytelling
How Long it Takes:
What You’ll Need:
10 to 15 minutes
Nothing!
Instructions:
1. Have the group sit in a circle
2. One person is chosen to start the story by saying one
sentence.
3. The person to their right continues by adding another
sentence, and so on until the person at the end has to
recite the entire story
4. Team members can help each other remember the story
as it goes on (if necessary) as this will facilitate cooperation and a quieter form of team building at the end of
the day
5. Could repeat the process with a new story if time permits
THE CHALLENGE NETWORK // THE IDEAS BIBLE // 2011 // PAGE 41
Zen Counting
How Long it Takes
What You’ll Need:
10 to 15 minutes
Nothing!
Instructions:
1. Sit the whole group down and instruct them that they, as a
team, must count from 1 to 50
2. The trick is that the team must count out loud together, but
only one person can say one number at a time. If two
people shout out the same number at the same time,
everyone must start from 1 all over again
Requires everyone to be aware of one another and work
together as a team
THE CHALLENGE NETWORK // THE IDEAS BIBLE // 2011 // PAGE 42
20 Questions
How Long it Takes:
What You’ll Need:
10 to 15 minutes
Nothing!
Instructions:
1. Divide the team up into groups of 4
2. Ask one person in each group to be the leader, or the
facilitator can choose this person.
3. The leader must think of an object, and tell his or her team
that it is classified as: animal, vegetable, or mineral.
4. Each team member must take a turn asking a question that
can be answered with a yes or no question.
5. Each team only gets 20 questions to figure out what the
object is.
6. Could also have the teams compete by seeing which team
deduced what the object was in the least number of
questions
THE CHALLENGE NETWORK // THE IDEAS BIBLE // 2011 // PAGE 43
Poetry Consequences
How Long it Takes:
What You’ll Need:
Approximately 15 minutes
12 sheets of paper and 12
pens/pencils
Instructions:
1. Give each team member one piece of paper and one pen
or pencil
2. Each person writes down three rhyming lines on his or her
piece of paper.
3. They then fold each sheet of paper so that the first two
lines of the poem are covered.
4. Then they pass this sheet to the person to their left. This
next person can only see the third line that the other
person had written.
5. They then write a second and third line before folding the
paper so the first two lines are not visible to the person
next to them, and the process repeats itself
6. This continues until each person receives their original
poem.
7. Once the circle is complete, each person can read their
original poem to the team – it should be interesting and
funny!
THE CHALLENGE NETWORK // THE IDEAS BIBLE // 2011 // PAGE 44
The Chair Game
How Long it Takes:
What You’ll Need:
10 to 20 minutes. Can be
as long or as short as
needed depending on
how many rounds the
facilitator decides to do.
Chairs (one for every person)
Instructions:
1. Instruct the group to sit in a circle with their chairs, with one
person in the middle. The facilitator can volunteer to sit in
the middle for the first round, or one of the team members
can volunteer. The aim of the speaker in the middle is to be
able to sit down.
2. The speaker makes a statement that he or she believes
may team members will be able to relate to, such as:
“anyone who likes Pepsi, move.”
3. The last person to find a chair must sit in the middle.
4. Repeat this process as many times as needed.
5. For the first round the questions can be anything, but after a
few tell the team ask questions about the day i.e. ‘anyone
who was scared climbing the wall today, move’, or ‘anyone
who liked my cooking’ move’
THE CHALLENGE NETWORK // THE IDEAS BIBLE // 2011 // PAGE 45
Playing Card Roulette
How Long it Takes:
10 to 15 minutes
What You’ll Need:
Blank Playing cards from the
Team Leader
Instructions:
1. In advance write a number of sentence starters on blank
playing cards. Minimum of 15 cards – but the more the
better.
2. Shuffle the cards and have each team member (and
yourself) draw out a card. In whatever order you choose
have everyone complete the sentences on their card.
Examples of sentences that could be used include:
 Something I feel I
contributed to the group…
 I wish I had…
 My thoughts are…
 If I had a camera…
 I feel frustrated when…
 If I could do it again I would…
 The hardest thing for me
was…
 I wish I had been asked…
 The easiest thing for me
was…
 My motivation went down
when…
 What surprised me was…
 Something I knew would
happen was…
 Nobody listened when…
 I’m really pleased that I…
 I felt like going home when…
 I was annoyed when…
 I was helped by…
 I helped…
 I appreciated…
 I’d like to complain about…
 I’d like to tell the group…
THE CHALLENGE NETWORK // THE IDEAS BIBLE // 2011 // PAGE 46
The Question Hat
How Long it Takes:
What You’ll Need:
15 to 20 minutes
Some pieces of paper and
pens/pencils; a hat
Instructions:
1. Give each team member
a small piece of paper
and a pen or pencil.
2. Ask them to write down a
question they have. The
question could be related
to what they have learned
today, or to a question
about something that
came up that day, an idea
they have for reflection, or
various other categories.
The team leader may
choose one theme
specifically, or can leave it
open to individuals to
pose any questions that
they feel are relevant.
3. After approximately 5
minutes, the team leader
will collect each of the
questions in a hat.
4. The leader will then give
the hat to one person,
who will pick a question
randomly from the hat.
5. The person will then
provide an answer to the
question. If time permits,
the team leader can also
ask others for their
opinion
6. Pass the hat around the
circle until everyone in the
group has picked a
question and answered it.
THE CHALLENGE NETWORK // THE IDEAS BIBLE // 2011 // PAGE 47
Telephone Calls
How Long it Takes:
What You’ll Need:
15 to 20 minutes
Nothing!
Instructions:
1. Sit the team down in a group and ask them, “if you had
only one minute of credit left to tell someone about today
who would you call and what would you say?”
2. Depending on the mood of the group, and the level of trust
established between them, the team leader could probe
deeper by asking someone else to role play with this
person and they could actually “have” the telephone call.
3. If step number 2 seems too deep, the team leader can
simply ask the person why they choose this person? Why
is making this call important? What does that say about
themselves, their lives, and their priorities?
THE CHALLENGE NETWORK // THE IDEAS BIBLE // 2011 // PAGE 48
Pilot, Participant, Passenger, Protestor,
Prisoner
How Long it Takes:
What You’ll Need:
Approximately 15 minutes
5 pieces of paper or five signs
saying “participant”,
“passenger”, “protestor”,
“prisoner” and “pilot”.
Instructions:
1. Team leaders can discuss with the group that a team is
typically (and very generally speaking), comprised of five
different roles:
 Participant: Someone who gets involved and participates
 Passenger: Someone who is happy just along for the ride
 Protestor: Someone who tries to go a different way
 Prisoner: Someone who feels trapped and wants to escape
 Pilot: Someone who guides and leads
2. Place the five pieces of paper, or signs, around the room.
3. Walk the team members through the day, asking them to place
themselves in one of the corners depending on the role they
played in the team during that particular time or activity.
4. Each time they are in their respective corners, discuss what
them playing that role at that time meant for the team dynamic.
Was this helpful and beneficial or did it detract from team
spirit? Why or why not? What does it mean to be passenger,
versus a prisoner, when the team is about to embark on a
particularly difficult challenge, for example?
THE CHALLENGE NETWORK // THE IDEAS BIBLE // 2011 // PAGE 49
The 1 Minute Soap Box
How Long it Takes:
What You’ll Need:
Approximately 25 minutes
Nothing!
Instructions:
1. Tell the group that they will each have one minute (that will
be timed) to speak about something that happened to them
today
2. Give each member one minute to decide on what they
would like to speak about. Do not allow them to discuss this
with other members of the team
3. Ask one participant to come up to the “soap box” and start
speaking for a minute. If they can make it for a minute they
win a point.
4. The only rules are that they have to stay on the same topic,
and they can’t hesitate for more than a second.
5. If another team member thinks that they have hesitated or
moved off the original topic then they can ‘challenge’. If the
Project Managers think the challenge is correct then the
challenger can take over the remaining time with their own
topic to try to win the point.
6. Whoever is speaking at the end of the minute wins.
7. Team leaders can use this activity for general issues, or it
can be used to solicit discussion on a particular topic (e.g.
sharing, communication, safety, risk, etc.)
THE CHALLENGE NETWORK // THE IDEAS BIBLE // 2011 // PAGE 50
1-2-All
How Long it Takes:
What You’ll Need:
15 to 20 minutes
Nothing
Instructions:
1. The Project Managers think of a question about the
activities the team has done in the day i.e. ‘How difficult did
you find meeting the Elderly People today?’
2. Each person places themselves on a point on a curved
spectrum to show where the stand on an issue (chosen by
the group leaders) (1!)
3. Give everyone a couple of minutes to talk with their
neighbour about why they chose this particular position (2!)
4. Everyone is asked to look at the overall pattern and
individual positions that other team members have chosen.
5. The Project Managers then asks one of the people to
explain why they have chosen to stand. People are then
able to change their position based on what that person
said. Project Managers can then ask another person. (All!)
6. This encourages the more outspoken people to ask
questions to the more shy members of the group. More
effective than the facilitator simply directing questions to the
quieter members of the group so that everyone is engaged.
THE CHALLENGE NETWORK // THE IDEAS BIBLE // 2011 // PAGE 51
Moment of TRU’th
How Long it Takes:
What You’ll Need:
10 minutes
Nothing
Instructions:
7. Ask everyone to take two minutes to think of an example of
Trust, Responsibility, or Understanding & Empathy that they
have seen or been part of in the day. (i.e. Today I
experienced Trust when I had to abseil down a cliff)
8. Once everyone has thought of at least one thing ask each
person to share and discuss what was good about it and
what they can learn from it.
THE CHALLENGE NETWORK // THE IDEAS BIBLE // 2011 // PAGE 52
Metaphor map
How Long it Takes:
What You’ll Need:
15 minutes
Pens and Paper for everybody
Instructions:
1. Split the team into groups of three and give each group
pens and a sheet of paper.
2. Ask them to draw a metaphorical map of what the day
looked like (i.e. confusion could be represented by a dense
forest, good morale could be a beach, or they could have
been up the creek without a paddle) and the route they
thought the team took through that terrain.
3. Once they have done this get the groups to present their
metaphor maps and discuss what route they would take if
they were to do the day again.
THE CHALLENGE NETWORK // THE IDEAS BIBLE // 2011 // PAGE 53
The next 10 pages consist of helpful words and phrases and
their respective symbols. These are to be used to aid
communication with young people who have communication
difficulties. We have tried to organise the vocabulary according
to what is most relevant to each phase of the summer
programme. Take the time to look through these phrases. While
they were made primarily with young people with
communication and learning difficulties in mind they can also
serve as a good communication tool for the whole team.
THE CHALLENGE NETWORK // THE IDEAS BIBLE // 2011 // PAGE 54
Communicating in Print: How was your
day?
THE CHALLENGE NETWORK // THE IDEAS BIBLE // 2011 // PAGE 55
THE CHALLENGE NETWORK // THE IDEAS BIBLE // 2011 // PAGE 56
Communicating in Print: the Personal Challenge
THE CHALLENGE NETWORK // THE IDEAS BIBLE // 2011 // PAGE 57
THE CHALLENGE NETWORK // THE IDEAS BIBLE // 2011 // PAGE 58
Communicating in Print: the Team Challenge Presentation day
THE CHALLENGE NETWORK // THE IDEAS BIBLE // 2011 // PAGE 59
Communicating in Print: the Team Challenge (morning)
THE CHALLENGE NETWORK // THE IDEAS BIBLE // 2011 // PAGE 60
cating in Print: the Team Challenge (afternoon)
THE CHALLENGE NETWORK // THE IDEAS BIBLE // 2011 // PAGE 61
Communicating in Print: The Team Challenge (showcase)
THE CHALLENGE NETWORK // THE IDEAS BIBLE // 2011 // PAGE 62
THE CHALLENGE NETWORK // THE IDEAS BIBLE // 2011 // PAGE 63
Communicating in Print: the Real Challenge (Professional visit)
Communicating in Print: the Real Challenge (Dragons Pitch)
THE CHALLENGE NETWORK // THE IDEAS BIBLE // 2011 // PAGE 64
Use the following pages to add any extra
games/activities/reviews etc.
THE CHALLENGE NETWORK // THE IDEAS BIBLE // 2011 // PAGE 65
THE CHALLENGE NETWORK // THE IDEAS BIBLE // 2011 // PAGE 66
THE CHALLENGE NETWORK // THE IDEAS BIBLE // 2011 // PAGE 67