Young Life Green Bay Club Games
2-by-4 Sky Diving
Two guys hold a 2x6x4 board. Blindfolded girl gets on board, and guys lift it 2 inches off ground. Person in front of girl, holding her hands, continues kneeling lower, giving illusion to
person on board that she is really lifted high. Guys shake board as if straining. Have person on board jump off.
40-Inch Dash
Give three guys a 40-inch piece of string with a marshmallow tied to one end. They place the loose end in their mouths and, using no hands, race to eat their way to the marshmallow.
Amplified Telephone Call
Get a speakerphone or amplification device. Select kids and call home. Have them try to get their parents to say a phrase. Or they can call friends ... try to convince a guy/girl to go on
a blind date, convince a friend to come and change a baby’s dirty diaper.
Apple Pass
Line up each team single file. Have a person begin with an apple in his/her mouth, pass it to the next person and so forth down the line. You can also have each person take a bite of
the apple as he/she passes it.
Apple Wrap Around
Have two teams of three. Put a PVC pipe between the waists of two people and have the third person lay on the ground. Hang an apple from a string. Using body motion, wrap the
apple around the pipe, then kneel and let the third person eat it.
Autographs
Hand out 10 non-permanent pens to girls. Have five guys each remove one shoe and sock. They have three minutes to collect as many female signatures as possible on the soles of
their feet. You might want to limit each girl to a certain number of guys.
Baby Feeding
Have guys sit on girls’ laps and drink a baby bottle filled with coke and then get burped. Give points for the loudest or longest (or have them burp every 10 seconds). It is funny to put
the guys in diapers and a bonnet.
Baby Pictures
Get baby pictures of a lot of kids and show them on a projector (or make slides). Have everyone guess who is in each picture.
Balloon Burst
Without hands, using only bodies (or butts), break as many balloons as possible in a given time.
Balloon Bust with Strobe Light
Tie balloons around ankles and turn on the strobe light. Have kids try to break each other's balloons.
Balloon Contest
Divide the club in half. Have two different colors of balloons. Have half of each team try to pop the other team's balloons, and the other half try to keep their team's balloons in the air.
Balloon Golf
Put a penny into each round balloon (makes it hard to aim) then blow it up. Make a club by rolling up a newspaper. Use cardboard boxes for holes.
Balloon Shave
Have one person sit in a chair with a water balloon on his head. Another person covers the balloon with shaving cream, then shaves it off.
Balloon Sitting
A race to see who can break more balloons in a given time by sitting on them. Make the last one a water balloon.
Balloon Smash
Each person ties a blown-up balloon around his waist, hanging it over his back end. Each person receives a rolled-up newspaper. Try to break the others' balloons while protecting
his/her own.
Balloon Squeeze
Pair off kids. Have each pair face each other. Place a large balloon between them. They must turn all the way around, then hug to pop the balloon. If the balloon drops, they must start
over. When the balloon pops, they start with another until they've popped three. You can make one a water balloon (or filled with shaving cream).
Balloon Stuff
Have teams blow up and stuff balloons into a girl's sweat suit. Count balloons by bursting with a pin. Variation: You can make some of them water balloons.
Balloon Triathalon
Three kids compete in three events: 1) Blow up a balloon until it pops. 2) Blow up a balloon without using their hands. 3) Blow up a balloon with their nostril.
Banana Splits in Mouth
Lay guys on ground, girls stand over them and drop ingredients into guys' mouths. Banana, chocolate syrup, whipped cream, cherry. Can blindfold girls. Put garbage bag on guys so
not as messy.
Baseball Bat Spin
Divide your group into teams. Each team gets a baseball bat , which is placed on one end of the playing area, with the team lined up at the other end. The object of this relay is for
each team member to run to the bat, put his forehead on the bat (in a vertical position) and run around the bat 10 times while in that position. He then returns to the team, usually so
dizzy that getting back to the team is a difficult and a fun-to-watch experience.
Birdie on the Perch (Big Group)
All girls stand in a circle, and the guys form a circle around them. Everyone must be paired off with someone of the opposite sex in the opposite circle. When the music plays, the girls
walk clockwise and the guys walk counterclockwise. When the music stops, they must find their partner, and the girl must sit on the guy’s knee. The last couple to find each other will
be out. A variation for this game is to have a leader calling out two parts of the body as the music stops. For instance, “elbow to ear.” Each couple must find their partner and touch one
person’s elbow to the other’s ear.
Bubble Buns (Big Group)
Establish a starting line and a finish line, and have kids form teams of four to six. Give each person a balloon to inflate and tie. Have the first two players of each team stand back-toback at the starting line and wedge two balloons between their bottoms while the other team members simply hold their balloons. The entire team must then walk to the finish line
without dropping any balloons. When the team reaches the finish line, have three team members wedge three balloons between their bottoms. Then the entire team must walk back to
the starting line, where they should add a fourth person and balloon. Continue until the team is transporting all their balloons without dropping any of them. The first team to carry all
the balloons across the playing area wins.
Collision (Big Group)
Have two or more teams on opposite sides of a field or court. Both teams run to the other side as fast as they can, before the other team – causing collisions. Do this crawling, walking
backward, rolling, on all-fours with stomachs up, somersaulting, etc.
Great Race (Big Group)
Divide the group into teams, with at least 40 kids on each one. Direct each team to select different kids to participate in each of the team events so that everyone gets an opportunity to
play. Begin by dispersing kids to the specific event areas where they’ll participate. As the race begins, the first person should run from a starting line to the first event with the open bag
of jellybeans. The person is to hand the bag of jellybeans to the kids doing that event. After the first activity is complete, one person should run to the next event with the bag of
jellybeans. The kids there should complete their activity and run the jellybeans to the next activity area. Teams should continue in this manner until the bag of jellybeans has been
raced around the field. At the end of the race, count the jellybeans left in the bag and add one second to a team’s time for each jellybean that’s missing. The object of the race is to
finish with as few jellybeans lost as possible. The following events will help you get started: Human Obstacle Course (using people as obstacles) Water Drink (a person drinks 10 cups
of water) Human Pyramid (10 people form a pyramid) Sink a Putt (a person makes a 10-foot putt into a hole) Circle Sit-Down (kids form a circle and sit on each other’s knees for 15
seconds) Folding Chair Race (the first person in line unfolds, sits in and refolds a chair, then passes it down the line) Paper Plane Flight (a person makes and throws a paper plane 10
feet) Over and Under with a Bag of Beans (kids in a line pass the bag over and under using their hands) Two Carry One (two people carry a third, who is holding the bag of jellybeans)
Sprint to the Finish (kids run a 50-yard dash back to the starting line)
Mattress Race (Big Group)
Best when you do this outside and with old mattresses!
New Volleyball (Big Group)
Here is a great new way to play the old game of volleyball. New Volleyball can be played on a regular volleyball court with the normal number of players on each team. A regular
volleyball is used as well. The main difference is the scoring. Playing: The object of the game is for a team to volley the ball as many times as possible without missing or fouling (up to
50 times) before hitting it back over the net to the opposing team, which will make every attempt to return it without missing. If they do miss, the opposite team receives as many points
as they volleyed before returning it. All volleys must be counted audibly by the entire team (or by scorers on the sidelines), which aids in the scoring process and also helps build
tension. So the idea is to volley the ball as many times as possible each time the ball comes over the net, then to safely return it and hope that the other team blows it. Other rules are
as follows: No person may hit the ball two consecutive times. No two people may hit the ball back and forth to each other more than once in a succession to increase the number of
volleys. In other words, Player A may hit it to player B, but Player B may not hit it back to Player A. Player A may hit it again once someone else has hit it besides Player B. Five points
are awarded to the serving team if the opposing team fails to return a serve. Five points are awarded to the receiving team if a serve is missed (out of bounds, in the net, etc.). Players
rotate on each serve, even if the serving team scores on successive serves. A game is 15 minutes. The highest score wins. All other volleyball rules are in effect.
Penguin Football (Big Group)
Give each person a rag about 4 inches wide and 2 feet long (sheets torn into strips work well). Each person then ties the rag securely around his knees to make running impossible.
Players can move only by shuffling their feet. Now divide into teams and play football using a Nerf ball. The game becomes hilarious when players must hike, run, throw and kick with
their knees tied together. Of course, this opens up the possibility of playing Penguin Baseball, Penguin Volleyball, Penguin Soccer and countless other games.
Pillow Pass-Over
Have kids form two equal teams. Then have teams form a large circle, with one team forming half of the circle and the other team forming the other half. Have everyone hold hands
and place a sofa pillow in the center of the circle. At your signal, each side should begin pulling, trying to make some player from the other team touch the sofa pillow. Players may
jump to avoid the pillow, but they must keep holding hands. As soon as a player touches the pillow, he or she must drop out of the circle. If players let go of each other’s hands, both
players are out. After about five minutes of strenuous pulling and jumping, the team with more players left in the game wins.
Pull Up (Big Group)
Everyone sits and forms a circle facing the middle, except for five boys and five girls who start the game. (They are in the middle, standing.) At a whistle the 10 in the center run to the
people sitting and “pull up” a person of the opposite sex by taking their hands and pulling them up. The first person takes their place on the ground. The second person then runs to the
other side of the circle and does the same to someone else of the opposite sex and so on. This continues for one minute, the whistle blows, and everyone stops where they are. The
boys and girls left standing are counted. If there are two more girls than boys, the boys get two points. The game continues this way. Every time a minute goes by, the whistle blows
and those standing are counted. The idea is sort of a random “musical chairs,” boys against the girls. The team with the least left standing each time wins.
Savage Women (Big Group)
All of the guys get inside a circle, sit down, huddle together in any position and lock arms and legs. The girls attempt to pull the guys out of the circle any way they can, while the guys
try to stay in. The last guy to remain in the circle is the winner. Guys cannot fight the girls … all they are allowed to do is hang on and try to stay in.
Steal the Bacon (Big Group)
Divide your group in half and send each team to opposite ends of a playing field, no more than 100 feet apart. Have each team line up horizontally, facing their opponents, evenly
spaced. In the very middle of the playing field, place a towel, ball or other object that can serve as the “bacon.” Number off each team member from one to the number of people in that
group and have them stand in order. The object of the game is to steal the bacon. You call out a number and the two people from each team with that number must run to the middle of
the playing field to steal the bacon. If a player picks up the bacon and returns safely to his team without getting tagged, he wins. If the player who steals the bacon gets tagged by the
other person, he loses and the other player wins. Continue until everyone has had at least one chance.
Team Keep-Away (Big Group)
Have kids form two teams. Explain that teammates will try to throw a ball back and forth to one another while the other team tries to intercept the throw. A team scores one point every
time members complete three consecutive passes -- to three different teammates -- without an interception. The first team to score five points wins.
Tug-O-War (Big Group)
Break up into teams and play Tug-O-War. A rope that is tied together into a circle works great too.
Ultimate Frisbee (Big Group)
Split up into two teams. Assign each team an end zone. Each team has to get the Frisbee across its goal line without dropping it to score. You can’t run with the Frisbee either. It must
be thrown from teammate to teammate.
Blind Lineup
Divide into teams. Blindfold a team and tell them to line up in order from shortest to tallest. When they think they are finished, they yell done and are checked.
Blind Rope Jump
Select two guys, and tell them they are in a contest to see who jumps rope best. Have two girls twirl while the first guy jumps normally, then you blindfold him and tell him the crowd will
clap when he should jump. After a couple of successful practice tries, tell him you’ll see how many he can jump in 60 seconds. The crowd claps in rhythm to give the pace, only the
girls put the rope down. The pace is increased until frantic.
Blind Shoe Grab
Pick five guys and five girls. Pair each girl with a guy slave. Each girl takes off a shoe. Mix up the shoes, then blindfold the guys. Girls must verbally direct the guys to their shoes and
back to where they started.
Blindfolded Obstacle Course
Sell the game as a depth perception test. Make a large open space and place obstacles that must be walked around, crawled over or under, etc. Have them practice going through the
course, then have them try blindfolded. Before they start, remove all but the first obstacle.
Blindfolded Water Fight
Pick two guys and two girls for this game. Let one guy and one girl stay in the club room, and take the other guy and girl away someplace and blindfold them. While they are being
blindfolded, put two water pistols in the room somewhere. When the blindfolded kids come in, have the girl from the first group direct the girl from the second group to one of the
pistols, and do the same with the guys. Once they each find their pistol, have the non-blindfolded kids instruct them so they can have a water fight with each other. Allow the crowd to
give directions for a direct hit. Make it more difficult by instructing them to hit a leader, or another variation.
Blow Penny Out of Cup
Put a penny in the bottom of a cup. Have a blindfolded person try to blow it out, then replace it with a cup of flour.
Bob for Apples
Tie an apple on a string, blindfold guy and girl teams. Have someone hold the apple between them as they race to eat it. You can pull it out of the way a couple of times
Body Charade
Divide into two groups. Give a person a phrase like "blow your nose." They must relate the phrase to their group a letter at a time using their body to form the letters (no finger
spelling). As a variation, time the group. The group who has the most correct guesses wins.
Bugga Bugga Boo
Teach a cheer. A leader gets kids to do EXACTLY what he does. Repeat Bugga Bugga Boo each time, getting more excited until you stand up ... then sit down after an assistant puts
a wet sponge under the kids. Last time you can have the assistant double-cross the teacher and put to sponge under him.
Candle Blowing Contest
Make two guys face each other at a table, each with a candle, a big cup of water and some matches. The object is to drink your entire cup of water, but you can only drink when your
candle is lit. Can't use hands for anything other than drinking or lighting candle, so options are to drink, blow out opponent's candle or light yours.
Charades
Divide the club into teams and play, keeping cumulative time.
Charlie the Chicken
Go to the grocery store and get a fryer chicken. (Need to get a fairly good-sized one.) Stick your hand through the chicken and place ping-pong balls on two fingers for eyes. Then
have it do tricks like deep knee bends, etc.
Christmas Carol Contest
Divide into teams and give each team a set of instructions. Send each team in different directions. The group completing the most items wins. Instructions: Go to various houses and
sing a different carol (only one) at each house. Get someone to put his or her initials on the list below next to the appropriate item. Do as many as possible in the 30-minute time limit.
1. Sing all the verses of a carol in reverse order. 2. Sing a carol while sitting cross-legged (Indian style) on the front porch. 3. Sing a carol opera-style. 4. Sing a carol to someone who
is 5-years-old or younger. 5. Form a human pyramid and then sing a carol. 6. Sing a carol in someone's kitchen. 7. Sing a carol to someone who is 60 years old or older. 8. Sing a
carol around someone's Christmas tree. 9. Act out a carol while singing all the verses.
Christmas Trees (Human)
Each class decorates someone with ornaments and lights, etc. Plug in and sing Christmas carols.
Clothespins on Face
Only for tough men and women ... three teams. Girls clip as many pins on guys' ears, lips, etc. as they can in two minutes. — OR — Bring four students up front and have a lot of
clothespins for them. Give them one minute to put clothespins all over their own face. The one with the most clothespins at the end of the designated time is the winner.
Cocoa Puffs
Put Cocoa Puffs/Trix in kids' noses and have them shoot at a target.
Cold Toes
Fill two or three buckets with ice water. Put bunches of marbles in the bottom of each bucket. Have kids compete to see who can retrieve the most marbles using only their toes.
Corn Shuck
Guys race to see who can shuck an ear of corn the fastest using their bare feet.
Cotton Ball Competition
Give each team a pile of cotton balls. They must move cotton balls to another location using Vaseline on their noses. They must shake off without using hands.
Cotton Ball Drag Race
Line three or more kids up on a starting line made of masking tape. Have them get down on all fours. Give them each a flexible straw and a cotton ball. The goal is to race to see who
can blow their cotton ball and crawl down the 30 feet or so to the other masking tape finish line. The actual race is pretty quick, so plan on having a couple of rounds and a final "blow
off" to get your champion.
Cow Milking Contest
Two guys sit facing the audience. Give each a pail to hold between their knees. Hold above them a broomstick to which you've tied two laytex rubber gloves filled with water. Punch a
small hole in each finger tip. The guys milk the gloves.
Cowboy Sid
This is a race between two teams. The object is to see who can eat the most McDonald's hamburgers. The person who is going to eat sits on a guy who is the horse (make sure he
rocks like a horse), a helper feeds the burgers and a person rides the horse and eats the burger (can have one person be Igor and rub person's belly).
Cozy Mummy
Have kids stand back to back. Give them a roll of toilet paper and see who can do the best job wrapping themselves into a mummy.
Cricket Spitting
Buy some medium crickets at a pet store. Have kids spit them for distance.
Cupid Hunt
Choose two or three couples that are dating. Each guy has a target on his back. She tries to shoot him with ether a dart gun or cheap bow and arrow. Every time she misses, he gets a
pie in the face.
Dance or Dare
Bring contestants up front to a game show host and his assistant. Give them the choice to Dance or Dare. They then draw a card from the appropriate pile. If they choose dance, they
are given a dance and uniform (disco outfit, hand jive, twist). The dares are similar (sing Elvis style, etc).
Dancing Musical Chairs
Get six volunteers and have five chairs up front. Tell the volunteers that they are going to play musical chairs, but it's not just musical chairs but dancing musical chairs. Tell them that
they will have to dance, dance, dance when the music starts. Before you start the music, inform them that since this is Young Life they will have to do all of this blindfolded. Blindfold all
volunteers and start the music. Encourage other kids to cheer them on. After a couple of rounds, pull blindfolds off all kids but one. Cheer like mad and let them dance and scramble
for a seat. Keep it up til they figure it out.
Dateline
You will need a speakerphone. Pick a guy and tell him you are going to see how cool he can be getting a date. He will be given a date paid in full if he can get a random girl from
another high school to go out with him. Have him pick the girl. When he reads the number, you dial the number to an informed girl. She is to string him along but keep on saying "no."
Obviously, this can also be done with the girl calling a guy.
Dinner for Two
Two people must eat a sandwich. In front of them, they each have a candle and can only eat when their candle is lit. Object is to blow out the other person's candle and keep theirs lit
so they can eat the sandwich first.
Donut Olympics
Include such favorites as the chocolate donut on a string, the munchkin toss into the mouth, pass the donut with a toothpick and the donut roll with the nose.
Douse the Candle
Two blindfolded kids hold a lighted candle in one hand and a water pistol in the other. They try to extinguish each other's candle.
Duct Tape Relay
Place a stocking cap on a kid's head then wrap with duct tape, sticky side out. Have them wheel barrow to vacuum the room with their head. You could also use M&M's that you have
"accidentally" dropped. Variation: Put down a lot of glow-in-the-dark objects, then turn out the lights and let them collect. The darker the better.
Eat That Food
Throw a beach ball out in club. Have kids throw it around while the music is playing. Whoever hits it last before the music stops, that person comes up, picks out a bag and has to eat
whatever is in it … baby food, onion, candy bar, goldfish.
Egg Beat
Put an egg in a nylon and put it over someone's head. Have others try to break it by beating it with a package of hamburger buns, standing on one foot while holding the other.
Variation: Have the people with the buns chicken fight others.
Egg Blow
Use a funnel to put egg into half-inch clear plastic tubing. Two kids standing five feet apart try to blow into opponent's mouth. Leader must hold tube so kids don't blow egg into crowd.
Face Sculpture
Give each team some Scotch tape and have them make a face sculpture on one kid's face.
Family Feud
Go to school to ask the sample questions (like who’s the hottest couple, favorite musical group, nicest person), then play the game by classes.
Famous People Charades
Divide club into two teams. Each team write the names of famous people on pieces of paper. You will need a lot of names. A person from Team 1 comes up and pulls a name out of
the pile. They can use any description, except the person's name, while the team tries to guess. When they get it right, they pull out another name. Time them for a minute, then it's the
other team's turn.
Fatty Foods Study
Have a kid dress up in a lab coat and say, “We are going to study the impact of fatty foods on the body.” Have another kid come out dressed in white, wearing safety glasses. Then
take out a Twinkie, go across the room and launch it from a water balloon launcher trying to hit the kid in the lab coat. Then use other foods like a Big Mac, Vienna sausages, etc. Be
prepared for a mess.
Favorite Activity
Ask people to act out their favorite activity. Before they begin, take the actors out of earshot and explain to the club that they are acting out their morning bathroom routine.
Feet Spell
Draw a letter on the bottom of five to 10 kids' feet. Next have them lay on their backs. Call out words and get them to spell out the word. You can have race between teams.
Fill Eggs with Water
Blow out eggs and fill them with water and wax. You can use these in egg roulette or throw them into the crowd.
Fish and Egg Fight
Guys have a girl on their back and an egg taped to their forehead. Each girl has a dead fish and tries to smash the other team's egg.
Follow the Flashlight
Put three people behind the sheet and use four people to hold the sheet up. Put the flashlight behind a sheet. The participants follow the light with their nose to the beat of the music.
Bring the light to the edge of the sheet and pie the kid who follows it. Can be done in pairs, make them cross, etc.
Food Relay
This is a relay between two or three teams. Place different types of food in bowls on the floor. The teams consist of as many couples as you like. They must walk wheelbarrow style to
the food, eat the food and then return back to the start. Then the next couple goes. Continue until all the food is gone.
Football Night
Instead of having a regular club, have a football game where the guys play the girls. Guys play on their knees, and girls play standing up. Sell ahead of time. Have the National Anthem
and Olympic music. Have lights for the back yard and a sound system for the play-by-play. After the game, have refreshments inside, a few songs and short talk.
Four-Legged Race
Use groups of three. Outside people tie legs together, with person in the middle. Race around room.
Garbage Bag Pass
Each team tries to pass a paper garbage bag down to the end of the line. First person puts bag on head, second person goes under bag with first person. First person gets out, then
third person goes under the bag.
Gargle Olympics
Have kids come up for the Gargle Olympics. Events are: 1) Gargle as long as possible without stopping for breath. 2) Gargle to the tune of a familiar song.
Glove Race
Buy cheap latex/surgical gloves (you can find them at supermarkets or at paint supply aisles in hardware stores). Two to three kids up front put the glove on their head, pulling it down
to just between their nose and mouth. Each kid races to blow the glove up by breathing in through their mouth and exhaling out their nose. It helps to have them hold the glove on their
face with their hands. Generally, the more hair, the less successful, but I have seen guys blow the thing up 2-3 feet above their heads! This is a great opportunity to take pictures.
Goofy Relay
Divide the club into teams. Have a bag with slips of paper and goofy things to do (sing "Three Blind Mice," take off shoes, touch all four corners of room, sit by self in corner and don’t
talk.) Kid takes a piece of paper, follows the instructions and then touches the next kid to do the same.
Gum Race
Each person puts a piece of gum in his or her mouth, wrapper and all. The first to blow a bubble wins. To complicate this game, give each participant a piece of frozen bubble gum.
Gum Sculpture
Divide the club into teams. Give each person bubble gum. Give each team a platform to make a sculpture (either of their own choosing or assign an idea ... ex. animals or school
mascot).
Gummi Fish
Show guys two cups with live goldfish and two with just water. Blindfold them and replace the goldfish with cups that have gummi fish in the water. Have the guys choose a cup and
then drink. They'll think they are drinking a real fish.
Gun Gorilla Karate
Played like Paper, Rock, Scissors except that you play using the entire body. Pair everybody up and have each couple stand back to back. On the count of three, they turn around and
act out either gun, karate or gorilla. Gun kills gorilla, gorilla kills karate, karate kills gun. Eliminate everyone until you have one person still alive. If a pair does the same movement
three times, they are both out.
High-Speed Name That Tune
Get a variety of music (about 20 songs) and record segments at 78 RPM. Send two groups off to identify the songs. Gather together and check titles.
Hot Dog Roll
Start this one as a hair styling contest. Have the guys style the girls' hair by putting it in rollers. Start the guys rolling the girls' hair with regular rollers. After they roll one or two,
substitute hot dogs for the rollers. The girls will never notice. You can also use carrots and celery.
Hot Dog Toss
Tie a 32-oz. cup around neck. Partner throws hot dogs across the room into cup.
Houdini
Have one person tie up another and then time him trying to escape.
Human Bowling
Go to bowling alley and ask for 12 old pins. Get a "creeper" (sled on four wheels used for auto maintenance) and a motorcycle helmet. Put girls on sled with helmet, put their hands
behind and let a guy "bowl" them at the pins. Let three competitors bowl a frame apiece. You will need help setting up pins and catching the sled. Make extra pins into trophies.
Human Video Game
Everyone gets a partner. One partner is blindfolded on all fours. Their partner rides on their back holding a cup of ice (ammo). The rider guides the horse by pulling on the ears to turn.
The only command they can give is "fire," after which they must reload by putting another piece of ice in the horse's mouth. If you get hit twice, you are out.
Ice Cream Feed
Have pairs lay down head to head and feed ice cream to person behind them. First team done with bowl wins.
Ice on String Weave
Freeze a block of ice onto a long string. Weave down clothes, up next for as many people as you want to include.
Identify What's Under the Towels
Set-up: two tables covered in blankets, making it look like one long table. Four common objects, such as soccer ball, detergent, etc., are placed on the table under bath towels about 3
feet apart. Club guy is placed under the tables where there is just enough space for his head to stick up between tables and get covered with a towel. Take four girls out of the room
prior to any set-up. They are told that this is a contest for speed with the object to race down the table identifying objects as they go. The contestants' backs should be toward the
audience, and they should be instructed to take off towel, pick up object, turn toward audience and shout the name of the object and proceed down table ASAP. This works SUPER if
1) the crowd is pumped and cheering them on, and 2) the contestants are very competitive and easily scared or highly animated. Have a stopwatch and say, "Susie just did this in 9.34
seconds" so that it's believable. Have fun.
Inner Tube Stuff
Get a large truck inner tube. Have teams try to see who can stuff the most people in their tube.
Jellybeans in Ice Water
Girls fish out jellybeans with toes and feed to guys. Three couples race.
King of the Circle
Mark off a circle (10 feet in diameter) and put 12 guys inside. At a signal, each tries to throw the others out while staying in himself.
Kleenex Drop
Divide participants into pairs. One person lies on the floor with a straw in his or her mouth and blows Kleenex up in the air. The other partner tries to catch the Kleenex in a roll-out
party horn.
Lacrosse Gloves and Stockings
Have guys put on pantyhose while blindfolded and wearing lacrosse gloves.
Leader Trivia
A contest by teams, Jeopardy style, with "answers" in categories of leader trivia. A great way to let kids get to know their leaders.
Licorice and Donuts
Place a donut in the middle of a licorice string. The team must eat the licorice and donut using only their mouths.
Licorice Eating Contest
Blindfold a couple of kids and have them eat licorice whips without using their hands. As they are eating, squeeze new pieces onto the end of the piece they are eating. They will keep
eating and eating.
LifeSaver on Toothpick
Have a line of kids race to pass a LifeSaver down a line using only toothpicks in mouths. (Variation: Pass marshmallows or donuts.)
LifeSavers on Face
Pair up into a few teams, one guy and one girl on each team. Have the girls lick LifeSavers and stick them on their partner's face. Race to see how many. Judge for creativity.
Lip Sync Contest
This can be announced beforehand. Kids can compete against other teams to a particular song. You can also do it without prior warning. Call kids up and have them lip sync to a song
they all know. You can also use silly songs (i.e. Mr. Roger’s “You are Special”).
Low-Budget Karaoke
Tell the kids that it's Karaoke Night, and three lucky people will have a chance to show off their musical talent. Unfortunately, there were budget cuts from the home office in "your
area," and we couldn't afford any type of karaoke machine. Instead, each "volunteer" will have to sing their song using a walkman instead. Have each kid sing along to the music he or
she is listening to. The other kids in club can't hear the music, only the wailing of each singer.
M and M Drop
One partner sucks M&M's on the end of a straw and drops them into a cup on the floor that their partner is holding (or the partner's mouth).
M and M Training
Ask for two volunteer couples. Send the guys upstairs, and instruct the girls that they will "train" their guy to do a certain action using only M&M's as rewards and nothing else. Bring
guys down and explain that they will be trained and rewarded as they move toward correct action. Give each girl a different action, like getting guy to sit down and take off a shoe or
stand on a chair and bark.
Magnetism
Pass a Kleenex down a line of people using only straws.
Marshmallows and Coke
Have a girl feed a guy a marshmallow and a guy drink a sip of Dr. Pepper each time a certain word repeats in a song (like Roxanne).
Matchbox Race
This is a relay -- kids pass a matchbox cover down their row from nose to nose without using their hands.
Most Complicated Relay
Have teams of five to 15 people. The teams must pass the following from the start to the end of the line. LifeSaver, doughnut, marshmallow (leave toothpick in marshmallow) and raw
biscuit (put on forehead and pass forehead to forehead).
Mouthwash Identification
Have girls rinse mouths with different mouthwashes (Scope, Listerine). Blindfold a guy and have him smell the girls' breath to identify each mouthwash. As an alternative, have the girls
kiss the guy wearing lots of bright lipstick.
Mummy Wrap
Teams wrap their person in toilet paper. Play King Tut or Monster Mash. Or they can wrap themselves, or you can use aluminum foil.
Musical Baby Food
Get jars of baby food. Play music and pass the baby food around like a hot potato. When the music stops, the person holding the jar must take a bite. Start process again.
Musical Boys
Have guys sit in chairs and girls (one more than guys) march around them while music plays. When the music stops, each girl sits on a guy.
Musical Hats
Have kids line up in a circle. Get stupid hats and when music starts, have them take the hat off the person in front and put on their head. Person left without a hat when the music stops
is out. When only two are left, have them line up back to back.
Name That Tune
Play "Name That Tune" with TV tunes. Have each kid put a large pot on her or her head. When they know the tune, bang on the pot with a spoon. After each round, the losers put a
lollipop in their mouths.
Name That Tune II
Have two kids sit on the floor back to back. Play a song. When a kid recognizes the song, he or she must stand up, climb through an inner tube, ring a bell and name that tune.
Ninja Head Spin
Select four contestants. Two face off by putting knee-highs over head, but not over nose, with a tennis ball inside. With the ball hanging in the slack of the hose, both bow to each other
and then move head in circular motion to get the ball flying in a circle trying to wrap the hose of the opponent and their ball. When one thinks he has them wrapped together, he yanks
back his head and will pull the hose right off the opponent’s head, winning the round. (This skit needs to be demonstrated to be understood.)
Nutshell Theater
Act out a nutshell theatre like the Titanic and then divide club and give a movie to each gruop. Give them 10 minutes to come up with their own nutshell theatre script. Here is an
example of the Titanic: Two characters go through the movie quickly Boy, am I lucky. I can’t stand marrying him. I’ll jump. Let’s spit. (into the audience) Here, fly. What was that? -- Hit
the iceberg. OK, let’s jump. Promise to lie and die as an old hag. I’m cold. Don’t let go. Sneeze -- let go. Throw necklace and die.
Pass Along
Divide into teams and pass various items down the line. Start next item after each is finished. Before passing next item, they must open an envelope to discover next method of
passing. They may be passed in any order. Items: orange, golf ball, banana, frisbee, balloon, bar of soap, doll, potato chip, Play Doh Way to pass: nose to nose, forehead to forehead,
back to back, ear to ear, between little fingers, two elbows to two elbows, two ankles to two ankles, palm to palm
PB & J
Three girls, barefoot, make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with their feet. Have ingredients already in bowls. Feed to three guys. First guy to eat entire sandwich wins.
Peel Banana with Feet
Participants must peel a banana and feed it to their teammate using only their feet.
Pencil Passing
Pass a pencil down the line using just the upper lip and nose.
Penny Head
Get two volunteers from each class. Place pantyhose on one of the partner's heads covering his/her face. Next have the other partner wrap masking tape around the person's head -sticky side out. Once this is done, have the tapers sit down and get the people with tape on their heads ready. Throw a couple rolls of pennies on the floor and give the group 30
seconds to get as many pennies as possible on their heads. Class with the most pennies wins.
Penny on the Chin
Give each kid a penny and have him or her pair up. They must hold the penny between their lip and chin no hands. They face each other on the count of three. First one to drop the
penny is out and sits down. Anything goes. Then find new partners.
People Bingo
Make a bingo card with statements about people in each space. Give a card to each person and have a race to see who can fill their card with people's names matching the
descriptions (i.e. a Redskins fan, got a ticket, have been called to the principal's office, been kissed in the last week). Great icebreaker and way to get kids talking to other kids.
Photo Scavenger Hunt
Divide into teams. Give each team a Polaroid camera and a list of possible photos for points (pictures at local landmarks, with someone over 60, in a McDonald's hat, kissing a KMart
employee, on a fire truck, in a police car, etc.). Give a 30-minute time limit and send them out with adults as drivers.
Pick Your Friend's Nose
Use a huge piece of posterboard and draw three people on it. Cut out the space for their noses. Three people are chosen to stick their noses through the holes. The paper has to be
big enough to hide their bodies. The rest of the kids try to "pick their friend's nose."
Pick-Up Line
Have five guys leave the room. Set up two cardtable chairs with a sheet draped over them. Set chairs apart so a third chair can fit in the middle. Then have the girls sit on sheet and
pull it tight. Bring guys in one at a time, explaining to them before they see the girls that they are in competition with the other guys to give their best pick-up line. Sell it hard ...
"Everything counts -- talk, walk, distance from the girls, etc." Then just as they get ready to sit down, girls release pressure on seat, and the guy falls down.
Pie Roulette
Six kids in circle pass a pie around. When the music stops, kid with pie has choice to pie person on right or self. If kid pies others, he's out. If he pies self, stays in. Winner gets a prize,
like a $25 camp scholarship.
Pillow Jousting
Need four guy and four girl participants. Guys get on all fours, and a girl gets on each guy's back. Key Rule: The girls keep feet wrapped around the guy and cannot touch the ground.
Each girl gets a pillow and tries to knock the other off. Guys cannot help.
Ping-Pong Ball Flick
Put a ping-pong ball on top of a two-liter bottle. People walk past quickly with their arm straight out and try to flick the ball off without touching the bottle. It is very hard.
Pipeline
Divide into teams of eight to 20. Give everyone a straw and have them kneel. Each team designates a sipper at the far end. At signal they must join the straws together, form a pipeline
and sip coke from a cup.
Pizza Races
At the beginning of club, call three pizza delivery services and order a pizza. Tell them it is a race to see who can deliver first. Divide the club into three sections -- one for each kind of
pizza. When the delivery man arrives, have someone pay him and prep him. At the end of the next song, play the Olympic music. Have the club cheer. Put an Olympic medal on him
and give the pizza to the section that was cheering for him.
Plexiglas
Get a piece of Plexiglas, about 2 1/2' x 4'. It needs to be pretty thick (3/8" at least) so that there's no danger of it breaking. Then stick Ritz crackers on it in vertical lines with peanut
butter. Have two kids hold the glass up so that the peanut butter side faces the crowd and have two or three kids stand behind it and try to eat the lines of crackers off in the fastest
time. It's pretty funny to see their mouths, teeth, etc. from the other side of the glass as they attempt to eat the crackers (no hands, of course).
Polaroid Picture
Mount a Polaroid camera on a tripod. This can be a class competition. Explain to them they must try to fit as many people as possible into the view of the camera just like they were
cramming into a phone booth. The winner is team with most in the picture.
Pool Games
1) Get a Speedo latex bathing cap. Fill it with water. It will stretch out until it is big enough for a person to sit in it. Have them race across the pool. 2) Make boats from refrigerator
boxes for a race. They will float long enough to get across the pool.
Potato Race
Divide into teams and have them all sit down in a line. Pass a potato, feet to feet (no hands allowed) down the line.
Q-Tip Shooting
Give everyone a straw, give guys a blue Q-Tip, girls pink. Place a target up front and have them shoot.
Q-Tip Wars
Divide the room in half. It might help to put a strip of tape down the middle. Each person gets a straw. Each side gets a bunch of Q-Tips. If you can get different colors for each team,
that would be the best. Otherwise just visually judge at the end. The task is to get as many of your Q-Tips to the other side in the allotted time. When time is up, see who has the most
Q-Tips on their side. The only problem is that Q-Tips continually fly during the rest of the evening, which can cause distractions during the message.
Ride the Tub
Place a pipe between the handles on a washtub, then suspend it between two chairs. A contestant stands in the tub straddling the pipe. He is given a broom to steady himself. Four
hats are perched on the backs of the chairs, and he races to knock them off, using the broom. Once the broom is lifted, he can't put it back down until he falls.
Scramble
Break into teams and have them arrange themselves by height, by birthdays, alphabetically by mother's maiden name, build a pyramid, sing a scale with each person singing a note.
Sell What's in the Bag
Take three people out of the room and tell the crowd to ask questions to figure out what's in the bag. Crowd knows it's toilet paper/underwear. Kid comes in and is told to really sell
what's in the bag without giving away what it is. Kid is told while out of the room that he's selling something like gum. Fire him up to go for the hard sell.
Shaving Cream and Cheese Balls
Pick two teams -- one girl, one guy for each team. Cover the guys' faces with shaving cream except eyes and mouth. Girls have 15 seconds to throw cheese balls at guys' faces. See
which team gets more cheese balls to stick.
Shoe Contest
Have every kid take off a shoe and throw it into the middle of the room. Turn out the lights and have a race to get the shoes back.
Skateboard Race
Racers sit on skateboard and use plungers as oars. This can also be a relay race.
Spam Sculptures
Each team gets a can of Spam. Have a sculpting contest.
Squirt Gun Duel
Blindfold a guy and girl and have a squirt gun fight. Before you start, remove the girl's blindfold.
Surprise Charades
Take people out of the room and tell them to act out riding a roller coaster, the smallest motorcycle, a fan at an exciting game and a bucking bronco. While they're out of club, tell kids
that they will be acting out going to the bathroom.
Sweet Tart Dissolving
Get three or four couples, put a Sweet Tart (or other similar candy) tab on one person's foreheads in each pair. Use a rubber band to secure the tab. Place goggles and a garbage bag
on the same person. Hand a squirt gun to the other partner. On your command, tell them to squirt away. Whoever dissolves the Sweet Tart tab first wins.
Take Off Something You Don't Need
Take three guys out of the room. Prep one of them prior to club and have him place crazy boxers over his underwear. Bring one at a time into room and place under a large blanket.
Tell them it's a riddle ... "remove something you don't need." All figure it out, but the last one looks hilarious removing all his clothes (watch, socks, shirt, belt, pants, etc.). He stands to
leave wrapped in the blanket, and the blanket is pulled off to reveal him in crazy boxers!
Tennis Ball Relay
Divide into teams. Place a tennis ball between the knees of the first person. Have him or her run across the room and give it to the next person.
The Choice
Choose three kids for choosers and two convincers. Blindfold the first contestant, then give a pie to one convincer and a candy bar to the other. The chooser has 30 seconds to choose
one. Each convincer tries to talk the chooser into choosing them. For the last person, give both convincers a pie.
Tongue Tied
Give three kids a piece of wrapped bubble gum. Together they put the gum in their mouths, wrapper and all. They must unwrap it in their mouths (no hands), spit out the wrapper, then
blow a bubble.
TP Pass
Have teams line up and race to pass a roll of toilet paper over one person's head and under the next person. First team to finish the roll wins.
©1995-2005. Young Life. All rights reserved.
WyldLife Green Bay Skits and Games
The following is a grab bag of skits, games, and mixers that are working well in WyldLife clubs across the country. I hope some of these will serve to
complete your planning for the semester, and energize your club so that more kids are introduced to Jesus and grow in their faith. All the best!
Balloon Stuff/Sumo Wrestling:
Buy extra large Long-Johns (tops and bottoms) and several packages of 4 inch balloons. Divide the kids up into 2 or more groups (depending on the size of
your group). Each team must select 1 person to wear the Long-Johns. When the leader says go, each team must blow up as many balloons as possible and
stuff them into the person with the Long-Johns on. Set a time limit in order for them to get as many balloons in as possible. After each team has stuffed as
many balloons as possible in their sweats, pair off the 4 contestants. Have each contestant sumo wrestle. After 1 pair has battled and a winner is declared,
have the other pair battle. The winners of the 2 battles compete against each other to declare the ultimate champion.
(Submitted by Tom Pounder)
Banana Toes:
Get 2 Bananas, and ask for 6 volunteers (3 girls/3 guys). Have 2 Bananas ready (1 for each group). They must take off their shoes and socks. This is a relay
race so have the bananas at the opposite end of the room as the contestants. When you say “Go”, have 1 member from each team run to the banana and try
to peel it in a certain amount of time (give each person 30 - 45 seconds). Then, have them run back and tag the next person in line. Whichever team has
peeled most of the bananas after all 3 participants have gone, wins!
(Submitted by Tom Pounder)
Big Red Challenge:
Give everyone in club a stick of Big Red chewing gum. They can eat the gum but they need to thoroughly lick the wrapper and smack it on their foreheads
and leave it there. The cinnamon oil starts to burn after a couple of minutes. And then it starts to burn A LOT!!! See who can leave it on the longest.
Everyone will have a big, red rectangle in the middle of their forehead. I passed out wet ones to folks to wipe off their foreheads because it will keep burning
if you don't remove the oil. There will always be a few die hards who leave it on all through club. I hand out big packs of Big Red gum for prizes.
(Submitted by Patsy Goers)
Bobbing for Apples for Time:
We filled a huge bucket with apples and water and gave the kids 45 seconds to see how many they could pull out. It doesn’t hurt to throw a few random
things in there to gross kids out, either (like pigs feet). We gave the kids clothes to change into so their didn't get wet. Guys vs. girls, of course!
Bobbing for Bananas:
We divided the club into two teams and then had a kind of relay race to bob for bananas in milk. We used powdered milk to save money and that made it
even more disgusting! The kids loved it.
(Submitted by Deidra)
Bobbing for Ice-apples:
This time of year seems like a great time to do the proverbial "Bobbing for Apples" right? Well, why not add a little fun to it.
1. Use a kiddy pool as the bobbing area, with the apples nowhere near the edges (so submersion is a must!)
2. Add three or four 20-pound bags of ice to the water for an added effect.
Car Stuff:
Have kids outside and divide them up into groups. Give each group one minute to get as many people in the car as possible. Count them as they get out of
the car - the team with the most people in the car wins! You may want to use the Guinness Book of World Records to sell the competition.
(Submitted by Tom Pounder)
Cocoa Puffs in Nose:
Find 4 people (guys or girls). Line them up in a straight row, facing the crowd. Give each person 1 cocoa puff. Have each person stick 1 puff in his or her
nose. Then, when you say go, have each one blow the puff out their nose. See which puff is blown the furthest. After everyone has gone, narrow the
competition to the 2 people who blew the puff the furthest. Repeat round. You can add an accuracy round by drawing a target on the floor or wall. After the 2
finalists compete, declare a winner based on who went the furthest.
(Submitted by Tom Pounder)
Cold Toes:
Get about 7-10 kids in each line. They are told to take off their right shoe & sock. A bucket of marbles is placed at the front of each line (along with a
leader...for assistance). They are told they have to use their toes to pluck out as many marbles as they can (we gave them 10-15 seconds each) and drop
the marbles in a smaller Dixie cup. When the contestants are ready, the game leader announces they’ve forgotten something and fills each bucket with ice
(and freezing cold water).
(Submitted by Patrick Shurney)
Diving for Dollars:
Fill a large clear tub with water (ice water also adds a nice kick) and have kids bob for dollars. Put a couple of bucks down at the bottom of the tub, it needs
to be somewhat deep so it is not too easy, and one at a time have them bob for dollars. Or, you could substitute vouchers for money off a camp trip for actual
money.
(Submitted by Richie Leber)
Follow the Flashlight:
Call 3 contestants out of the room. Once they are out of the room, have 4 people hold up the sheet, with a person to flashlight and a person to pie in the
face behind the sheet. Call in one contestant at a time. Tell them that when the music starts, they must follow the flashlight on the sheet with their nose.
After a few seconds, the person holding the flashlight must bring one flashlight to the edge of the sheet. Once they are by the edge of the sheet the person
gets pied in the face. Repeat this for the next 2 contestants. There is no winner, just laughs.
(Submitted by Tom Pounder)
Gargle that Tune:
Name a song that is popular. Pick 3 contestants (either/or guys or girls). Hand each contestant a cup of water or mouthwash. Then, have them one by one
gargle that song. Let the crowd decide the winner.
(Submitted by Tom Pounder)
Glow-in-the-Dark Game night:
For our kick off this year, we had "glow in the dark" games. It is pretty simple. I bought about 100 glow sticks (the kind you get from the Kipp catalog or
Oriental Trading Co.). Divided our kids into equal groups using the colors of the glow sticks. Then we turned out the lights and had most of club in the dark. I
used a variety of games. The
"Doctor Doctor" version of Dodgeball and "Car Lot" were big hits (literally)! We
played for about an hour. The cool thing is that all the "old" games that our kids were tired of, suddenly took on a whole new dimension. They loved every
minute of it!
Hot Potato Baby Food:
Collect 4 different kinds of baby food, breakfast, vegetable, meat, desert, etc. Make however many circles of kids you need and have them pass the baby
food, start with breakfast. They have to eat the whole jar if they get stuck with it.
(Submitted by Kirk Leaf)
Human Knot:
Have kids gather into a large circle. Each member of the group needs to place his or her right hand into the center of the circle. They are to grab a hand of
another person (not directly next to them). Then each member raises his or her left hand and places it into the center of the circle. They are to grab another
person (again, not directly next to them, but not the same hand that they grabbed with their right hand). The object is to untangle themselves - into one large
circle or into 2 linking circles without letting go of either hand.
(Submitted by Tom Pounder)
Music Video Night:
This idea will take most of WyldLife night, but give it a try. First, break the group up into equal groups (2-3 groups). Give each group a leader, video camera,
tape, a CD and a CD player. Give them 20-25 min. to plan and create a music video (the songs will
be pre-approved by the club leader). Each person in the group has to be in the video. At the end of the time, come back together and show the videos.
Judges declare the winners. group.
(Submitted by Tom Pounder)
Organized Chaos:
This is a great idea for an open gym night. You divide kids into two teams and throw a huge rubber ball into the middle. The goal is to either kick or throw the
ball down the court and get it to hit the opposing teams backboard. 1 point if you throw it, 5 if you kick it. This is a great option because even not-so-athletic
kids can participate and feel like a hero.
(Submitted by Rick Beckwith)
Pole Game:
Everyone in the group is to form a large circle around a pole (or anything else you can have freestanding). Each person must stand around the circle holding
hands. The object of the game is to pull someone into the pole and for them to knock it down. If you knock down the pole, you are eliminated. ALSO, if the
circle breaks, the 2 people who let go leave the circle. The last person left, having never knocked over the pole, wins!
(Submitted by Tom Pounder)
Q-tip wars:
This is a good mixer for the whole club. We split the club in half and put a tape line down the middle of the room. Each player gets a straw and each side has
a color q-tip (blue vs. pink or whatever other colors you can find). The object is to get as many of your teams color on the other side as possible by shooting
the Q-tip through the straw. We have done this in the dark with a black light, as well. A great game if you don't mind the mess. We usually give extra points
for the team that picks up the most Q-tips at the end, or else you end up with them being shot all over the room during the talk. Eye protection might be a
good idea.
(Submitted by Amy Eicher)
Popsicle Taste Test:
Get small Dixie cups and Popsicle sticks and a bunch of random things to freeze in them to make Popsicles. Just peel away the cup after they are frozen and
they make a nice Popsicle. Get two (or more) participants up front and blindfold them and make them lick the Popsicle and the first to guess the taste gets a
point. After you are done the one with the most points wins. Some good Popsicles are cream soda, prune juice, pickle juice, canned jack mackerel with
water, and just anything you can think of. It's funny to have a person stand behind the blindfolded taste testers with a sign saying what they are licking to get
a good crowd response.
(Submitted by Richie Leber)
Raffle:
You have to teach them this...real easy though!
Leader: "What time is it?"
Kids: "Raffle time!!!!!!"
Leader: "Whaaat time is it?"
Kids: "Raffle time! Raffle, raffle, raffle, raffle, raffle" (until you can't understand what they're saying...say it faster & faster & faster).
Leader: "I need a volunteer to draw the winning number."
Take that kid's raffle ticket and hold it.
Leader: "Drum roll, please."
Get all the kids stomping their feet and doing whatever to make a bunch of noise as the volunteer draws the ticket from the hat.
Leader: "And a hush fell over the crowd."
Kids: "Husssshhhhh"
Get them all quiet. The volunteer kid reads one number at a time (the tickets usually have 6 digit numbers. When they have a matching number, the kids
yell, "Whoo" and when it doesn't match, the yell, "Awwww." So you have Whoo's for the first 4 numbers or so then Aww's start on the last two digits.
When someone wins, they come up and make a big deal of giving them their prize and everyone cheering for them. I just give those cheesy dollar store
prizes, and they LOVE it!!
The raffle draws attention to the front of the room and to the leader. We do one at the beginning of club after we welcome the kids to draw everyone's
attention up to the front to sing some crazy songs. Then, we do another one right before the skit up front to give the leaders in charge time to get their stuff
together & get everyone's attention. It is also a good way to track how many kids are at club by the numbers on the tickets, and a way to make sure a leader
says hi to every kid there as the tickets are passed out.
(Submitted by Bret Bourgeois)
Shock:
Two teams sit on the floor facing each other holding hands. At one end a coin is flipped. At the other there is a pencil or other grab-able object. If the coin is
“heads,” the two team leaders squeeze hands. The squeeze continues down the line. The first kid at the end to feel the shock grabs. Winner goes to the
head of the line.
(Submitted by Jeb Carpenter)
Speed Dressing:
Gather together 2-3 contestants and a pile of clothes/hats/etc for each of them (equal # of items). On GO they have to keep a balloon in the air while putting
on these items of clothing. If balloon touches ground they're out. The first one to put on all the clothes wins.
(Submitted by Tom Pounder)
Sponge Bob Square Pants Walk-on:
We did a walk-on with Sponge Bob Square pants. We bought two large pieces of foam board at Home Depot and painted a front and a back for Sponge Bob
with a hole in the middle for a leader's face. We downloaded the music off the internet and when the music started the kids went wild and started singing.
Sponge Bob then led a "sponge game". We had two teams of two. We placed two buckets at opposite ends of the room. One we filled with water. One
team member had a large sponge attached to his forehead with a large rubber band.
The object of the game is to see which team can transfer the most water from the full bucket to the empty bucket using only their foreheads. The teammate
without the sponge stands near the empty bucket and uses their forehead to help squeeze water from the sponge on their teammates forehead. Be sure to
have lots of extra towels on hand.
(Submitted by Debbie Hobart)
Steal the bacon with tire inner tubes:
Divide group in half on separate sides of a gym, field, large multi-purpose room. Have 4-6 inner tubes in the center for about 40-50 folks. When you call out
descriptions that apply to kids, they can run out and try to grab tubes and return them to their side. Great tug of wars eventually occur.
Things to yell out:
If you're wearing jeans
If you've got blue eyes
If you're a guy
If you've got a heartbeat
etc.
Tarp relay:
Divide group in half on separate sides of a gym, field, large multi-purpose room. Place a cone in the center. Two teams must get their entire team around the
cone by dragging them around on a tarp (8ft x 8ft works well). Two people pull, one rides. When they get around the cone and back, the next group of three
goes. Chances of collisions are good as both teams go around same cone.
Train wreck:
Split up the room into 2 teams, sitting in chairs facing each other on opposite sides of the room. You will need a leader behind each team to remove one
chair during each round. At GO the two teams proceed to run at each other in an attempt to find an open chair at the opposite side of the room, where the
opposing team began. There is absolute chaos where the two teams meet in the middle of the room. As soon as the two teams begin to run at each
other, the two leaders remove one chair from each side of the room. A new twist on musical chairs with chaos in the middle through each round. Make sure
obnoxious guys aren't clothes-lining others when they cross in the middle. Finally have two winners, one for each team, as two fight it out for one chair on
each side.
(Submitted by Matt Bond)
Video Scavenger Hunt:
Done around the community, this has been a great kickoff for us. Have 20 items worth different points based on difficulty. Each group has a certain amount
of time to get as many things on tape. Polaroids work, as well. Play the tape at the clubs to follow. Kids are always on the screen then. This gives parents
(as drivers), leaders, and kids a chance to have a shared experience.
(Submitted by Angie Polejewski)
WyldLife Rescue:
This is a great mixer along the lines of Human Bingo. It gets kids moving around, meeting other kids and leaders, and burning off some energy. Here are the
things kids have to try to be the first to get “checked off” to win:
1. Kitten in the Tree
Stand on a chair and meow like a cat caught in a tree. Have a rescue worker lift you off the chair, then have that person initial here:___________
2. Illin’ in the Woods
Get 3 other people and pretend you’re on a hike in the woods by walking all the way around the room in single file. Upon circling the room, the person with
the shortest hair suddenly has falls ill to an unknown virus, and the other 3 have to carry him to safety (which happens to be the front of the room). Have 2
hikers initial here:__________
3. Castaways
You and another person stand on chars in the corner - that’s your uncharted desert island. After your ship sank, you’ve been living there for 5 years. Ger
the attention of someone on the far side of the room by yelling, “Help! We’re stranded!” When that person comes over to you, consider yourself rescued.
Have one of the other people initial here:__________
4. Bad Fall
Lie down on the floor and start yelling, “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up!” As soon as you find someone willing to help you, hug each other and pretend to cry
tears of joy, have them initial here:___________
5. Fire!
Get 3 other people. 2 of you pretend you’re in a burning house. Yell, “Fire!” 10
times! Once you’ve completed this, the other 2 people can be the firemen. They should pretend they’re spraying the fire yelling, “We’ll rescue you!” 5 times.
Once this is all done, have 2 of those people initial here:_________________
(Submitted by Tom Pounder)
Games for the Whole Crowd
Dueling drama; or, “Whose line is it anyway?”
Divide the group into two, three or four teams depending on the size of your group. Incite them with the prospect of a great prize for the team that proves the
most dramatic. Point to the first group and tell them to give you their best impression of teenagers at a rock concert – one, two, three GO! After about 15
seconds the leader yells, STOP, and points to the next group. Their task is to act out the scariest scene of a horror movie. The next group is given “you’ve
gotten food poisoning and you’re dying.” Follow this with, “The room has been filled with laughing gas and you can’t stop laughing.” Keep it going as long as
you like.
Human Foosball
Human Foosball. Line the kids up like a foosball table, each line facing the opposite direction. We play that they have to stay on their knees, and use their
arms to hit the ball.
Human knot with buddy ropes
This is just like the old human knot (aka Amazon Women), but to increase personal space give everyone a 3 ft. piece of retired rope with knots at either end.
this allows for up to 20 people to be in one knot as opposed to the 8 that can comfortably do it with just holding hands. rules are: stand in a circle, hold one
end of your rope, give the other end to someone across from you, with your free hand, grab the end of someone else's rope, you should be connected to two
different people- niether one being next to you, you cannot let go of your rope, untangle yourselves so that you make one big circle again (even when done
correctly some people may end up facing out of the circle- it's ok)
And…a variation on the above...just a cool puzzle
Start by having everyone line up side-by-side holding their buddy ropes so you make one long chain. Tell the group their mission is to tie an overhand knot in
their "human rope" without ever letting go or breaking the chain. This usually stumps even the quickest of minds...but it definitely can be done. It helps to put
a longer piece of rope in the middle of the chain to allow for easier movement and gymnastics.
Human Twister
You will need two dice and about twelve 3X5 cards for every six people in your group. Separate the group into teams of exactly six and give each person in
the group a number 1-6 (if one group has less than six people give some people two numbers). The leader will role the dice, the first one will represent a
person and the second will represent a body part (1=foot, 2=knee, 3=hip 4=elbow, 5=hand, 6=nose) if your group is brave make 5=armpit. You will role the
two dice twice. After the first role you say, "Number 5's nose" and you roll again and say, "number 2's armpit" whatever combination of person and body part
is called must then be connected with a 3X5 card in between the two body parts. Each team keeps going until they cannot connect the two parts or one of
the earlier cards drops to the floor. The last team to successfully connect two body parts wins the game.
Lengths-Of-String Mixer
Everyone gets a length of string. Each string is the same length as one other person in the room. Students have to match up with their partner. Hint: Use
this as a discussion starter. Once matched, you can ask a question for the partners to discuss.
Lineup game
Get in groups of five to ten people each. First group that gets itself into order according to the category you name, wins. For example: first letter of their
middle name, shoe size, height, birth date, etc. Just be sure to pick subjects that people can line up easily.
Pull-n-switch
Pick 4-8 guys and 4-8 girls (guys should = girls) who go to the middle while everyone else is in a single-file circle sitting down. When the music starts, those
in the middle must run to someone of the opposite sex grab their hand (like they’re shaking hands), “pull” them up, and “switch” positions with them. So now
the person who was sitting is now “it” and must repeat the process. At some point, the music stops and you count who’s standing in the middle to find out
who wins that round, girls or guys (whoever has less people represented in the middle)—it means that whoever has least is “switching” more efficiently. Play
best out of 3 or 5 or 12 or 99—depends how much time you need to kill.
Quick line up
Leader in the middle, 4 lines/teams lined up facing the leader at North, South, East, and West...so there's a square with a leader in the middle. The team to
the leader's right will ALWAYS have to be on the leader's right and so on. The leader spins...and when he stops the lines/teams must scramble to re-orient
themselves correctly. The first to team to be COMPLETELY in line (no stragglers) and yell "quick line up," or something more creative, wins. You can keep
score...and the line that wins 3 times ends the game.
Run and Scream
I don't know why, but kids LOVE this game! Everyone lines up at one end of the field and then runs forward screaming at the same time...you must stop
running when you stop screaming...furthest out wins and must return to the start screaming to prove they didn't cheat.
Shuffle The Deck Mixer
Hand everyone a playing card as they come in. During the mixer call out different combinations that they have to form a group with. Example: four of a kind,
a flush, two pairs, etc.
Star wars
You’ll need one hula hoop per person. Have music or a megaphone near by. Rules are: when the music stops everyone has 3 seconds to put both feet in a
hula hoop, no part of the shoe or foot may be protruding outside the hula hoop, more than one person MAY be in a hoop, both feet must be one the ground.
As the game progresses, you sneak hula hoops away so that people have to lean and pull on each other to fit eventually leaving only 1 or 2 hoops left for
them to fit in. Do not underestimate the group- large numbers of people can fit into a VERY small space...let them figure it out. You can change it by allowing
them to only have one foot on the ground, but they have to hold their position for 5 seconds (or whatever).
Stick it
Take a tennis racket and 1000000 tennis balls...draw an imaginary line on the court everyone must stand behind...each person takes a racket and 5 balls for
Round 1 and attempts to, yes, STICK IT in the fence. it's more difficult, addicting, and funny than I care to admit.
Toe Fencing Mixer
Here's a wild mixer, and if it's set to music, it looks like a new kind of dance. (great up front game- entertaining the rest) All the players pair off, lock hands,
and try to tap the top of one of their partner's feet with their own feet. In other words, one player tries to step on the other player's foot while their hands are
clasped. Of course, since players are also trying to avoid having their feet stepped on, they are all hopping around the floor in a frantic dance. When a
player has had his foot tapped three times, he is out of the game, and the winning partner challenges another winner. The game continues until only one
person is left (or until the music runs out).
TP games
Basically, any game you can think of that involves throwing large amounts of toilet paper “to” each other (not so much “at”), ie: over a net or from a greater
distance than point blank so as to limit cornea damage. Whoever has the least amount of TP on their side wins. It is critical to include a clean-up procedure
done by the players (like whoever can make the biggest pile or bring us the most TP wins.) That way it doesn’t take the entire volunteer team 30 minutes to
clean up…it’s much quicker.
Wrap Your Leader
We divided the kids into groups based on the # of leaders we have. We give each group of kids 2 rolls of Christmas wrapping paper and 2 roll of masking
tape (Cheap stuff so it is not as sticky). We send the leaders to one end of the gym and the kids to the other. When the music starts the kids chase down
the assigned leader and tackle them to the ground and the mummification begins. Girl leaders need to watch out for their hair and make sure kids leave a
place for leaders to breathe. Awards go out to the group that caught their leader 1st and the best wrapping job. Take pictures of kids with their leader. A
Picture is worth a 1000 words!
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Games for Selected Participants
Frozen Fish Feed
Contestants race to see how many frozen fish sticks they can eat in 60 or 90 secs.
Green Oatmeal
The game is simple, you get a handful (3 or 4) of brave volunteers who race to eat their bowl of green oatmeal the fastest. This is best if recorded on camera
and projected on the big screen. Award a first, second and third place so all volunteers keep eating throughout.
When they finish have one of your staff ask, "Hey 'Jonathan,' where do you get green oatmeal?" You answer, "That's a good question," and show them.
Play a pre-recorded video of you and another staff member in your office, home, wherever, with a large (very large) pan or bowl of oatmeal. Drop green food
coloring in it and then dialogue about how to stir it. "Do you have a big spoon?" "No. Do you?" "No." "Then what are we going to use?" "HEY! I got an
idea!"
Each person in the video takes off his shoes and socks. This is a great opportunity to show close-ups of your feet when the socks come off. (pre-dirty your
feet with some dirt and grease (PAM) between each toe). Then stick your feet in the oatmeal and start sloshing around in it to mix it up. As the camera tilts
up to your faces, both can say, "That's how you make green oatmeal!"
(Note: for obvious health reasons, don't use that oatmeal as the oatmeal they eat!) Audience will love it, volunteers will . . .?
Ice Cream Mayo Surprise
You have to plan ahead to do this. Buy cheap vanilla ice cream and a jar of cheap mayonnaise. Put the mayo in a Tupperware dish and freeze. (Mayonnaise
when frozen looks exactly like vanilla ice cream.) Before the contest, scoop out the ice cream into a bowl and do likewise to mayo. You decide how many of
each. Keep frozen until the last minute.
Set the contest up as just a typical ice cream eating contest, hands behind their backs, etc.
The look on the person who eats the frozen mayo is priceless.
Valentine’s Toe Freezin’ Relay Minutes
Have several people up front and take their shoes and socks off. Have two or three teams of students. Then have the teams as quickly as possible “fish
out” candy hearts from buckets of ice water (or snow) with their feet. When the team gets done have them try and read the candy hearts that were removed
from the water. If the hearts are still readable they go quickly.
Inner tube races
Inner tube races & obstacle course – place teams of up to 10 kids in a 27” bicycle inner tube and have them run through an obstacle course together, or just
run around the outside of a house. It is hysterical to watch. You can also have a contest to see which class can stuff the most kids into an inner tube. Have
them pull it down around their waist. You’ll be amazed how many middle schoolers can fit in this small sphere.
Swashbucklers
Buy white T-shirts and using red electric tape, make large targets on the chests of the shirts. Pull two kids up front and have each wear a t-shirt and give
each one a funoodle (the pool toy) with peanut butter smeared all over the end. They "joust" to see who can get peanut butter on their opponent's target
first.
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Theme Club Ideas
Bananarama
Make all the fliers and posters yellow. Buy bananas at a bulk sale as you will need lots. Play chubby monkey with bananas, pass the banana relay (have all
the kids take their shoes and socks off and use their feet) last person in the line must eat it to win! Bob for bananas in powdered milk (this one is really
messy, but our kids still talk about it) and give bananas away for prizes the whole night. For snacks, have little Debbie banana cream pies.
Battle of the Sexes – the genders compete to see who can get the most of their sex to come to club and compete in a myriad of competitions. Its helpful for
promoting the event to survey the school so you can run a gender trivia contest at the club and see which sex best knows the other. Some fun skits to do
are: The Happy Shake – a guy and a girl are seated at a table with two happy meals to see who can finish theirs first. Then, a blender emerges and grinds
them up in front of the group. Two glasses are filled with the goop and it is a race to see who can chug their happy meal first.
Egg-stravaganza
We usually do this in the spring when it is warm and we hold the entire club outside. Games that work well are the egg toss, egg minefield - have a kid take
off their shoes and socks and navigate through a "minefield" of eggs while a partner verbally guides them. Egg roulette - mix raw eggs with mostly hardboiled ones then ask trivia questions and when a question is missed, they must crack an egg over their head. The grand finale game requires leaders to
play, leaders put nylons over their entire head to hold a raw egg on their forehead. Then a kid rides piggyback holding a fresh (not frozen) fish about 12
inches long to use as a weapon. The goal of the game is to break everyone else's eggs and be the last pair left with an unbroken egg. Messy and smelly but the kids love it.
Hockey fight
Everyone gets a 3’ length of pipe insulation and plays hockey on the tennis court. Can split into four groups and have 4 goals and multiple balls all at once—
whatever you want to do. It ends up being an all out smack-fest with kids whacking each other with the foam rubber tubes (makes a cool sound but doesn’t
hurt). Just set forth a “below the neck” rule.
No Fear Factor
Here are some skits to use at this club:
a)
Worm Fest- have the "contestants" put one hand in a pot of real "fishing worms" and moist dirt, while eating gummy worms with the other hand.
The first one to eat 10 gummy worms without taking their other hand out of the real worm pot is the winner.
b)
Egg roulette – have two contestants take turns cracking eggs from a bowl on the heads. Most are hard boiled, one or two are not.
Noodlemania Club: (All activities with noodles of some sort). Bob for meatballs: Take two tubs and fill with cooked spaghetti noodles and enough water to
make it liquidy. Then add meatballs (or you could use vienna sausages or spam) make sure some are buried under the noodles so they're not too easy to
retrieve. Bob for the meatballs.
Processed Meat Club – get as creative as you want, but make spam, corned beef hash, and other similar delicacies the focus of your skits.
Wyldlife 500
A night of wacky races and relays. Break the kids up into teams as they arrive by marking hands with three different colors of markers. Set up a racetrack
with cones and then race away. There are many fun races - be creative. Use chairs with wheels, scooters, big wheels, crutches, wagons... whatever you
can find. Plain ol' wheelbarrow and sack races work fine too. Give trophies to each team at the end.
More Games…
Hockey (using foam pipe insulation for sticks)
Team "Name That Tune" with a kazoo band playing the songs
Switch if ... – Person in the middle of a circle says, "Anyone with braces," and all people fitting that description have to get up and change seats; person in
the middle takes one of those seats, and the last person w/o a seat is in the middle.
Newspaper Roulette – One person is “it” and stands in the middle of a circle with a rolled-up newspaper. He or she begins by saying the name of someone
in the circle. This person then must say the name of someone else before the person who is “it” smacks them on the leg with the paper. This continues until
someone gets smacked. No name can be repeated during the same turn. Whoever gets smacked is then it.
Wink'em – Need chairs in a circle for half the group to sit in, other half standing behind their chairs with hands to their sides. One chair is left empty. The
person behind the empty chair tries to stealthily wink at a person sitting in a chair ... and that person attempts to run to the empty chair without being tagged
by the person behind him or her. If tagged, they sit back down. If not, then that person with the newly empty chair continues as the winker.
Balloon Bust – Tie balloons around ankles and have kids try and break each others balloons.
Tissue Relay – Divide kids into to to six teams (with no more then six in a group). Give each kid a straw and the first one in line a tissue. The kids them must
suck the tissue in, run to a designated place without dropping by sucking the tissue into the straw. Then they run back to their team and blow the tissue to
their teammate. The teammate must then suck the tissue intotheir straw. The first group to have all members complete the relay and be sitting quietly in their
line is the winner.
Gun, Gorilla, Karate – Played like Rock, Paper, Scissors except that you play using the entire body. Pair everybody up and have each couple stand back to
back. On the count of three, they turn around and act out either gun, karate or gorilla. Gun kills Gorilla, Gorilla kills Karate, Karate kills Gun. Eliminate
everyone until you have one person still alive. (If the same pair does the same movement three times, they are both out.)
Shoe Contest – Have every kid take off a shoe and throw it into the middle of the room. Turn lights out and they have to find their shoe.
Animal, Bird, Fish – One person (A) in the middle goes to any person (B) in the group and says either “animal," "bird"or "fish." B must name a specific one
of these that has not yet been said during the game, before A counts to 10. If B succeeds, A stays in the middle and quickly approaches a new victim. If B
gets stumped, he or she goes to the middle, and A sits down in his or her place.
Killer – Kids go around the room shaking hands. One person is nominated the killer for the round, and they also go around shaking hands – but each time
they shake a hand they tickle the other person’s wrist. If your wrist gets tickled, you must take five steps and fall to the floor. It is important to take five
steps. The objective is to figure out who the killer is before you get killed. But always remind kids they must take the five steps, and dead people do not laugh
or talk – so they do not give away the killer to the rest of the group. If you accuse wrongly, you are also out.
The Name Game – Divide the club into to to four teams. Everyone writes the names of famous people on pieces of paper for two minutes. You will need a lot
of slips of paper and a pencil for each person. The teams nominate someone to go first. All slips of paper are then thrown into a hat the leader holds up front.
The nominee then has 30 seconds to see how many names he or she can get his team to guess by giving clues. The only rule is they cannot say the name
of the person or a word that rhymes with it. When they get it right, they pull out another name. Then it's the other team's turn. Keep track of how many each
team guesses to select your winner.
Group Charades – One person from each team comes up front. Leader has signs with one word written on each they hold up behind them as they face their
teams. People up front can't look at the sign, and team members can't speak. Team acts out the word for the person to guess. Keep score.
Drop the Blankie (works best if a majority of kids know each other's names) – Leaders hold up a blanket to divide the room into two teams who cannot see
one another. One person from each team goes up to the blanket at a time. On count of three, the leaders drop the blanket and the first person to scream the
other's name gets a point.
Clothespin mixer – Each kid is given three clothespins. Turn lights off for two minutes while kids try to stealthily put their clothespins on the shirts, pants,
shoelaces of others. When the lights come back on, the winners and losers are quite obvious. Have a leader walk in with a hundred clothespins on the back
of his or her shirt to make the others feel better.
Electricity –Two teams seated on floor in lines facing each other, holding hands. At head of line, a leader flips a coin: if heads, the first people in each line
squeeze the hand of the person next to them. The team (all with eyes closed) passes the squeeze down the line, til the last person feels it and grabs the
styrofoam cup at the end. If successful, that team sends the first person to the end--and so on until one team has gotten the first person back to the front. If
coin is Tails no one should squeeze; if cup gets grabbed, that team sends a person from the back up to the front.
VolleyRoll – Take 50 rolls of toilet paper, and divide it among two teams on opposite sides of a volleyball net. The object of the game is to throw the rolls
over the net when the music starts, and whichever team has the least amount of toilet paper on their side at the end of the time wins. It is crazy, and clean up
is a breeze.
Paper Airplane Relay – Each kid gets a piece of paper to make a paper airplane. See which airplane can fly the farthest.
The Human Knot – Have kids gather into a large circle. Each member of the group needs to place their right hand into the center of the circle. Grab a hand
of another person (not either person directly next to them). Then each member raises their left hand and places it into the center of the circle. Grab a hand of
another person (not either person directly next to them, and not the same hand of the person they are holding with their right hand). The objective is to then
untangle themselves – into one large circle or into two linking circles without letting go of either hand.
Who Am I? – Place a name tag on the back of each kid. With only asking "YES" and "NO" questions, each kid needs to find out what name is on their
back. Name tags are of famous people, cartoon characters, etc.
Scramble – Break into teams and have them arrange themselves in the following ways without talking:
- Height
- Grade
- Birthday
- Alphabetically by last name
- Age
- Alphabetically by middle name
- Alphabetically by mothers maiden name
- Number of kids in your family (1, 2, 3, 4)
Shark – No teams: all kids start by standing in the middle of the floor (large floor). Pick a front and a back of the boat. One person calls out the following
“moves,” and the group responds by doing the gestures. A person, or group of people, get “out” if they are the last to do the move, or just keep it going with
no “outs.”
MOVES:
Back of the boat – everyone runs to the back of the boat
Front of the boat – everyone runs to the front of the boat
Lovers’ Leap – one person puts out their arms, another person jumps into that person’s arms
Shark – lie down flat on your stomach and put your hands over your head in a point
Cockroach – lie down flat on your back with your arms and feet up in the air, MOVING
Dead Cockroach – lie down flat on your back with your arms and feet up in the air, STILL.
Dead Man’s Float – lie down flat on back with legs and arms spread out flat and still
Tidal Wave – everyone does somersaults across the floor
Fish Eggs – everyone runs to the middle of the floor and huddles (hands over shoulders)
Row Boat – five people sit on floor in straddle position right after each other, and then all move their arms together in a row boat (oaring) and
sing “Row, Row, Row, Your Boat”
Buoy – everyone jumps up and down, moving side to side, with feet together and hands by sides
Iceberg – freeze where you are