Huckle Buckle Beanstalk

Age: 4-12

Materials Needed: A small object (bandana, pencil, watch, etc.)

Approximate Time: 10-15 minutes

Amount of Space: A small amount of space is needed to play this game

Description:

Pick a smallish object (i.e. watch, bandana, pencil). Hide it in plain sight, where nothing has to be moved to find it. The kids look for it, and when they find it, instead of picking it up or pointing to it, they sit down off to the side and say, "Huckle Buckle Beanstalk!" by leaving it there everyone gets a chance to find it. If they need help, you can play the hot/cold game. The first one to find it gets to hide it the next time.

Smelly Onion

Age: 4-12

Materials Needed: None

Approximate Time: 15 minutes

Amount of space: A small/medium amount of space is needed to play this game

Description:

Gather the kids and have them sit in a circle. Assign each kid either ketchup, mustard, or relish (go around in the circle and tap their heads and say “ketchup”, “mustard”, “relish”). Call out one of the condiments. Then everyone that is that condiment stands up and runs around the circle to get back to their seat. The goal is to get back to your seat first. The last one back to their seat is the smelly onion and they have to sit in the middle of the circle. The smelly onions stay in the middle until the game is over. To end the game you shout hot dog and everyone gets up and forms a new circle. After this you may begin a new round.

Smile If You Love Me Honey

Age: 4-12

Materials Needed: None

Approximate Time: 10-15 minutes

Amount of Space: A small amount of space is needed to play this game

Description:

The group starts in a circle with one person in the middle. This person tries to get others to laugh by saying “Smile if you love me honey”. The person on the outside must respond without smiling or laughing saying, "I love you honey but I just can't smile." The person in the middle can do various things, without touching anyone, to get another person to smile. If the person does smile then they will become the center person.

Last Detail

Age: 4-12

Materials Needed: None

Approximate Time: 10 minutes

Amount of space: A small amount of space is needed to play this game

Description:

One person is chosen to be observed for one minute. After the time is called, everyone watching must turn around, while the observed person changes five (or less) aspects of their look. When the group turns around, the first person to recognize all five changes (or the most changes) becomes the next subject!

Variation: Use pairs and have both people change five things or hold the parachute up while they change their appearance.

Mickey Mouse

Age: 4-12

Materials Needed: None

Approximate Time: 10 minutes

Amount of Space: A large amount of space is needed to play this game

Description:

Tell every kid to line up on a line, shoulder to shoulder, and face you. You will call out one of four directions: Mickey (kids jump in front of the line), Mouse (kids jump behind the line), Goofy (one foot in front of the line and one foot behind the line), and Pluto (two hands in front of the line and both feet behind the line). If a kid does not comply with your direction, or if they mess up, then they are “out” until a new round begins. Alternative: Play with more directions such as, Minnie (where the kids blow a kiss). GET CREATIVE!

Poop Deck

Age: 4-12

Materials Needed: Can be done on a basketball court or you can use something to represent a line

Approximate Time: 10-15 minutes

Amount of Space: A large amount of space is needed to play this game

Description:

Line the kids up shoulder to shoulder along a line. Explain the following rules:

1.The game is a lot like Simon Says, but it requires several actions on the part of the players.
2. The facilitator will call out a series of commands that the kids follow.
3. The playing space is divided up into three parts: Front deck, Mid deck and poop deck. The front deck and poop deck are the two ends with the mid deck in the middle.
Instructions and Actions:
1. “Hit the deck” -all players get on the floor, stomach down.
2. “Salute the captain”- all players salute the captain.
NOTE: they cannot put down their hand until the captain says “at ease”
3. “Be the Captain”- groups of two kids get together with one kid being on all fours and the other with their foot on the first kids back while saluting the captain. (At ease is not needed here)
4. “Row your boat”- groups of three get together back to front and pretend to be rowing a canoe.
5.”Eat at the Table”- groups of four get together and pretend to eat at a table.
6. “Man overboard”- everyone gets on the floor and pretends to be swimming.
7. “Mutant Jellyfish” -kids get on the floor and raise their arms and legs and pretend to be a jellyfish.

Across the Ocean

Age: 4-12

Materials Needed: Boundaries/Cones

Approximate Time: 15 minutes

Amount of Space: Large field

Description:

Have all the kids line up on one side of the field. Choose two kids to be the sharks. Everyone else is fish. The goal is to run across to the other side of the “ocean” without getting tagged by the sharks. If you get tagged you become seaweed and must stand still in the middle of the “ocean” and try to tag the fish. The facilitator will yell out commands such as “if your favorite color is blue cross the ocean”, “if you love ice cream cross the ocean” etc. Do this until there are only a few kids left.

Toilet Tag

Age: 4-12

Materials Needed: None

Approximate Time: 10 minutes

Amount of Space: A large amount of space is needed to play this game

Description:

Same rules as tag. The person who is “it” has to go around and tag people, like in regular tag, but instead of tagging people to make them it, the person who gets tagged has to squat with their arm out like a toilet flusher. “Flush” the people who are tagged by pushing down their arm, like they are flushing a toilet, if you are not “it”. If you want to you can have the kids make a flushing noise when you get “flushed” or untagged.

Car Go Beep Beep

Age: 4-12

Materials Needed: Cones

Approximate Time: 15-20 minutes

Amount of Space: A large amount of space is needed to play this game

Description:

Before you begin this game, set up boundaries with the cones. Have the kids partner up (perhaps you should assign partners so no one feels left out). One kid is the car and one kid is the driver. The driver puts their hands on the shoulders of the car. To get the “car” to start the driver must tap the car on their back. They can also do this to get the car to stop. Tap the left shoulder to get the car to go left and tap the right shoulder to get them to go right. Throughout the game the facilitator will shout commands: 

Rainstorm (cars and drivers stop and say “swish swish” while moving their hands like windshield wipers)

Tornado (cars and drivers stop and must spin around 2 times)

Pot Hole (cars and drivers stop and jump once)

Traffic Jam (cars and drivers must slow down)

Earthquake (cars and drivers stop and fall to the ground)

The pair to perform either the last or the wrong action is out. However, you can also play with no outs.

 

Mingle, Mingle, Mingle

Age: 4 - any age

Materials Needed: None

Approximate Time: 10 minutes

Amount of Space: A large space is needed for this game

Description: 

Mingle is a great getting to know you game that can morph into just a really fun game that the kids enjoy playing over again. The chant for mingle is done three times. The facilitator shouts out a body part. The kids then have to find a partner, for example, an elbow partner, and touch elbows. After they have found a partner the facilitator can then shout out a question or a command (i.e. tell your elbow partner what your name is, tell your elbow partner what your favorite flavor of ice cream is), allowing the campers to get to know each other.

This is a great ice breaker! It's an awesome game and everyone feels silly doing it which makes it a lot of fun.  You also learn a lot about other people.