Saturday, January 31, 2009

Duct Tape Vacuum Game

Materials:
3 stocking caps, duct tape, M&M's, glow-in-the-dark objects

Directions:
Place a stocking cap on three kids' heads 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.

Douse the Candle Game

Materials:
2 blindfolds, 2 candles, 2 water pistols

Directions:
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.

Donut Olympics Club

Materials:
donuts, string, toothpicks, masking tape, medals

Directions:
Do the following events throughout club:
  • chocolate donut on a string - 3 teams of 2; one kid lays down the other dangles a donut on a string; race to see who can eat their donut first
  • the donut hole/munchkin toss into the mouth - 3 teams of 2, kids stand at least 7 feet apart and attempts to toss a donut hole/munchkin into the other's mouth
  • pass the donut with a toothpick - divide club into 2 teams; give each kid a toothpick; the must pass the donut all the way down their team using only the toothpick in their mouth
  • donut roll with the nose - 3 kids; mark out the starting line and finish line with masking tape; kids must move their donut to the finish line using only their noses
Award gold, silver, and bronze medals for each event.

Dinner for Two Game

Materials:
2 sandwiches, 2 candles, 2 lighters

Directions:
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.

Dateline Game

Materials:
speakerphone

Directions:
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.

Dancing Musical Chairs Game

Materials:
5 chairs, 6 blindfolds

Directions:
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.

Dance or Dare Game

Materials:
cards, costumes

Directions:
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).

Cupid Hunt Game

Materials:
2 or 3 plastic dart gun or cheap bow, paper plates, whipped cream

Directions:
Choose two or three couples that are dating. Each guy has a target on his back. She tries to shoot him with ether a plastic dart gun or cheap bow and arrow. Every time she misses, he gets a pie in the face.

Cricket Spitting Game

Materials:
3 medium-sized crickets

Directions:
Buy some medium crickets at a pet store. Have three kids spit them for distance.

Cozy Mummy Game

Materials:
3 rolls of toilet paper

Directions:
Have three teams of two kids stand back to back. Give them each a roll of toilet paper and see who can do the best job wrapping themselves into a mummy.

Cowboy Sid Game

Materials:
hamburgers

Directions:
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).

Cow Milking Game

Materials:
2 pales, broomstick, 2 rubber gloves, water

Directions:
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 rubber gloves filled with water. Punch a small hole in each finger tip. The guys milk the gloves.

Cotton Ball Drag Race Game

Materials:
masking tape, flexible straws, cotton balls

Directions:
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.

Cotton Ball Competition Game

Materials:
cotton balls, Vaseline, buckets

Directions:
Give each team a pile of cotton balls. They must move cotton balls to another location (like a bucket) using only Vaseline on their noses. They must shake off without using hands.

Clothespins on Face Game

Materials:
clothespins

Directions:
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.

Thursday, January 29, 2009

YL presents... The Cheesy Song of the Week

Materials:
1 overhead slide, optional sound clips

Directions:
Show an overhead slide with four cheesy songs, labeled A, B, C, and D. Adding sound clips is a great bonus. On the slide, put a leader's cell phone number and have kids vote by texting A, B, C, or D to the leader. Tally up the votes and play that song at next week's club. It's usually the biggest song of the night.

Thanks to Will for sending this in.

Baby Backpack Bronco Mixer

Materials:
Music

Directions:
Explain the following to kids:

Baby - one kid cradles another kid
Backpack - one kid jumps on another kid's back
Bronco - one kid on all fours and the other kid on his or her back

Play some loud music and tell kids to mingle. Then, call out either baby, backpack, or bronco. The last kids to not form what is called out are eliminated.

After several rounds, mix it up with "twin babies", "baby backpack", "bronco with a backpack", "same sex baby twins", etc. The kids love this one and want to play it every week.

Thanks to Will for sending this in.

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Frozen Feet Game

Materials:
Lots of ice, 2-3 large buckets/trash cans, a few dozen marbles, 2-3 towels.

Directions:
Fill each bucket up with ice & water. Place a bunch of marbles in the bottom of each bucket. Have kids compete to see who can get the most marbles out of the bucket using only his or her toes in a set amount of time. Alternatively, place 10 marbles in each bucket and see who can get all 10 out first.

Variations:
If you have access to a larger tub such as the one pictured, have 2-3 kids compete against each other in the same tub!

Egg Buzzer

Have a leader sit in a chair facing away from the contestants of a game where kids must buzz in to answer first. Have each kid start each round with one egg in his or her hand. To buzz in, the kid must "slam dunk" the egg onto the top of the leader's head. For added effect, have the leader where swimming goggles and perhaps even a snorkel!

Corn Shuck

Materials:
few ears of unshucked corn

Directions:
Select a few kids to race each other to see who can shuck an ear of corn the fastest using only his or her bare feet.

Monday, January 26, 2009

Over/Under Pass Mixer

Materials:
toilet paper (or preferred passing object)

Directions:
Have teams line up (3 teams) 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.

Variations:
Have kids pass a string down the line, over and under... on the end of the string is a frozen chicken leg! Total surprise!

Nostril Rocket Game

Materials:
Cocoa Puffs or Trix

Directions:
Place one Cocoa Puff or Trix in one nostril and plug the other with your index finger. Blow and fire! Have a few kids compete for distance or use a target and compete for accuracy. Getting a slow clap going with the observers is a good way to build drama!

Sunday, January 25, 2009

Questions Only Game

Materials:
scenarios on slips of paper

Directions:
The classic game from Who's Line is it Anyway? Have 4 kids come up front, and have them be on 2 teams. Read a scenario and one kid from each team come up and face each other, and must act in that scenario speaking only in questions. If they hesitate too long or don't speak in questions, they step back and the other person on their team steps forward. Change scenarios periodically, but not every time someone is out (it is fun to have someone have to jump into the middle of a conversation, and makes them pay attention). Play as long as it's funny.

Trivia Blender Game

Materials:
blender(s), cups, gross food, good food, trash bags (for the spitting)

Directions:
Get 4 volunteers that are not grossed out easily (or, maybe those that are.)

Develop trivia questions ahead of time (we did about leaders, but you could do about their town, about history, about whatever you want really). Each kid has to answer a different question (so, if you want to have 3 questions each, you need to have 12 questions prepared) and for every question they get right, they get something delicious in their smoothie. For each question they get wrong, they get something disgusting. Once all questions are answered, they race to consume their smoothie first.

We did this at a western themed club, so we re-named the "gross" things as follows (just to give you a creative idea/jumping off point):

beef jerky (buffalo intestines)
baked beans (rat poop)
potato chips (dead skin)
mountain dew (horse urine)

Gummy Bear Spit Game

Materials:
shaving cream, gummy bears (or something equally small and light)

Directions:
Get 3-4 guys to go up front, and cover their face in shaving cream. Then, give 3-4 girls a handful of gummy bears. Pair them up (boy/girl), and start the music. The girls have to spit the gummy bears onto the guy's face and get them to stick. The person with the most gummy bears stuck to their partner's face in a set amount of time (45 seconds is good) wins.

Human Telephone Pictionary Mixer

Materials:
paper, pens, pictures

Directions:
Divide kids up into teams and have them sit down in a line. The leader shows the kid in the back a picture, and the kid is to draw that picture on the back of the person in front of him. Then, that person feels what is being drawn on their back, and draws it on the back of the person in front of them. This progresses all the way to the front, where the person in the front draws what they felt on their back. Compare what the kid draws with the picture you showed the first kid. Increase the difficulty as you progress. For example, the first one could be a picture of a very simplistic sun, the next a stick figure, the next a picture of a house. Then, its fun to mix it up and give them something impossible, such as a photo of one of the leaders or a famous person.

Q-Tip Battle Mixer

Materials:
masking or duct tape, wide straws, q-tips

Directions:
Tape off the room into 4 squares and distribute straws and q-tips to each kid. When the music starts, kids have to shoot q-tips into the other squares. they may pick up q-tips off the floor and shoot them back at other squares, but they may not pick them up and throw them. Wide straws and essential, so that the q-tip will fit inside of them (Arbys straws work well, and a lot of restaurants are getting wider ones as well).

Famous Pairs Mixer

Materials:
cards with character pairs and quads written on them, tape

Directions:
Each kid gets a card with a famous character on it taped on their back. Their job is to find their pair (i.e. Chandler and Monica). Once they find their pair, in the next round they have to find their foursome (i.e. Chandler, Monica, Ross and Rachel). Good for valentines day club.

Marshmallow Sticker Mixer

Materials:
marshmallows, confident guys

Directions:
Separate kids into groups (how many depends on how many kids you have). One guy in the group takes off his shirt (scandal). The rest of the group cuts/rips the marshmallows in half, licks them, and sticks them to the guy’s face/body. Whichever group gets the most marshmallows to stick in one minute wins.

Where Are My Shoes Mixer

Materials:
shoes

Directions:
Have all the kids bring in their shoes and put them in a pile in the middle. Each kid grabs 2 shoes that don't match, and put them on. They must then line up so as to make pairs of shoes.

Who/What/Where Mixer

Materials:
paper, pens

Directions:
Leader calls out a variety list of places, people and events one at a time. The kid writes down the items (ex: if ‘person’ is called the kid can write whatever name they want, ridiculous or realistic). They then fold the paper over to cover just what they wrote, and pass the paper and pen to the next person. The leader calls out something else (place, event, etc.) and this proceeds until the kids run out of paper. Then, share the stories they wrote.

Toothpick-Lifesaver Pass Mixer

Materials:
box of toothpicks, roll of life savers

Directions:
Have kids line up in teams (how many will depend on how many kids you have). Give each kid a toothpick, and have them put it in their mouth. Put a life saver on the toothpick of the first kid in line. When the music starts, they must pass the lifesaver down (and, depending on how long you want it to go, back) passing only with their toothpicks. If they drop the lifesaver, it has to go back to the beginning (or, if you are feeling benevolent, they can pick it up and start again from there) the first team to get through the line (or back to the front) wins.

Human Christmas Trees Mixer

Materials:
Christmas lights, ornaments, Christmas decorations

Directions:
Each class decorates someone with ornaments and lights, etc. Plug in and sing Christmas carols.

Toothpaste Skit

NOTE:
This skit is banned by Young Life. It's only noted here so you know what it is and that it's banned. (Please see: http://staff.younglife.org/YL+Staff+Resources/Leader+Tools/Club/706+-+Banned+Activities.htm)

Materials:

toothbrushes, tubes of toothpaste, cup, water

Directions:
Have all the leaders bring their toothbrush and toothpaste to club. Everyone lines up, and then you can proceed in one of two ways:

  1. If each leader has a different toothpaste brand, they can sell their toothpaste (in a commercial type way) and say theirs is the best
  2. All the leaders can sell one brand of toothpaste, and equally rave about its taste, freshness, cleaning ability, etc.

So. Back to it. Everyone is in a line, and a person on the end holds a cup 1/3 full of water. They brush their teeth, raving about the toothpaste, then spit in the cup. pass the cup to the next person, and they brush their teeth, rave, spit, pass. This goes all the way down the line until the last person. The last person also has 2 options:

  1. Forget their toothbrush
  2. Have their toothbrush, and either brush their teeth also or not brush their teeth

Either way you do it, they start talking about how great the toothpaste sounds (or how great each of them sounds) and how they want to taste it too. Then, they drink the cup of water/toothpaste spit.

*Disclaimer: it will really clear out your nasal passages if you are the person drinking. It is also REALLY fresh, and you will probably want to have something to spit into when you are done (i.e. the trash). Also, when I did it, the kids were so grossed out and I was laughing while I did it, and spilled all over my shirt, so that might be something to consider also.

Peanut Butter Tissue Mixer

Materials:
lots of peanut butter, plastic spoons, a box of kleenex

Directions:
Have leaders go around and distribute to each kid a spoonful of PB and a tissue. Kids pair up, and face each other. Instruct them to put all of the PB on their tongue, as well as one of the corners of the kleenex on the tip of their tongue. On "go", the pair races to see who can get the entire kleenex in their mouth the fastest. They cannot use their hands or stuff the kleenex in their mouth, but rather must use their tongue to pull the kleenex in (in sort of a "lapping up milk" action). The winner of the pair competes against the winner of another pair, in tournament style, until only 1 pair is left for the championship round.

Disclaimer:
Watch out for peanut allergies. You may want to stay away from this mixer if you have any kids that have peanut allergies. Or use a substitute, like caramel.

Christmas Carol Contest Club

Materials:
bookes of carols

Directions:
Divide into teams and give each team a set of instructions. Send each team in different directions. The group completing the most items wins. 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.

Charlie The Chicken Skit

Materials:
fryer chicken, 2 ping-pong balls

Directions:
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.

Charades Mixer

Materials:
stopwatch

Directions:
Divide the club into teams and play Charades, keeping cumulative time. Shortest time wins.

Candle Blowing Contest Game

Materials:
2 candles, 2 cups of water, matches/lighters

Directions:
Make two guys face each other at a table, each with a candle, a big cup of water and some lighters/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.

Bugga Bugga Boo Game

Materials:
5 sponges

Directions:
Teach a cheer. A leader gets five students 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.

Body Charade Game/Mixer

Materials:
stopwatch

Directions:
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.

Bob for Apples Game

Materials:
apples, string, blindfolds

Directions:
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.

Blow Penny Out of Cup Game

Materials:
penny, cups, blindfold, flour

Directions:
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.

Blindfolded Water Fight Game

Materials:
blindfolds, water pistols

Directions:
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.

Blindfolded Obstacle Course Game

Materials:
obstacles, blindfolds

Directions:
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.

Blind Shoe Grab Game

Materials:
5 shoes, 5 blindfolds

Directions:
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.

Blind Rope Jump Game

Materials:
jump rope, blindfold

Directions:
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.

Pot Buzzer


Buzzers of all different kinds are great. They're useful in a variety of games - trivia, name that tune, etc.

One idea is to give each kid involved in a game a wooden kitchen spoon and have a leader sit in front of them holding a pot on his or her head. When the kid knows the answer, he or she buzzes in by slamming the spoon on the pot. First to buzz gets to answer the question.

Kids love inflicting pain on their leaders, so this works great.

Blind Lineup Mixer

Materials:
blindfolds

Directions:
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.

Ultimate Frisbee Club

Materials:
frisbee

Directions:
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.

Tug-O-War Mixer

Materials:
rope

Directions:
Break up into teams and play Tug-O-War. A rope that is tied together into a circle works great too.

Team Keep-Away Mixer

Materials:
ball

Directions:
Have students 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.

Peel the Onion Mixer

Materials:
none

Directions:
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.

Pull Up Club

Materials:
whistle

Directions:
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.

Pillow Pass-Over Mixer

Materials:
sofa pillow

Directions:
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.

Penguin Football Club

Materials:
rags, nerf football

Directions:
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.

New Volleyball Club

Materials:
volleyball, volleyball net

Directions:
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.

Mattress Race Mixer

Materials:
mattresses

Directions:
Best when you do this outside and with old mattresses! Teams form and team members sit down facing each other. The goal is to pull four students on a mattress back and forth across the laps of their team members.

Great Race Club

Materials:
bags of jellybeans, cups of water, putters, golf balls, folding chairs, paper

Directions:
Divide the group into teams, with at least 40 students on each one. Direct each team to select different students to participate in each of the team events so that everyone gets an opportunity to play.

Begin by dispersing students 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 students doing that event. After the first activity is complete, one person should run to the next event with the bag of jellybeans. The students 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 (students 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 (students 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), and Sprint to the Finish (students run a 50-yard dash back to the starting line).

Saturday, January 24, 2009

Boom-Shak-A-Lak!

Artist: Apache Indian
Song: Boom-Shak-A-Lak

I originally found this song while watching the movie Dumb & Dumber. I instantly thought it would be perfect for Club!

The song itself is really wacky and upbeat. It's great to play on an iPod during a goofy game or mixer where kids are running around in disarray.

Buy or preview on AmazonMP3 (I couldn't find it on iTunes)

Friday, January 23, 2009

Collision Mixer

Materials:
none

Directions:
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.

Bubble Buns Mixer

Materials:
balloons

Directions:
Establish a starting line and a finish line, and have students 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-to-back 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.

Birdie on the Perch Mixer

Materials:
none

Directions:
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.

Baseball Bat Spin Mixer


Materials:
baseball bats

Directions:
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.

Banana Splits in Mouth Game

Materials:
3 bananas, chocolate syrup, whipped cream, 3 cherries, 3 blindfolds, 3 garbage bags

Directions:
Lay three guys on ground, three 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.

Thursday, January 22, 2009

Balloon Triathlon Game

Materials:
balloons

Directions:
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.

Balloon Stuff Game

Materials:
balloons, sweat pants, sweatshirt, pins

Directions:
Have teams of two blow up and stuff balloons into a student's sweat suit. Count balloons by bursting with a pin. Variation: make some of them water balloons.

Balloon Squeeze Mixer

Materials:
balloons, water balloons

Directions:
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 Smash Game

Materials:
5 balloons, 5 newspapers, string

Directions:
Five students tie 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 Sitting Game

Materials:
balloons, water balloons

Directions:
A race of four students to see who can break more balloons in a given time by sitting on them. Make the last one a water balloon.

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Balloon Shave Game

Materials:
water balloon, shaving cream, comb

Directions:
Have one student sit in a chair with a water balloon on his head. Another student covers the balloon with shaving cream, then shaves it off with the comb.

Balloon Golf Game

Materials:
3 balloons, 3 pennies, cardboard box, newspaper

Directions:
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 a cardboard box for the hole.

Balloon Contest Mixer

Materials:
balloons

Directions:
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 Burst Game

Materials:
balloons, (water)

Directions:
Without hands, using only bodies (or butts), three couples break as many balloons as possible in a given time. Some of them can be water balloons

Baby Pictures Game

Materials:
baby pictures

Directions:
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.

Baby Feeding/Burping Game

Materials:
3 baby bottles, coke, (3 jars of baby food, 3 diapers, 3 bonnets)

Directions:
Have three 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. The girls can dress like moms, too. Also, you can feed the guys baby food.

Autographs Mixer

Materials:
non-permanent pens

Directions:
Hand out non-permanent pens to all girls. Have all guys 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.

Apple Wrap Around Game

Materials:
2 PVC pipes, 2 apples, 2 strings

Directions:
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.

Apple Pass Mixer

Materials:
apples

Directions:
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.

Amplified Telephone Call Game

Materials:
phone

Directions:
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.

40-Inch Dash Game

Materials:
3 40-inch strings, 3 marshmallows

Directions:
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.

2-by-4 Sky Diving Game

Materials:
2"x6"x4" board

Directions:
Two guys hold the 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.

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Pin 'Em Mixer

Materials:
4-5 clothes pins per student, strobe lights, room divider (net, sheet, etc.)

Directions:
Hand out clothes pins. Explain that when the music begins, the object of the game is to get all clothes pins off of yourself and on to someone else. Turn off lights and on strobes and music, you may want to put girls on one side of the room and guys on the another (divide it with a volleyball net or something). Explain that when the lights come on, one or two folks should have about 100 pins on them - pull them up and parade the winner.

A key to this mixer is at the end you will not want them playing with the pins all night during the talk; so dress a tough kid or leader up in very protective gear (motorcycle helmet with face shield, chest protector, turtleneck, scarf, gloves, shin guards, thick pants, etc.); and put a bulls-eye on their chest. Tell everybody to grab all their clothes pins and bring in your human target and play music as they throw their pins at him. Students can't believe they are doing this, and when you stop the music, all the pins are gathered up at the front so they aren't throwing them at each other. Sweep them in a corner and go on with club!

A possible sell is someone in real wrestling singlet and headgear coming in to music, maybe dejected because he can't pin anybody - so you must find the easiest person to "pin!"

Ballon Feet Smash Mixer

Materials:
1-2 balloons per student, string

Directions:
Have one or two balloons per kid. Tie them to feet and have them stomp each other's balloons. Separate by colors (strobe light and 1812 overture works well).

Simon Says Mixer

Materials:
none

Directions:
Played like original Simon Says. Key rules are that you must be honest, and you may not talk. You must be good at this one to pull it off. Quickness and creativity go far.

Gum Sculpting Mixer

Materials:
3-8 gumballs per student, 4 cookie sheets, 4 pairs of rubber gloves

Directions:
Divide club into four teams and pass out three to eight gumballs per student depending on the size of the club. Each team picks a sculptor, chews gum, and designs something in five minutes. Judge for originality, and the funniest etc. Use music in the background. Build on cookie sheet and have rubber gloves for sculptor. Gum commercials (off a commercials CD) will work for background music or even TV shows. Also for a sell, you may want a brat guy or girl interrupting chewing and stretching it out of their mouth, etc.

Penny on the Chin Mixer

Materials:
pennies (one for each student), prize for winner

Directions:
Give each student a penny and have them find a partner. They must hold the penny between their lips and chin without using their hands. Have them stand back to back. On the count of three they turn and face each other. The first one to drop their penny is out and must sit down. The winner then finds a new partner and moves on. Go until someone wins. Find new partners and eliminate to final couple, if there is a tie, both have to sit down. You may want background music starting and stopping each round. Or, play as true mixer where everyone just rotates partners, no one is eliminated, and you play until kids get sick of it.