Gail's Girl Scout Resources

More Games Just For Fun!

STICK OUT BEHIND

Another one that I have used , near the end of the meeting, is this one. I have usually done this with the girls at some other time, so they know what is coming, and so they are eager to have their parents participate.

Everyone forms a circle, and gets down on the floor, on their knees. Emphasize that they must have their arms on the floor, and their foreheads on the floor. Then the Guider says a line, and they repeat after you.

I know my heart
I know my mind.
I know that I
Stick out behind!!

Most just repeat what you have said, and don't really realize what they've said until it is over! The girls love it, to have pulled a joke on their parents!!

Katherine Town

THIS IS A CUP

The first person (person A) turns to the person on their left (person B) and says "This is a cup" while showing them a cup (it always starts with a cup).
Person B says "a what?"
Person A says" a cup".
Person B says" a what?"
Person A says "a cup".
Person B says "oh a cup".
Person A picks something else off the table... let’s say a spoon. Person A says to Person B "this is a spoon" while ....
Person B is saying to Person C (to the left of Person B) "this is a cup".
Both person B and C turn to their right and say "a what".
Person A says" a spoon" to person B while ....
Person B says to Person C "a cup"....

It keeps going like this until there is the same number of items around the table as people. Its quite funny as you tend to get confused at what is being passed to you. You may want to teach the girls first so it goes a bit more smoothly and they'll be better than their parents. It goes pretty fast and you can play if someone makes a major mistake then everyone starts again. Just remember that every item being passed around can only have one syllable in its name to keep the rhythm even (ie if a salt shaker enters then it is often called a "salt").

Kristen Byrnes

MUSICAL DRESSUP

Girls bring in crazy articles of clothing which are all put in a garbage bag and this is passed round the circle while the music plays. Whoever has the bag when the music stops has to reach in and take something out of the bag without looking and wear it. This certainly breaks down inhibitions and usually everyone ends up in hysterics!

Linda Pullen

FISHES IN THE SEA

Each girl gets a chair and places it in the circle so that the chair backs are on the inside and the girls sit facing out. The names of three fish are chosen such as: cod, herring, salmon, assign the girls each one of the fish names so that they are divided about equally among the names and not all the cod, for example, are sitting beside each other. Now, a leader calls out instructions and the girls follow them like this:

Leader: the cod are swimming (the "cod" get up and walk around the circle in one direction)
Leader: the herring are swimming (the "herring" join the cod walking around the circle)
Leader: the sea is getting choppy (the girls walk faster)
Leader: the sea is very choppy (girls run around the circle)
Leader: the tide is turning (girls change direction and walk the other way)
Leader: the sharks are coming (girls sit in the nearest chair)

When the girls are moving in the circle one chair is removed, as in musical chairs, so that when the sharks come someone is left without a chair and she is "out", then the game continues with the leader calling out instructions as she chooses, and removing one chair each time until one girl is left as the winner.

Jenneth Curtis

PUPPY AND BONE

Category: Quiet, Indoors
Equipment: A blind fold and a 'bone'
Number of Participants: 8 and up!
Ages: 5 to 15 years

The children sit in a semicircle facing one child who is the puppy. The puppy wears a blind fold and the 'bone' is on the floor in front of her. A 'thief' is chosen by pointing so as not to let the puppy know which direction the thief is coming from to steal her 'bone'. The thief tries to steal the bone from the puppy without the puppy hearing her. (The rest of the group must sit quietly while she tries). The puppy listens, and points in the direction of the thief and barks, if she hears anything. If she catches the thief by pointing at her, the thief has failed and has to go back into the semi-circle. If the thief succeeds in stealing the 'bone' then she becomes the puppy and the puppy joins the circle for the next round.

Variations: Guides might prefer the spy and the secret papers! Play this one outside in the dark with flashlights. The spy has a flashlight and aims that at the thief, otherwise the rules are the same.

Jane Maddin

TRAIN TAG

Divide the children into groups of three by counting them one, two and three. Number ones are the engines, number 2's are cars and 3's are cabooses. The number of children left over are 'it'. (There will be either 1, 2 or 3 children who are 'it') The people who are 'it' each try to catch their own train. When they do, they become the caboose, and the engines are released to be 'it'. (The trains must hold together until they are caught.)

This is a fun, fast-paced noisy game. And can be played with quite a large group.

Jane Maddin

BLOB TAG

Category: Outdoor, or large space
Age: Brownies and up
Number of players: any number

Like normal tag, one person is chosen to be 'it'. When 'it' tags someone, they link arms or hold hands. As more people are tagged they form a line or blob!

Jane Maddin

ELBOW TAG

Category: Large space
Equipment: None
Number of kids: lots
Ages: Brownies and up

Everyone chooses a partner, links elbows and holds still. These people are the obstacles. One pair becomes 'it' and 'chasee' (They do not link elbows). 'It' tries to tag the 'chasee'. The 'chasee' runs away. The 'chasee' can link elbows with an obstacle. The person on the opposite end of the obstacle, breaks off and becomes the 'chasee'. If 'it' catches the 'chasee' then they switch roles.

Jane Maddin

CIRCLE TAG

This game needs lots of space. Arrange the girls in a circle with everyone holding hands, except for two. This pair is "it". They run around the circle until they feel like tagging someone. The runner on the inside tags a pair of hands, and these two girls come out of the circle run in the opposite direction around the circle, trying to get back into their spot before the first pair gets there. If they don't succeed, they become "it". They have to keep holding hands through this process.

Margaret Fraser

HOSPITAL TAG

Ages: All of 'em
Number of children: Any number from 5 and up
Category: Definitely rowdy, large space required.
This is a variation on 'Everyone's It'

Everyone is 'it'. When you are tagged you put a hand on that spot and keep trying to tag other people without moving that hand. If you are tagged a second time, then you must put your other hand on that spot. You are not 'out' yet though. You continue to tag other people (with your elbows) until you are tagged a third time. Then you sit down.

A variation on this, will allow some one to be the Doctor and that person will go around and rescue the people who are sitting down. Once the Doctor has been tagged three times, the game is over.

Jane Maddin

SUMMER SLED RACE

Equipment: A toboggan per team, a tow rope if your sled doesn't already have one (or a magic carpet, or a piece of tarp) AND a bucket, a chair or marker for the other end.
Ages: 5 and up
Number of Participants: Teams of 4 or 5
Category: Outdoor

Each team needs a sled dog to pull the sled. The bucket must ride on the sled, so the rest of the team runs along behind to put it back as required. (Each team can be given something to put in the bucket to weight it down, if you think that'll help!) The sled must go down to the other end, around the chair (ice berg) and back to the starting line. If you'd like to make the game longer, or you have girls with lots of energy, then have them do it like a relay, with the first girl the dog, and the 2nd one the bucket watcher, then the bucket watcher becomes the dog, and the 3rd girl is the bucket watcher, then she becomes the dog and the 4th does the watching. When the last girl on the team pulls, the first is the bucket watcher.

Jane Maddin

OBSTACLE RACE GAME

Number of players: 6 to 30
Rules: The object is to go through a set course containing various obstacles. These may be physical obstacles (jump over chair) or they may be technical points (dexterity, questions, things to do). The players go over the course individually or in groups.

Examples: Patrol Competition with a theme: A trip
Station 1: At the station: Read the time-table.
Station 2: Baggage: Empty out your suitcase and refill it.
Station 3: En route: Send a post card. Etc.

Variations:
a) When held indoors, clues are placed here and there.
b) Obstacles: sort certain objects, catch with your teeth and eat something hung up with a string (fruit, donut etc.), start a fire in the snow.
c) Suggestions of themes for obstacle races: The World of Sports, Alice in Wonderland, Etc.

Barb Garber

THE YELL

Equipment: None
Number of kids: makes no difference
Ages: 5 and up
Category: Outdoors
Get the kids to line up, like a race. They are to run as far as they can on one yelled breath. Get them to take a good breath before hand. When they have to stop yelling, they are to sit down where they are. (Discourage cheating on this, but it is an energy user!)

Jane Maddin

NAME GAME

Play with an even number of people, at least four but can be as many as 20, though if there is an odd number one can be timer and scorekeeper.

Materials:

1 piece of paper per player plus one for keeping score pens/pencils
watch with second hand

Rules:
Getting ready:

Choose partners
Each person writes as many names of famous people, dead or alive, fictional or real, that they can think of. Twenty is a good minimum number.
Tear up paper so that each name is on one slip, fold
Put slips of paper into bag or bowl and mix up

The game:

Work in groups of twos- you keep the same partners throughout the game
Taking turns, each partner picks a name and gives clues to her/his partner who tries to guess the name
As soon as the name is guessed the guesser then pulls out a name and does the same
If you don't know who someone is, give clues about the name - for instance, one partner had "Marion Davies" and didn't know who it was so said, "first name same as Robin Hood's girlfriend"
Each group has 45 seconds to guess as many names as possible, timer says "stop" and "go".
Any names not guessed get put back into the bag/bowl
Score one point for each correct answer

Clues:

You may not include any part of the person's name in your clue
No rhyming as in "last name rhymes with.."
Clues may be whole sentences, not just one word.
Understanding this, we had some weird ones like "Harvey Wallbanger". One of the girls had never heard of her person she was trying to guess (Jack Parr) and after getting that the first name was "Jack" the clue was "when you play golf you want to get..?" The girl said "Under par, Jack Under Par?" Still didn't ring a bell!

Clare Zimmermann

PARACHUTE GAMES

Popcorn: Place a number of beanbags on the chute. Shake the chute to make them rise like popcorn.

Poison Snake: Place four to six jump ropes on the chute. By shaking the chute, try to make them hit the players on the other side. Keep track of who gets bitten.

Put the pompoms in the middle. Sprinkle various sized pompoms in the top of the shoot and try to get them into the middle pocket. You could have teams with different colours and count how many they get in.

Shaking the Rug and Making Waves: Shaking rug involves rapid movement either light or heavy. Making waves are large movements to send billow of cloth up and down like waves. Waves can be small, medium or large. Girls can alternate turns to see who can make the best waves.

Wheelchair Adaptable Games There are many other games that involve running under the chute that can be played with the girl in the wheelchair if someone helps her. Such as Merry go Round. Turn the body so that the chute is held with only one hand, walk, hop, jump, skip around holding the chute. It looks like a merry-go-round.

If the activity cannot be done from the wheelchair have the girl help you count and keep score.

Wendy Baker

W A V E - where one person puts hands up and person next to her follows action. (like the wave at a baseball game)

CATHEDRAL - everyone lowers the chute and then on the count of three raise their arms high once the chute is quite high - everyone takes 3-4 giant steps toward the center and pulls the chute behind them and sit down with their bottoms on the edge of the chute.

CAT AND MOUSE (although some might find this dangerous - just make sure the cat is crawling on all fours and not running upright) One girl - the mouse - is under the chute, everyone is shaking it - quite close to the ground and another girl (shoes off) crawls on top and tries to hunt and tag the mouse.

We try to let everyone who wants to have a turn 'in the ocean'. Everyone is standing and one or two girls (shoes off) go toward the center and lie down - then we all make waves - it's a neat sensation. It is also neat to let one lie in the middle and go for a ride - when everyone is holding with one arm and facing the same direction and walking. (merry go round)

If the chute is a large one...the girls love to run (or in the case of the girl in the wheelchair - roll) underneath and switch places with others - could number them 1 through 5 around the circle- and then call out a number. (lots of screams for this one)

Margaret A. B. Jones