Catch the Leader

OBJECT - For IT, discover the leader from the group. For everyone else, keep that from happening.

GAME TYPE - Observation game

WHO'S IT FOR - Group Three. You should have at least six people to play this game, but the more the merrier.

WHAT YOU NEED - One chair per person (except for IT), or everyone can just sit on the floor.

HOW TO PLAY:

1. All players sit in a circle.
2. One person is chosen as IT and leaves the room.
3. Once IT is gone, another player is chosen to be the leader.
4. The leader begins a simple, repetitive movement that can be easily imitated by all other players. This could be clapping hands, nodding head, tapping feet, etc.
5. Once the movement has started, IT returns to the room.
6. IT must try to figure out who the leader is.
7. The leader must change the movement every once in a while. If you want, you can set a thirty second time limit before the leader MUST change the movement. Otherwise, the leader will never change, and IT has no chance.
8. All other players must imitate whatever the leader is doing, which means they have to pay attention to the leader. However, they can't give the leader away, so they shouldn't look directly at the leader.
9. IT has three guesses to catch the leader. If IT is successful, the leader becomes the new IT. If IT is unsuccessful, you can make him/her go again, or you can choose a new IT.

It is very important that the group protect the leader. They must pay close attention so the movement changes can be imitated immediately.

THIS GAME WORKS ON - Teamwork (group working together to fool IT), competition (everyone against IT), attending (paying attention to when the movements change), imitation (imitating what the movement is), logic (IT must work out who the leader is).

Bronco Tag

OBJECT - Grab onto the tail of the bronco!

GAME TYPE - Tag game

WHO'S IT FOR - Group Two. You should have at least seven children for this game.

WHAT YOU NEED - A big space to play in.

HOW TO PLAY:

1. Divide everyone up into teams, with one person left over. There should be three to four people on a team. You can have as many teams as possible with your number of children. (Seven people - three on each of two teams, one person left over. Eight people - three on one team, four on the other, one left over. Ten people - three on each of three teams, one person left over.)
2. The teams are broncos. Line each team up and have them hold the waist of the person in front of them.
3. The person left over is IT. IT's job is to catch one of the broncos. To catch a bronco, IT must grab the waist of the person in back of the bronco.
4. The broncos must try to avoid IT. They must work together for this to work.
5. When IT catches a bronco, the player at the front of that bronco becomes the new IT.

It may take awhile for the broncos to get the hang of moving together, but keep working at it. Also, encourage a competitive spirit, but make sure everyone gets a chance to be IT.

THIS GAME WORKS ON - Teamwork (since the broncos have to move together to avoid being caught), competition (trying to avoid being IT).

Apples to Oranges

OBJECT - Don't get caught with the wrong fruit when the music stops, or be out of the game!

GAME TYPE - Elimination Game

WHO'S IT FOR - Group One. There should be about six to ten students for this game.

WHAT YOU NEED - Music, chairs, an apple, an orange, and cards to represent the fruit. The fruit can be real or plastic...plastic fruit will most likely last longer as it can't be eaten. As the game progresses, you may want to use other fruit. Be creative.

HOW TO PLAY:

1. All players sit in a circle.
2. For the first round, only use the apple. No cards are needed in this first round.
3. When the music starts, pass the apple from person to person.
4. When the music stops, whoever is caught holding the apple is out.
5. The last person remaining in the circle is the winner!
6. After the first round, have all players sit in a circle again.
7. This time, use an apple and an orange. You will need an apple card and an orange card.
8. When the music starts, players pass the fruit around the circle one at a time (no player should be holding both the apple and orange at once).
9. When the music stops, draw a card at random. Whoever is holding the fruit that is on the card is out.
10. At the end of the round, the last two players will each be passing the fruit back and forth to each other. Whoever is left holding the fruit not on the card that is drawn is the winner!

In subsequent rounds, if the students are getting it, feel free to add more fruit, such as a banana, a lemon, or a peach.

THIS GAME WORKS ON - Social interaction (by passing the fruits to their peers), attending (paying attention to when the music stops), following directions (by following rules and passing when they're supposed to).

The Bloglish Game Zone

Welcome to the Bloglish Game Zone. This blog is intended to put together games for groups of kids. My focus, however, is on special education rather than typically developing children. Why I try to find group games that are aimed at the groups in the school where I work, I don't find a lot that is specifically aimed at our population. Most just aren't appropriate for our needs. Many of them also seem like they're no fun. So, I'm going to see if I can get together a set of games that are appropriate specifically for special education groups, and could probably used with groups of typically developing children.

Your group is really only as advanced as its weakest member. In this respect, you really need to know a group and be willing to make changes for everyone. For purposes of this list, I'll try to group games into three group levels. Of course, each game could probably be adapted for every group, this is mostly just a template.

• GROUP ONE - This is our lowest functioning group. The group dynamic is good for them to develop social skills that are not quite where they should be for the age level. This group requires a lot of prompting, and games should be very simple. Concepts such as social skills, sharing, teamwork, cooperation, sequencing, and following directions are very important for this group.
• GROUP TWO - This group is higher functioning, but not to the point where they are completely independent. This group is more competitive, but still need to work on their social skills. Games should be less about winning, and more about achievement. Some prompting is still necessary, and rules can be more challenging, but not too complicated.
• GROUP THREE - This is our highest functioning group. The students are generally independent, and very good at following directions. Rules can be more complex, and competition can be emphasized. Other things to work on are teamwork, strategy, and cooperation to achieve a common goal.

You'll know your children better than I will, but this is the basic setup of the groups at the school where I work. Variations that you can think of are appreciated. Thanks, and I hope you enjoy.
-Dr. Worm, Gamemaster