Bucket Brigade

OBJECT - Fill the bucket.

GAME TYPE - Racing game, passing game.

WHO'S IT FOR - Group One. You should have at least five people in a line, and if you have enough players, you can have several lines going at once.

WHAT YOU NEED - A bucket full of water, an empty bucket, and a lot of plastic cups.

HOW TO PLAY:

1. Line the players up. At one end of the line, place the full bucket. At the other, place the empty bucket.
2. On the word "GO", the player next to the full bucket fills a plastic cup and passes it to the next player. The cup makes its way down the line to the other end, where the last player dumps it in the bucket.
3. The first player keeps passing full cups down the line, one after the other, until the bucket at the other end is either full, or full to a predesignated level.
4. If you only have one line, try to record the fastest time. If more than one, have a race.

This can make the floor pretty wet, especially if the cups are full when passed. Be careful

THIS WORKS ON - Eye-hand coordination (passing the cup, receiving the cup, not spilling), teamwork (passing quickly without spilling)

Balloon Sweep

OBJECT - Be the first to sweep your balloon over the finish line.

GAME TYPE - Racing game.

WHO'S IT FOR - Group One. You need at least two to play this one, more to make it a relay.

WHAT YOU NEED - Several blown up balloons (in case one pops), and two brooms (or more, depending on how many teams/racers you have).

HOW TO PLAY:

1. Divide the players into teams.
2. Give the first runner on each team a broom and place a balloon on the floor.
3. On the word "GO", players sweep the balloon towards the turn-around point, which can be a line, a chair, a wall, whatever.
4. At that point, they turn around and head back to the start.
5. When they cross the start line, they give the broom to the next player who now sweeps the balloon toward the turn around.
6. The winners are the first ones to have everyone cross the finish line.

The balloons will go all over the place, so definitely have more ready in case one pops. Also, you can have every player race individually rather than in teams, keeping track of the fastest time.

THIS WORKS ON - Eye-hand coordination (using the broom to sweep the balloon), competition (racing)

Rooms

OBJECT - Switch rooms quickly, or be eliminated.

GAME TYPE - Elimination game.

WHO'S IT FOR - Group One. It doesn't matter how many people you have to play this game.

WHAT YOU NEED - An area, inside or outside, sectioned off into at least four squares. The squares can be in a box shape, or in a line. The squares also need to be labeled with the name of a different room - living room, bathroom, bedroom, kitchen.

HOW TO PLAY:

1. Set up the playing area as described above.
2. Have all players stand in one room.
3. You call out a room. All players must move to that room.
4. The last player to make it to the room is eliminated.
5. If you call out a room where everyone already is, they must stay there. Anyone who moves to another room is eliminated.
6. The last person standing is the winner.

As a variation, you can set a time limit for moving into the enxt room, like five seconds. Anyone who doesn't make it in that time is out.

THIS WORKS ON - Following directions (going to specific room), attending (to what room is being called)

Eyes and Feet

OBJECT - Guess who's behind the sheet.

GAME TYPE - Observation game.

WHO'S IT FOR - Group One. Three or more people can play this game, but it's more fun and much harder if there's more.

WHAT YOU NEED - A sheet with a hole for the eyes cut out. The hole shouldn't be too high on the sheet, but high enough so the shortest player can look through them.

HOW TO PLAY:

1. Hang your prepared sheet up in a doorway. Make sure you can't see around it.
2. Choose one player to be IT. All other players go to the other side of the sheet.
3. One at a time, a player comes up to the sheet and puts their eyes to the eye hole.
4. IT must decide who the eyes in the eyehole belong to.
5. Have every player look through the eyehole, and have IT decide who belongs to each pair.
6. Once IT has seen all the eyes, choose another IT. They go through the same process.
7. The winner is the player who identified the most eyes correctly.

As a variation, and the reason this game is called Eyes and Feet, you can raise the sheet high enough so only the player's feet are visible, and have IT identify them that way.

THIS WORKS ON - Observational skills (noticing attributes that belong to others), matching (matching eyes or feet to other players)

Pass The Present

OBJECT - Open the present!

GAME TYPE - Passing game.

WHO'S IT FOR - Group One. You need enough people to make a circle.

WHAT YOU NEED - Music, and several prewrapped presents. The presents should be wrapped with several layers of paper.

HOW TO PLAY:

1. Players sit in a circle.
2. When the music starts, players pass a present from person to person.
3. Whenever the music stops, whoever is holding the present gets to unwrap one layer of wrapping paper.
4. The music starts again and the present gets passed.
5. Keep going until someone unwraps the last layer of paper. Whoever unwraps the last layer gets to keep the present.
6. Repeat with another present.

This is a great Christmas game, but can be used for other occasions as well. When you wrap the presents, try to make it very difficult to unwrap more than one layer at once. Also, make sure everyone gets something.

THIS WORKS ON - Sharing (passing the present), fine motor (unwrapping presents), attending (listening to the music), following directions (only unwrapping one layer)

Octopus Tag

OBJECT - Don't get tagged by the octopus or any tentacles!

GAME TYPE - Tag game.

WHO'S IT FOR - Group One. You can have as many people as you want to play this game, but at least six.

WHAT YOU NEED - A rectangular space to run with clearly defined borders.

HOW TO PLAY:

1. Set the borders of your area, which should be rectangular. The ends of the area are the safe zones.
2. Designate one person to be the octopus.
3. The octopus stands in the middle of the area, while all other players go to one of the safe zones (everyone in the same place).
4. When the octopus says "GO!", all other players must run from their safe zone to the other, trying to avoid the tag of the octopus. Players may not cross over the edges of the area.
5. If someone gets tagged by the octopus, they become a tentacle. Rather than attaching to the octopus, however, they must stay in the same place they were when they were tagged.
6. Once all players who have not been tagged, the octopus returns to the center of the area and says "GO!" again. Players race back to the other safe zone, this time trying to avoid the tag of the octopus AND any tentacles.
7. Tentacles may not move from their spot, they are rooted to the ground. However, they may take one step as long as their other foot is firmly planted.
8. Anyone who gets tagged by a tentacle becomes another tentacle and must stay in place to try and tag people the next time.
9. The last person who can avoid all tentacles and the octopus is the winner, and becomes the new octopus.

If any tentacle needs help staying put, you can use a carpet square, or draw a big circle where they need to stand using chalk, or tape.

THIS WORKS ON - Competition (trying to avoid the tag), following directions (staying inside the borders, staying in place as a tentacle)

Jingle Tag

OBJECT - Catch the jingler.

GAME TYPE - Tag game.

WHO'S IT FOR - Group One. You'll need four to ten people for this game.

WHAT YOU NEED - For variation one, jingle bells for everyone and one blindfold. For variation two, blindfolds for everyone and one set of jingle bells. For both groups, have an area with clearly defined borders.

HOW TO PLAY (Variation One):

1. Choose one person to be IT and blindfold them.
2. Give everyone else a set of jingle bells.
3. At the word "GO", IT tries to find someone else by listening for their jingle bells.
4. The jinglers must jingle their bells if they are moving. They also may not leave the defined area.
5. Adults can scatter around the area to help IT stay inside the borders.
6. When IT tags someone, they become the new IT.

HOW TO PLAY (Variation Two):

1. Choose one person to be IT, and blindfold everyone else.
2. Give IT a set of jingle bells.
3. At the word "GO", everyone tries to find IT by listening for the jingle bells.
4. IT must jingle the bells when moving. IT may not leave the defined area.
5. Adults can scatter around the area to help the blindfolded people stay in the area.
6. When someone catches IT, they become the new IT.

Watch out for the safety of anyone who is blindfolded. They shouldn't move too fast, and be sure the area is cleared of anything they might trip on.

THIS WORKS ON - Sensory (using ears instead of eyes), competition (trying to tag/not be tagged).

Grid Game

OBJECT - Collect the most grid boxes.

GAME TYPE - Individual game.

WHO'S IT FOR - Group One. You need at least three people, and up to ten.

WHAT YOU NEED - Sidewalk chalk and an area outside. In drawing the grid, make five rows and five columns of boxes for 25 total. If there are more than five playing, add another column for each player. Also, you'll need one beanbag for each player.

HOW TO PLAY:

1. Draw the grid (as described above).
2. Each player takes turn throwing one beanbag at the grid.
3. If a beanbag lands in an unoccupied box (a box that has not already been claimed), the player that threw it may claim the box. They can sign their initials, or color it in with a unique color, or draw a picture, or whatever tehy want to do to claim it.
4. If the beanbag lands in a box that has already been claimed, they can have one more chance to try and get a free box. If they don't, they pass their turn.
5. Keep playing until all boxes are claimed. The player who claimed the most boxes is the winner.

Due to the set-up, this is not a game that repeats easily. Either plan on this being the only thing in your session, or have another game ready for after this one ends.

THIS WORKS ON - Eye-hand coordination (aiming a beanbag and throwing), competition (trying to earn the most boxes), writing (signing your box).

Color Bingo

OBJECT - Get Bingo using colors.

GAME TYPE - Individual game.

WHO'S IT FOR - Group One. You can have as many or as few as you want to play this game, depending on how much preparation you do.

WHAT YOU NEED - This game needs quite a bit of preparation. First, take two standard six-sided dice. Cover all faces of one die with different colored paper, such as blue, green, yellow, red, black, and white. It doesn't matter which color goes where. Leave the other die alone. You'll also need enough bingo cards for all of your players. The Bingo cards should have six rows and six boxes for a total of 36 boxes. Number each column 1-6. Each column should have four of the six colors represented and placed randomly throughout the column. You'll also need a lot of tokens or other types of markers to mark the board during the game.

HOW TO PLAY:

1. Pass out the cards to the players.
2. Have a player roll both dice, the normal one and the colored one.
3. When the roll is done, have the player call out what the number and color is (e.g. "Three blue").
4. When the number/color combination is called, players look on their in the number column to see if they have that color represented. If there are one or more blues in the third column, players should mark only one with one of their tokens.
5. If a number/color combination is rolled, and the player has already marked it, they don't get to mark it again.
6. If a number/color combination is rolled, and the player doesn't have it, they don't get to mark anything.
7. All players should get a turn to roll the dice and call out the number/color combination.
8. Keep track of what has been called.
9. When someone gets six in a row (horizontally, vertically, or diagonally), they call out "BINGO!" Check to make sure they got it. If they did, they win. If not, play continues.
10. Once someone has won, clear the cards, switch them around, and play again.

This game is mostly based on luck, so try to encourage the players not to get frustrated if they don't win.

THIS WORKS ON - Color recognition (trying to identify colors on the bingo card), fine motor (placing markers on the card), competition (playing a friendly game with peers), tracking (finding the right color in the right column)

Circle Kickball

OBJECT - Don't knock over any objects.

GAME TYPE - One team game.

WHO'S IT FOR - Groups One and Two. You need at least six people for this game.

WHAT YOU NEED - A kickball and several items for the center of the circle that can be knocked down.

HOW TO PLAY:

1. Put everyone into a large circle, with at least an arm's length between them.
2. First, have the players jsut practice kicking the ball to someone else in the circle. Don't kick it too hard, or the other player won't be able to get it.
3. After everyone has kicked the ball to someone else a few times, put an object, such as an empty soda bottle, in the middle of the circle. Now the object of the game is to kick the ball across the circle without knocking over the object.
4. If the object gets knocked over, set it back up. See how many times the ball can be kicked across the circle before the object gets knocked over.
5. As the game progresses, make it more difficult by adding more objects to the circle. If one object gets knocked down, leave it as an obstacle. Only when everything gets knocked down do you set them up again.

This game is not a competition. People don't get eliminated for knocking down the object, though if someone refuses to follow directions and keeps aiming for the object, they may need to be removed.

THIS WORKS ON - Teamwork (everyone working together to keep the objects standing), eye-foot coordination (being able to aim kicks so the objects don't get hit), following directions (kicking to friends and not trying to hit center object).

Face Maker

OBJECT - Make a face using magazine pictures.

GAME TYPE - Art game.

WHO'S IT FOR - Group One and Group Two. You'll need enough people to cover the parts of the face, as listed below. If you have too many people, they can work in pairs or teams.

WHAT YOU NEED - Lots of old magazines, scissors, glue, and 10 sheets of paper.

HOW TO PLAY:

1. Assign a facial feature to each player or team of players (eyes, ears, nose, mouth, hair, head, possibly neck, facial hair, or jewelry).
2. Have each player or team flip through the magazines look through their magazines to find their facial feature.
3. When they find it, they cut it out. (NOTE - Heads should be large, close up photos. The facial features on the head will be covered)
4. The players should find ten of their assigned facial feature.
5. Once all the facial features have been cut out, the players glue one onto each sheet of paper. Start with the head, then add the different facial features in any order after that. Facial features do not have to match.
6. Once all the faces are complete, have the players vote on which one they like the best.

This is not a competition. Everyone is working together to create faces.

THIS WORKS ON - Teamwork (working together to build a face), body concept (recognizing each facial feature and where it goes), artistic ability (being able to cut and paste), fine motor (operating the scissors).

Hunter and Rabbits

OBJECT - As the hunter, try to catch the rabbits. As the rabbits, try to avoid the hunters!

GAME TYPE - Dodge game.

WHO'S IT FOR - Group One. You should have at least five players for this game.

WHAT YOU NEED - A large space to run around in, and a soft playground ball.

HOW TO PLAY:

1. Select one player to be the hunter, and have all the rest as rabbits.
2. On the word "GO", the rabbits start to run, trying to avoid being hit with the ball.
3. The hunter must chase the rabbits, and throw the ball at them to try to hit them.
4. If the hunter hits a rabbit, that rabbit also becomes a hunter. The hunters then work together to catch more rabbits.
5. Each rabbit that gets caught becomes another hunter. The last rabbit remaining is the winner, and becomes the hunter for the next round.

This game should only be played with one ball, though you may add more if the players are really getting the hang of the game.

THIS WORKS ON - Competition (trying to get other players out, and trying to avoid getting out), teamwork (hunters working together to catch rabbits)

Pyramid

OBJECT - Don't knock the pyramid over!

GAME TYPE - Elimination games.

WHO'S IT FOR - Group One. You can have about two to six players for this game. If you have more, it gets a little long.

WHAT YOU NEED - Plastic, paper or styrofoam cups, probably about ten to twenty for each player. Also, a table or other flat surface to play on.

HOW TO PLAY:

1. Pass out cups to each player. Each player sits around the playing surface. Play goes to the left.
2. The first player puts a cup, upside down, on the table.
3. The next player puts a cup right next to the first cup.
4. The next player puts a cup on top of the first two cups, making a two level pyramid.
5. The next player adds another cup to the bottom row.
6. The next player adds a cup to the second row, so it balances on two cups.
7. The next player puts a cup at the top, making a three level pyramid.
8. Keep adding in this manner, building up the pyramid until it topples over.
9. Whoever added the cup that knocked down the pyramid is out.
10. Pick up the cups, and start over with the remaining players.
11. When it gets down to two players, the one who doesn't knock over the pyramid is the winner.

Players should be very careful not to jostle the table or playing surface at all, otherwise the pyramid will come tumbling down prematurely.

THIS WORKS ON - Eye-hand coordination (being able to balance cups on top of other cups), Desxterity (being able to move around the existing pyramid so as not to knock it over), competition (trying not to be the one to knock down the pyramid)

Dragon's Tail

OBJECT - Be a dragon, and don't let the head catch the tail!

GAME TYPE - One team games.

WHO'S IT FOR - Group One. You need at least five people to make a good sized dragon.

WHAT YOU NEED - Space to move around, and some kind of flag for a tail.

HOW TO PLAY:

1. Everyone lines up, one behind another, and puts their hands on the shoulders or waist of the person in front of them.
2. Attach a tail to the person in the back. It can be a flag, a handkerchief, or some other loose cloth or paper attached loosely in the back o the waist. It must be easily removed.
3. The person in front of the line is the head of the dragon. He/she must try to grab the tail from the back of the dragon and pull it off.
4. Everyone else is the body of the dragon. They must hold on and not lose contact with each other for the entire game. However, in following the head, they must try to keep it from catching the tail.
5. The tail must try to evade the head for as long as it can.
6. When the tail is removed, the person who was in the back of the line moves to the front and becomes the new head.

Make sure everyone gets a chance to be both head and tail throughout the game.

THIS WORKS ON - Teamwork (having to move as one entity), strategy (trying to keep the head from the tail)

Animal Races

OBJECT - Run like an animal to win the race!

GAME TYPE - Racing games.

WHO'S IT FOR - Groups One and Two. There need to be at least two people for it to actually be a race, but it's better to have more competition.

WHAT YOU NEED - Cards that represent the various animals, and an area where the kids can run.

HOW TO PLAY:

1. The first thing to do is have the kids practice the various animal racing movements (see below the rules for a list of suggestions).
2. Once practiced, have heats for each movement. Have each student run a certain distance in one of the animal styles one at a time. Crown a champion of each animal class by who can finish each leg the fastest.
3. After all heats are done, do a big animal race. Have everyone start as one animal. When they reach a certain point, they switch to another animal. Keep switching as much as you want (use the animal cards to let them know when to switch), and the first one to reach the finish line is the winner.
4. You also may want to do the final animal race one at a time to keep things fair. Just keep track of the time, and the winner is the one who finishes the fastest.

These are good animal moves to use for the race:

• Cheetah Run - Run as fast as you can.
• Crab Walk - Walk on all fours with your back to the ground.
• Horse Trot - Gallop forward with one foot staying in front of the other.
• Kangaroo Hop - Jump forward with your feet together.
• Penguin Waddle - Walk with your legs pressed together.
• Snake Slither - Crawl forward with your belly staying on the ground.

THIS WORKS ON - Competition (racing against your peers), athletic ability (running, doing other animal moves quickly), sequencing (able to follow the moves and change when they need to)

Brooklyn Bridge

OBJECT - Get a ball through the legs of your opponents.

GAME TYPE - Two team games.

WHO'S IT FOR - Group One. The group should have an even number of people. However, if there's an odd number, an adult can join one of the teams to make it even.

WHAT YOU NEED - A playground ball and a big space.

HOW TO PLAY:

1. The players divide into two teams. It doesn't matter how the teams are chosen.
2. Each team lines up with their feet approximately shoulder width apart. Also, their feet must be touching the feet of the player or players next to them.
3. One team takes a ball and attempts to roll it through the legs of the other team.
4. The team defending may try to block the ball, but they may not use their hands or move their feet, only their legs.
5. If the ball rolls through, the rolling team gets a point.
6. The defenders are now the rollers. Make sure everyone gets a chance to roll and defend.
7. The winning team is the one with the most points after a certain time limit.

As the game goes on, you may want to add more balls to the mix to make things interesting.

THIS WORKS ON - Eye hand coordination (aiming, rolling), strategy (figuring out where to roll the ball and how to block it), competition (trying to score points off the other team).

Seated Volleyball

OBJECT - Don't let the ball touch the ground!

GAME TYPE - One team games.

WHO'S IT FOR - Group One. You need at least six people to make the game work well.

WHAT YOU NEED - Either a beach ball or a balloon, and chairs

HOW TO PLAY:

1. All players sit in chairs in a circle.
2. One player hits the beach ball or balloon up in the air.
3. Another player hits the ball when it comes down.
4. Repeat this as long as possible. Don't let the ball touch the ground!
5. No player may hit the ball twice in a row.
6. No player may leave their seat to hit the ball.
7. No spikes are allowed (hitting the ball very hard).
8. Score one point for the team every time the ball is hit successfully. If the ball hits the ground, start the scoring over.
9. Try to get the highest score possible!

You can also play a more individual version, where players get points if they hit the ball and someone else can hit it before it touches the ground.

THIS WORKS ON - Teamwork (working together to achieve the highest score possible), eye-hand coordination (being able to see the ball and hit it so others can hit it), following directions (being able to follow the rules), attending (paying attention to when the ball comes to you).

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).