Group Games

BREAK THE ICE

      BREAK THE ICE

The first day of class is usually spent in part by getting acquainted and

establishing goals. Ice breakers are techniques used at the first session

to reduce tension and anxiety, and also to immediately involve the class

in the course. Use an icebreaker because you want to, not as a time filler

or because teaching guides say one should be used. Listed below are

several examples of ice breakers.

        INTRODUCE MYSELF

        Participants introduce themselves and tell why they are there.

        Variations: Participants tell where they first heard about the class,

        how they became interested in the subject, their occupations, home

        towns, favorite television programs, or the best books they have read in

        the last year.

        INTRODUCE ANOTHER

        Divide the class into pairs. Each person talks about him/herself to the

        other, sometimes with specific instructions to share a certain piece of

        information. For example, "The one thing I am particularly proud of

        is..." After five minutes, the participants introduce the other person

        to the rest of the class.

        CHARACTER DESCRIPTIONS

        Have students write down one or two adjectives describing themselves.

        Put these on a stick-on badge. Have class members find someone with

        similar or opposite adjectives and talk for five minutes with the other

        person.

        I'VE DONE SOMETHING YOU HAVEN'T DONE

        Have each person introduce themselves and then state something they have

        done that they think no one else in the class has done. If someone else

        has also done it, the student must state something else until he/she

        finds something that no one else has done.

        FIND SOMEONE

        Each person writes on a blank index card one to three statements, such

        as favorite color, interest, hobby, or vacations. Pass out cards so

        everyone gets someone else's card. Have that person find the person with

their card and introduce themselves.

FAMOUS PERSON

People write a famous name on a piece of paper and pin it on someone

else's back. Person tries to guess what name is pinned on his/her by

asking others around the room yes or no questions. Variation: Use famous

place instead of famous person.

MY NAME

People introduce themselves and tell what they know about why they have

        their name (their mother wanted to name me after her great aunt Helen

        who once climbed Pike's Peak in high heels, etc.). It could be the

        first, middle or nick name.

        HOW DO YOU FEEL?

        Ask the students to write down words or phrases that describe their

        feelings on the first day of class. List the responses on the

        blackboard. Then ask them to write down what they think you as the

        teacher are feeling this first day of class. List them on the blackboard

        in a second column and note the parallels. Briefly comment on your

        feelings and then discuss the joint student/teacher responsibilities for

        learning in the course.

      These are just a few of the hundreds of icebreakers. Be creative and

      design your own variations. Don't be afraid to experiment and try

      different approaches, and above all, have fun and start that most

      important first day of class on the right foot!

  

GROUP GAMES

01. Ping-pong, Bang-shoot

Divide the participants in groups of 5. Each group name themselves after a country. As soon as the name of their country is called out, the first in the group calls Ping, the second, Pong the third shoot etc. and the last in the line calls out the name of another country. The procedure continues.  If any in the group mispronounces what they ought to say, or anticipates before the others in the line or fails to start immediately the whole group is out. Once one groups is out, any body calling the name of the country which is out of the game will also be out.

02. Come along:

All but one stand in a circle, players standing three feet apart and facing. Having each player mark the place where he stands. Place the extra player on the outside of the circle. The extra player goes around the circle, touching one or more player as he passes them. When he touches a player, he says, come along! The player at once leaves the circle and follows behind the first player. In this was those who have been touched follow the first player. This goes until there are six or eight players following the first. When he says `go home' each of the player including the first player then attempts to get any of the circles not necessarily the one he started. The player who fails to get a place now starts the game.

03. Blowing the T.T. ball:

Either 2 volunteers or 2 teams are formed. A TT ball is placed between them on a table or on the ground. At the given signal they have to blow the ball to their opposite sides respectively, while their hands being held behind. The team which succeeds in blowing is the winner.

04. Blow the Feather:

Divide your guests into teams of equal number. Give each team a small feather. As the game gets under way, each team tosses its feather into the air and endeavours to keep it there, by blowing. Each contestant must keep his hand behind his back. The team which is able to keep its feather in the air longest is the winner and the windiest. Reflection : On the danger of gossip.

05. Creativity:

Participants are divided into small groups of 4. Each groups is given a set of things, e.g. an apple, matches, toothpicks, paper clips, rubber bands, cardboard, etc.... Scissors and felt pens can be made available.

The groups are given 20 mts. to create some object that would be useful in any time. They are limited in their creation to the use of these items supplied but they do have to use all of them. It should be explained that created items will be judged on imagination of purpose and efficiency of design. At the end of 20 to 30 mits. of creativity each group through a representative, must verbally `sell' the idea to the groups. Prizes are awarded to the most creative groups with a beautiful explanation.

06. Human Machine:

Ask each of the groups to present a machine how it is assembled or how it works etc. The group comes and performs the human machine. Let others guess what the machine is. Tell the name of it, only if they cannot guess, e.g. motor cycle, jeep, rice mill, tractor, printing press.

07. Ring Pass:

Divide the participants into two or more teams of equal number. Each contestant is given a toothpick which he puts in the mouth. The first member of each team is given a ring, which is placed over the toothpick. At the go signal, the first member of each team turns and attempts to put his ring over the toothpick of the person next to him. If the ring falls down then one who last had it must pick it up, put it on the tooth pick and again attempt to pass it until the ring reaches the last member of the team. The team who manages to get the ring till the end gets the prize.

08. What is it like:

Someone goes out of the room, and while he is gone, the group selects some object in the room which he is to identify when he returns. When he returns, he goes to anyone in the group and says, Got any ideas? that person must answer Yes. Then he asks, Tell me something about it. That one will then say something which will be a clue, e.g. if the one who has gone out is to identify a chair, the person to whom he comes might say, it is like you. He will then ask. How? He will then answer, because it has legs. He amy then venture a guess. Whoever gives the clue which leads to answering the object must leave the room the next time.

09. Wild animal hunt:

Cut out pictures of wild animals and hide them in strategic places about your living room. Then send your children out on a wild animal hunt to see who can find the most pictures. Award a box of animal biscuits or sweets to the prize hunter.

10. Simon Says:

Players stand about with plenty of room between each player for action. The leader calls commands, such as Simon says, position, and jump forward. Players obey the command of the leader. However, if the command is not preceded with Simon says, the players do nothing. Any player failing to obey a Simon says, must get out of the circle and be the new commander while the former one gets into his place.

11. Pipety-pop:

Players stand or sit in a circle. The player who is to lead takes his place in the circle. He points his finger at some player and says either pipety pop or pipety pip. If the word pipety pop is used the player at whom he  must respond by saying pip, before the word pipety pop is completed by the leader. If the word Pipety pip is used then the player to whom the leader points must respond pop before the leader can complete the word pipety pip. If any player makes a mistake in giving the right response then the players exchange places.

12. Have you seen my sheep:

The shepherd enters the group and asks one `have you seen my sheep'. The player asks, `What does he look like, and he responds with details like, blue tie, brown shirt, black shoe etc. and the player guesses the sheep and verifies with the shepherd. If his guess is right he chases the person who was described as sheep. If the sheep is caught before reaching the place, becomes the shepherd; otherwise, the chaser becomes the shepherd.

13. Chinese opera:

Select some very well known song choruses. Write out the lines on separate slips of paper. Have as many slips as will correspond with the number of players. Scatter the slips on the floor in the middle of the room. Each player takes a slip, and having read his line, goes off to find the people with the other lines belonging to that particular song. In a short time all the players are grouped, and at this point you announce that all are to sing their choruses - at the same time.  If there are, say, 20 players, four line choruses could be used, so as to group them into five fours. If the number is larger, six- or eight line verses could be selected.

14. Completing quotations:

Give to the women the first part of the quotation and the men the last. The woman who has `Strong as an' looks for the man who has `ox'. other suggestions are:

Sure as death   Sweet as sugar            Sour as vinegar

Hot as Blazes  Soft as mush   tough as shoe leather

hard as rock     thin as a rail     fat as a butter ball

light as a feather  fast as lightening  cold as ice.

still as a mouse            green as grass  sly as a fox

crooked as a gourd  sore as a boil      yellow as gold.

slow as cold molasses  neat as a pin    heavy as lead

slick as glass    slippery as an eel  proud as a peacock

fit as a fiddle   mad as a wet hen        stiff as a board

busy as a bee   flat as a pancake   straight as a pine

clear as crystal                                                 tree.

keen as a whip clean as a hond's tooth.          

PICNIC AND BEACH GAMES

01. Balloon bursting:

Divide the group into 2 or 3 teams. Make them stand in a line one after the other at one end of the hall. At the other end place two chairs for each team. On one chair keep a few balloons according to the number of people in each team.  When the whistle is blown one member from each team will run to the other end of the hall, take a balloon, blow it and place it on the chair and burst it by sitting on it. Only when the balloon is burst, can he/she come back to the team. Once he/she returns the second person runs and the game continues this way. The team which breaks all the balloons first is the winner.

02. Dog and the Bone:

Two teams are formes and are numbered equally. These teams stay parallel at a distance of 12 to 14 feet. A small circle is drawn between them and small piece of stick is placed in it. When the animator calls out the number, 2 opponents of the same number come to the circle and snatch away the stick (bone). One who succeeds to carry it away without being touched by the other is the winner; thus the game continues.

03. Fox's tail:

Select one player to be the fox, (IT) and another to be the gender. The remaining players line up in a file behind the gander firmly grasping the waist of the player in front. `It' or the fox attempts to tag the last player in the file. The gander attempts to keep the fox away from touching the tail by moving in front of him, thus protecting the line. When the Fox succeeds in tagging the last player he becomes the fox and the fox takes the head position as gander. The last player in the line may be required to tuck a handkerchief under his belt. He is not tagged until the handkerchief is removed.

Reflection: 01. Unity is strength.

             02. Members are strongly defended by the leader.

             03. When we place our trust fully in God he will defend us from all evil.

04. The Wind and the Flowers:

Players are divided into two equal groups. The wind and the flowers. They stand at each end of the allotted space behind a line. The flowers decide among themselves upon the name of one common flower such as Rose, Daisy, Lily, etc.. and then stand in a line facing the wind. The wind group members guess the name of the flowers and call out the names of the flowers. As soon as the right one is called the flowers turn track to the garden behind them the wind chases. If the flowers are caught they become the wind.

05. The Treasure Hunt:

A thrilling game to play. You can have a thrilling treasure hunt which ought to be carefully prepared and planned. You must think upon the clues which one neither too hard nor too easy. Players must hunt for the treasure in pairs. Each pair is given a written clue to begin the game. This game can start indoors and lead on to outdoors. Some possible clues are suggested here:  Where the mouse ran up in a small bedroom. This really refers to the nursery name, Hickory, Dickory dock where the mouse ran up the clock; so the obvious place in the clock under which the second clue to indicate the doormat you can just jumble up the words. All clues must be left where they are found. The solutions to the clues must not be given to the other treasure hunters.

06. Bucket Brigade:

Divide your guests into two or more teams of equal number and supply each member of each team with a paper cup. Each team has two milk bottles, one filled with water and one empty. The empty bottle is placed on another table opposite end of each line.

At the `go' signal the first member of each team fills his cup with water from the milk bottle. He then proceeds to pour the water into the cup of the contestant standing next to him. This contestant then pour the water from his cup of the contestant next to him and this proceeds on down the line. The last contestant of each team pours the contents of his cup into the empty milk bottle. This continues until one team has emptied its bottle, poured the contents from cup to cup down the line and then into the other bottle.

In awarding the prize to the winner take into consideration not only the team which first completes its brigade but also the one that succeeds in transporting the most water without spilling. In other words you might award two prizes - one to the team which finishes first and the other to the team which successfully transports the most water.

Reflection: How do I fill another's cup?

            What care do I take?

            Have I got team spirit in me?

OBSERVATION GAMES

01. Whistle game:

Ask for two volunteers and send both of them out. Call for one and ask him to find out who has the whistle. The whistle will be tied inside the animators shirt at the back. As he goes round searching, go opposite his direction and ask different people to blow the whistle. The game continues until he recognizes that you have the whistle.

02. Which market is it?

Send two volunteers out of the hall. Tell the group that this hall is a fish market and each of them has to sell one variety of fish. When you give the signal all have to shout ONLY ONCE what they are selling.

Call for one volunteer and ask him to identify which market is it when you give the signal and all of them shout together what they are selling. Give him three chances to find out, failing which he is asked to do what the group tells him.

03. Recognize the voice when blindfolded:

Ask for a volunteer who will be blindfolded. He will be taken around and when he points to any in the group, that person should make the sound of any animal in such a way so as not to reveal his identity. If the blindfolded person identifies, correctly, then that person will be blindfolded and the game continues.

04. Identify your label:

Call for a volunteer and paste a label on his forehead without his seeing it. For example, `thief' or `police'. Tell him to go round. Seeing the label the group has to react to the label appropriately. If the label is thief they shout signs of contempt of anger. The person with the label has to identify the label he possesses.

05. Pick and Act:

Divide the participants into four groups. Elect a leader for the group. Call for two volunteers from each group who can act very well. The first volunteer from the first group is shown privately what he has to act out and he stands in the middle and acts. In order that he does not whisper and reveal what is told him, a slip of paper is put in between his lips.

After his acting out all the groups write on a slip of paper what they think he has acted out and the leader gives the paper to the animator. Those who identify it correctly are the winners and get a point each. Examples of items to be acted out : Rainy season; Railway station etc.

06. Drawing the tail of the donkey:

Draw a donkey on the black board but without a tail. Call for five volunteers. Blindfold them and give each of them a piece of chalk and ask them to draw the tail for the donkey. The one who is able to draw the tail correctly is the winner.

07. Know how sincere you are:

Draw seven circles. Then close your eyes and make a cross inside the circles. It is not always easy to mark in the right place. Find out the result of each player. The one who gets the least correctly marked can be considered as the most sincere person.

08. Use me:

A candle is placed on a table. One student is blindfolded. She is given a match box. The blindfolded should go to the table and light the candle. (OR) A lighted candle can be kept on the table, and is asked to put it out.

09. Live target:

Designate some one to be `it' and have stand with his back to your contestants. Then pass around a been bag pillow or a similar soft object, and designate some one from among the contestants to threw the object at the `dummy' that is, the person who is `it'. As soon as the dummy is hit, he turns around and tries to guess who hit him. If he succeeds, he and the one who threw exchange places. If not he must turn his back again and the procedure is repeated.

This game can be included also in the guessing games. Reflection: Many times we keep grudge or blame people without knowing the facts thus cause misunderstandings.

10. Changed attire:

Divide your guests into two groups. One group goes to another room. Before it leaves, however, members are instructed to carefully study the clothing of the group which is to remain. While the first group is gone, the remaining groups has two of its members change ties, for example, OR two of the girls change shoes. The first group then returns and endavours who has done the changing. The next time the order is reversed.

11. What is wrong with the room:

While your guests are in another room, make a number of changes, all of them erroneous in your main playing area. You might do such obvious things as to turn lamp shades upside down, turn pictures upside down, and the like. But there are also a number of small things, which you can do, which are not easily noticed but which are definitely incorrect. Then bring your guests into the room and give each a pencil and a paper. See how many can list the incorrect items in the room. Caution your guests not to get bright looks on their faces every time they see something wrong as this might be a giveaway to someone else.

12. Ankle identity:

One group sits behind the screen or curtain or a sheet. Remove the shoes. The other groups enters and guesses whose feet they are. The one who guesses most owners of the ankles wins.

13. Hand guessing:

Girls holding one hand up above the top of the screen. (The rest is as above).

14. Finding out the leader:

One player goes out. The others in the group select a leader who performs different actions which are followed by the others. Meanwhile the `IT' using his/her observation power guesses the right person. If he/she fails to guess he/she takes up the penalty given by the leader.

15. Test your memory:

The leader writes down all the prices of articles that are present in the form. The girls are asked to observe the articles that are present in the room for two minutes. At the given signal they write down the things they observed. The leader then reads out the list, mean time the girls correct their papers.

Pass around seven articles. After they are passed around to all the hands the girls are made to write them down according to the same order as they were passed.

16. Acting word:

A few girls come forward at the command of the leader, they start acting the word which they have previously decided upon, e.g. the word butterfly at the first signal they act, applying butter. Then at the second signal act flying. The observers should guess the acted word.

17. Who is my friend?

This can be played with a group of 10 to 15 students. The players are given two minutes time to look at each other and observe what they have on them. Then the leader asks the players to sit backing (or facing away from the leader) with a paper and a pencil. Then the leader describes something belonging to a person or the person itself with a sentence and the players write the name of the person, i.e. the leader says `my friend is wearing a pink blouse; or my friend is having a big mole on the right cheek; or my friend is having a gold wrist watch, etc.  The players without turning their heads guess the friend, and write his/her name, of course the winner gets the points.

18. Guess me:

One person is sent out of the group she is `IT OUT'. One from within the group is selected to be the `IT IN'. The rest of the participants talk of the qualities of the `IT IN' by listening to these qualities the `IT OUT' must be able to find out who the person is; the power of judgement is tested in this.  (This game must be played only after the group has built sufficient confidence with each other, know one another sufficiently. Otherwise you may cause harm in describing individual qualities).

19. Jingle bells:

Seat your guests in a circle, with someone who is `IT' placed in the centre. While `IT' closes a small bell is passed around the group. While his eyes are closed, it counts aloud to ten. As soon as he reaches eight or nine, of course whoever is in possession of the bell will put his hands behind him and to keep his face from telling on his secret; everyone does the same, thus making the selection more conducing for `IT'

20. Blow out the candle:

Each contestant is shown a lighted candle on a near by table. Then he is blindfolded, turned round two or three times and instructed to go to the table and blow out the candle; the only means to find the candle over he has to establish its position in the room is to search the air for warmth. If you wish keep a stop watch in each contestants efforts and award a prize to the one who succeeds in the least time.

21. Mystery person:

Players stand in a small circle facing in. `IT' is blindfolded and given two large serving spoons. It turns around three times in the centre of the circle and then advances towards the players. Using only the spoons to feel with, he attempts to identify the player he is spooning. The player may stoop to disguise his size, but otherwise he cannot back away from the spoons. If `IT' can identify the player the two exchange places; otherwise `IT' must pass on to another player.

22. Ring on a string:

Seat your guests in a circle, and unroll sufficient string so that each can hold it comfortably. Then tie the string making it also a circle. Before you tie the string, however, slip a ring on to the cord. Then appoint someone to be `IT' and stand in the centre.

As it moves around, the ring is pushed from hand to hand on the string each contestant holding the string with both hands. At any time, `IT' may point to someone, and say, Open your hands. If that one has the ring in either of his hands, he and `IT' change places. If not, the passing of the ring continues, and `IT' guesses again.

23. Blind men's choir:

Seat your guest's in a circle, with a blindfolded choir master in the centre. After he is blindfolded, everyone changes places. Then give the choirmaster a basion and instruct him to begin the group singing some chorus. At any given moment, he may point to one of the choir members. When he does this, the remainder stops singing, but the one to whom the choirmaster has pointed must continue humming the melody. The choirmaster then attempts to identify the one who is humming. If he succeeds, the two exchange places. If he fails, the singing continues and he tries again.

24. Unseen Objects:

The participants sit round a table, their hands beneath it. The leader passes one at a time without much delay, twenty to twenty-five objects under the table. When the last has come back to the leader, the players write their list of what was passed. The player who scores the highest score wins the prize.

25. Guess the calls:

This game is good for pairing up girls and boys for some dancing game which shall follow. The girls stand on the outside circle of chairs while the boys are out of the room. A girl calls out the name or number (if numbered) of the boy outside. The boy who was called should come and identify the person who called, if he is right he sits, if wrong he goes out again.

26. Something Smells:

The game leader places a number of substances, each with a distinct odor, in cups, he places the cups on the table. The players are divided into two teams and both the teams leave the room.  Members of each team are called individually, they are each blindfolded and led to the table where the cups are kept. The game leader holds each cup to the player's nose. In turn each player is supposed to identify the various smells. The score is kept of the many smells that are named correctly. When all of the players have had a chance to guess the smells, the team with the greatest number correct identifications is declared the winner.

27. Feel:

Have ten small, familiar objects, such as a comb, toothbrush, can opener or cigarette lighter; a large bag or pillowcase, paper and pencil, put into a sack. The objects could include one or two a little less familiar than the others like an egg, cup or a napkin ring are placed in the bag. Each player is given a piece of paper and a pencil and is then allowed to put his hand into the sack for one minute. When the minute is up he writes down all of the objects that he was able to identify. When all the players have finished, the one with the largest number of correct identifications wins the game.

28. Smugglers and Inspectors:

Players are divided into two teams, the smugglers and the inspectors. Each smuggler hide their smuggled goods (toothpicks) on their person in such a way that a small bit of the toothpick is visible.

The smugglers stand in a line in the centre of the room, the inspectors walk along slowly down one side of the line and then up the other side. As they walk, they reach out and extract any toothpick they see, but may not touch the smugglers in any other way. The inspectors are given three minutes to complete their inspection and may not retrace their steps. The seized toothpicks are then counted and the inspectors get a point for every detected toothpick while the smugglers get two points for every undetected toothpick. The teams reverse roles and the one with the higher combined score gets a prize. 

MIXING GAME PHRASES

Strong as an ox.                      Fat as a pig.                 Hard as a rock.

Clear as crystal.                       Thin as a rail.   Cold as ice.

Dead as a doornail.                 Light as a feather. Sly as a fox.

Pretty as a picture.      Black as coal.              Sharp as a razor.

Sour as a lemon.                      White as snow.                        Green as grass.

Yellow as gold.                       Neat as a pin.              Cross as two sticks.

Brave as a lion.                        Dry as a bone.             Sweet as honey.

Hot as fire.                              Huge as an elephant.

Bitter as gall.               Heavy as lead.             Soft as velvet.

Tough as leather.                     Deep as the ocean.     

Spry as a spring chicken. Funny as a monkey.

Tall as a giraffe.                      Slippery as an eel.                                                      

Still as a mouse.                      Swift as a hare.                      

Bright as the sun.                    Tight as a drum.         

Quick as lightening.    Poor as a church mouse.

Mad as a March hare.  Fair as a flower.          Ugly as sin.

Flat as a pancake.                    Red as a beet.              Crazy as a loon.

Brown as a nut.                       Blind as a bat. Mean as a miser.

Full as a tick.               Plump as a partridge.

Clean as a whistle.      Hard as flint.               Fine as a fiddle.

Stiff as a poker.                       Calm as a clock.          Busy as a bee.

Pure as a lily.               Proud as a peacock.