Divide your group into a few teams (no more than 5 per team). Each team will need to have a digital camera or camera phone (capable of taking good quality pictures). Everyone gets a list with the same items on it that they need to go photograph. Set a time limit (I've usually done it from 30 minutes to an hour) and send them off. There is a rule that the group has to stay together to take the pictures (no dividing-and-conquering, which can be tempting especially with camera phones that can text the photos to one person), and to make it even harder you can require that everyone in the group who isn't taking the picture needs to be in it.
This game can be designed to be played just on one campus or in one neighborhood, or across town. The lists need to be prepared in advance.
When the time limit is up, have everyone meet back where they started. Import the pictures onto a computer so everyone can gather around and see the pictures the other groups took (and decide if any of them need to be disqualified). Whichever team found and correctly photographed the most items on the list wins.
Fun list ideas:
A firefighter
The "Welcome to" sign of your city
The golden arches
Twins
A man with a combover
Poultry
The biggest thing you can find
The ugliest animal you can find
Balloons
Someone playing an instrument
Supplies:
paper (a list of places for each group)
pencils (one per group)
digital cameras (or camera phones)
laptop/computer
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Sardines
This is also known as "Reverse Hide and Seek." It's an ideal game for a big group, more so than traditional Hide and Seek (in which everyone is hiding at the same time and know where their friends are, making it really lame when they all find each other once they're found).
To play Sardines, everyone starts in one room or location. One person is selected to go and hide, while everyone else stays and counts to 100 (or whatever number they agree to with the "hider"). When they reach 100, everyone splits up to search for the person who is hidden. If anyone finds him/her, they hide with him/her. This continues until everyone is hidden except for one person who is still looking for the original hider (and everyone else who has joined him/her). The game can get pretty silly if 6 people are trying to fit under the same table or in the same closet.
This game also works outdoors, so long as the area is limited (such as a park or yard).
To play Sardines, everyone starts in one room or location. One person is selected to go and hide, while everyone else stays and counts to 100 (or whatever number they agree to with the "hider"). When they reach 100, everyone splits up to search for the person who is hidden. If anyone finds him/her, they hide with him/her. This continues until everyone is hidden except for one person who is still looking for the original hider (and everyone else who has joined him/her). The game can get pretty silly if 6 people are trying to fit under the same table or in the same closet.
This game also works outdoors, so long as the area is limited (such as a park or yard).
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Real Life "Clue"
This is a great game to play on a college campus.
Make your own cards for the game, using campus buildings as the possible murder scenes. Be creative with your weapons, and use 6 people from your real group to be the possible killers (the cards are fun to keep and reuse later).
Divide into 2 teams. Draw out one person card, one weapon card and one location card from the total cards. Shuffle the rest and distribute them equally between each team. Each team will then have a few clues as to who is NOT the killer, what is NOT the weapon and what is NOT the location.
The teams leave and head for different buildings to start making their guesses. They have to be in a building to guess it as a location, just as in real Clue. (There isn't a limit to how many steps they can take, though. So no dice are needed.)
Each team takes turns calling in its guesses to the other team, which will tell them if their guess has a part wrong and then reveal to them one of their clues that counters the guess.
Whichever team correctly identifies the murderer, weapon and location first wins.
Supplies:
Paper (and possible pictures/markers/pens and glue, depending on how good you want your cards to be)
Cell phones
Make your own cards for the game, using campus buildings as the possible murder scenes. Be creative with your weapons, and use 6 people from your real group to be the possible killers (the cards are fun to keep and reuse later).
Divide into 2 teams. Draw out one person card, one weapon card and one location card from the total cards. Shuffle the rest and distribute them equally between each team. Each team will then have a few clues as to who is NOT the killer, what is NOT the weapon and what is NOT the location.
The teams leave and head for different buildings to start making their guesses. They have to be in a building to guess it as a location, just as in real Clue. (There isn't a limit to how many steps they can take, though. So no dice are needed.)
Each team takes turns calling in its guesses to the other team, which will tell them if their guess has a part wrong and then reveal to them one of their clues that counters the guess.
Whichever team correctly identifies the murderer, weapon and location first wins.
Supplies:
Paper (and possible pictures/markers/pens and glue, depending on how good you want your cards to be)
Cell phones
Monday, December 12, 2011
The Adverb Game
Send someone out of the room while the rest of the group chooses an adverb.
An adverb is (more or less) a word describing a way that something can be done. Examples: softly, angrily, musically, solemnly, cheerfully, flirtatiously, desperately.
The person who left the room is called back in and chooses picks a few people from the main group to act out a scene, such as “shopping for groceries,” “on a first date” or “washing the dishes.”
The actors pretend to perform the task, but do so according to the adverb the group selected. (Flirtatiously would involve a lot of giggling, winking and hair-tossing, for example. Musically might have everyone singing their conversations.)
The individual then has to guess what the adverb is. When they succeed, they pick someone else to leave the room and the game begins again.
An adverb is (more or less) a word describing a way that something can be done. Examples: softly, angrily, musically, solemnly, cheerfully, flirtatiously, desperately.
The person who left the room is called back in and chooses picks a few people from the main group to act out a scene, such as “shopping for groceries,” “on a first date” or “washing the dishes.”
The actors pretend to perform the task, but do so according to the adverb the group selected. (Flirtatiously would involve a lot of giggling, winking and hair-tossing, for example. Musically might have everyone singing their conversations.)
The individual then has to guess what the adverb is. When they succeed, they pick someone else to leave the room and the game begins again.
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Graham Cracker House Decorating
This is a budget-friendly way to do gingerbread houses for the holidays.
Instead of buying or baking gingerbread for walls, use graham crackers. Buy a wide variety of candy from the bulk bins in a grocery store. The candies could be lemon drops, gumdrops, red hots, red vines, or anything you want. Make or buy frosting to use as cement to hold the houses together, and build and decorate just as you would a gingerbread house. Build each houses on a cardboard square, so it has a sturdy base and can be thrown away when it's old and stale.
You can have design contests for the best house. Try building a mansion, or a model of a real building.
When everyone is done, take pictures of the finished product. Then eat or destroy -- or deliver the houses to friends, family, teachers or ward members and the activity becomes a service project.
Supplies:
graham crackers
frosting
candies
heavy cardboard cut into squares
Instead of buying or baking gingerbread for walls, use graham crackers. Buy a wide variety of candy from the bulk bins in a grocery store. The candies could be lemon drops, gumdrops, red hots, red vines, or anything you want. Make or buy frosting to use as cement to hold the houses together, and build and decorate just as you would a gingerbread house. Build each houses on a cardboard square, so it has a sturdy base and can be thrown away when it's old and stale.
You can have design contests for the best house. Try building a mansion, or a model of a real building.
When everyone is done, take pictures of the finished product. Then eat or destroy -- or deliver the houses to friends, family, teachers or ward members and the activity becomes a service project.
Supplies:
graham crackers
frosting
candies
heavy cardboard cut into squares
Saturday, December 10, 2011
Smurfing
To play "Smurfing," select one person to leave the group. Everyone else sits together and chooses an activity that ends in "-ing." Examples: crying, laughing, kissing, picking your nose, blowing out candles.
The person returns to the group and tries to discover what the chosen activity is, by asking one person at a time a question about their "smurfing" habits, or "smurfing" in general.
The person might ask questions like these:
"When is the last time you smurfed?"
"Do you smurf alone?"
"Does everyone smurf?"
"How often do you smurf?"
"Is smurfing embarrassing?"
They question can only be posed to one person at a time, although it may be asked more than once.
This worked really well once when my FHE group played. I picked the word; it was "dying."
"How often do you smurf?" resulted in several possible answers:
"I am constantly smurfing," or "I can only smurf once, and I haven't yet."
You might want to set limits on what words can be chosen to keep the game appropriate.
The person returns to the group and tries to discover what the chosen activity is, by asking one person at a time a question about their "smurfing" habits, or "smurfing" in general.
The person might ask questions like these:
"When is the last time you smurfed?"
"Do you smurf alone?"
"Does everyone smurf?"
"How often do you smurf?"
"Is smurfing embarrassing?"
They question can only be posed to one person at a time, although it may be asked more than once.
This worked really well once when my FHE group played. I picked the word; it was "dying."
"How often do you smurf?" resulted in several possible answers:
"I am constantly smurfing," or "I can only smurf once, and I haven't yet."
You might want to set limits on what words can be chosen to keep the game appropriate.
Friday, December 9, 2011
Signs
To play this game, have everyone stand or sit in a circle. Each person decides on their own "sign" and shares it with the group. Each sign should be a small motion or signal, and can be anything from a thumbs up to a wink to blowing a kiss to a dance move.
Go around the group a couple of times so that everyone gets to know everyone's sign. Now pick a person to be "it" and have them stand in the middle of the circle.
The way the game is played is one person starts, and "passes" to another player. They do this by performing another player's sign. To accept the sign, the receiver performs their own sign again. To pass it, they select another player's sign and do that, the person does it to receive, and so the game goes.
Select a person to start the passing. Have the person in the middle of the circle close their eyes and count to 10. This gives the first passer time to pass the sign on to someone else. After 10 seconds, the person in the middle can open his or her eyes.
The person in the middle of the circle is trying to guess who currently "has it," so the other players try to be discreet (such as doing the signs when the person is looking at people in a different part of the circle). If the person in the center catches the one who "has it," they rejoin the circle and the one who had it becomes the new person in the middle of the circle, and a new round begins.
Go around the group a couple of times so that everyone gets to know everyone's sign. Now pick a person to be "it" and have them stand in the middle of the circle.
The way the game is played is one person starts, and "passes" to another player. They do this by performing another player's sign. To accept the sign, the receiver performs their own sign again. To pass it, they select another player's sign and do that, the person does it to receive, and so the game goes.
Select a person to start the passing. Have the person in the middle of the circle close their eyes and count to 10. This gives the first passer time to pass the sign on to someone else. After 10 seconds, the person in the middle can open his or her eyes.
The person in the middle of the circle is trying to guess who currently "has it," so the other players try to be discreet (such as doing the signs when the person is looking at people in a different part of the circle). If the person in the center catches the one who "has it," they rejoin the circle and the one who had it becomes the new person in the middle of the circle, and a new round begins.
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Dodgeball Battleship
This game is best played in a gymnasium.
Divide everyone into 2 teams and have each team on either side the gym, which is divided in half by a divider that's at least a few feet high. (The divider can be made out of tables turned on their sides or sheets/tarps draped over a volleyball net. The point is that the people on one side will not be able to see the people on the other side when everyone is lying down.)
Each person on each team is given a dodgeball. Turn out the lights and have everyone find a place on their side of the gym and lie down on the floor. When everyone is in position, turn the lights back on.
The organizer/overseer yells "Fire!" and each team lobs their ammo over the divider with the goal of hitting someone on the other side (having no knowledge of where their opponents are positioned on the floor). Everyone who is hit is out. The remaining players get a new dodgeball. Turn out the lights and repeat the game, until everyone on one team is out.
Tip: Gyms are pretty big; set boundaries to how far people can go. Depending on the size of your group, it might work better to only play in half the gym, with each team having a fourth of the gym. Also, don't let anyone lie within 6 feet of the divider in the middle -- it's too hard for people to throw a ball that will make it over the divider while landing so close to it on its opposite side.
Supplies:
dodgeballs or other small, (relatively) soft objects that can be lobbed across the gym and not injure whoever they may hit
tables or volleyball setup with sheets or tarps
Divide everyone into 2 teams and have each team on either side the gym, which is divided in half by a divider that's at least a few feet high. (The divider can be made out of tables turned on their sides or sheets/tarps draped over a volleyball net. The point is that the people on one side will not be able to see the people on the other side when everyone is lying down.)
Each person on each team is given a dodgeball. Turn out the lights and have everyone find a place on their side of the gym and lie down on the floor. When everyone is in position, turn the lights back on.
The organizer/overseer yells "Fire!" and each team lobs their ammo over the divider with the goal of hitting someone on the other side (having no knowledge of where their opponents are positioned on the floor). Everyone who is hit is out. The remaining players get a new dodgeball. Turn out the lights and repeat the game, until everyone on one team is out.
Tip: Gyms are pretty big; set boundaries to how far people can go. Depending on the size of your group, it might work better to only play in half the gym, with each team having a fourth of the gym. Also, don't let anyone lie within 6 feet of the divider in the middle -- it's too hard for people to throw a ball that will make it over the divider while landing so close to it on its opposite side.
Supplies:
dodgeballs or other small, (relatively) soft objects that can be lobbed across the gym and not injure whoever they may hit
tables or volleyball setup with sheets or tarps
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Sidewalk Chalk Pictionary
Play pictionary, but do it outside in the street or a parking lot.
Check your local laws to make sure you won't get in trouble for graffiti.
For some reason, this is a lot more fun to play than ordinary pictionary.
Depending on where you're playing (and how frequently it rains), you may need to wash off the sidewalk or pavement when you're done.
Supplies:
Sidewalk chalk
Check your local laws to make sure you won't get in trouble for graffiti.
For some reason, this is a lot more fun to play than ordinary pictionary.
Depending on where you're playing (and how frequently it rains), you may need to wash off the sidewalk or pavement when you're done.
Supplies:
Sidewalk chalk
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Heart Attacking
Pass around scissors and construction paper and have everyone cut out hearts. Other group members can write sweet messages on the hearts ("We love you!" "Hey cutie!" "Kiss me!"). Make a big heart that says "You've had a heart attack!" which group members can sign or not (if you'd rather be anonymous). When you have a big pile of hearts, choose a home or homes (or bishop's office, friend's car, school locker) to visit. Be really sneaky and tape the hearts everywhere at the place that you chose. You've just given someone a heart attack! Put the big heart declaring this on the outside of the door/car/locker, etc, so they have enough time to be confused before finding the hidden surprise.
This activity is a great one for service. It can help the recipient know they are loved and appreciated and being thought of -- and who doesn't want that?
Supplies:
construction paper
scissors
tape
markers
This activity is a great one for service. It can help the recipient know they are loved and appreciated and being thought of -- and who doesn't want that?
Supplies:
construction paper
scissors
tape
markers
Monday, December 5, 2011
Bigger or Better
Divide everyone into groups and give each group a paperclip or other small item.
Each group can go door-to-door (or just to friends' houses, which is a little safer). At the first place they visit, the group holds up the paperclip and asks whoever answers if they can trade anything bigger or better for it (you may need to explain the game to whoever answers the door, but once they get it they'll usually help you out). They might trade you something like a pencil. At the next place, you knock and display the pencil and ask if they can trade anything bigger or better for it, and so it continues. Set a time limit, and have everyone meet back together to see who has traded up to the biggest or best thing. Whoever has is the winner.
At some doors you may (and can) decline the trade someone offers if it isn't bigger or better, but it can be more fun if you accept whatever they offer you.
(Games I've participated in have had groups come back with space heaters, mattress toppers, and a real rabbit with cage and accessories. Can you do better?)
Supplies:
paperclips
Each group can go door-to-door (or just to friends' houses, which is a little safer). At the first place they visit, the group holds up the paperclip and asks whoever answers if they can trade anything bigger or better for it (you may need to explain the game to whoever answers the door, but once they get it they'll usually help you out). They might trade you something like a pencil. At the next place, you knock and display the pencil and ask if they can trade anything bigger or better for it, and so it continues. Set a time limit, and have everyone meet back together to see who has traded up to the biggest or best thing. Whoever has is the winner.
At some doors you may (and can) decline the trade someone offers if it isn't bigger or better, but it can be more fun if you accept whatever they offer you.
(Games I've participated in have had groups come back with space heaters, mattress toppers, and a real rabbit with cage and accessories. Can you do better?)
Supplies:
paperclips
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Awkward Family Photo
Have everyone in your FHE group come dressed awkwardly or with funny hairstyles. You can pick a theme (like zombies, the 70s, christmas, nerds) or just let people do their own thing. Have everyone assemble for "family portraits," and make them as awkward as you possibly can. Make prints of the best photo to distribute to your FHE group. It's a fun keepsake, and these years are already so awkward that it will make you feel normal when you see how weird the picture was.
Supplies:
digital camera
Supplies:
digital camera
Saturday, December 3, 2011
Charades Telephone
This is like the game telephone, but with charades.
In this game, everyone leaves the room except for 2 people. One person comes up with what the idea for the charade will be (such as "scoring the winning touchdown" or "being dumped by your boyfriend/girlfriend"). They tell the other person, whose job it will be to act it out.
Call in one person from outside. Have the person whose job it was to act, act out the scene without words. They can only do it once. The person who came in will act it out as best they can for the next person.
One by one, have people come in and see the person who entered before them act out the scene -- which may become quite different from how it started, just as the phrases do in a conventional game of telephone.
The last person to come in watches the person before them act and then guesses out loud what the original phrase was.
For playing this game, it's important to pick things to act out that aren't too difficult or that won't be identifiable by everyone in the group, as each person has to decide what they think they saw before acting it for the next person.
In this game, everyone leaves the room except for 2 people. One person comes up with what the idea for the charade will be (such as "scoring the winning touchdown" or "being dumped by your boyfriend/girlfriend"). They tell the other person, whose job it will be to act it out.
Call in one person from outside. Have the person whose job it was to act, act out the scene without words. They can only do it once. The person who came in will act it out as best they can for the next person.
One by one, have people come in and see the person who entered before them act out the scene -- which may become quite different from how it started, just as the phrases do in a conventional game of telephone.
The last person to come in watches the person before them act and then guesses out loud what the original phrase was.
For playing this game, it's important to pick things to act out that aren't too difficult or that won't be identifiable by everyone in the group, as each person has to decide what they think they saw before acting it for the next person.
Friday, December 2, 2011
The Number Game
Have everyone in the group sit in a circle. This game works best for small to medium sized groups; the bigger the circle the harder it is.
Choose a person to begin in the middle of the circle and blindfold them. Once their eyes are covered, go around the circle and silently number everyone from 1 to however many people are in the circle. Have someone say "We're ready," and the person in the middle can begin the game.
The person in the middle will call out two numbers, and the people whose numbers he called have to get up and try to switch places without being tagged by the person in the middle. The people will be trying to move as quietly as they can, and the people in the circle may help out by rustling or coughing. The person in the middle, unable to see, tries to listen for the people moving, to tag one before they've gotten to place of the person they switched with. If both players make it to their new spots, they clap their hands twice so the person in the middle will know to call a new set of numbers.
If the person in the middle succeed in tagging someone, the person they tagged becomes the new person in the middle. They're blindfolded, everyone numbers off again and a new round of the game begins.
Supplies:
blindfold
Choose a person to begin in the middle of the circle and blindfold them. Once their eyes are covered, go around the circle and silently number everyone from 1 to however many people are in the circle. Have someone say "We're ready," and the person in the middle can begin the game.
The person in the middle will call out two numbers, and the people whose numbers he called have to get up and try to switch places without being tagged by the person in the middle. The people will be trying to move as quietly as they can, and the people in the circle may help out by rustling or coughing. The person in the middle, unable to see, tries to listen for the people moving, to tag one before they've gotten to place of the person they switched with. If both players make it to their new spots, they clap their hands twice so the person in the middle will know to call a new set of numbers.
If the person in the middle succeed in tagging someone, the person they tagged becomes the new person in the middle. They're blindfolded, everyone numbers off again and a new round of the game begins.
Supplies:
blindfold
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Calvinball
Have everyone bring a piece of sporting equipment. Any kind of ball, bat, racquet, wicket, flag... you name it. And then you just PLAY! You make up the rules as you go. No two games ever are played the same way. It can be indoors or outdoors, with teams or with every man for himself.
Supplies:
various sporting equipment items
(This game is played by characters in the comic strip "Calvin and Hobbes," which is written and illustrated by Bill Watterson.)
Supplies:
various sporting equipment items
(This game is played by characters in the comic strip "Calvin and Hobbes," which is written and illustrated by Bill Watterson.)
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