Pictionary Telephone

This is a mix of pictionary and telephone.

To start out, each person writes a sentence at the top of the page of a scene. For example: Rapunzel throwing a duck out of her tower.

Everyone passes their papers once to the left.

The next person reads the sentence and then illustrates it. They should try not to take up more than 2 inches or so of the paper, so the game can continue for a while. They fold down the top of the paper so the sentence is no longer visible.

Everyone passes their papers to the left again.

The next person can only see the picture that was drawn, and not the original sentence. They write a new sentence explaining what the illustration depicts, then fold over the illustration so all that is visible is the new sentence.

Everyone passes their papers to the left again.

The next person illustrates the visible sentence, then folds over the paper...

Repeat the steps until the papers are full (on one side; turning it over doesn't really work for this one).

Everyone then shares the sentences and drawings on their piece of paper with the rest of the group.

Supplies:
paper
pens or pencils

Water Balloon Volleyball

There are a couple of ways to play this:

1. Have two people to a towel, each person holding one of the short ends so the towel is at its longest between them. Get another partnership with a towel, and give them a water balloon. The two people with the water balloon in their towel work together to "toss" it to the other team with the towel, and after each toss the two pairs move a little farther apart. The goal is to catch it each time, as the 4 people together are a team. Whichever set of 4 can achieve the farthest throw and catch wins.

2. Have a volleyball net, and on either side have partners holding towels between them as described above. Each side of the net is a team (comprised of many partnerships), and they launch the balloon over the net. The other side catches it, then launches it back. If the balloon hits the net or the ground (or a person) and breaks, the team that launched it gets a point. Play to a certain number (10 or 15) then switch up the teams.

*As these activities involved water, be sure to let your group know ahead of time so they can dress appropriately.

Supplies:
towels
water balloons
volleyball net (for game #2)

Water Baseball

Play baseball as you normally would, but with a water-soaker ball (Nerf makes them, basically they splash when you hit them). Have slip 'n slides between the bases, and a kiddie pool at/for each base.

Let your group members know they will get wet so they can dress appropriately.

Disney Revue

Assign your FHE family (or ward) into small teams. Assign each one a Disney movie to re-enact a scene or song from. This one is good to plan ahead of time so that they can get together and practice and have costumes or props. This could also make a good activity over the course of 2 weeks -- the first week, have them prepare, and have them perform the second week.

You could even film all the performances and make DVDs to hand out, or put it all on YouTube so everyone can watch it again whenever they want.

**This activity also works for Broadway musicals, Book of Mormon stories or any movie/story. Be creative!

Flour Wars

This game doesn't have a direct objective. Everyone gets some pantyhose (a nylon stocking or knee-high, you can buy a pair for 50 cents at Walmart) and fills it partway with flour, then ties off the open end. Then everyone runs around trying to hit each other with their flour-hose-weapon-slings. If you get hit, it will leave a big floury mark. You could divide into teams or have it as a free-for-all. This game needs to be played outside because it will make a mess (but not so much mess as a paint or chocolate fight, and it doesn't have to be as warm outside as it would for a water fight, making it a good activity for a larger part of the year).

Make sure everyone coming knows they will leave covered in flour, so they can dress accordingly and/or bring a change of clothes for after the activity.

Supplies:
flour
pantyhose

Pumpkin Carving

Supplies:
pumpkins
knives
spoons
newspaper or plastic
tea lights (candles)
matches

Get some pumpkins, either one per person or just a few and assign a small group to each one. If there isn't a budget for pumpkins, ask everyone to bring one for themselves (which generally works better for people, so they get to pick exactly the one that they want for the project they have in mind). Lay out newspapers or plastic to protect your work area. Distribute knives and spoons, and let everyone clean out and carve their pumpkins into jack-o'-lanterns.

Everyone can do their own thing, or you can have a theme (celebrity, animal, scary things). You can pick a winner for best pumpkin. When they're all finished, put a candle in each one and light them.

This could turn into a service activity by delivering the finished jack-o'-lanterns to friends, family, teachers or ward members.

Water Ballon Battleship

This game is best played outside in the grass.

Divide everyone into 2 teams and have each team on either side of a divider that's at least 4 or 5 feet high. (The divider can be made out of 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 crouched low or lying down.)

Each person on each team is given a water balloon. They duck down low and move to a place on their side of the divider where they lie down, and have to stay.

When everyone is in position, the organizer/referee yells "Fire!" and each team lobs their water balloons 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 water balloon.

Repeat the game until everyone on one team is out.

Tip: Keep pretty small boundaries for the game; water balloon are small enough and get used quickly enough that you want there to be a fair chance of people getting hit. Also, don't let anyone lie within 6 feet of the divider in the middle -- it's too hard for people to throw a balloon so that it makes it over the divider and lands close to it on the other side. People in that area would almost certainly not get hit, and where's the fun in that?

Make sure everyone knows they will probably get wet playing, so they can dress accordingly.

Supplies:
filled water balloons
volleyball setup (poles and rope, anyway)
sheets or tarps