Microsoft Word - Girl Scout Games 2021.docx

Girl Scout Games

Games have been important to Girl Scouts from the beginning. This guide is by no means

exhaustive, but it includes a variety of games for various situations.

Games give girls a chance to learn teamwork and to be a good sport. Daisies and

Brownies, developmentally, do not like to lose, so give them opportunities to play games

where everyone wins, or where everyone has a turn.

Use these games as a starting point but use your creativity to make any activity you do

into a game – or better yet, let your girls come up with a game to reinforce what they’ve

learned while earning a badge.

How to Lead Games

Selecting games

• Be sure the games are appropriate for the age, experience, and physical condition of the

girls.

• Begin with familiar games which are quickly learned, then move on to more complex

games.

• Avoid games which offend other people’s beliefs or customs.

• Provide opportunities for girls to participate in a variety of games; ex: get acquainted

games, nature games, action games, international games, relays, singing games, etc.

• Feel free to adapt a familiar game to suit your need, i.e., if you are working on the Think Like

a Programmer Journey, adapt Simon Says to Programmer Says.

Why Games are Important.

• Girls have been sitting in school all day. They need to run around and have some fun.

(Recommendation: Play a simple game as soon as all the girls arrive. Let them run, jump,

laugh, and smile before getting into a badge or journey activity.)

• Play games with girls who finish a project/craft early. Boredom is your biggest enemy. If

you have 5 girls who finished early, play a game with them. This keeps them out of trouble.

J This is also why you need an assistant leader or parent helper. One adult can play the

game with the girls, while the other supports the remaining girls in finishing the

project/craft.

• Games can be great team builders/ice breakers for girls.

• Games get girls moving. After a game, girls will pay attention and listen better, and they’ll

be more focused.

• Games help girls equate Girl Scouts with fun, and you will be the most fun person they

know!!!

Getting Ready

• Be interested and enthusiastic about the game yourself.

• Know the game well before attempting to teach it to a group.

• If you’ve adapted the game to fit a topic or situation, explain that “these are the rules we

are using today”.

• Identify the safety hazards, anticipate the difficulties, and adapt the game to the group and

situation.

• Have equipment together beforehand.

A few pointers for Game Leaders:

• Establish a happy atmosphere.

• Check mistakes as you go along.

• Encourage girls to participate and do their best.

• Be patient.

• Be fair in your judgments.

• Encourage fair play and safety at all times.

• Be flexible and prepared to vary or change the game.

• Emphasize cooperation and playing for fun rather than winning.

Picking Teams

Here are some ideas for how to split groups into teams for games:

• Have the girls line up and number them 1, 2, 3, 4, etc. Then, put all the 1s together in a team,

2s, and so on. Most girls will line up next to their friends. This ensures they will not always

be with their friends and encourage girls to get to make new friends.

• Group girls by a trait. “All girls wearing blue are on a team”, etc.

• Have girls silently line up in order by height. Once they are in line, count them off (the first

four girls are one group, the next four girls… etc.,) or group them (1’s together, 2’s together,

etc.,), depending on who you want to split up and who you want to group together.

Get Acquainted Games:

THE NAME GAME

Players stand in a circle. One person takes a dramatic step toward the center, says their name and

does an action – the bigger the better. As that person steps back, everyone else in the group steps

forward and repeats the person’s name and their action. Continue around the circle until everyone

has had a turn.

If time allows, play the game again faster. Try to not have a break between players.

DO YOU LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR?

Players sit in a circle, on chairs, with one less chair than there are players. One person is in the

middle. She walks up to a someone in the circle and asks, “Do you love your neighbor?” If the

player says “yes” – the players on either side of her (her “neighbors”) try to switch places. The girl

in the middle (the asker) tries to jump into one of those chairs. The person left without a chair is

the new “asker”.

If the person in the circle says “no” – she must then say, “but I love people who ____________”.

She can say anything here she wants. (i.e., “who have brown hair; who have a sister; who like pizza;

who are Girl Scouts, etc.) If any player in the circle can answer yes, they must find a new chair.

Again, always one player is left without a chair. She is the new asker. (Tip: If you say things like “No,

but I like people who have hair”, every player will have to move, and that is more fun.)

Only rule: Players cannot go back to their original chair, or a chair that is next to them.

HULLABALOO

This takes a little preparation, as the game leader will need to create a chart or cheat sheet for

listing activities. You need 3 categories:

• Ways to move (e.g., tiptoe, skip, walk like a zombie, swim)

• Ways to greet (e.g., link elbows, handshake, pinky shake, high hive)

• Topics to share (e.g., favorite dessert, how many kids in family, favorite story, favorite

game)

DIRECTIONS:

Call out a direction from each category on the chart. For example, tip-toe-handshake-favorite

story.

Kids tiptoe around the area to find a partner (someone they don’t know!), greet them with a

handshake (and say their name!), and then tell each other what their favorite story is.

Ring a bell or have introduced a “call” signal to have everyone freeze.

Call out new directions. Repeat the game no fewer than three times.

A COOL WIND BLOWS

This get to know you game is a variation on Do You Love Your Neighbor. It’s easy to play with all

ages, however, younger girls might need a pile of cards or a little help from their leaders. For

younger groups, consider having a list of 20 different things they could say like “has a dog, likes to

eat tomatoes, etc.”.

Girls sit in a circle, on a chair, with one less chair than there are girls. If playing outside or where

chairs are not available, have some way to mark each girl’s spot with a bandana or cup, etc.

The person in the center explains the game and then starts by saying “A cool wind blows when…”

and completes the sentence.

To complete the sentence, you must think of something that describes the people in the group. For

example, the leader could say, “a cool wind blows when my hair is brown.”

At that time, everyone who identifies with the comment (in this case, has brown hair), stands up

and must find a new spot to sit in the circle. They can sit no closer than 2 spaces from the space

they just left! The person in the center tries to fill an empty seat, making a new person “it”.

The person who is left standing is the new leader and says, “a cool wind blows when…” and the

game continues until everyone has had a chance to say something or you run out of time.

MOVE TO THE RIGHT

Arrange chairs in a circle with one girl per chair. The leader makes a statement, and if someone

meets the criteria, they move one chair to the right, sitting on the lap of the person in the next

chair, if need be. There is no limit of the number of people sitting on each other’s laps on one chair

(as long as the chair is sturdy enough to hold them.) The first person back to their original spot is

the winner.

Sample statements: “Move one chair to the right if you….

… were born in a different state.”

… have blue eyes.”

… have brown hair.”

… have other than white underwear on.”

… like math.”

CIRCLE GAME

This group game is great for Juniors and up, or very small groups of Brownies. Most Daisies don’t

yet have the language skills for this one.

Everyone sits in a circle. One person starts by saying, “My name is _______, and I like ______.” The

person should “like” something that starts with the same letter as their first name. Each person

will then introduce themselves and repeat back the names of the people that were before them

and what they “liked”. This continues around the circle until the last person has repeated

everyone’s names and likes.

Variations: You can come up with endless variations of this game. Here are two:

• Going on a picnic. Each person says they are bringing an item that starts with the first letter

of their name.

• Going to the zoo. Each person lists an animal they might see that starts with the same

letter as their name.

TAKE AS MUCH AS YOU NEED

Pass a ball of yarn and scissors OR a roll of toilet paper around the circle. The only direction is for

players to “take as much as they need”. Once everyone has their yarn/toilet paper, instruct players

to tell about themselves – one thing for each loose wrap of yarn around their finger or each square

of toilet paper.

MINGLE

This game is best played in groups of ten or more.

One person is the caller (Leader, Assistant Leader or Parent). When the caller tells players to

“Mingle”, players walk amongst each other in a tight group, chanting “Mingle, mingle, mingle.”

The caller yells out a number. Players should create groups of that number. If the number of

people in your group is not divisible by the number called, create groups as close to the number as

possible.

Once players are in groups, the caller yells out a question. The people in the group then tell each

other about themselves related to the question. When the caller feels everyone has had a chance

to share, they call out “Mingle” again, and the game resumes for another round.

Continue to play, varying the size of groups and questions, for several rounds.

Question ideas:

• Do you have any sibling? How many? Are they older or younger?

• What is your favorite (book/movie/band/song/camp song/etc.)?

• What did you eat for breakfast/lunch/dinner today/last night?

• If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go?

Classic Games:

DUCK, DUCK, GOOSE

For this classic game, players sit in a circle on chairs or on the ground. One player is IT. IT walks

around the outside of the circle and gently taps each player on the head while saying “Duck”. At

some point, IT taps someone and says “Goose”. The goose then jumps up and runs around the

circle in the opposite direction as IT, trying to be the first back to the place where the goose

started. Whoever is the last one back becomes the new IT and the game begins again.

ALTERNATE VERSION: Drip, Drip, Splash - For a fun and wet outdoor variation, you will need a

bucket of water and a car wash sponge. IT holds the sponge and drips water over each person in

the circle’s head as they say “drip”. When they say “splash” they squeeze the sponge over

someone’s head. The two players run, just as in Duck, Duck, Goose.

CAT AND MOUSE (VERSION 1)

Begin by having all players, except two, get in a circle and hold hands. The two players not in the

circle will be the "cat" and the "mouse". The mouse will stand inside the circle while the cat will be

outside the circle. Say “Go” and the cat will start to chase the mouse. When the mouse runs

through two people, those two people link hands. Now, the cat cannot pass through those two

people. The mouse keeps doing this until the circle is locked. The mouse should be “locked” in or

out of the circle, and the cat will also be “locked” in or out. This is how the game is won. If the cat

tags the mouse, the game is over.

CAT AND MOUSE (VERSION 2) - good for older girls and large groups

Everyone lines up in rows. If you have 20 girls, 4 rows of 5 players will work perfectly. Have the

players raise their arms to spread out but ensure they can touch fingertips. Tell the players to keep

their hands up. Choose one cat and one mouse. The cat will chase the mouse through the lines of

players until they are caught. The leader will then yell “SWITCH”. When she does this, the players

have to turn 90 degrees. This now changes the rows and causes the cat and mouse to run in

different directions. As the leader, you should yell “SWITCH” when you see the cat getting close to

the mouse. The game is won when the mouse is tagged.

RED LIGHT, GREEN LIGHT

Players line up at one end of the game area. Someone selected as the Traffic Cop is at the other

end. The traffic cop turns away from the group and says, “Green Light”. Players try to move toward

the traffic cop, undetected. The traffic cop then yells out “Red Light” and spins around to try to

catch anyone moving. Players who are caught are sent back to the start. The first player to reach

the traffic cop wins.

CHARADES

Play Charades just for fun or make every item you act out relate to the badge or Journey that

you’re working on.

WAX MUSEUM

Players freeze like statues. One player is the Museum Guard. The guard walks in and among the

statues, trying to catch one that moves. The statues change to a new position every few seconds

and try to avoid detection. When they are spotted moving, they are out.

Variation: Players are animals in the woods/jungle trying to keep still so the park ranger doesn’t

see them.

SIMON SAYS

One player is “Simon”. Simon gives instructions of actions to the rest of the players. Players should

only follow Simon’s instructions if they preface the command with “Simon Says”. Anyone caught

doing the action without hearing “Simon Says” is out.

Variation: Substitute another name for Simon.

Active Games:

DAISY TO DAISY / BROWNIE TO BROWNIE / PERSON TO PERSON

Players pair up and hold hands with their partner. The partners form a circle with one player left in

the middle.

The player in the middle begins calls, for instance, toe to toe, hand to hand, back-to-back. The

partners should then join up as called, i.e., touch toe to toe.

When they call Daisy to Daisy/ Brownie to Brownie/ People to People, everyone scrambles to find a

new partner, and the player without a partner becomes the new caller.

SHIP

The room becomes a boat.

Front – Bow

Back – Stern

Right - Port

Left – Starboard

Then teach the players different motions.

Hurricane – run side to side waving arms

Tornado – spin around

Climb the Rigging – motion like you are climbing a ladder

Captain’s Daughter – turn head and pat your hair

Hit the deck – fall to the ground on stomach

The game leader calls out different parts of the boat and the players should run to that part.

“Bow” – players should run to the front of the room. If a player goes in a different direction, you

can either make her “out” or just let her continue to play.

As the leader continue to yell out different parts of the boat, and the players run to those parts, the

leader can yell out “Hurricane” or “Tornado” and the players have to do those motions.

SPOT THE LION – AN AFRICAN GAME

Divide the group into teams of 5 to 8 people. Give each team its own corner or place. On signal the

players scatter and stand with their eyes shut.

Leader runs around tapping each girl lightly on the back. On one player she puts a piece of tape

and unknown to that girl she becomes the “lion”.

When everyone has been tapped, the leader shouts “the Lion is Loose!” All players open their eyes

and run about seeing if they can spot the lion.

When a girl spots the lion, she heads back to her team’s corner without trying to arouse the

suspicion of the lion.

If a player thinks she is the lion (no one is allowed to touch her back to see if she is the lion), she

heads to the center of the room and roars loudly. When this happens, everyone freezes. If the

player is the lion, the game ends. If not, the game continues for one minute before time is called.

The team with the most players in their corner is the winner.

MR. BEAR - FROM SWEDEN

One person is Mr. Bear. He is trying to sleep in his den. The other players sneak up to Mr. Bear and

whisper, "Mr. Bear, are you awake?" Mr. Bear pretends not to hear them. Then the players yell, "Mr.

Bear, are you awake?" This makes Mr. Bear furious! He chases them and tries to catch them before

they reach home, which is the safe place. Everyone tagged becomes one of Mr. Bears' cubs. They

go back to the den with Mr. Bear. When the remaining players come back to wake up Mr. Bear, the

cubs help Mr. Bear catch them.

RABBIT WITHOUT A HOUSE - FROM BRAZIL

Divide the players into groups of three. If one person is leftover, she is the lost rabbit. If two are

leftover, one is the caller; the other is the lost rabbit. If the group divides evenly into three, have

one caller and two lost rabbits.

Each group of three makes a rabbit in a house by two players holding hands (the house) and one

(the rabbit) standing inside. The lost rabbit yells, “Find a house" and all the rabbits, including the

lost one run to find another house. The rabbit left without a house becomes IT. Players take turns

being houses and rabbits.

CAPTAIN’S COMING

Leader is the "Captain." The role of the Captain is to call out the actions and dismiss the players

who don't do the actions quick enough or who break from character. Once the captain calls an

action, each player has 3-4 seconds to start performing the action. If they don't find a group fast

enough or perform the right action, they are out of the game. Do this until one player is left. She

wins.

Here is an explanation of each of the actions...

To the ship: Players run to the right and put their hand over their eye like a pirate and say

“Arrrggg”.

To the island: Players run to the left, and sway like a hula girl.

Captain's Coming: Everyone stands at "attention" (in a salute), and they can’t move from this

position until the caller says, "At Ease!" If they laugh or break from the attention,

they are dismissed.

Seasick: One person bends at the waist while the other bends over their back and acts like

they are getting sick.

Rowboat: Three players stand in a line and make a motion with their arms like they are rowing

a boat.

Crow’s Nest: Four players total – three players make a circle around one in the middle who

pretends she is using binoculars to see over the ocean.

Light House: Five players total – Four players make a circle and squat down around one in the

middle who puts her arms together and points toward the sky like a beacon.

Peg Leg: All players must stop and hop on one leg.

Hit the Deck: All players must drop on the floor.

CUT THE CAKE

Girls stand in a circle holding hands. One girl is chosen to be in the middle. All the other girls sing

“________, __________ (girl’s name) cut the cake, cut the cake and make it straight.” The girl then

puts her hands together like it is a knife and she pretends to cut the cake between two girls,

cutting their hands apart. Those two girls then run in opposite directions. The first one back is then

put in the middle.

THE SHIP IS SINKING

The leader tells the players to “Swim Fish, Swim”. Everyone will start moving around like they are

fish (encourage everyone to keep moving or they will stand still). Then the leader yells out “The

ship is sinking”. The girls yell back “How Many?” The leader tells them a number – any number.

Example: “5” – players must get in groups of 5; “10” - players must get in groups of 10, etc. Anyone

that is not part of a group of 5 or 10, or any number, is out. Players who are out can stand next to

the leader and help pick the next number; this keeps them interested in the game. Continue calling

out numbers until there is one player left.

Variation: To keep players who are “out” interested, the leader can yell “watch out for the great

white shark” and the player who is out can be the shark. She can chase the “fish” while they are

swimming, but she never catches them. She just keeps them running and keeps herself busy. (You

can also yell, “killer whale, giant squid, etc.)

THE WITCH SAYS - FROM ITALY

One player is the witch. She will say “The Witch says _________ (any color she wants).” The

players have to find something in the room that is that color. For example: “The Witch says blue.”

Everyone finds something that is blue and touches it (i.e., chair, jacket, book, etc.). The Witch

chases the girls and tries to tag them before they touch something of that color. If a player gets

tagged, they are the new witch.

Rules: Two people cannot touch the same item, and they cannot go back to the same item over

and over again (i.e., same blue chair every time “blue” is yelled out).

Note: After primary colors are chosen, the witch will have to get creative saying things like silver,

gold, light blue, light green, maroon, etc.)

WAKE UP MAMA BEAR

A “Mama Bear” is chosen. She stands about 30-40 feet away (enough of an area for running) with

her back to the players. She is not allowed to turn around. Players line up opposite Mama Bear.

They stand in a horizontal line and hold hands. Walking together they say “Wake up Mama Bear.

Wake up Mama Bear….” They keep saying this until they get close to the Mama Bear. One leader

will be standing in front of Mama Bear but facing the line of players. When she feels like it, she yells

“GO”. The Mama bear turns around and chases the everyone back to the place they started. (this is

their “base”). Mama Bear tries to tag as many others as she can. Whomever she tags is now a Baby

Bear, or cub. They line up next to Mama Bear and try to tag the remaining players. This is repeated

until one girl is left. She is the winner and can be the next Mama Bear.

Tag Games:

For all tag games, set designated boundaries for your play space.

BLOB TAG

Have everyone find a partner and hold hands. Select one set of partners to be IT.

On “GO,” the IT group attempts to tag any of the other twosomes. If they do tag them, without

letting go of hands, the tagged group needs to link to the IT group, thus making a foursome. The

game continues until the IT group swallows up the rest of the smaller groups and IT becomes one

big blob.

FREEZE TAG

When a player is touched by IT, they freeze until another player touches them to thaw them out.

Variation: The frozen player stands with their legs wide apart. To “unfreeze”, another player must

crawl through the frozen player’s legs without being tagged themselves.

SHADOW TAG

This version should be played outdoors on a sunny day in an area with lots of sun and some areas

of shade. Players are tagged when IT steps on their shadow. Players are safe if they are standing in

the shade (of a building, tree, etc.). Players can only stay in a “safe” place for five seconds.

HUG TAG

When playing Hug Tag, a player is only safe if they are hugging another person. They can only stay

in a hug for five seconds. Try variations where two, three, four, or five people have to hug to be

safe.

BAND-AID TAG

In this version, all players can tag and be tagged. Once a player is tagged, they must put one hand

on the spot where they were touched to make a “Band-Aid”. Tagged again? Make a second Band-

Aid with the other hand and continue to run. If a player is tagged for a third time, they must visit

the “hospital” – a designated spot outside the boundaries – and complete a task (10 jumping jacks,

tie a knot, complete a quick puzzle) to heal and rejoin the game.

DEAD ANT TAG

One person is IT. When a player is tagged, they become a “dead ant” by lying on their back with

their legs and arms in the air. In order for the “dead ant” to join back in, the must be tagged on

each limb by four different people. When a player becomes a “dead ant” for the third time, they

take over as IT.

OCTOPUS TAG

Begin with a playing field with two clearly marked end zones and side boundaries. IT acts as the

Octopus. All other players line up along one end zone. When the Octopus shouts “Go!”, all players

attempt to cross the area to the other end zone without getting tagged. If tagged, the player

becomes “seaweed” and sits or stands still in the spot where they were tagged. Seaweed now

helps the octopus by waving their arms and tagging other players.

ANIMAL TAG

IT calls out the name of an animal. All players must move like that animal and avoid being tagged.

The tagged person then becomes IT and calls out the name of a different animal.

ASTRONAUT TAG

Players move by jumping in slow motion, like they are experiencing different gravity on the moon.

Relay Games:

Relay games are highly adaptable for any situation and build teamwork and cooperation. Here are

some classic relays.

OVER UNDER

Have teams line up in a straight line. Each team should have an object to pass – a ball, a balloon,

etc. Player one passes the object OVER their head to player two. Player two passes the object

UNDER and between their legs to player 3. Proceed down the line, alternating between over and

under.

DOWN AND BACK

Teams line up behind a starting line, facing a clearly defined end point. That could be a bucket or

other object to fill or just a turnaround spot. The task could be to run with a cup of water to fill a

bucket, balance an egg on a spoon held in the hand or mouth, or travel down and back like an

animal/hopping/backwards. Player one will travel down and back, following the rules of the game,

come back and tag player two, who will then take a turn. Continue the hand-off until everyone on

the team has gone down and back.

This method can also be used to circle around a stationary object.

SORTING RELAYS

These relays can help players learn or reinforce a concept, or just be fun. For one variation, players

can select an item for their team from a pile of items (i.e. Team 1 collects all the blue objects, Team

2 all the green). For another, teams can sort items they start with into categories. For this, each

team has an assortment of objects they must sort into the correct bucket/bag/box at the end of a

down and back run.

A trash sorting relay, for example, can help girls learn which items can be recycled, which items

can be composted, and which items are trash. Each team can have the same items and the

players sort into the three buckets: Compost, recycle, trash. OR each team can be assigned one

disposal method. Team trash will pick all the trash items out of a pile in the center of the play

space and bring it back to their group. You can sort physical objects, pictures, or words. By using

this method, the game can make learning about anything more fun.

Singing Games:

ROCK, ROCK

Girls stand or sit in a circle, left arm extended with hand cupped, and pass with their right hand the

object going around the circle (penny, rock, etc) The girl in middle must determine where the

object is.

While the rock is passed, sing this song:

Rock, Rock, how I wander

From one hand into another

Is it fair? Is it fair?

To keep poor (name of girl in the middle) standing there?

DOWN BY THE BANKS

Have the players make a circle and put their right hand on top of the person to their right’s hand,

and their left hand under the hand of the person to the left. When ready - start singing this song,

while one person claps their right hand to the person on their left, and it is passed around the

circle. When the song ends, whoever receives the final clap is out, or if the person takes her hand

out and the person gets their own hand they are out. Continue the game until only one person is

left.

Song:

Down on the banks, Of the Hanky Panky,

Where the bull frogs jump, from bank to banky

with an: Eep! Ipe! Oop! Op!

Eases off the lily with a Kerplop!

LITTLE SALLY WALKER

Players stand in a circle. One player girl skips around the inside of the circle while the rest sing.

When the song says “so she stopped in front of me” the girl in the center stops in front of one of

the girls in the circle and does a dance. Then the girl in the circle mimics the dance, they switch

places and the song starts over.

Song:

Skip- Little Sally Walker, walking down the street, (beep, beep)

Skip and stop- she didn’t know what to do so she stopped in front of me.

Player 1 Dances - She said, “Hey girl, do your thing, do your thing stop,”

Player 2 Imitates dance - “Hey girl, do your thing, do your thing stop.

Player 1 and 2 switch places and repeat the song.

Play until everyone has had a chance to be in the middle.

EIDELWEISS

Players stand or sit in a circle, close enough that they can touch. Each player holds their left hand

up, palm up, at shoulder height, with elbow bent. They place their right hand in the player next to

them’s left hand, palm down. While singing each line, players perform the same six count tapping

sequence with their right hand. The left hand remains still.

1. Tap the player next to them’s left hand.

2. Tap their own right leg.

3. Tap their own left leg.

4. Tap the underside of their upturned left hand.

5. & 6. Tap the palm of their own left hand twice.

Once everyone is proficient with the hand motions, the leader can call “switch” midway through

the song and players must turn up their own right hand and make the tapping pattern with their

left. When players are really good, switch multiple times during the song.

Song:

Edelweiss Edelweiss

Every morning

You greet me

Small and white

Clean and bright

You look happy

To meet me.

Blossom of snow may you

Bloom and grow

Forever

Edelweiss

Bless my homeland

Forever

Less Active Games/Inside/Rainy Day:

ENERGY

5-25 participants

Stand or sit in a circle holding hands. The Leader begins the ENERGY by means of a hand squeeze

passing from person to person. Pass it one way around the circle, then pass it the other way. Next

try passing two pulses around the circle in opposite directions at the same time. Then try with

eyes closed. Next pass multiple pulses in less and less time.

MAGIC CIRCLE - This is best outside.

Circles of string are placed upon the ground. Girls are divided into teams and given a few minutes

to list all the things they see in their circles. The team that lists the most items wins.

RAIN

Everyone sits in a circle with their eyes closed (optional). The leader starts by rubbing her hands

together. The person to the right of the leader listens for this sound and then joins in, then the next

person to the right, until everyone is doing it. The sound this rubbing makes is much like a soft

spray of rain. When all are rubbing their hands, the leader than starts a new sound—finger

snapping. The rain is gaining in intensity. Each player must continue to rub hands until she hears

the person on their left change sounds. After finger snapping has gone all the way around, the

leader starts the next sound—hands slapping thighs. Finally, hands slapping thighs plus stomping

feet. To end the rainstorm, completely reverse the activities. The last sound to be passed is a

silence as each person, one by one stops rubbing hands.

NOSEBAG SKITS

Prior to the game, assemble bags of assorted objects and clothing that can be used in skits.

(Kitchens are a good source for objects. Dress up clothes work well, too.)

Divide the group into teams. Each team is given a bag with an item for each player in it. Players

have 5 to 10 minutes to create a skit using all items in bag.

HUCKLE BUCKLE BEANSTALK

Find a small object to hide. When “hiding” the object, the rule is you cannot put it inside, behind, or

underneath anything; girls don’t need their hands to find it. Players will cover their eyes or leave

the room while IT hides the object. The girls return, and when they “find” the object they are to go

over to a designated “BASE” and say “HUCKLE BUCKLE BEANSTALK”. The other girls continue to look

for the object and when they find it they must do the same thing. All girls must find the object for

the game to be over. The first girl who found the object gets to hide it next.

CHANGE 5 THINGS

Someone leaves the room, and the rest of the players change 5 things about the room. IT returns

to the room and must guess what was moved.

CHANGE 3 THINGS

All the players look at one person (It) and make note of how she’s dressed. She goes out of the

room and changes 3 things about herself. (i.e., switch shoes, roll up pants, take out ponytail, etc.)

When she returns to the room, the other players must guess what’s different.

WHO’S GOT THE MOTION?

Players sit in a circle. “IT” goes away while those in the circle decide on a leader. All take the same

position as the leader and perform the same motions as the leader. “IT” returns to the circle and

has three tries to guess who is the leader. When the leader is discovered, the leader then becomes

“IT”.

SKIPPY ROO KANGAROO

Players sit in a circle with someone in the middle – they are the first Skippyroo, the

kangaroo. Skippyroo crouches forward on the floor with her eyes closed while the players

in the circle chant:

“Skippyroo, kangaroo, dozing in the midday sun, here comes a hunter, run run run.”

At this stage an adult points to someone sitting in the circle, who then touches Skippyroo’s

shoulder and says “Guess who?”. They go back to their spot on the circle, and everyone

sings “Guess who’s caught you just for fun?” and waits.

Skippyroo tries to name the owner of the voice. If she guesses correctly, they swap

places.

The game begins again and continues until all the players have had a chance to be IT.

HULA HOOP RELAY

Players form a circle and hold hands. They pass the hula hoop around the whole circle without

unlocking their hands.

Variation: A variation of this game requires a spoon and a ball of yarn. Tie the end of the yarn to the

handle of the spoon. Player one holds the ball of yarn throughout the game, feeding off lengths of

yarn, as needed. Player one takes the spoon and passes it, with the yarn trailing, through their shirt

sleeve and out the bottom of their top. They pass the spoon to player two, who threads the spoon

from the bottom of their shirt, up their body and out the arm hole. Continue around the circle until

the whole group is “tied” together.

KIM’S GAME

Kim’s Game is an exercise in memory and observation. It takes its name from the 1901 Rudyard

Kipling novel, Kim, where it is played as part of Kim’s training as a spy. It has been a traditional Girl

Scout game from the beginning.

Before you begin, you need a tray (or plate, box lid, flat basket), a bandana (or napkin, scarf, or

other small cloth), and an assortment of small items. Kitchen, office, and craft items work well, as

do random items from the bottom of the leader’s bag. Start with 15-20 items and increase the

number as the players’ memories improve. You will also need paper and a pencil for each player.

To play: Assemble the items on the tray and cover everything with the cloth. Remove the cloth and

have the players study the items on the tray for one minute, then cover it again. Each player should

then silently make a list of the items they remember. The player who remembers the most wins

the game.

DO AS I SAY, NOT AS I DO

One player is IT. They say something like rub your stomach, but they are patting their head. Anyone

caught patting their head is out, until it is down to one player. That player becomes IT.

ULTIMATE PAPER, SCISSORS, ROCK

This is Paper, Scissors, Rock on a grand scale. Have the group partner up. Play Paper, Scissors,

Rock. The best two out of three rounds win. The winner now finds another winner to play against.

The loser becomes the cheering section for the winner. Whoever wins the second game then finds

someone else to challenge, and all three people (the loser of their first game, and winner and

cheerleader they just beat) become their cheering section. Winners continue until there are just

two remaining competitors, with half the group cheering for each. Everyone celebrates the final

win at the end.

DON’T MAKE ME LAUGH

Two players stand in the center of the circle. One player’s job is to stay silent and straight-faced.

The other player’s job is to make the first player laugh using funny facial expressions and gestures-

but they cannot make noise or touch the other person.

Give a time limit of about 30 seconds.

If the first person laughs, they are “out”, and a new person comes to take the “silent faced” spot. If

the second person doesn’t make the first one laugh, they are “out”, and a new person comes to

take the “funny” spot.

GRANDMA’S UNDERPANTS

Form a circle. One person is IT. Everyone else in the group will ask IT questions. IT can only respond

by saying, “Grandma’s Underpants”, while trying not to laugh. The player who asks the question

that makes IT laugh, gets to be IT next.

New Games:

New Games came out of the anti-war counterculture of the 1970’s, encouraging people to play,

hard, play fair, and nobody get hurt and a way to build community and promote peace. Many of

these games are played for the fun of playing, with no winner or loser.

STAND UP

With a partner, sit on the ground back-to-back. Link elbows, bend knees, and try to stand up

together! Try it with three people, four people, and then a MASS STAND UP with more than five.

AURA

Stand facing your partner at arm’s length. Touch palms and close your eyes. Feel the energy you

can create together. Drop hands, turn around in place three times, and without opening your eyes,

try to relocate your partner by touching palms.

KNOTS

Players stand in a circle, shoulder to shoulder, and reach their hands into the center. Everyone

should grasp hands with two different players, neither of which is next to the player. Players must

unravel the knot they’ve created without breaking hands, by going over, under or through their

teammates.

CATERPILLAR

Players lie on their stomach, side-by-side, heads facing the same direction, and arms stretched

above the head. The person at the end of the line rolls over their neighbor and down the road of

bodies. Keep the momentum rolling, with one player after another rolling down the line.

Variation: Try two caterpillars in a race!

PRUI (Pronounced PROO-ee)

Players stand in a group with eyes closed. The leader secretly selects one person to be Prui.

Players begin carefully walking about. When a player bumps into another, they should shake hands

and ask, “Prui?”

If the other person answers, “Prui?” back, then they have not found the Prui. Prui can see, and

when someone bumps into them, shakes their hand, and asks, “Prui?” they don’t respond. The

player should ask again, “Prui?”. Prui still remains silent. The player should ask a third time to make

sure they have found Prui, and when they do, the player can open their eyes.

The player that finds Prui then holds hands with Prui, and continues to bump into other players and

not respond. That’s how Prui grows. Prui usually bursts into laughter when the final few players

finally find Prui.

CATCH THE DRAGON’S TAIL

8 - 30 participants (You will need a bandanna)

Pick a “head” person and a “tail” person. The “tail” puts a bandanna in her pocket. All other players

form a line in between the “head” and the “tail” with arms around the waist of the person in front.

The “head” leads the front section of the line around so that she can grab the bandanna. The rear

section of the dragon does not want the “head” to catch the tail (bandanna), so they attempt to

avoid the “head”. Cooperation is needed to keep the dragon in one piece and to avoid the “head”.

For the next round, the “head” takes the bandanna and becomes the “tail”. A variation is two

dragons trying to catch each other’s tails.

ISLANDS

Place a few Frisbees or sit-upons on the ground and have everyone start prancing around them

while clapping or singing. When the Referee signals “Islands”, everyone runs to touch a Frisbee.

The last person touching a Frisbee is out. When the group gets smaller, remove an “Island”.

VARIATION: If any two people touch while running to an “Island,” they are out also.

Team Building:

CHOCOLATE RIVER

This is a river of pretend chocolate. All the team must make it across the river using only the

resources given them. Nobody can touch the river or they must go back to the beginning.

Resources: Every person gets one resource. Resources can float on the chocolate (so you can step

on the resources). While on the river, resources MUST be touching a body part or they will be

stolen by a shark.

Shark: The shark is the only person allowed to stand in the river. They are not part of the team.

Their job is to take away resources that are touching the river but not touching a person.

Added difficulty: A player can have their sight taken away with a blindfold. They must be helped

across the river by their teammates. OR the whole team can be rendered mute. They have to work

together to cross the river, but are not allowed to talk.

YOGA STORY CHAIN

For this game, you will need a set of yoga cards – cards with both the name and picture of

different yoga poses. Yoga mats are optional, but not necessary.

One player will begin the story by drawing a yoga pose card from the pile and including that yoga

pose in the story. Then the next player should draw a yoga pose card from the pile and come up

with the next line of the story incorporating her yoga pose into the story. The players continue in

this fashion until everyone has had a chance to add to the story. Everyone in the group should

listen to the story silently but copy all the yoga poses. In this way the group will go on a yoga

journey through the story together. Encourage storytellers to leave the story in a good place for the

next person to pick it up.

REACH FOR THE SKY

Players are divided in teams, each of which is given a piece of tape (they can be numbered or use

different colors). Each group attempts to make a mark with their tape as high as possible on a wall.

The wall may only be used as a support and not an aid to climbing.

THE LAP GAME

This game is best played with large groups. Players should stand in a circle, shoulder-to-shoulder.

Everyone should turn to the right and take half a step toward the center of the center of the circle.

Then, very gently, everyone should sit down on the lap of the person behind them.

It’s best for player to sit slowly, all at the same time, and keep their knees close together. A larger

group is easier than a small one – the curve of the circle is less drastic, which makes “missing” the

lap behind less of an issue. Once everyone is comfortably seated, players can try to all wave their

arms, or give the person in front a back rub. In 1975 a documented group of 1,468 students

successfully played this game together.

Table Games:

These games can be played while sitting around a table waiting for a meeting to begin or after a

meal. The game leader will say the chant and actions while including the trick. Players must repeat

the chant and actions and figure out the trick. You can also keep playing them, over multiple

meetings, or days, until everyone catches on.

JOHNNY, JOHNNY

CHANT: Johnny, Johnny, Johnny, Johnny, Johnny, whoops, Johnny!

ACTIONS: Starting with the pinky finger of one hand and using the index finger of the other

hand, tap each finger as you say, “Johnny”, moving from pinky to thumb. The

“whoops” is said as you slide your finger down and back up the slope between

index finger and thumb.

TRICK: After going through the chant with actions, fold hands together with fingers

interlaced.

RAISIN, RAISIN

CHANT: Raisin, Raisin, very best Raisin, very best Raisin in the land!

X X X X X X X X X

ACTIONS: Lightly tap the table with each time the symbol x appears below the word being

chanted.

TRICK: Before beginning the chant, the player must clear their throat.

THE MAN IN THE MOON

CHANT: The man in the moon has two eyes, a nose, and a mouth.

ACTIONS: As the chant is being said, draw in the air a round face, eyes, nose, and a mouth

with the index finger.

TRICK: Use the index finger of the left hand.

WHO’S GOT THE POWER?

CHANT: Who’s got the power, power, power, power, power?

ACTIONS: Move either fist in a circular motion on the table. If playing somewhere without a

table, hold the opposite hand under your fist.

TRICK: The first one to talk after the chant has the “power”.