Un-British Bulldogs
Where: indoors or outdoors
Space needed: lots
Number of children: 8+
Here’s my version of an old classic. Get all the children to line up at one end of the hall and tell them that when you say ‘Go!’ they have to run to the other end of the hall without being caught. Select one of the children to be a catcher – they try to catch the others as they run by. If you are caught then you become a catcher too. Remember to explain that catching is done gently, and is not a rugby tackle. When everyone is at the other end of the hall say, ‘Go!’ again, and they have to run back to the end they were at originally. Keep going until everyone is a catcher.
Here’s the twist. The first time the kids just run from one end to the other. Each time after that you will give them a different way to move e.g. hop, go backwards, moonwalk, leap like a kangaroo, dance like a ballerina. Everyone has to move like that, including the catcher(s), until you give them a new way of moving. If you don’t move as instructed then you’re out and become a catcher. If a catcher doesn’t move as instructed then they can’t catch anyone that turn. The last child, or children, not caught are the winners.
SMS (Silly Messy Simple) Game: Water Relay
Where: outdoors
Space needed: enough for 2 or more lines
Number of children: 10+
Equipment: paper cups, jugs, buckets, water
Split your children into teams, preferably of five of more. Ask them to sit down in a line quite close to each other, facing the front. Give everyone a cup. They will use this to pass water down the line.
At the front of each line is a bucket of water and at the back is an empty jug. When you start, the person at the front of the line (preferably an older child or leader) will run up to the bucket, fill their cup, go back to their team, sit down and then pass their cup over their shoulder. They must then pour the water in their cup into the cup of the person behind. The second person should then pass the cup over their shoulder and pour it into the cup of the third person, and so on. (The children can look as they pour!) When the person at the back of the line (preferably an older child or leader too) has their cup filled they should run to the jug and pour their water into it.
When the jug is full at the back of the line, pour the water out and record how many jugs they’ve filled so far. The person at the front of the line is allowed to go and get another cup of water as soon as they have passed the water in their cup on to the second person; they don’t need to wait until the water has gone all the way down the line.
The aim is to get as much water as possible from the bucket to the jug in the time allowed (you can let this run for several minutes until the bucket is nearly empty). Usually it’s not the fastest team that wins but rather the team that is the most careful and spills the least water.
Animal Game
Where: indoors
Space needed: space to sit in a circle
Number of children: 6-12
Equipment: none
Get everyone to sit in a circle and choose one person to be the king of the animals: the lion. They must do a lion action and noise (e.g. show claws and roar). The person on the left of the lion is the lowest in the animal kingdom: the mouse. They must nibble and squeak. Everyone else in the circle chooses their own animal action and noise. Make sure that everyone knows what animals and actions the other players have chosen. Now you’re ready to play the game.
Start with the lion. They do their action and noise and then the action and noise of another animal in the circle, e.g. monkey. Then the monkey must do their action and noise and followed by that of another animal, and so on. The only rules are: (1) you can’t go back to the animal that sent it to you (2) don’t hesitate and (3) don’t get an action/noise wrong.
If you break a rule then you move to the bottom of the animal kingdom, the mouse seat, and everyone else on your right moves up one position. (Those on your left don’t move as they are above you in the animal kingdom). The animal action and noise stays with the position, not the person – therefore everyone who has moved is now a new animal. There will soon be a bit of confusion!
The aim of the game is to get as high up the animal kingdom as possible, hopefully to the lion position. You can play for as long as you want.
Note that if you have more than 12 children it can be difficult to remember all the animals, so I advise splitting into two circles and playing two separate games.
