TEAM ARCHITECT
10 minutes
You will need: newspapers; sticky tape; an object such as a book
This is a great team-building game that allows individuals to step forward and explore leadership roles.
Give each group (or individual if playing in a small-group setting) a newspaper and a roll of sticky tape. They have a limited amount of time to build a construction that will support an object of your choice. The aim of the game is to ensure that the object is off the ground and can be held for a minimum of ten seconds. (If you’re not afraid of a bit of mess, a carton of eggs makes for a fun object to be held!)
THE HUMAN CHAIN
5 minutes
This is a fun game, perfect for breaking the ice. It’s a game that requires all members to be active participants.
Gather your group in a circle, and get them to link their hands with people who are not standing next to them. Once they are in this chaotic state, they must untangle themselves without letting go of anyone’s hands! This game works really well as a competition in a larger setting, as long as each group has even numbers of people.
TRAY BASH
5 minutes
You will need: an equal number of lightweight serving trays; batons made out of rolled-up newspaper
Each person holds a serving tray on the palm of their hand (like a waiter) and their newspaper baton in the other hand. The aim of the game is to knock the other players’ trays out of their hands. You’re not allowed to grab onto the tray at any point, or to hold it any other way than on a flat hand!
DOUGH-TIONARY
10 minutes
You will need: playdough; strips of paper; pens; a bowl
Dough-tionary is just like Pictionary, but with dough! Great for creative groups that enjoy a challenge.
Each person writes down an object on their strip of paper, folds it up and puts it in the bowl. Split into teams (or stay as one group if playing in a small-group setting). One person in each team takes it in turns to pick a piece of paper out of the bowl and has 30 seconds to mould the object using the playdough. The team that guesses the most correct answers wins.
POTATO WHITTLING
5 minutes
You will need: a bag of potatoes; a vegetable peeler (per team); strips of paper; pens; a bowl
Potato Whittling is played just like Dough-tionary, but for those that are craving a more advanced version of the classic game.
As with Dough-tionary, each person writes an object on their strip of paper, folds it and puts it in the bowl. Split the group into teams (or stay as one group if playing in a small-group setting). One person in each team takes it in turns to pick a piece of paper out of the bowl and has 30 seconds to carve the object out of a potato, using the vegetable peeler. The team that guesses the most correct answers wins.
FRUIT SALAD
10 minutes
You will need: chairs
This is a children’s classic, but can be hilarious for young people to play too. Place the chairs in a circle, ensuring there is one fewer than the number of people in the group. Give each of the players one of four or five fruit names, eg kiwi, apple, orange, blueberry, depending on the size of your group. Everyone takes a seat and the person left without one stands in the middle of the circle. They shout out one of the fruit names and everyone with that name has to stand up and move to another empty chair. The person already standing has to try and sit down too. The person left standing shouts out another name and tries to steal a seat.
The person in the middle has the option to shout: “Fruit salad!”, where everyone has to get up and find a different seat.
NOT-QUITE-BEETLE
10 minutes
You will need: pencils; paper; dice
Sit the group members in a circle and give each one a pencil and a piece of paper. The group members take turns to throw the dice. Depending on what number they get, they should draw the part of an animal of their choice on their paper: 1 is body; 2 is head; 3 is wing; 4 is fin; 5 is tail; 6 is leg.
The first person to draw an animal with one body, one head, two wings, one fin, one tail and four legs is the winner. Compare all the strange creatures that have been created during the game.
By the youth and children’s teams at Holy Trinity Brompton.
