Pretzel
* Group game
* Non-competitive
The group, which can be any size as long as it is more than six, holds hands in a line, except for two children who stay out. The leader of the line leads the group by the hand and twists and weaves under and through the group without dropping hands, until the group is all tangled together.
Then two people advise the group as to how they can untangle themselves.
Yes - No
Everyone chooses a partner of similar size and sits back-to-back. The partners choose who will be 'Yes' and who will be 'No'. 'Yes' must try to push 'No' across the floor while shouting 'Yes, Yes, Yes', while 'No'
musttry to push 'Yes' across the floor while shouting 'No, No, No'. After a time partners can swap roles.
Note: It is better for the children to wear trainers for this game. Also make sure that they are wearing old clothes and check that the floor is free of splinters.
Touch Bee
* Group game
* Non-competitive
The players stand in a large loose circle. Someone throws a ball to someone else in the circle and then all the other players hop across the circle, touch that person, say their name and return. The touched person then throws the ball to someone else, who gets touched in turn, and so on around the circle.
Mystery Person
Put names of celebrities or cartoon characters on player's backs (or on their foreheads). All the players ask the other children questions to try to determine whose name is on their back. Players can only reply 'yes' or 'no'.
Blindfold Walk
* Trust game
* Non-competitive
Divide the group into pairs. One person has their eyes closed, while the other one leads. The leader starts by holding an arm, then the tips of fingers and finally verbally instructs his or her partner where to go. An obstacle course can be set up to make this more difficult. After a while children can swap roles.
Note: Some children may not enjoy closing their eyes, while others may need to be blindfolded!
Trust Circle
* Minimum of eight children
* Non-competitive
A volunteer goes into the middle of a tightly-knit circle. With both feet placed on the ground and keeping their body straight, they let themselves fall so that the raised hands of the group support them as they sway from side to side and backwards and forwards.
Note: This game needs careful supervision.
Pru-ee
* Group game The leader whispers in someone's ear 'You're the 'Pru-ee'. Everyone closes their eyes and begins to mingle. Each person shakes the hand of any player they have bumped into asking, 'Pru-ee?' If the other player answers 'Pru-ee', then they drop hands and move on to someone else.
All the players go round asking 'Pru-ee?' except the person chosen as the 'Pru-ee', who remains silent and still the whole time.
If 'Pru-ee' is bumped into and their hand is shaken then they must remain quiet. When there is no response to the question 'Pru-ee?' the other player has to hang on to that hand and s/he will also become the 'Pru-ee' - they become co-joined. This goes on until gradually everyone finds the 'Pru-ee'
and the room becomes quiet.
Note: This is more suitable for older children as it can be difficult to grasp at first.
Ladders
* Group game Children sit in a long row, opposite a partner and with their legs outstretched touching the feet of the child opposite. There should be a large gap in between the pairs. The play leader gives each couple a name - such as a colour or animal. When the leader shouts out the colour or animal, the children with that name get up and run up the middle of the course, over the legs, around the top and back down the side they were sitting to race back up the middle to their place. Each child must try to sit back down before their partner.
Skittles
A group of children sit in a circle with their feet apart and touching the next person's feet. Two children hop into the middle of the circle. The seated children must roll a ball across the circle and try to hit the hopping children beneath the knee with it. If the ball does touch the children, the thrower goes into the middle of the circle and the other child takes their place at the side.
Keeper of the Keys
One child, who is the keeper of the keys, sits on a chair in the middle of a circle and is blindfolded. Everyone is silent. Keys are placed under the chair and a child is chosen to try to get the keys from the keeper and take them back to his or her place. The blindfolded child must try to point to the child if they hear them. If they point correctly they stay blindfolded for another go, but if the other child gets back to their place without being heard they become the keeper of the keys.
Note: Some children will not enjoy being blindfolded.
Khajano
* Memory game from India
* Suitable for children of similar ages
You will need 25 different objects such as a paperclip, box, pencil sharpener, flower, button, ball, pen and so on. Display all the objects on a table in a room. Let the children into the room for two minutes or so to look at the table, then take them all outside again. Give them five minutes to write down as many items as they can remember. Once the players get more used to the game, you can make it more difficult by putting more things out.
Catch the ball
* African game requiring skill and concentration
* Group/team game
Mark a straight line on the ground, long enough for players to stand close to one another but so that they can move their hands and arms about comfortably. The teams stand opposite each other about six feet from the centre line. The first player throws a soft ball to any player in the other team. As the ball is thrown, all the players must clap, and as it is caught they must all stamp their feet. The player who caught the ball then throwsit back to the other team, and once more the players must clap as the ball is thrown and stamp their feet as it is caught. If a team misses the ball, it goes back to the other team, and the game continues.
Kabaddi
* A favourite outdoor game played among Chinese, Pakistani and Indian children
* Group/team game
Kabaddi is played in a rectangular field with a centre line dividing it into two halves. The players need to be divided into two teams - each team has one half of the field.
The play leader chooses which team goes first and the first team picks a 'raider' from their players. The raider has to run into the opposite half of the field, running from the centre to the back, and back into the centre again, shouting 'Hu-tu-tu-la' without stopping until reaching home. Instead of touching the back line of the opposite half of thefield, the raider has the option of tapping a player in the opposite team and then running home.
The opposite team can try to stop the raider either by circling them, or by holding their arms out to stop them running - but players are out if they only touch raiders, without actually stopping them. If the raider is successfully stopped from getting back home, the opposite team scores a point. If the raider gets back safely, the first team score.
The other team then send a raider over. Teams change sides at half time - when a score of 15 has been reached.
