1. Guess Who
Participants: 1 to 10 players
One player leaves the room, and others think of a person everyone knows. The player who left returns and, by asking one or more questions to the present players, tries to identify the chosen person. The game master excludes questions that immediately reveal the selected person.
2. The Beautiful Statues
Participants: 3 to 10 children
One player turns towards the wall or positions themselves to not see the other players. They say aloud, “to the beautiful statues that dance” or…”that sing” or anything else; or “to the handsome hunters”… “cooks”… “painters” and anything that can be represented through miming. When they turn to the players, the players must freeze like statues in a pose relevant to the request. The first player must choose the one that, in their opinion, best represents the request, and the game continues.
3. Water and Fire
Participants: 3 to 8 players
Environment: a room without fragile or precious furniture
One player hides a handkerchief carefully in a easily accessible corner. All players enter and search everywhere. The one who hid the handkerchief directs them by saying “water” when they move away and “fire” or “little fire” when someone approaches the hiding place. The finder hides it in turn.
4. Tag… You’re It
Participants: 3 to 10 players
Location: a garden or spacious area
A player commands, “Tag, you’re it,” and names a color (red, yellow, etc.). All others must find an object of the requested color and run to touch it. The first player chases them and can tag those who don’t find the color. The tagged person takes their place.
5. Everyone to the Square
Participants: 3 to 10 approximately
Materials needed: A table, chairs
Players arrange themselves around the table to reach the center of the table with their index fingers. The game leader must announce, with varying force and speed, “everyone to the square!” and everyone must touch the center of the table. “Everyone home!” and everyone must return to the table’s edge. The leader can move their finger as they please and repeat the commands irregularly to make the game more challenging. If someone makes a mistake, they exit or pay a forfeit.
6. Fashion Parade
Participants: Unlimited
Required material: A suitcase or bag to put old clothes in. (Each person has been asked to bring one or more pieces of clothing, including underwear, preferably out of fashion)
Participants form a circle, and while the facilitator sings a song, they pass the suitcase from hand to hand. When the facilitator stops, the person with the suitcase takes out a piece of clothing and wears it. This continues until everyone is well-dressed. At this point, the facilitator will have each participant parade, presenting the latest and greatest fashion models to everyone’s delight.
7. Two are Better than One
Participants: Two or more couples
Material required for each couple: 1 old newspaper, string, tape, scissors, and an object or a box
Tie the right arm of one contestant to the left arm of the other. At the start, each couple must package a parcel, tie it, and seal it with tape, using only their free arms. The winner is the couple furthest along in the work when the set time expires, or without time limits, the couple with the best-packaged parcel.
8. Journey to Jerusalem
Participants: Unlimited
Material: One chair less than the number of participants
Chairs are arranged side by side, facing alternately so that players can sit on either side. At a signal from the conductor, the group walks around them singing a chorus. When the conductor orders “stop,” everyone sits. At each turn, a chair is removed. In the end, everyone will be sitting on each other’s laps on the last chair.
9. The Waiters
Required: 30 paper trays (newspaper rolled with tape), 2 trays, 10 paper glasses, 1 bucket of water, 1 empty plastic bottle.
Location: outdoors, preferably in the summer
One team, using the glasses and tray, must transfer as much water as possible from the bucket to the bottle. On the sides of the path from the bucket to the bottle, behind two lines drawn on the floor that should not be crossed, are members of the other team “armed” with the paper trays. They throw them to try to knock over the glasses carried on the tray (one at a time).
10. Ball Dance
Participants: An unlimited number
Required: Balloons inflated as many as participants, string and cassette player
Arrange in pairs ready for the “Tile Dance.” The ladies have two balloons tied to their ankles. When the music starts, the dance begins. While dancing, the gentlemen try, with their feet, to burst the balloons of the ladies from other couples. When a couple runs out of balloons, they are disqualified. The couple remaining last wins.
11. Tag the Spaghetti
Required for 3 teams: 3 rolls of spaghetti about 30 meters each, of different colors; 3 sets of cards (of the same color as the spaghetti) numbered from 1 to 10.
Everyone sits in a circle. The cards of different colors are randomly distributed to form the 3 teams (everyone remains seated in their place). Number 1 of each team ties one end of the spaghetti of the team’s color to their chair. When the game starts, number 1 of each team runs to number 2 of their color, sliding the spaghetti. Once they reach number 2, they pass the spaghetti between their hands and go to number 3; and so on until they reach number 10. The team that first “connects” all its members with the spaghetti wins.
12. Game of the Goose
Location: indoors
It’s the traditional game that everyone knows, with the difference that each square corresponds to a skill game, or a song to sing or create, or small challenges to throw at other participants. The sequence of these little games will obviously be prepared beforehand. Participants will be grouped into teams to facilitate the game.
13. Identification Card
Participants: 10-20 people who know each other well
Location: indoors or outdoors. Not much space is required
Material: 10-20 sheets with the names and surnames of the participants
Everyone takes turns choosing a closed sheet and brings it to their place. They exchange sheets with another only if, by reading it, they see their name. Everyone will have a sheet with the name of a group member. The game leader calls a player, and they must describe the qualities, habits, and skills of the person indicated on their sheet. Others guess who it is, and the game moves on to another player. This is an interesting psychological game: it’s good to see how others evaluate and know us. It should be noted that the description should be made positively, even with a bit of humor.
14. Discover the Environment with a Coin
Participants: one or more groups
Materials: one coin per group
Game Explanation: Before going for a walk, decide to toss a coin and go right if it lands heads and left if it lands tails. Toss the coin, follow its indication, and walk in that direction until you reach a fork; then toss the coin again. If you come to a crossroads, decide the direction for heads and the two for tails; if it’s tails, make an additional toss for the two remaining paths.
Following the coin’s directions, you can discover unexpected things and corners and meet fellow walkers who might be happy to have a brief chat. If there are several groups, the discoveries will be different, and later you can discuss them together. Each participant has the opportunity to toss the coin during the journey, adding a moment of suspense.
Regarding the return, follow your sense of direction if you have one; otherwise, ask people you encounter for directions or bring a topographic map with you. When we played this game, the discoveries were delightful, and we never got lost.
15. Ships and the Lighthouse
Participants: Variable, depending on the available space; as it is a choreographic game, it’s better to have many participants.
Location: open and sufficiently spacious; better if calm, not noisy.
Material:
- drawings on cardboard that distinguish: the ships; the rocks; the lighthouse;
- blindfolds for each ship;
- a whistle for the lighthouse.
Arrange the ships in a row on one side of the playing field; at the center of the opposite side, place the lighthouse; in the field, randomly place the rocks (see figure). After showing the ships their goal (the lighthouse) and the arrangement of the rocks at sea (which should not move anymore and must be numerous enough to constitute an actual obstacle to navigation), each ship is blindfolded and must calmly reach the port, following the sound of the lighthouse’s whistle.
Ships must avoid hitting the rocks, which signal their presence by making the sound of waves (e.g., “SLAP – SLAP…”). They must also avoid colliding with each other, signaling their presence in turn (e.g., “red ship, attention, red ship!”). Each time a ship hits a rock or another ship, or goes out of bounds, it is escorted back to the starting point by the referees.
The ship that first reaches the lighthouse wins. Difficulty/ease: it’s a relatively simple game that can be made more or less difficult by varying the number of ships and rocks. Of course, the audience must participate with as much silence as possible.
This game, taken from a book, was successfully tested at a “Festival of Light,” and about thirty people participated. The number of each crew’s members can increase if it is necessary to accompany the ship “better” or, on the contrary, if the crew members are five or more to make navigation more difficult. The rock can also be made up of more people. Preparing the material can be a manual activity to do together before the game.
The game can help improve orientation, the ability to recognize sounds and their origin. Note: Ships should be advised not to run. Better to move cautiously through fog and rocks… Bon Voyage!
16. Nap the Candle (Outdoor Summer Game)
Divide into two or more teams. One team plays while the others “disturb.” The playing team sends one member with a lit candle, who must pass through a corridor of people (members of the other teams) kept at least 3 meters away.
The people in the corridor disrupt the contestant’s passage because they have glasses filled with water that they throw, trying to extinguish the candle. All participants in the playing team must pass by trying to defend the flame, earning one point for each “saved” candle. Then it’s the turn of the other teams.
17. Getting to Know Each Other
Participants: A group of 10-20-30 people
Location: Indoors or outdoors
Material: As many small cards as there are participants, of the same format and color, pencils, or markers
It’s a game to be played at the beginning of a meeting, especially if there are guests or new people. Under the guidance of an animator, each participant loudly says their baptismal name, writes it (with help if needed) on one of the cards, folds it, and puts it in the middle of the circle. If there are namesakes, diminutives or nicknames must be found.
The cards in the center are well mixed and scattered by the animator, who invites each participant to choose a card. They will read the name (also with the help of the animator) and must deliver it to the person whose name corresponds to that card. If, by chance, they choose their own name, they fold the card and put it back in the pile. It’s a game suitable for breaking the ice. Useful for learning to call each other by name.
18. Silence Game
Participants: Up to 30-40 people.
Location: Indoors or in a cozy place.
Required material: A deck with at least 5 or 6 keys.
Form a circle and place a deck of keys in the center. Choose a person: they must pick up the key deck and bring it back to their place without making any noise. Others must strive, in complete silence, to listen to even the slightest jingle of keys. The person must recognize who the key director is, and if caught, they leave, and the game continues.
19. What’s in the bag?
Participants: 10-20 people or more divided into two or three teams
Location: indoors or outdoors
Materials: a black plastic bag (or thick fabric) containing 10-12 different objects in appearance and size (e.g., glass, pen, watch, spoon, funnel…)
The facilitator calls each team member one by one. They put their hand into the bag without looking inside. By touch, each participant must recognize an object and whisper it to the facilitator, who will mark the name of the recognized object on a sheet of paper. The team that, in total, has recognized the most objects among its participants wins. It is a tactile recognition game suitable for people with mild to moderate difficulties.
20. The Orchestra
Participants: 8 to 20 people
Location: indoors or outdoors, sitting on chairs or on the ground
Materials: none
Participants form a circle; one person leaves the room or moves away if outdoors. The group collectively chooses who will be the conductor. The person who left reenters and stands in the center of the circle.
Everyone immediately begins to sing a melody together (rhythmic, well-known, humorous, like a march with few words, e.g., Pin piripin pinpin…) while simultaneously performing the gestures that the conductor changes continuously, making sure to change the gesture when the person in the center turns around (examples: on the head, scratching the chin, tapping a knee with the hand, and so on).
The person in the center must identify who the conductor is; if successful, the identified conductor becomes the next person in the center, and the game continues.
A useful game for learning to repeat and change gestures quickly. The game is fun and puts everyone in great spirits.
21. Pumpkin Ball
Equipment: 1 ball per team
Members of each team line up one behind the other in a single file. The first person has the ball.
At the start, the first contestant passes the ball over their own head to the second person, the second to the third, the third to the fourth, and so on until the ball reaches the last person in line.
When the last person receives the ball, they run to the front of the line, becoming the first, and pass the ball over their head to the second person, restarting the cycle.
The team that returns to the starting order first wins.
Variant: If there are many people with mobility issues, it’s possible to have only one person run for each team. Starting from the back of the line, they bring the ball back to the first person each time, then return to their place at the end of the line. In this case, the team that completes 5 rounds with the ball first wins.
22. Mime Game
Participants: 20-30 people divided into groups of 5-6
Location: indoors, with the possibility of additional rooms besides the main hall
Material: none, but if desired, crepe paper, scissors, stapler, etc. can be made available, provided there is enough for everyone!
Each group chooses a director who will receive the title of a well-known fairy tale (or a Gospel parable, or a scene, a profession…). Each group will have a different title. The groups withdraw for half an hour to other rooms and prepare the mime (no words, only gestures!).
All groups return to the hall and, in turn, present the mime to others who must wait until the end of the mime before guessing the title of the fairy tale. It’s a somewhat challenging game, but it allows everyone to express their interpretation skills. People can portray characters, animals, objects, buildings, etc. Friends with speech difficulties are easily persuaded to participate, and gradually, over time, true actors are discovered!
