Category: Troop Time Games

Materials for Adventure Guide.

Ten Seconds to Make…

Grade:

All

Setup:

Teams of 2-3

Objective:

Students are in pairs or triples and the teacher or student leader gives them “10 seconds to make…_______” (an object or two of their choosing) and the students have to make what was said using their bodies. The teacher chooses the one they like best/is most useful.

Examples: “You have 10 seconds to make a tennis ball and racket!” / “You have 10 seconds to make a banana pie!”

 

Syllable Clap

Grade:

All

Setup:

Campers spread out

Objective:

A good welcoming game! Have each member of the group clap out a beat corresponding to the number of syllables in their first name. Marc claps once. Alison claps three times. Then have people with the same number of syllables in their names find each other without speaking, by walking around the room clapping out their names. Once the group is divided into subgroups, have them introduce themselves to each other and then to the rest of the group.

Variation: Shake hands in a rhythm corresponding to the number of syllables in your name.

 

Shoe Pile

Grade:

All

Setup:

Campers spread out

Objective:

Ask everyone to take off one of their shoes (only one of their shoes). Have everyone throw their shoe into a big pile in the center of the circle. Explain the rules of the game. Once everyone takes off one shoe and throws it into a big shoe pile, have everyone randomly grab a shoe. The goal is to mingle and go around introducing yourself and talking to many people and trying to find the person whose shoe you are holding.

 

Red Light, Green Light

Grade:

Grades 1-3, Grades, 3-5

Setup:

Campers form a line

Directions:

In this game, one person plays the “Stoplight” while the other players try to cross to the other side. At the start, have the campers form a line across from the Stoplight. The Stoplight will give a series of color commands that control how the players move. Teach Campers these Colors and Meanings beforehand and gradually add more complexity! 

 

Basic:  Green Light – Run or Skip/ Yellow Light – Move Slow Motion/ Red Light – Stop and Freeze

Expansion: Blue Light – Dance/ Orange Light – Hop, If campers like Dinosaurs or Minecraft or Purrmaids you could add a related light and moves! 

 

If a camper does not follow the command they are kindly told they are caught and they return to start. The goal is for all the campers to make it to the other side!

Rainbow Categories

Grade:

Grades 3-5, Middle

Setup:

Pairs

Objective:

Put the students into two students stand up. Let the group pick a category (like animals) and a color (like orange). The students must then alternate, trying to name orange animals for as long as possible until one hesitates. When one person stops, the other student wins. (You can play until a certain number of points or have it be an ongoing game throughout the day, keeping the students in teams. OR you can can have each student play for themselves and get a point for each round they win.)

 

Race for the Truth

Grade:

All

Setup:

Cones for start and finish line

Objective:

Have each person stand on starting line while a leader lists off general facts. (For example, I have a dog.) If the stated fact is true for any of the students, those students must move forward a step. Whoever crosses the finish line first wins! (You can decide the length of the “track” depending on if you are indoors or outdoors. A cone could establish the starting line, while the student leader could be the finish line.)

 

Name Impulse

Grade:

All

Setup:

Circle game

Objective:

Students sit or stand in a circle and you time how quickly everyone can say their name immediately after the person to their right.  The person on the left can say their name the second the person on the right next to them starts to say their own name. (Variations: you can have students say their favorite animals or colors, etc.)

Video:

Move Your Bum

Grade:

Grades 1-3, Grades 3-5

Setup:

Circle game

Objective:

Have the group sit or stand in a circle and have “It” stand in the middle. You will want to start as “It” the first time you introduce the game. Explain that if It is going to tell them to “move their bum” if whatever It says applies to them. For example, It might say “move your bum if you have a pet,” or “move your bum if you had cereal for breakfast,” or “Move your Bum if your favorite food is pizza.” When It calls the command, all players who have a pet (or had cereal or like pizza) must switch spots with someone else who also has a pet (or had cereal or likes pizza).

While players are switching spots, It tries to steal the open spaces. The person who is left in the middle becomes “It and must think of something different to get people moving.  

 

Group Drawing

Grade:

Grades 3-5, Middle

Setup:

Teams of 3

Objective:

Divide your group of students into teams of three. Each person on the team has one of the following roles:

  • Drawer. The Drawer attempts to recreate a pre-drawn design they cannot see. They take directions from the Talker. They stand with their back to the Talker and the Viewer and may not talk.
  • Talker. The Talker describes the design to the Drawer, without seeing the design. They may question the Viewer. They may not use hand gestures.
  • Viewer. The Viewer sees the design. However, they are not allowed to talk and must communicate nonverbally to the Talker. Additionally, they must not draw the design in the air or actually show the design with their gestures.

The activity ends when the Viewers say they are satisfied with the drawings. You can have the Talkers vote for which image looks the most like the one they were trying to recreate (hint: don’t let them know which drawing belongs to their team).  

(Note: If you have uneven teams, you can have that student draw the original artwork that will be recreated.  Or you can draw them yourselves before you start the game, or you can have the art drawn on the whiteboard with the Drawers already in place, with their backs to the board.)