Team and group games
There are as many team games as there are fish in the sea. It is always an advantage to have some good team games which are feasible and easy in the bag of tricks.
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Playing as a team is always fun. Such games are also suitable for groups and can be carried out without much preparation and without many resources. Team games and can be implemented in the open, the group room and in summer, when you are outdoor, it’s almost needless to say, you have a lot more possibilities available. However, for the indoor game night, there are plenty of good ideas too.
The classic team games are, for example, ball games. There are many games suitable, for instance, dodgeball, burn ball, basketball and of course football. Handball and volleyball are popular team games. Especially popular with children and young people are fighting games in which there is a competition between two players or two groups. A simple example of this is the tug of war. For this game, you only need a thick, sturdy rope and a referee.
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Catching games have always been popular with children. There is a reason even very young children start catching each other all by themselves and have tremendous fun in doing so. You can take up this idea and alter it accordingly so that it is suitable for older children as well and no one gets bored. For a trip to the lake or the sea, there are various other water games which at the same time are suitable for team games.
For some games, it is ideal if the members of the group know each other a bit better. However, even if the group is newly established, those games will help the kids to get to know each other and to build trust. It is up to the youth worker to organise groups in a way to ensure the power balance. For example, if older and younger kids play together, the age groups should be equally distributed. That also helps to integrate younger children playfully into the team, without anybody feeling overwhelmed or disadvantaged. In addition, the teams should be set up in a way, so that each participant alternately takes on one passive and one active role.
Team games | Games for teams or sides
Clothes chain
A chain of clothes is made using the clothes/materials.
Chaos game or scavenger hunt
The game is very hectic, very loud and for this reason, is often called the chaos game.
Chain caterpillar
Each team stands in a double row back to back and holds hands through the legs with two other players. Then the caterpillar tries to walk.
Mad house
The other players keep giving answers which do not match the questions.
Screaming – Blaring - Screeching
A message is passed on by shouting. The opposing team tries to stop the message being passed on by screaming loudly.
- Team game
Complete a distance with X minus Y feet.
- 5 hands and 2 feet
As few hands and feet as possible have contact to the ground.
And So it Goes…
Which team out of the group can put on the most clothes?
Cotton Ball Vacuum
A cotton ball is vacuumed with a straw and passed on to the second player
- Wooden Match-Matchbox-Relay
The first player lights a match, blows it out and places it back in the matchbox and passes the matchbox to the next player.
- Blowing a match box
A match box on the table is pushed along as far as possible with strong blowing.
- Swapping bottles
The contents of a bottle must be transferred several times.
- Show your Legs
Players are blindfolded and must guess whose legs belong to whom
Sitting football
The players are however sitting on old cut-offs of carpet and try to bring a balloon into the opponent’s goal.
- Upside Down and Back Again
The blanket must be turned so that the underside is on the top without the players leaving the blanket.
- Hunting Fever
Each player pins 5 clothespins to his clothing and try to grab the other players clothespins.
- Find The Clothespins
Find blindfolded 10 clothespins by the other players.
- Cotton Ball Battle
Each group throws cotton wool at the other group into their field or onto their clothes.
- Chopstick Training
Each player must put all the matches back into the empty matchbox using two of the matches.
- Fox
Players throw tokens from a distance of 3-4 meters as close as possible to a wall.
- Far Shot
Each team tries to shoot their tokens from the nearest side to the farthest side of the tables.
- Ski Shot
Using a table held as a slope, playing stones are rolled down the ski jump into a tub.
- Presenting simple catchphrases
Simple catchphrases are presented on a piece of paper to the chosen player, who must then present the catchphrase to the audience.
- Paper Airplanes
The self made paper planes are tested for their flight distance and time they spend in the air.
- Swimming competition for paper boats
The self made paper boats are tested for their ability to swim and their strength.
- Shooting gummi bears with rubbers
Gummi bears must be shot down with rubbers
- Tied Up Together
2 player run through an obstacle course while tied together with a newspaper without the paper ripping.
- Matchbox On Your Nose
A matchbox is placed on the nose of the first player who passes it to the nose of the second player.
- Beer mat discus
Beer mats are thrown into a paper basket or circle of chalk from a distance of 3-4 metres.
- Cork skittles
2 parties try to push the opponent's corks in their direction with a tennis ball.
- Running blind on the rope
A blindfolded player must now walk along a snaking rope.
- Falling Playing Cards
A pile of playing cards is put on the top of a bottle. Each player must blow one or more cards off of the pile.
- Passing the marshmallow
A marshmallow is passed from one player to the next with the mouth.
- Chewing Gum and Rubber Gloves
Take the gloves, puts them on and takes the next piece of chewing gum and chews it.
- Chewing Gum Art
Create an artwork with chewing gums.
- Ball Race 1
A ball must go in one pants leg and out the other leg.
- Ball Race 2
One player must roll the ball up to the face of his partner without using his hands.
- Get Dressed
Blindfolded and within 60 seconds, players get dressed.
- In the Funnel
A coin is placed on his head. He must try to get the coin into the funnel.
- Frisbee catching
Throw and catch a Frisbee.
- Spider football
4 players make up one football player. With their backs to each other they must hold each others hands.
- Over the border
A smuggling game in the sports hall.
- Sitting football with place change
Similar game to seated football but once the players have chosen a place to sit, they must stay there.
- The indoor snowball fight
An indoor snowball fight with paper balls, polystyrene balls or cotton wool.
- Waist Measurements
Guess the smallest and the largest waists from…
- Newspaper Battle
Each team makes balls out of the newspapers and throws them to the opposing teams side.
- Vaseline beard
Each child smears some Vaseline onto their chin, sticks his head in the bowl of cotton wool balls and runs back.
- Long, bigger, emptiest…
Different measurements are taken.
- The circle of power
If the group leaders need a good night’s sleep, this game for 6-20 players should tire the kids out.
Pinned Together
Two players use 5-10 clothespins to attach themselves together and go through an obstacle course.
- Throwing coins into the bath tub
Coins are thrown into a tub which should land in a marked out circle.
Soaping off
Two players sit opposite each other and try to squirt some shaving foam off the opponent’s face with water pistols.
Taking care of the blind
Several blindfolded members of the group guard 3 stools each with an object under them. The rest of the group tries to sneak up.
- Games Using Corks
Some games with using corks
- Newspaper designer
Costumes and fashion show with designer clothes made from paper.
- Newspaper hockey
Instead of hockey sticks and puck, a rolled up newspaper and tennis ball will be used
- Shooting bottles
Shoot the opponent's bottles over and stand your own bottles back up if they are knocked over.
- The 3 Person Dream Team
A game without using hands.
- Toilet brush hockey
A hockey game using toilet brushes as hockey sticks.
- Handicap
The pair stands back to back, either tied together and must build a tower.
- Ring hockey
Ring hockey is a team game which is suitable for a large recreational room, sports hall or corridor.
- Balloon Hockey
Long balloons are used as hockey sticks and the round balloons are the pucks.
- The Group Worm
Each member on the team gets a balloon which is placed back to belly between the teams players.
- Change Clothes
The first player puts on a shirt, jacket, pants, socks hat and then gloves. When finished, he takes them all off and gives them to the next player.
- Supermarket game
The winning team is the first team to have all special offers.
- Heavy Ball Fight
Throwing heavy balls into the other team’s field while keeping the own one clean.
- Ball Fight
Participants try to free a certain space of balls while the other team does its best to prevent just that.
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