Author: David Priestley

Starting with pairs, each player lies on their stomach with arms outstretched, holding the ankles of the player in front. The aim is to move along the floor as a snake without letting go of the ankles. When this has been mastered in pairs, increase to fours, eights and so on. The longer the snake the more fun and the greater cooperation needed. For a variation, form two or more snakes to race over a set course, with obstacles if they are good enough. Minimum Group Size: 12 Equipment Requirements: None

Each of the children has to come up to the leader in turn and the leader whispers the name of an animal in their ear. Once everyone knows what they are, they have to find the other people with the same animal. They have to do this by running around making their animal’s noise and listening to see who else is making the same noise. As an alternative, you can make the children do actions instead of noises, or combine the two. Minimum Group Size: 12 Equipment Requirements: None

The children stand or sit in a circle with one person appointed as the investigator. The investigator has to leave the group and close their eyes while the rhythm leader is chosen. The chosen leader then starts clapping their hands or clicking their fingers. Everyone copies whatever they do. The investigator returns and has to try to find out who is leading the change of action. Remind the children not to stare at the leader. Minimum Group Size: 10 Equipment Requirements: None

Have the group sit or stand in a circle with one person appointed as the detective. The detective has to leave the group and shut their eyes whilst the leader chooses the murderer. The leader should get the group to close their eyes as they walk round and pick the murderer. When the murderer is chosen, the detective is recalled to solve the crime. The murderer will kill their victims by winking at them when the detective is not looking. Anyone who is winked at has to die spectacularly! Can the detective guess who the murderer is before everyone is…

The children sit in a circle. The first person to start has to say ‘I went on holiday and I packed my anorak’. The second person has to say ‘I went on holiday and I packed my anorak and my balloons’. The third person has to say ‘I went on holiday and I packed my anorak, my balloons and my cap’. This continues through the alphabet. With younger children, it may be easier to forego the repetition of previous letters. Minimum Group Size: 10 Equipment Requirements: None

The children sit in a circle with one person chosen to sit in the middle. The person in the middle has to make a gesture (i.e. lift their left leg) and the others have to do the opposite (i.e. lift their right leg). Let the child in the middle go for a minute or so and then switch over. To make it harder: The group stands in a circle, the leader is in the centre with a ball. The group is told that when the following instructions are called out they must pass the ball back in a certain way.…

Form a standing circle with a chair in middle. Someone in the group goes to the middle and uses the chair as a prop. People on the outside have to guess what the prop is. They call out their guesses. If correct that person goes to the middle and invents a new prop. Examples could be using the chair as a bicycle or trumpet or hat etc. Minimum Group Size: 4 Equipment Requirements: Chair

The children stand in a circle and have to count clockwise around the circle, taking a number each. Whenever a number contains two, they have to say ‘fizz’ and whenever it contains a four they have to say ‘buzz’. To make it more complicated the leader can substitute more words for numbers or have a key word that you would say to change the direction of the game. Minimum Group Size: 8 Equipment Requirements: None

Form a circle. First person passes an imaginary object to the person next to them. They do this in the style of the imaginary object. It is collected by the recipient and transformed in to something else before being passed on again. An imaginary football for example would be kicked to the next person. They might catch it, turn it in to a bowling ball and roll it to the next person. Minimum Group Size: 8 Equipment Requirements: None

Choose a participant (person one) to start off with an obvious mime (e.g. brushing teeth); the next person (when they know what they are doing) says, “What are you doing?” person one says, “I am riding a horse.” Person two then has to mime riding a horse and person three asks “what are you doing?” this continues with the rest of the group. Reverse after one round to allow for revenge. Minimum Group Size: 8 Equipment Requirements: None

The children stand in a circle with their hands behind their backs. The leader stands in the middle with a ball. They have to pretend to throw the ball at the child to see if they flinch. If they flinch and the leader hasn’t thrown the ball, they are out. If the leader does throw the ball and they fail to catch it, they are also out. Minimum Group Size: 8 Equipment Requirements: Soft play ball

After a lively session, this is the perfect way to calm down a group of children. Everyone has to lie on the floor and be still and quiet; if they move or laugh, they are out. Depending on how long the leader wants it to last, just watch them for a while, or they can go around and pull silly faces at them, getting the children who are out of the game to help. Minimum Group Size: 10 Equipment Requirements: None