Mingle

Mingle is a great game for groups who are either a) very comfortable with each other or b) enjoy mild awkwardness induces by touching new friends.

The game uses one "caller" and can be played with anywhere from 4-100 people.  Everyone mingles together, usually singing "mingle, mingle, mingle."

The caller can then call out a plethora of options.

For more appropriate games, it could be a group of 5 people who were born in the same state as you and other such thoughts.

The caller can also use more comical ideas such as:
Skydive! (one person lies on the ground and arches so their arms and legs are off the ground and another person lies on top of them perpendicularly doing the same arch)
Princess (one person jumps into another person's arms as if they are being carried over a threshold)
Spoons (three people spoon each other with the person at the back throwing their leg over the other two)
Cowboy (one person gets down on all fours and another "rides" them by straddling them and makes lasso motions with their arm)
Milk the cow (one person gets on a high all fours while another pretends to milk their stomach as they would a cow)

What other ideas do you have for callers?

Crazy Kickball

This takes a lot of people and a kickball field.

By a lot of people, I mean more than you'd usually want for a kickball game - so more than 18 if possible.  A great game for 30-50 people.

Play typical kickball except for these variations:

• There are two balls, two pitchers, and two kickers. 
• The balls are pitched and kicked simultaneously.  If both balls go in play, the kickers take off running - one towards 3rd base and the other towards 1st base.  Either ball may be used to get out either kicker.  A fly out only applies to the person who kicked that ball.  
• The only place there are force outs are just after someone kicks and is running to first or third. 
• The runners go in opposite directions around the bases (be careful when crossing paths!), and can choose when to run or stay once they arrive at their initial base (meaning more than one person can be on a base at a time). 
• A half inning can be 4, 5, or 6 outs based on your desire for length of inning.

Waa

To play waa, you'll need anywhere from 3-30 people in a circle.

3 motions are available in this game and all motions are accompanied by a verbal "waa".  All motions are with straight arms, palms together.

1. Arms straight overhead moving downwards.
2. Arms straight to one side moving across your body.
3. Arms straight down moving upwards.

To begin the game, one person (person A) begins by making eye contact with someone across the circle (person B).  Person B cannot be directly beside them.  Person A uses motion 1 to "waa" the other person.  Person B deflects the Waa with motion 3 while the two people surrounding person B use motion 2 to "waa" Person B.  

Person B then sends the "Waa" across the circle to someone they make eye contact with.

Anyone who "Waa"s out of turn or outside of the established timing sits down until the game gets down to 2 winners (once 4 or less people are left, you become able to "Waa" the person next to you).  

Check out this youtube video to get a better idea.  Note that these kids play FAST!  You can keep the rhythm as slow or quick as your group would like.

Group Juggle

This game can be used for teambuilding/getting to know each other/ communication/ and goal setting.  It's particularly fabulous to use with business groups.  

• SET THE STAGE: To begin, set the stage for the group.  If they are a business group, tell them you are their customer.  If not, ask them who their constituents are (ie. who do they have to please?).  
• Tell the group you'll be giving them a lot of information and the activity will allow them to work on their communication.  
• Ask the group their number one challenge at work/when working together.
• Do the same for each of 4 balls.  
• PRACTICE: Have everyone hold one hand up and tell them they may catch with two. Once they have had the ball they may put their hand down indicating, to everyone else, they have had the ball.
• See if everyone can remember the order they first set up by practicing passing one ball with no glitches.
• Before you incorporate balls 2,3, &4 into the game, make sure to ask the first person that they tossed their ball to. Remind them that, like communication, one needs to make sure your receiver is ready before one tosses ball number 2, 3, & 4.
• JUGGLE: Now ask the team to "juggle" by continuing the sequence.  The balls must be contacted, by everyone, in the order in which they were put into play.  The operative word here is contacted, but remember NOT to emphasize the word.
• CHALLENGE:  Time them!  Ask everyone if they think they can shave 3-5 seconds off their time.  You be the judge on this.  For example, if a group finishes in 34 seconds, see if they can get it under 30.
• Keep shaving in increments of 3-5 seconds for several rounds. If someone asks me, any questions about changing order or bending the rules. I usually ignore them or simply repeat my mantra. Makes for a nice debrief in the end. 
• Make sure to mumble the rules for the first several rounds.  Can add a nice debrief about how customers are often ignored.  
• After everyone figures out they can "think outside of the box," I'll start asking things like: How good are you? How fast do you think you can do it?
• FINISHING UP: If the group gets below 4 seconds and there's a celebration, stop the activity while the energy is high.  
• The debrief is the MOST IMPORTANT PART!  I'll usually ask the women, because they 9 times out of 10 come up with the solution, what it was like to be ignored. Follow that up with, why didn't you keep asking? Why did it take a man to say the idea before it was heard?  What helped the group succeed?  What could they improve on their communication?  

Team Shoulder Traverse

Known aliases: TST

Numbers needed: At least two, up to however much space you have to fall
Space needed: Enough room to fall over safely


Basic rules: For this game, one person serves as the base and one the traverse-er.  The base stands with their feet firmly planted on the ground and arms straight out to the sides.  They are not allowed to move their feet nor arms during the game.

The traverse-er stands in front of their base.  When ready, they jump (mount) their base by wrapping their arms and legs around the base person.  They then have to traverse around the base without touching the ground.  The first team of two to finish wins. 

For a bigger challenge, the team must then switch roles and the first team to finish with both individuals serving as a base and a traverse-er wins.

Pushoff

Numbers needed: 2 or more with even numbers

Space: Little

Basic rules:  Stand one foot space apart by measuring the space between people with whichever partner has a larger foot.  Hold hands up near shoulders, palms facing each other.  Once the game begins, you cannot move your feet, which should be under your hips, facing your partner.  Goal is to push or fake or withdraw hands in order to get your partner to move their feet before you move yours.

Foottag

Numbers needed: 2 or more with even numbers

Space: Yard or park space - room to move and fall down if possible

Basic rules: Face your partner and join all 4 hands. Safety note!  Make sure each hand looks like a mitten rather than gloves.  Interlacing fingers here can cause injury!  If one partner is wearing shoes, both should be. Then, the two people dance around themselves in an attempt to step on their partner's foot before their partner steps on theirs.  

Variations:  Play battle style. See post for "Rowchambeau Battle "

Fingerfencing

Known aliases: Pokey

Numbers needed:  2, 4, or any even number

Space: Any - although most fun when there is a bit of space to move around a bit

Basic rules:  A partner game, although this time, you're trying to beat your partner. A bit more fun to watch then Rowchambeau battle, so typically not done in "battle" fashion.  Begin by finding the fencing grip.  This means shaking your partner's hand, and then rotating your hands up so you can wrap your fingers around their thumb and wrist.  Continue to hold each other and point your index finger towards your partner.  These are your foils with which you fence.  The goal - be the first to hit your partner with your index finger before your partner gets you.  Feel free to dive on the floor, run in circles, move quickly, slowly, etc.  Soon, you'll be wrapped up in a battle of strength and wits!  

Note to the audience: Keep an eye on the "spare foil" - most people's non-battling hand ends up forming another foil - index finger out - as if prepraring in case their first foil breaks.  Also, keep an eye on safety hazards.

Variations: Switch hands or add limits to movement. For example, you could play on a 4x4 laying on the ground.  Or you could play on a large welcome mat.  

Birdie on a Perch

Numbers needed: At least 6, up to 30ish.

Space:  Yard or park space - room to run and fall down.  

Basic rules:  Again, this is a partner game, although this time, you and your partner are trying to beat all other partners.  At the beginning of the game, you and your partner decide who is the birdie and who is the perch.  

Role options:

Perch sets a stable base and birdie will jump on and off the perch's back.  

Perch stands and birdie runs around the perch.  

Perch stands and birdie jumps into perch's arms.

One player or an audience member acts as the caller.  The caller yells "birdie on a perch," "perch on a birdie," "down,"or "scramble!"  Based on the group's decision of which role option to use for this particular round, when the first two calls are yelled, the partners act appropriately.  For example, say we decided to choose option a.  When the caller yells "birdie on a perch!" the player who is the birdie for that round jumps on their partner's back.  When all partners are up, the caller yells "down."  If the caller would have called (or now decides to call) "perch on a birdie," the player who is the perch for that round jumps on their partner, the birdie's, back.  

The caller may call "perch on a birdie/down" or "birdie on a perch/down" as many times as they want, but the craziness really begins when they choose to call "scramble!" At this point, the birdie and the perch take off in opposite directions around the circle of other players (who are also running in opposite directions around the circle) until they return to their original location.  Options for this point of the game include returning to the last caller position (say, perch on a birdie) and the last team to get into that position would lose.  Another option includes having the perch return and stand with wide legs so the birdie can dive through their legs and grab an item in the center of the circle, where there are less items than partner pairs.

Rowchambeau Battle

Known aliases:  Rock, Paper, Scissors Battle; Rowcham battle

Know how to play basic rowchambeau ?  Rock, paper, scissors?  Rock crushes scissors, scissors cuts paper, and paper covers rock.  It's a great way to make decisions like "should we get ice cream" or "should we get married?"

Rowchambeau battle takes that a step further.

Numbers needed: 4 or more (up to hundreds, I suppose)

Space: Determined by numbers, but can be done in airports, around kitchen tables, or in yards.

Rules:  Pair up (if someone doesn't have a partner to start, they can either wait one round or do a trio rowchambeau).  The pair plays either best of three rounds or one round of rowchambeau to determine a winner.  The loser in the pair immediately becomes the biggest fan of the winner.  Winners then play winners (and the loner who sat out of round one, if there was such a loner) while losers cheer on their winner with utmost intensity.  When someone wins that game, all losers cheer on that winner. This pattern continues until the final battle - where only two people are left and the rest of the group is split in half, cheering on their winner.  At the culmination of the final rowcham battle, all of the group goes crazy over the final winner.  

Final note:  In a human's lifetime, they can one time, and one time only, throw "fire" (demonstrated by an upturned palm and wiggling fingers).  Fire beats rock, paper, and scissors.  However, if their opponent gets wind that this may happen, the opponent can throw water, which only beats fire.