15 Circle Games to Play For Endless Fun (With Pictures!)

Players: Small to medium group

You play this game in a circle and your memory counts. One person in the circle will start the game off by saying, “I’m going hunting and I’m taking an arrow”. The next person will have to repeat what the person next to him said and then add something new from the next letter in the alphabet: “I’m going hunting and I’m taking an arrow and a bow”.

You keep this going around the circle until one person can’t remember what he is taking. That person is out, and you see if the next person can complete the phrase. You don’t necessarily have to choose something that you would normally take hunting – it can be funny. You can also modify this game to a specific topic – like back to school: “I’m going back to school and I’m taking an apple”. I’m going to get married and I’m taking… would be a great bridal shower icebreaker. I’m going to have a baby and I’m… would be a starter for a baby shower game. I’m going shopping and I’m buying… would be great for a women’s event or gift exchange.

Players: Medium to large group

Everyone sits in a circle. One person is chosen to be the detective. He leaves the room or goes to a place where he cannot see or hear what is going on in the circle. Everyone in the circle closes their eyes. An adult or leader walks around the circle and taps someone’s shoulder who now becomes the Killer Frog. But no one knows who the frog is at first.

The detective comes back in. The frog sticks its tongue out at random people around the circle, trying not to be noticed by the detective. If the frog sticks its tongue out at you, you just lay down. The detective gets three tries to guess the killer frogs identity. If he succeeds, someone else is chosen for the next round. If he doesn’t, then he is the detective again. It’s okay if other players know who the frog is.

Play another round where the “froggy” becomes a Casanova and the murderer winks at players instead of sticking their tongue out at them. You can use other gestures for other rounds!

Submitted by Madison from Lyons, Colorado

The game is somewhat like musical chairs but with hearts being passed. If you use this as a classroom game for a Valentine’s Day Party, most classrooms have each student assigned a number for the year. Have your classroom use these assigned numbers, and you’ll need those assigned numbers written on separate pieces of paper to pull out of a hat.

If your players don’t have pre-assigned numbers, have them stand in a circle and count out loud – giving each them a number. Pre-make paper hearts that either hinge or can be folded (each child can decorate one before the game starts, if you’d like). Provide various prizes that can be won if the right heart is found such as heart erasers, heart pencils, chocolate bars, Cracker Jacks, fruit snacks, stickers, and other fun items.

On the inside of each heart, write the prize that the player will receive if they open that heart. Seal the heart closed with a piece of tape so that no one can see what they might win. Select music that applies to the theme like “Written On My Heart” and “Here In My Heart”, both by the new group “Plus One” are great songs. Have each player sit in a circle and give them a paper heart. The players will pass the hearts to the next person in a clockwise fashion while the music plays (like hot potato).

Pause the music and pull out a number. The person assigned to that number will open the heart that they are holding and receive the prize written in it. Once they receive their prize, they will be out of the game along with the heart that they opened. Start up the music again and pull out another number. Keep playing until you run out of prizes or time. If you run out of time towards the end, the last remaining few can open their hearts at the same time.

Created by R. Scheel, Fun-Attic Inc.

Required: A small gift, box, lots of wrapping paper.

Players: Small to medium group

Place a bar of chocolate (or some other exciting gift) in a small box and wrap in a layer of paper. On the paper, write a type of task that must be completed. Add another layer of paper and another task. Repeat until you have about 10 layers. Finally, wrap it nicely in gift paper (so it looks pretty). The tasks should vary – like sing a song, eat a teaspoon of mustard, or walk blindfolded to the other side of the circle. Just try to be creative and make it so that they won’t want to get stuck with the package on the next turn.

Sit everyone in a circle and play a short snippet of music. When the music stops, the person holding the parcel removes one layer of wrapping and must perform the task written on that layer. Repeat until the last layer of wrapping has been removed. At the end, no one will want to get stuck with the package but the one that does will get the reward.

Submitted by Yonatan Volkovich

Required: Several sets of keys and blindfold
Players: Small to medium group

Choose one volunteer to be the pirate. That player will be required to sit in the middle of the circle, blindfolded with his/her legs crossed. All the other players will circle the pirate while sitting with their legs crossed.

Place several different rings of keys on the floor in front of the pirate. A player is silently nominated to slowly creep up, attempt to take a ring of keys, and then return to their place without the pirate hearing them. The Pirate has three tries to point to where he thinks the thief is. If the thief succeeds, he/she becomes the new Pirate.

Submitted by Yonatan Volkovich

Players: Medium to large group

Have the whole group sit in a circle and choose one person to be the quick change artist. Have the artist go out of sight and change something on him/her self that is visible (ie-put shorts on backwards, change hair, tie/untie shoes…).

When the artist is done, have him/her walk into the middle of the circle and turn around slowly to give everyone a chance to see what has been changed. Then go around the circle having each person guess what has been changed. The first person to guess correctly is the next artist.

Submitted by Lindsey Sanner – Indianapolis, IN

Players: Small to medium group
Required: Fun Gripper Parachute

Select one player to be the shark and one player to be the lifeguard. All other players must sit on the ground while holding the parachute over their legs. The shark must be under the parachute looking for someone to attack. The lifeguard walks around behind players that are sitting, hoping to save any victims of a shark attack.

The players will wiggle their legs and shake the parachute keeping it low to the ground. The shark will pick a victim and try to pull them under by the legs. The lifeguard must come around and try to pull them back. If the lifeguard gets there in time, the shark lets go and finds another victim. If a player is pulled under, then there are two sharks. The victim cannot kick or use their hands to attack or hurt the shark. They must go with the shark if pulled under; only the lifeguard can save them.

Submitted by Jim Hovorka, Wisconsin

Players: Small to large group

Everyone should sit in a circle on the floor. Remove both shoes, then remove the shoestrings and place them in the toes of the shoes. The shoes then go into the center of the circle and have someone mix up the pile and/or rotate the circle of kids. At a signal, everyone races for the pile, finds his shoes, laces them up, and puts them on. The first child finished and standing is the winner!

Players: Small to medium group

Players can sit in circle or throughout the room as long as everyone can see each other. All players are to keep a straight somber face while one person that is chosen to be the Smile Tosser, smiles. The Smile Tosser will smile a big smile at all players – trying to get them to crack a smile or laugh.

If anyone smiles or laughs, they are out of the game, and they must be absolutely quiet while the game goes on. The Smile Tosser can wipe off his smile with his hand and throw it to another player if he wishes. The receiving player will put on the smile and be the new Smile Tosser. You can even set a time limit for how long your Smile Tosser is allowed to keep his role.

Telestrations Circle Game

Players: Small to medium group
Required: A notebook and writing utensil for everyone

This is purchasable board game, or it can be DIY’d, as we’ll explain here! It’s an adaptation of the game telephone (where you whisper a sentence in each other’s ears).

Have players sit in a circle and give each a notebook and a writing utensil. Instruct them to draw a picture within a set designated time limit – it can be any picture! Players will then pass the notebook to the right.

The next player will look at the picture, turn the page so it’s no longer visible, and write what they think the picture is. Then pass the notebook to the right.

The next player will read the picture description, turn the page so it’s no longer visible, and draw a picture of what the words are describing. Then pass the notebook to the right.

Players continue like this until all players have received all notebooks (so basically as many passes as there are players)! Then everyone goes around and shows their book for all to see (and laugh at).

Players: Medium to large group

Have all participants sit in a circle and choose a person to be “it”. The “it” is to leave so that “it” cannot see or hear. Have one to four players change places in the circle. When “it” returns, he is to figure out who has moved in the circle. Great ice breaker for new groups (you can make people learn names this way)!

Players: Small to medium group

Required: cards, writing utensil

Everyone sits in a circle and is given a destination (name of a town) and in the middle, the station master stands with all the destination names on a card. He/She then chooses certain destinations; for example Bradford/Leeds. The two corresponding people then have to get up and exchange seats. In the meantime, the station master has to try to jump into one of these seats. More than two destinations can be called out and the ultimate “All Change”, when everyone has to change seats, is a great laugh.

This game can be played for hours, and there is no ultimate winner or loser. It’s suitable for young and old (but make sure that nothing breakable is nearby).

Submitted by Janet Naylor

Players: Small to large group

All players are paired off and form a large circle with partners joining hands. One set of players is chosen as “it” and are the runners. Their spot in the circle is left noticeably vacant. The runners go around the outside of the circle and tag a pair of joined hands. The runners quickly run one direction, while the tagged team races the other direction.

The first pair back to the vacated spot gets to keep the spot, and the other pair becomes “it”.

Have Fun! ?

We hope you gained some new ideas and fun memories from this article! Keep on reading:

10 Classroom Ideas For a Fun School Day

7 Fun Games You Can Make Life-Sized

43 Classic Kids Games To Cure Boredom