Relay Games 4

Required: Bags of sticks pretzels and twisted pretzels
Players: Small to large groups.

Set up teams, give each player one stick pretzel and have them put one end into their mouth. The first player on each team is also given a twisted pretzel to be balanced on the other end of the stick pretzel. They are to turn and pass the twisted pretzel to their teammate that is standing next to them.

That player will turn and pass the twisted pretzel to the next player and so forth until the twisted pretzel has be passed all the way to the end of the line. If the twisted pretzel is dropped the person previous to them is to pick it up, place it on their stick and pass it back to them. If it breaks or is not whole, an official is to give them a new twisted pretzel. The team that is first to pass the pretzel down to the end of the line is the winner. You could play this game on your next bus trip with your youth group. Set up four teams and they have to pass the pretzel for one end of the bus over the seats to the other end of the bus. Have official stand in the isles to ensure that the isle seat players pass the pretzels over the seats.

Required: Cooked spaghetti, outdoor area, and containers
Players: Small to large groups

Figure out how many teams you’ll have and that’s how many containers of spaghetti you need. Have teams line up outdoors at starting point. One person from each team is to take three pieces of spaghetti, lay one piece down at a time beginning at the starting line and where the first one ends the next piece will start. The first team member should end up with three pieces of spaghetti laying down in a row, heading down the course. Then the next team member will take three pieces and start where the other team member left off. The first team to reach the finish line is the winner!!

Note: When cooking spaghetti use cooking oil in water to prevent spaghetti from sticking together.

Required: Oven mitts, containers and toothpicks
Players: Small to large groups

Set up teams and one at a time they are to complete task. They are to put on oven mitt and pick up toothpicks, placing them into a container. Ahead of time you should count out the same amount toothpicks for each team participating. The first team where each player has completed task is the winner.

Required: Buckets and ping-pong balls
Players: Small to large groups

For each team, have one bucket and five ping-pong balls. The object is to have players one at a time, run barefoot down the course to where bucket and five ping-pong balls are on the ground. They are to sit on the ground and using only their feet, pick up the ping-pong balls and put them into the bucket. Once they have all the balls into the bucket, they are to dump them out, run back to the team and have the next person do the same. The first team with everyone completing the task is the winner. You could try water bombs instead of ping-pong balls.

Required: Balloons
Players: Small groups

Set up teams. Have the 1st two in each team stand back to back and then have a 3rd person on each team place a balloon between the 1st two people. They must race down field, sit at end of field, stand back up and return to starting point. Next two must do the same until everyone has completed task. Good luck, have fun and don. t pop the balloon.

Required:Raw Potatoes, chairs and buckets
Players: Small to large groups

Divide your group up into teams. Each team will need one chair placed in front of them, a bag of potatoes and a bucket on the other side of the playing area. When signaled, the first players on each team will pull out one potato from the potato bag and place it on the chair in front of them. The potato should be placed close to the edge so that they can sit down on the chair. The object is to try to sit down and then stand up with the potato between their legs. They cannot use their hands. Once they are able to stand with the potato they will carefully wobble (walking backwards) over to the bucket and drop the potato into the bucket without using their hands. They will race back to their team, tag the next player and that player will do the same. The first team through the rotation will be the winner. You might have to scrub a few potatoes if the players are not dressed to possibly get dirt on them.

Submitted by Bob Brickner

Required:Clothespins, Clothesline and Fruit Roll-Ups
Players: Small to large groups

Hang a clothesline or have willing participants hold the clothesline if there’s no place to hang it. Unroll the Fruit Roll-Ups (assorted flavors to keep everyone happy) so they will hang straight and attach one end of each roll-up to the clothesline with a clothespin. Space the roll-up’s about 6 to 8 inches apart on the clothesline and make sure you have one Fruit Roll-Up per player. Set up 2-4 teams depending on the length of the clothesline or how many lines you have. Different teams can work on the same line but on opposite sides of the line or across from each other. The first team member on each team will run to the clothesline and eat one of the Fruit Roll-Ups off the line with their hands behind their backs, return to their team and tag the next player to do the same. The first team to eat all of their Fruit Roll-Ups will be the winners. To add an extra twist for those crazy youth groups you can blindfold the players as they attempt to complete their task. Be very careful of the choking hazard.

Created by R. Scheel, Fun-Attic, Inc.

Required:Ground markers or ropes
Players: Small to large groups

On grassy ground, mark out a starting point and finish line. Have players paired off and each pair will lie on the ground opposite each other with heads toward each other and feet pointing away. Lift hands above heads and hold hands with partner to form a long rolling pin. When signaled, teams roll from starting point to finish line together. You can probably only have a couple of pairs at a time race depending on racing area available. Then have play-offs (roll-offs) of the winning teams. Make sure you have play clothes on because MOM hates grass stains!

Required:Scarecrow from “Build A Scarecrow” and jump ropes
Players: Small to large groups

Each scarecrow team will become a relay team. The first two players on each team will carry the scarecrow while racing to a large jump rope placed at the other end of the playfield. One player will pick up the jump rope and the other player will hold the scarecrow. They will attempt to jump all three of them in the jump rope five times and then race back for the next two players to do the same. The team that is done first is the winner. If your scarecrows are too tall for this event, use larger jump ropes and have additional players at each end of the jump rope. The team that completes a rotation of holding and jumping five jumps with the scarecrow is the winner.

Created by R. Scheel, Fun-Attic Inc.

Required:Scarecrows from “Build A Scarecrow” and cones
Players: Small to large groups

Once the teams have their scarecrows built, have them participate in a few games with their scarecrow. Place cones out in an open field. The fisrt two players on each team are to carry the scarecrow over the top of their heads, with one player holding the legs and the other holding the head or shoulders. Have the scarecrow facing up to help keep it from falling apart. They are to race down the field around the cone and back to the next two players on their team who will do the same. The first team to finish with their scarecrow intact is the winner.

Created by R. Scheel, Fun-Attic Inc.

Required:Balloons
Players: Small to large groups

Set up 2 teams, you need one person on each team to be the “middle man”. They stand at the other end of the room across from their team and can move about to help teammates. Put a balloon in-between the shoulders of 2 teammates and have them run down to the other end and back. The balloon carriers are not aloud to touch balloon with their hands, only the “middle man”, at the other end can. The “middle man” (which can touch the balloon), can put the balloon back between shoulders if it falls to the ground. When they return to the starting line they then pass off the balloon. First team to finish wins.
You can also use this game as a memory verse game. As each 2 teammates finish across the line, before they hand off the balloon to the next 2, they must say a memory verse. Hope you have fun. You can make this creative by using a ball or water balloon or a raw egg. Just do what the kids like the best, they are the ones that have to get wet, egged, or just have a good time.

Submitted by Taletha Walls

Required:Winter weather, sleds and play area
Players: Small to large groups

Plan out a safe play area or course. Have one player be the rider and the other player the puller. You can do this many ways like a relay where the person that rode last gets to be the puller until all players have pulled the sled. The first team done is the winner.

Required:Blindfolds and ropes
Players: Small to large groups

Divide the group up into teams of 8-12 players. Each team will need one blindfold and the first person on each team will put it on. Lay out 3-5 ropes across the play area that will have to be crossed over by the players with the blindfolds. The next player in line will lead the blindfolded player across the play area and back by the sound of their voice. If the blindfolded player touches the ropes or leader that player will have to go back and start over. Once the blindfolded player has made it back to the starting line, the leader will put on the blindfold and do the same. The next person in line will now be the new leader. The first team to finish leading all players across the Snake Pit by faith is the winner.

Created by R Scheel, Fun-Attic Inc.

Required:Paper towel tubes and ping-pong balls
Players: Small to large groups

Set up each team with one ping-pong ball and one paper towel tube. If you wish to, you can decorate the tubes by painting them or wrapping them with different types of wrapping paper, but leave the two ends open. Set up the course with confetti-like snowflakes, stars and so on. Each team member one by one will put their ping-pong ball on the starting line, get on their hands and knees and blow through the tube to move the ball while going down the course and back. The next player will do the same after receiving the tube from the previous player. The first team done is the winner.

Created by R. Scheel, Fun-Attic, Inc.

Required:Boxes of Spaghetti
Players: Small to large groups

Find willing participants with a lot of hair, for the best results make the recipients the group leaders. Divide players into teams and for each team you must have a hairy recipient that will receive uncooked spaghetti stuck through their hair. It would work best if each recipient were sitting in a chair. Give each team one box of spaghetti and each player receives about 3 pieces of spaghetti. The first person on each team will race to their designated spaghetti recipient and carefully stick the uncooked pieces of spaghetti through the recipient’s head. They will return to the team and the next person will do the same. Remember to carefully do this without drawing blood or brain tissue. The recipient’s can cover their eyes to protect them, also point out that they should avoid poking around the ears. When the first team has emptied their box of spaghetti they are the winners. Make sure you have your camera’s available, this game makes great pictures. Great relay game for youth groups or youth events.

Required:Fun Gripper Baseball Bats
Players: Small to large groups

Set up 2 or more teams. One person from each team is to race down field, stand up bat, bend their body forward with head on bat and quickly spin around the bat 10 times, then run back for next player to do the same. Be sure to do this on a soft surface since they will be very dizzy and may fall down. The first team to complete the relay wins.

Remember – The object is for everyone to have fun. The moderator is the all-powerful dictator. You may at any time change the rules or boundaries or handicap players to help balance out the wide spectrum of abilities. We want the tentative athlete and the superjock to play together at the best of their abilities.

Have Fun! ?

Now here are some colorful ideas to liven up play time.
If you have a fun game that is entertaining and healthy for kids of ANY age, you can send it to us for consideration and addition to our Games and Activities Guide.
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