22 Unique Skill Games To Prove Who’s Best
There are plenty of games out there that reward players based on luck (tossing dice, UNO, Bingo, etc). They’re surely fun, but lack the sense of pride that comes with really earning something. That’s why competitive and confident people tend to prefer skill games.
Our comprehensive list of skill games has options for all kinds of skill preferences. Test your aim, balance, sense of smell, spelling, speed, or any other skill you want to show off.
Keep reading to find the perfect game to satisfy your competitive itch and prove your skills are best.
Bean Bag Target Toss Skill Game
Required: Five bean bags or smooth stones
Players: Two to six for each target
Playing Area: Three concentric circles are drawn on the floor, start with a 10″, then 20″, and then 30″.
Points allotment:
10 points -10″ center
5 points – 20″ boundary
2 points – 30″ boundary
1 point – on the line
Each player takes a turn throwing bags toward the target about 10 to 15 feet away. To score, toss must be completely in boundary and not touching a line. Each player is given five throws and the score is determined from the final position of that person’s five tosses.
Variations: You can compete against each other by alternating throws.
Blind Number Line Skill Game
Required: Blindfolds and numbered tags
Players: Small to large groups
Provide blindfolds for all the players. You can have players bring a blindfold or make them out of cheap thick material.
Set up teams into groups of 5-7 players. Every player will get one blindfold and be told that they will receive a small tag with a number. They are to read that number to themselves and not let any other player see it. They cannot talk or even react when they read the number because that could give it away.
Once all players have read their number, they will be instructed to put on their blindfolds. When the leader of the game signals, all players on each team will try to put their members into a numerical order line. The catch? Players can’t see OR speak! They must use only touch to communicate.
When they have accomplished this and are correct, they are the winners.
But it’s not that easy – because here is how you’ll number each set of tags for each team: negative 2, negative 1, zero, 1 and 2. This numbering system is for 5 players per team. Just add additional numbers for larger teams. If you’re working with lower grade school players, try 2, 4, 5, 9, and 11 – that system can cause enough confusion.
After this game, consider having players reflect on how frustrated they felt when they were handicapped on communicating information. How do the disabled feel when they cannot communicate?
Submitted by Audrey Dodson – Grand Rapids, MI
Cherry On Top Skill Game
Required: Newspaper, 5 lb. bag of flour, maraschino cherries, and spatula or butter knife
Players: Small groups
This game is best played outdoors on a calm day with clothes that you can get dirty.
First spread out newspaper on a table. Pour out the whole bag of flour in a pile, form the pile of flour into a pyramid, and then place a cherry on top.
Each person playing is to take a turn removing a section of the pyramid with the spatula. Do this very carefully, because… if you make the cherry fall, you have to pick it up with your teeth, using no hands. Yes, the flour is going to get all over your face. Get a new cherry and play again.
Submitted by Jill Miller – Grand Rapids, MI
Don’t Get Caught In The Web Skill Game
Required: Balls of yarn
Players: Small to medium groups
This game tests a player’s skill in sight and coordination.
Find an area that has many obstacles: maybe tables, chairs, doors and other objects. Set up the area ahead of time by running string throughout the area. Make it so that there are only a couple ways to get through the web of string. You can attach it to doors, under tables, across chairs, but nothing that could be knocked over that would cause harm to the players or valuable equipment.
Have the players come into the area, and they must get from one side to the other without touching the web.
You can do many variations to this, and one option is to have someone be a spider that chases players. Another option is to set a time limit.
Drop the Toothpick Skill Game
Required: Tooth picks and 20-oz plastic pop bottle
Players: Small group
Set up a desired number of teams. Have a starting line and a plastic pop bottle for each team about 6 yards away.
On go, one person from each team is to race to their plastic bottle with a box of tooth picks in hand and try to drop a tooth pick into the bottle while standing over it (no kneeling).
Once they get a toothpick into the bottle, they are to race back without spilling the toothpicks, back to line. The next person does the same, and the game continues until all team members get a toothpick into the bottle.
Once a team finishes, they sit. The first team to sit wins.
If toothpicks are too hard, try giving the teams raisons. Closing one eye sometimes helps.
Escargot Skill Game
Required: Play area and chalk
Players: 2 or more, ages 6 and up
Draw a snail-shaped play area on the sidewalk with lines about 12 inches apart for about 15 to 20 squares (see example of this at weefolkart.com). Number the squares starting with the outside as the starting point, the first square as number one.
The very center of the circle should be a resting stop, and just before that is the last number. The first player must hop on one foot without stepping on any lines or putting down the other foot.
In the center, they can rest, and then they must hop back out following the same rules. If they complete this task, they are rewarded one square of their choice to place their initials on, and this will give them an additional resting stop. Other players must hop over this stop. The next player will do the same.
Anyone who steps on a line or steps on someone’s resting stop looses that turn. You play this until it is impossible to hop to the center or all spaces are initialed. The player with the most spaces initialed is the winner.
Guess That Smell Skill Game
Required: Cotton Balls, Empty Film Tubes with lids, and different liquid extracts
Players: Small to large groups
Place one cotton ball in each empty film tube and poke a hole through the lid of each tube so you can easily smell the scent inside. For each cotton ball, choose one scent to be added to the cotton ball. You can place numbered tags on the bottom of the tubes that correspond with a master list.
Here are some ideas of scents to add to cotton balls: lemon, peppermint, vanilla, garlic, orange, bacon, cherry and coffee. The person that correctly identifies the most scents is the winner.
Head Catch Skill Game
Required: Disposable plastic bowl, elastic, glue, and small soft objects.
Players: Small to medium groups
Purchase some disposable plastic cereal bowls at the store. Take two bowls and carefully hot glue the two bottoms together (or you can use other reliable glue that will quickly dry permanently).
Measure out elastic band so that it will keep the bowl attached to the top of someone’s head. Attach the elastic by stapling or poking small holes and tying it off. If for a party, you can decorate these hats ahead of time with the theme. You can use stickers, permanent markers, or paint that will stick to plastic.
To play with these newly made items you can do several variations.
One game you can play is a relay game. Each team receives a bowl hat, and the first person puts on the hat and stands about 3 feet away from the next person in line. The second person in line throws whatever soft objects you have chosen in the air, to attempt to get one into the bowl hat.
Once they accomplish that, the throwing person moves up to the catching spot and the next person is the thrower. The catcher moves to the back of the line. You rotate until the first catcher is throwing and has accomplished that task. The first team done is the winner. You can mark off throwing and catching lines so that all players move to the correct locations.
To use this game idea for a birthday party, you can make it so that everyone gets a hat. Have them decorate their own hat then give each player a soft item to try and catch. They can play individually by throwing objects into their own hats, or they can play in pairs.
Submitted by R. Scheel, Fun-Attic Inc.
Ice Bowling Skill Game
Required: Winter weather with icy play area or indoor ice rink, one gallon plastic milk jug, 10 plastic 2 liter pop bottles, and food coloring
Players: Small groups
Fill the plastic bottles and milk jug with colored water and freeze. Clear off snow on an icy play area about 10 feet by 4 feet and then set up the ten bottles at one end.
The bottles should be set up in a pyramid: 4 in the back, then 3, then 2, and then 1 in front. Players will take turns trying to knock down the bottles with two sliding throws of the milk jug.
One or two players should be placed a few feet behind the targets to return a sliding throw back to players, without knocking down targets. You can even play this game while on ice skates.
(See more ice skating games at anytimeiceskating.com)
Magic Carpet Skill Game
Required: Shower curtains from the dollar store
Players: Small to large groups
Set up teams of 8 to 12 players. Each team will be given one shower curtain as a magic carpet and all team members will stand on it. You start out the game by telling teams the following:
You are on a magic carpet, up in the sky. You’ve discovered that you’re not going anywhere because your carpet is upside down. The object is to flip the carpet back upright without anyone stepping off into the abyss. You may use your hands. The team that reverses its carpet first without anyone stepping off is the winner.
Submitted by Merrily, Mary Nolte
One Leg Challenge Skill Game
Required: Nothing but space
Players: Small to medium groups
All players go into a marked off area. Players are to cross their arms and hop on one foot without letting the other foot touch the ground.
Players challenge each other by bumping or pushing other players’ bodies to cause them to loose their balance. If any player lowers his other leg and touches the ground, he is out of the game. The last player on one leg is the winner.
Created by R. Scheel, Fun-Attic, Inc.
Shipwreck Skill Game
Required: Two long ropes (20-30 ft) and large play area
Players: Small to large groups; no more than 40-50
Set up play area. If outside on the ground, lay ropes about 20 ft parallel. If indoors on hard surface, use taped area so they don’t slip on the ropes.
The outside of one of the ropes is the starboard, between the two ropes (center) is the port, and the outside of the second rope is the poop deck. Have all players gather in the center between the two ropes.
If you say “starboard”, all of the player are to get across the rope to the starboard side of the ship; the last person to cross the line is out the game. Say “port” and they run to the center; the last person to cross the line is out. Say “poop deck”, they are to race to the other side of the other rope; the last person across line is out.
Say “shipwreck”, and they are to run to the center and fall to the ground. Now continue calling in a random order, and try to trick them a few times. While they’re at either the poop deck or starboard, say the place that there already at. They shouldn’t cross the line – if anyone does, they’re out of the game. You can get several players this way. Great game to play several times!
Shoebox Bowling Skill Game
Required: Shoebox, 5 marbles for each player, scissors, marker, stone
Players: 2-5
Turn a shoebox upside down without the cover and cut seven triangular holes across the long side of the bottom edge. Make sure that the holes are big enough for a marble to go through.
Randomly number the holes to indicate points scored for each hole such as 6, 4, 2, 1, 3, 5, and 7. Place a stone on top of the box to keep from being knocked over. Standing three to five feet away, take turns bowling marbles into the shoebox. Whatever hole your marble goes through equals the points you gain. Great math exercise for kids!
Spell Off and What? Skill Game
Required: Interesting words, paper, and markers
Players: Small to medium groups
Gather a list of words that are interesting, long, or hard to spell, and make sure you know the correct spelling and definitions. The words can even be names of places or destinations around the world.
Each team of 3-5 people will have paper and a marker to record their answers, or they can use small white boards. After you say each word, teams will be given 10-15 seconds to write out the correct spelling and to either give the definition or location.
Only one answer per team will be accepted. The teams will receive 1 point for correct spelling and 2 points for the definition or location. The team that ends up with the most points wins the game.
Created by R. Scheel, Fun-Attic, Inc.
Stork Stand Contest Skill Game
Required: Cans of food, volunteers
Players: Small to medium groups
The can of food is placed upright on the floor, and the contestants stand on them with one foot. They remain standing on the cans as long as possible.
Other players may pester/heckle them, but may not touch them. Several can compete at once, and the one who remains on the can for the longest time wins. For safety purposes, use low cans (like tuna cans).
Submitted by Merrily, Mary Nolte
Team War Skill Game
Required: Basketball, jump rope, and hula-hoop
Players: Medium to large groups
Have the teams divide up evenly by strength. To do this, pick two players of equal strength and have them take turns choosing players to be on their team. You don’t necessarily have to have the picking players be the best athletes – give the underdogs their moment to shine.
The team members will compete against each other in various games – mostly one on one. On separate pieces of paper, write down games that players will compete in.
Here are 10 ideas for players to compete in:
- basketball shoot
- long jump
- run backwards
- hop on one leg
- jump rope
- throw basketball through a hula-hoop
- dribble a basketball
- crab walk
- wheel barrow (2 players per team).
Do not tell the teams what they will be competing in beforehand. Decide the events randomly by picking from a hat, and let the teams decide which members to put in each event. You can give them a time limit of 2-3 minutes to decide the player. The chosen competitor will compete in that one event and will not be allowed to compete again, but will stay on the team and be there to help choose players for every other event.
The winner of an event will give their team one point. The team with the most points is the winner. You can choose other challenging, creative, or age appropriate games to fit the group you’re working with. This is a great game for physical educators, and adding more creative games will make it fun for your next youth group event.
Created by R. Scheel, Fun-Attic Inc.
The Creek Skill Game
Required: Two long ropes or garden hoses
Players: Small to large groups
First, form two parallel lines about two to three feet apart. If on black top, use chalk, and on the grass, use old hoses or rope. The distance apart depends on the jumping ability of the players. The length of the lines should accommodate the players – giving them room to comfortably jump. If you are working with very large groups, you can form several sets of lines.
Have all players line up on any one of the lines and have them face towards the middle (facing each other). The lines are considered “On the banks” of the creek, and the middle is considered “In the creek”.
The leader will give one of two commands: “In the creek” or “On the bank”. The players will be required to jump into the creek or to the other bank depending on what they think was said. Any player that made a mistake is asked to sit out of the game.
The players that were told to jump to the other bank will turn around and face the middle of the creek again and wait for the next command. You can repeat the command of “In the creek”, while players are in the creek, and if any one moves, they’re out of the game.
You can vary the commands by saying “with one foot” or “both feet”. You can even give false commands like the lake or ocean, but they should only move when you say “In the creek” or “On the banks”. This game a lot like Shipwreck but simpler.
Submitted by R. Scheel, Fun-Attic Inc.
Umbrella Bounce Skill Game
Required: Tennis balls and at least one umbrella
Players: Small group
Set up umbrellas upside down about 10 – 15 ft away. Have players try to bounce tennis balls into the umbrellas, but they should bounce at least once. You can even see who can bounce two or more balls into their umbrella at the same time.
Wall Head Pivot Skill Game
Required: Wall, volunteers
Players: Small groups
A line is indicated on the floor about two feet from a wall. The player leans forward, places his head against the wall, and folds his arms behind his back. Using the head as a pivot, he twists his body in a complete circle, without taking his head from the wall or unfolding his arms.
Submitted by Merrily, Mary Nolte
What’s a Minute? Skill Game
Required: Stop watch
Players: Small group
Have all players line up in a straight line. Players must calculate or guess when a minute is up. When they think a minute has passed, they should take one step back. Try not to give any clues or stand behind the line. The person closest to a minute is the winner. For ties, change the time allotment and play again.
What’s the Message? Skill Game
Required: Paper, marker, and prepared messages
Players: Medium to large groups
Divide players into two main groups and use a big area to run in like a gym or open field. Each group should have approximately 8 people.
The idea of the game is to try to read the message on the others team’s back without the other team being able to read yours. If there are 8 people on each team, then there should be a message with 8 words; one word will be stuck at the back of each person (in order) to deliver the message.
After the message is stuck on the players, the team interlocks their hands. On Go, the team has to run as a group, with their hands interlocking, attempting to read the message on the other team at the same time, and preventing the other team from reading their message. This should go on for several minutes, running and trying to read. Then the team is to answer what they think the message was.
The first team to figure out the message is the winner. For large groups, stop after several minutes and start eliminating groups. Rotate which team answers because, while they answer, other teams pick up clues. Or, you could secretly have them give answers to prevent others from picking up clues.
Who has it? Skill Game
Required: Small rubber ball
Players: Small groups
All players line up side by side, and one person moves out four feet in front of the other players. This person is to keep his/her back to all other players and throw the ball backwards over his/her head towards players.
If the ball is caught on the fly, that person is the new thrower, but, if retrieved after a bounce, then the person with the ball is to hide it behind their back. The thrower is to guess who has it! If thrower finds receiver, he/she gets to throw again, but if receiver isn’t caught, they become the new thrower.
Have Fun!?
We’d love to hear how these games went for you – or any other skill game ideas you have! Leave us a comment.
If you loved this article, you’ll also love these:
Ultimate List of 73 Original Relay Games
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