Skill Games

Required: Five Flingocks, 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. After 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.

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 will be instructed 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. 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 your working with lower grade school players try 2, 4, 5, 9, and 11, that system can cause enough confusion. The game will require all players to work as a team as they cannot talk. They can only communicate with their hands to communicate their numbers.

Submitted by Audrey Dodson – Grand Rapids, MI

What a neat team building game. After this game have players reflect on how frustrated they felt when they were handicapped on communicating information. How do the disabled feel when they cannot communicate?

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 hole 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

Required: Balls of yarn
Players: Small to medium groups

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 would be knocked over that could 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 by having someone being a spider that can cause players to go another way without being caught or have a time limit.

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. Once this is achieved they are to race back without spilling toothpicks, back to line and the next person completes drop until the team is done.
If toothpicks are too hard, try giving the teams raisons. Closing one eye sometimes helps.

Required: Play area and chalk
Players: 2 or more, ages 6 and up

Draw on the sidewalk a snail shaped play area with lines about 12 inches apart for about 15 to 20 squares. 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, 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 loose 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.

Required: Flyers, play area, ribbon markers,score cards and pencils
Players: Small to medium groups

Set up a flyer golf course; if indoors use a soft flyer like the Fun Gripper Flyer or Finger Zinger. Use ribbons or colored tape to mark off each target, they can be attached by tying, tacking or taping. Have a starting point and one by one, players should throw their flying disc trying to hit the first marker. If anyone hits the target they will get a one on their scorecard for the first target. The player closest to the target will try again until they hit the target. You will take turns again until everyone has completed the task of hitting the first target. They will record the number of times it took to hit the first target. Then you will move on to the next. At the end, the person with the lowest score wins. If you have a combination of younger players or handicapped participants, allow for advancing these players 3-5 feet closer to the target.

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.

Required: Disposable plastic bowl, elastic, glue and Fun Gripper Bean Bag Set or Fun Gripper Juggle Set
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. The first person to make a catch is the winner. You can then keep playing the game individually with 3 to 5 catches and they win. Or you can have them in pairs where one is the thrower and one is the catcher. Then they can switch sides after the task is accomplished. The first pair to sink two shots wins.

Submitted by R. Scheel, Fun-Attic Inc.

Required: Winter weather with icy play area or indoor ice rink, one galloon plastic milk jug, 10 plastic 2 liter pop bottles and food coloring
Players: Small groups

Fill all 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.

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 be standing 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

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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