ESL YOUTH GAME BOOK
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TABLE OF CONTENTS OPENING GAMES .......................................................................................... 4 Alphabet Soup .................................................................................................. 4 Alphabet Soup Game Sheet ............................................................................. 6 Clumps and Clumps with a Twist ...................................................................... 8 Common Link .................................................................................................... 8 Find Someone Who .......................................................................................... 8 "Find Someone Who” List ............................................................................... 10 Group Juggle .................................................................................................. 12 How Do You Do Shoe? ................................................................................... 12 Musical Body Parts ......................................................................................... 13 Number Bunching ........................................................................................... 13 People to People ............................................................................................. 13 Scratch One’s Back ........................................................................................ 14 Sit Down Game ............................................................................................... 15 Statue Game ................................................................................................... 15 TEAM BUILDING GAMES .......................................................................... 16 Affirmative Fold-Ups ....................................................................................... 16 Back to Back ................................................................................................... 16 Human Knot .................................................................................................... 16 Human Maze ................................................................................................... 17 Keep It Up ....................................................................................................... 18 Penny for Your Thoughts ................................................................................ 18 Piece of the Puzzle ......................................................................................... 18 Prop-a-Skit ...................................................................................................... 19 SPECIAL EVENTS ........................................................................................ 22 Earth Ball with Parachute ................................................................................ 22 Frisbee Toss ................................................................................................... 22 Number Bunching ........................................................................................... 22 Orange Race ................................................................................................... 23 Paper Relay Race ........................................................................................... 23 Pass the Sock ................................................................................................. 24 Red Light, Green Light .................................................................................... 24 Roller Race ..................................................................................................... 24 Shoe Scramble ............................................................................................... 25 Sticky Guy ....................................................................................................... 25 The Best Game ............................................................................................... 26 SPECIAL EVENTS – Amazing Race ....................................................... 27
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SPECIAL EVENTS – County Fair ............................................................ 29 Bean Bag Toss ............................................................................................... 29 Bowling ........................................................................................................... 29 Face Painting .................................................................................................. 29 Fishing Tank ................................................................................................... 29 Guess the Candy in Jar .................................................................................. 29 Penny on a Dish .............................................................................................. 30 Ring or Foam Ball Toss .................................................................................. 30 Strolling Along ................................................................................................. 30 SPECIAL EVENTS – Minute to Win It .................................................... 31 Bit of Dicey ...................................................................................................... 31 Brush with Danger .......................................................................................... 31 Card Ninja ....................................................................................................... 31 Defying Gravity ............................................................................................... 32 Egg Roll .......................................................................................................... 32 Face the Cookie .............................................................................................. 32 Getting Jugged With It .................................................................................... 32 Hanky Panky ................................................................................................... 33 Hut, Hut, Hike .................................................................................................. 33 Junk in the Trunk ............................................................................................ 33 Keep It Up ....................................................................................................... 33 Noodling Around ............................................................................................. 34 Office Tennis ................................................................................................... 34 On the Rebound .............................................................................................. 34 Ready Spaghetti ............................................................................................. 35 Roll with It ....................................................................................................... 35 Shoe Fly Shoe ................................................................................................ 35 Stick to It ......................................................................................................... 36 SPECIAL EVENTS – World Record Day ............................................... 37 World Record Day ........................................................................................... 37
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OPENING GAMES Alphabet Soup Need: Paper with the alphabet listed and a pen Object: To fill in each letter with as many words as they can Give each student a sheet of paper with the alphabet written on it. They may not reuse the word in another form. Tell them they will have 5 minutes to fill in as many words as possible with each letter. You can do this individually or in teams. The person with the most words wins. To make it harder you can use only food items, items in the room, etc. Prize is a can of alphabet soup. Examples: A. apple, aunt, and, at B. ball, bee, broom C. cat, comb, call, can
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Alphabet Soup Game Sheet
A.
N.
B.
O.
C.
P.
D.
Q.
E.
R.
F.
S.
G.
T.
H.
U.
I.
V.
J.
W.
K.
X.
L.
Y.
M.
Z.
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Clumps and Clumps with a Twist Any size room will work. Easy game used to divide your group into teams. Simply yell, "Form a group according to . . . (see suggestions following). If you're looking for a certain number of people per team, just say, "Form a group of 7!" If you end up with a remainder, then have staff go around and divide the leftovers on teams. Clumps: height, hair color, # cavities, # siblings, shirt color, number of people in your immediate family, month of birth, favorite color, grade, middle initial, school you attend. Variation: Once in their groups, the game leader reads a question from the list below (or write your own) and everyone in the group answers. When the majority in the crowd have answered, leader directs them to mingle again. Common Link Number of players: 12-32 Divide the students into 3 or 4 groups. Each group has to come up with 5-10 facts that are common to everyone in the group. After about 5 minutes, gather all the groups together and share the 5-10 facts. For each fact the group has that no other group has, they get a point. So if two groups had “a dog” they wouldn’t get a point for that. The team with the most points wins. This gets much harder with more people. Find Someone Who Great for large or small groups. Give out the "Find Someone Who" list to students and have them go from student to student looking for someone who meets the descriptions on their list. Example: Find someone who is wearing blue pants. The student who fits this description signs their name. Students then go off to find someone else that meets another description on their list. The winner is the one who has their sheet filled out first and most accurately. You should read aloud the list with the person's name who signed it. Have the student who signed the list verify the information. Items needed: “Find Someone List” (make enough copies for everyone.) pencils or pens
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Find Someone Who� List Find someone who has a birthday in February and have him/her sign their initials here. ______________________ Find someone who has been to Cherkassy before and leapfrog over him/her. Then have the person initial here._____________________ Get seven leaders to sign the back of this sheet. Find someone who can belch the alphabet. Then have them sign here._____________ or have him or her come up and demonstrate. Find someone who has a birthday this month and sing "Happy Birthday" to them. Have the person initial here.___________________ Find someone to listen to you say "toy boat" ten times quickly. Then have them initial here.____________________ Get three other people to link arms with you and do the cheer "Lean to the left, lean to the right, stand up, sit down, fight, fight, fight!" Have each person initial here.____________________________ Give someone your ugliest face. Have them initial here._____________ With two other people, face the front of the room, put your hand over your heart, and say the "Pledge of Allegiance" in unison. Initial each other's papers.___________________ Have someone tell you about the best Christmas gift they ever received. Have them initial here.____________________ Get a hair over 5 inches long from someone else's head. Let them pull it out. Have the person initial here._________________ Give someone a backrub. Have them initial here._____________________ Find someone who has blue eyes. Have them initial here.______________ Find someone who is left-handed. Have them initial here.______________
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Group Juggle Number of players: 6 to unlimited Objective:
To get all four tennis balls passed across the group
Equipment: Four tennis balls or similar size balls Divide the group up into teams. Try to have 8-10 people on each team. Have each team pick a leader who will start the game. The leader will then choose someone who is across the circle from them, but not next to them, to throw a ball to. Then the person the leader chooses will choose someone else across the circle, and so on until everyone has someone they throw a ball to. The last person will throw the ball back to the leader. The object of the game is to see which team can throw the ball to every member in the group without dropping the ball. To increase difficulty you can add another ball to the group. You can also start a ball where the leader starts again, and throw the ball to the last person and then continue backwards.
How Do You Do Shoe? Object: To pass your shoes around the circle and get them back again The students remove their shoes and place them in front of them as they sit in a circle on the floor. At the signal of the leader students pick up their shoes and begin passing them around the circle in the one direction as fast as possible. When the leader calls “change” the shoes should be moved in the other direction. When the leader calls “find”, all students should try to get their own shoes as they are passed around. The shoes are kept going around the circle until everyone has their own pair back.
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Musical Body Parts Related to musical chairs, this is a game best played with a large group of students. Students are instructed to dance, walk, and move around to the music being played. When the music stops, the leader calls out a number (#7) and a body part (elbows). The students must then form a small group of the required number with the required body parts touching. For example, you would have a small group of seven students touching elbows. WARNING: It is best to use smaller numbers when dealing with parts of the head! If students don’t have the right number of people in their group or the right body parts touching, they are out of the game. The game continues until there are two or three students left, who are declared the winners.� Students love this game because it involves a little of competition, music they know, and the chance to interact with other students without having to talk or be in the spotlight. A high-energy game! Number Bunching Have students mingle. The leader then calls out a number between 2 and 8. Everyone must get into a group the size of the number called. Those who are not in the right-size group are out of the game. Continue until there is only one student left, who is the winner. Adjust the number being called out according to the total number of students. People to People This is good for all ages. Have the large group stand in a circle. Have a leader call out a body part and a number. (i.e. 5 elbows) Everyone has to immediately get into groups of five with their five elbows sticking together in the center. Keep doing this with different body parts and numbers. The last one should be a ridiculous number with a ridiculous body part (i.e. eyelashes). No one will do it and they will probably sit back down. They now know the game.
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Scratch One’s Back Find another player who matches the given description. Give or receive a scratched back. Then have the player initial your sheet next to the item. Object: To be the first player with all initials filled in. _____ 1. Give to someone who has a pet rabbit. _____ 2. Receive from someone who can whistle. _____ 3. Give to someone shorter. _____ 4. Receive from someone taller. _____ 5. Give to someone wearing tennis shoes. _____ 6. Give to someone who has removed his or her shoes. _____ 7. Give to someone with blue eyes. _____ 8. Receive from someone with brown eyes. _____ 9. Give to someone wearing blue. _____10. Receive from someone wearing green. _____11. Give to someone who has a coin in his/her pocket. _____12. Give to someone who doesn’t have a coin in his/her pocket. _____13. Receive from someone who has an even-numbered address. _____14. Give to someone who has an odd-numbered address. _____15. Receive from someone who doesn’t wear glasses or contacts. _____16. Give to someone whose last initial is before yours in the alphabet. _____17.
Receive from someone whose last initial is after yours in the alphabet.
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Sit Down Game
This game can be used for junior high school, high school, and college. It should take about 10-15 minutes. Have everyone gather into one big circle and stand as close to one another as possible. Have everybody turn to the right and get as close as they can to one another or it will not work. Then have everyone sit on the knees of the person behind them. After everyone is settled, or somewhat settled, have everyone walk forward around in the circle without breaking the sit down chain. It is hard to do and fun to watch. Enjoy!
Statue Game Number of students: Teams of 3 girls and 3 boys Equipment: Rolls of toilet paper For this game you need two rolls of toilet paper and six students (three boys and three girls). Select one boy and one girl to become the “statues” and the remaining students to be the “potters.” At your prompt to GO the potters will begin to quickly wrap the statues with the entire roll of toilet paper. Encourage them to be careful not to tear the paper. The first team to finish the entire roll wins.
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TEAM BUILDING GAMES Affirmative Fold-Ups Have group sit in a circle. Give participants a sheet of paper and ask them to write their name on the top. Place all of the papers in the center of the circle. Have each participant draw a sheet from the center (not their own) and ask them to write a positive word or sentence about that person at the bottom of the sheet. Fold the paper up to cover up the word. Have students place the sheet back in the center and repeat on another sheet. Participants will continue to select others’ sheets from the circle and write affirming words until the name is the only thing showing on the paper. The leader can then distribute the papers to their owners. This is a great game to do at the end of camp.
Back to Back Every group member finds a partner of approximately equal height and weight. The partners lock arms with their backs to one another. With arms remaining locked at all times, the partners sit down on the ground, stick their legs out straight, and try to stand back up. Then groups of four try the same thing, followed by groups of eight, sixteen, and eventually the entire group together. This is the perfect activity to begin a trust sequence.
Human Knot The group starts out in one or two tight circles. Everyone in the group reaches across the circle with their right hand to grab another group member’s right hand. Then they reach in with their left hand to grab a different group member’s left hand. The object is to untangle the group without letting go of hands until a circle is formed. If the group is having trouble, you can administer “knot first aid” and break one set of tangled hands (with group consensus), otherwise group members may not let go at any time. You may have to decide as a group that the knot is not solvable, after prolonged attempts. NOTE: This game can be played without talking if students are advanced enough.
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Human Maze
Divide a tarp or sheet by drawing or taping equal squares on the entire piece. The squares should be large enough for the average person to stand in. Putting a border of tape on the edges makes the sheet or tarp firmer for laying it out. The grid is now a maze platform. This game can be played with a flexible number of participants. On a piece of paper, the leader creates a grid with the same number of squares as the tarp and maps a maze on the paper. Typically, a maze has 10-15 steps. A maze might look like this: X 1
2
4 3 8 9
5 6 7 10
11 14 15
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The rules for the game are as follows: § § § § §
The leader must indicate where the starting spot is (typically in one of the corners) but is not obligated to say where it ends. The leader should indicate the number of steps needed to complete the maze. The leader should state that the final step is actually taking a step off the tarp. The maze will never go diagonally, only horizontally and vertically. The maze will never require participants to step on the same square twice.
The following example assumes two players, but the game can be adapted for larger groups. § § § § §
Participant A steps onto the grid where the leader said to start, then takes a step forward, backward, or sideways. The leader says “yes” or “no” (or thumbs up/thumbs down). If the step is correct, the participant can take another step, which must be approved before continuing. If the step is incorrect, Participant A steps off the tarp. Participant B starts at the first square and takes a step, proceeding until she receives a “no.” When Participant B receives a “no”, she steps off and Participant A takes over, always starting at the beginning of the maze.
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§ §
Participant A and B can help each other remember the steps of the maze as they alternate turns. As the game continues, the leader continues to verify each step. If a participant goes too fast for the leader to follow; it is an automatic “no.”
The game can be made competitive by having teams compete against each other, either on the same maze or on different mazes. This latter option takes more concentration by a single leader, who must keep track of two different grids at once. A variation is to require that the maze be completed in silence. Participants must then come up with different ways to communicate.
Keep It Up Players form two or more teams with 10-12 players on a team. Each team gets into a circle. Each team is given a volleyball or similar ball. The players attempt to keep their ball in the air the longest. When a team wins, they get a point. The team with the most points wins. Do not allow players to catch the ball during play. NOTE: To vary change the scoring; for example, the ball must be hit in order around the circle. Penny for Your Thoughts All participants are given a bag with pennies—one penny for each member in the group. Participants go around the room to each other and trade “a penny for a thought.” Participants trade pennies and positive thoughts about each another. What an incredible activity and a wonderful way to end an experience! Activity continues until all participants have shared with every member of the group. Piece of the Puzzle Facilitator should cut a puzzle out of poster paper ahead of time. There should be one piece for each member of the group. Have participants decorate their piece to represent who they are and what they feel they can contribute to the group. Once participants are done, have them share what they have on their piece. Participants then assemble the puzzle. Facilitator should initiate a discussion on the power of everyone coming together, how much greater impact an assembled puzzle has over separate pieces, and how a final product can’t be reached without a contribution from every piece of the puzzle.
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Prop-a-Skit Split campers up into groups of 5-12. Each group gets a bag of the same props and has an hour or less to come up with a skit using all the props. Points are awarded for using the props creatively, incorporating camp theme, etc. For older groups, throw in a "surprise prop" right before they go on that they have to work into their skit. At the end, a group of teachers can do one of the skits using the same props.
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Dog
Pond
Carpenter
Frog
Boat
Banker
Horse
Tent
Teacher
Bear
Car
Farmer
Kangaroo
House
Doctor
Cow
Jail
Dentist
Snake
School
Clerk
Cat
Market
Policeman
Rabbit
Store
Singer
Mouse
Swing
Weight lifter
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SPECIAL EVENTS
Earth Ball with Parachute Equipment: A beach ball or a large balloon Using a beach ball or other light inflatable object, the group task is to hit the object, keeping it in the air without letting it touch the ground. Set a goal for the number of hits each group can make without touching the ground. Rule: No one student can touch the object twice in a row. If someone does, you need to start over. This fun activity is much harder than it sounds.
Frisbee Toss Divide your student teams. Give each team a Frisbee. You can set up various targets throughout the area or just one. The targets can be trees, cones, cans, buckets, etc. Set up a starting line. Each person flies his/her Frisbee toward the target. The object of this game is to be the first player to hit the target. The person who hit the target goes to the back of the line. The next player in line tries to hit the target. If she misses, she goes to the end of the line. Have the leaders keep track of how many times their team hit the target. The most hits wins.
Number Bunching Have everyone mingle. The leader then calls out a number between 2 and 8. Everyone must get into a group, which is the size of the number yelled out. Those who are not in the right-size group are out of the game. Continue until there is only 1 left, who then is the winner. Note: Adjust the number being called out according to the total number of people.
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Orange Race Where to play: In any space large enough to hold two lines of students. Number of players: At least eight. Equipment: Two large oranges or two small balls. Object: To pass the orange from the front to the last student in line, using the neck and chin only. This is a great game to play at the start of a camp or class in order to introduce students to each other. Students are divided into two equal teams, and two lines are formed. The first student in each line holds the orange between neck and chin. Upon the starting signal, each student must pass it to the next student, who must likewise use only neck and chin to receive it. The orange is passed in this manner from student to student to the end of the line. Anyone unlucky enough to drop the orange must pick it up off the floor (again using the neck and the chin alone) and continue to pass it down the line as quickly as possible. The first team to get the orange to the last student wins. Paper Relay Race Object: It’s a relay. The first team to complete it wins. Equipment: Paper for each team. Divide group into two equal teams or more depending on how many students you have. Provide two sheets of paper for the first student in line. At the starting signal, the first student lays one sheet of paper down and steps on it with one foot. The student then lays down another sheet of paper and steps on it. Then she turns around and picks up the sheet left behind. The student moves to the finish line only by stepping from sheet to sheet. Finally she picks up the two sheets of paper and races back to tag the next student in the line. Whichever team finishes first wins. Keep the distance on this relay fairly short.
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Pass the Sock Each team has one pair of tube socks. First student puts both socks on his arms. The next student pulls the socks off and puts them on. This game continues down the line of players until all have had a turn. No one can help the person taking the socks—he has to get the socks off by himself. The last player runs to the front of the line and sits down, and then the whole team sits down behind him. First team to finish and to be sitting down is the winner. The key is that the next player takes the hand of the first player and pulls the sock off from the top and pulls the sock on to her arm, then does the same with the other sock. Red Light, Green Light In this game, one student plays the “stoplight” and the rest try to sneak up on him or her. At the start, students form a line about 15 feet away from the stoplight. The stoplight faces away from the line of students and yells “green light.” At this point the students are allowed to move toward the stoplight. At any point, the stoplight may yell “red light” and turn around. Any students caught moving after this has happened are out. Play resumes when the stoplight turns back around and yells “green light.” The stoplight wins if all the students are out before anyone is able to touch him or her. Otherwise, the first student to touch the stoplight wins the game, and is stoplight for the next game. Roller Race Where to play: Large enough area to make two lines of students. How many can play: Enough to make two or more lines of 8-10 students. Equipment: One roll of toilet paper for each line. Object: To roll the paper, under over under over, until it has gone down the row and back. Divide students into lines of 8-10. Give each line a roll of toilet paper. When the leader gives the signal, the first person in line unrolls the paper over his head. The next student takes the roll of toilet paper and goes between his/her legs. The next student takes the roll and goes over his/her head, continuing until the roll gets to the last person in line.
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When the toilet paper comes to the last person, the next person begins to roll it back up over his/her head, and then the next person in line goes under. Each student rolls up the paper, either under or over themselves. The first team to send the roll back to the first person, all rolled up, is the winner.
Shoe Scramble Have all of the participants take off their shoes and place them in a large pile in the center of the room or in a circle outside. Mix up the shoes so that no two alike are next to each other. Place the group a distance away. On the word “go” they race to the pile, put their own shoes on, and race back to the spot.
Sticky Guy Need: Balloons, duct tape, large safety pins. Object: To get as many balloons as possible on one person. Divide the students into equal teams of 5 or more. Have each team choose a “Sticky Guy.” Wrap the Sticky Guy with duct tape, sticky side facing out. No tape on the head! When the whistle blows, each team has 8-10 minutes to blow up their balloons, tie them, and stick them to their Sticky Guy. When the time is up, a leader will take a pin and pop each balloon as the team counts out loud the number. The team with the most balloons wins.
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The Best Game •
The Tallest … Thumb
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The Fastest…Crab walk
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The Highest…Jumper
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The Longest… Stare
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The Fastest… Song (singing it the fastest)
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The Smallest… Shoe
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The Farthest… Paper airplane toss
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The Largest… Bubble with chewing gum
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The Strongest… Arm wrestle or thumb war
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The Fastest… Paper cup or penny stacker
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The Longest... Hair
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The Longest… Throw and catch (two students)
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The Longest… Coin spin
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The Fastest … Word finder in a dictionary
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The Longest… Forearm
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SPECIAL EVENTS – Amazing Race Divide the group into teams of 8 to 10. Each team starts the Amazing Race at a different route marker, which represents a country. Route markers are attached to a box that contains clue envelopes. The Amazing Race starts when each team opens an envelope and follows the directions inside. These clues ultimately lead the team to the next route marker box where another clue is opened. When each team visits all route markers, a final clue leads them to a winning prize. Clues can include activities or tasks that must be done before the next route marker is found. • • • • • • • • •
Leaders need instructions and questions/pens for their group; Divide students into groups (one group for each station provided); number of activities can be adjusted based on number of students; Each group is assigned an area (in the gym or outside) with teacher to give instructions. Give each team a blank Answer Sheet; At the whistle the team begins with Activity 1; When they are finished the leader gives them a question to answer; they must record the answer on their Answer Sheet. They then move on to Activity 2; and so on, until they finish all activities; First team to finish all activities wins; BUT they must bring their Answer Sheet to the designated Leader to check for correct answers; Note: Make sure each team has equal number of students so the races are even.
Amazing Race Activities 1.
Human Knot: Teams will be asked to form a circle, grabbing hands across from them; then they try to undo the human knot.
2.
The Floating Stick: This challenge looks easier than it is. Teams are asked to put out their index fingers and balance a stick on them and as a group bring the stick to the ground.
3.
Physical Exercise: have each team member do 15 jumping jacks (one team member at a time.) The team members can count aloud as the students do their jumping jacks.
4.
3-legged race: Mark a starting line and a finish line with tape. Divide the team into pairs. Tie each pair’s ankles together; the pair must face to the end and back, then tie the next pair, and so on, until everyone on the team has run the race. (If there are an odd number of students, one student must go twice.)
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5.
Blindfolded Shoe Scramble: Team members remove their shoes and put them in the center; Blindfold each team member; with a signal from the leader the students try to find their own shoes and put them on. When everyone has their own shoes they move on to the next station.
6.
Brain Teasers: Word Hunt Puzzle. Have a simple Word Search puzzle. The task is to find 20 hidden words. The students may work together as a team.
7.
Balloon Popping: Each student must blow up a balloon, tie it, and then sit on it to pop it. Questions to answer: § § § §
List all the names of your team members, in alphabetical order. What is the capital city of Ukraine? What is the capital city of America? What is the national language of Ukraine? What is the national language of America? Unscramble these words and put into a sentence: in lives my sister New York a decided go on picnic to we clean keep must table the we
§ § §
Write down the ages of all your team members; add them for a total. Write the Ukrainian words for: Mother, Father, Brother, Sister, Grandfather, Grandmother. List 5 flavors of ice cream in English.
Supplies Needed Popsicle sticks (one per group) Rope to tie legs (one per group) Word Search Puzzle (one per group) Balloons (1 per student)
Tape for 3-legged race (1 roll) Blindfolds Pen/pencils Answer Sheets (one per group)
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SPECIAL EVENTS – County Fair Divide students into teams or use the small groups they are in. The County Fair can be set up in a large room or in separate rooms. Each station should be set up ahead of time to make the transitions between games go smoothly. Choose the games you will use according to your staff members. Have small prizes or candy to give to each winner. Bean Bag Toss Need beanbags and a basket or taped circle for students to toss the beanbags in. Bowling Purchase a plastic bowling set and use color masking tape to mark the lane and gutters. You can score this game any way you like. • • •
Who gets the most pins down Who makes the most strikes The total of gutter balls thrown Face Painting
Use face paints or washable marker to put a design on a student’s hand or face. Fishing Tank Use a clothesline tied to two hooks. Drape a blanket or sheet over the clothesline to make sure players don’t see the prizes. To make fishing poles, tie a string to the end of pole so that you can tie a small prize on it. Students fish for a prize! Guess the Candy in Jar Take a jar filled with candy. Students guess how many pieces of candy are in the jar and write their name and their guess on a piece of paper. You can also use something other than candy in the jar. Be creative.
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Penny on a Dish At this station are three rolls of pennies and a plate. Put the plate a distance away from the person who is going to toss the pennies on the plate. Keep track of the one who has the most points from that group and give a small piece of candy or prize. Ring or Foam Ball Toss Using foam balls or rings, players try to get as many as they can into a wastebasket. Be sure to measure a good distance away from where you throw from to the wastebasket. Remember to keep score. Strolling Along Write large numbers on square pieces of tag board and laminate if possible. (They will last longer if you do.) Place the numbered squares in a large circle and tape them down, using one fewer square than the number of players. Have a CD player of fun music. When the music begins, players start walking around the circle from one number to another. When the music stops, they stand on a number. The one who doesn’t have a number to stand on is out. Remove one number and continue there are two players left. Have the candy or prize for the winners
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SPECIAL EVENTS – Minute to Win It Bit of Dicey Prior to game start, player places a single popsicle stick in his/her mouth. When the clock starts, player will pick up and vertically stack one die at a time on the stick. Player may not allow dice to rest against their nose or to touch any part of their face. In the event that a die is dropped or falls off of the stick, player may take a replacement die off of the podium and use it in its place. To complete the game, 6 dice must be stacked one on top of the other on the popsicle stick within the 60-second time limit.
Brush with Danger Prior to game start, players each hold the dental floss, with a toothbrush on the floss touching Player A's hand that holds the floss. When the clock starts, contestants may begin moving floss to move the toothbrush. Player A may use only one designated hand to hold the dental floss. Player A also may not choke up or loop the floss around their hands. Player B may hold one strand of floss in each hand. Should the toothbrush be dropped or fall off the floss, Player A may reload a new toothbrush. The bristles may not be placed on the floss. Only one toothbrush may be on the floss at a time for the attempt to count. Toothbrush may land in any orientation in the holder but credit will not be given for a brush simply resting across the top of the holder. To complete the game, 1 toothbrush must be in the holder within the 60-second time limit. Card Ninja Place a bowl 15 feet way for the player. You need a foul line. 15 cards per player. When the clock starts, player may begin tossing cards 1 at a time at the bowl while standing behind the foul line. To complete the game, player must stick 1 card into the bowl within the 60 second time limit so that it stays that way for 3 seconds.
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Defying Gravity When the clock starts, player releases all 3 balloons into the air. Player may not hold the balloons; allow them to rest on the body, or hit the ground, or the game is over. To complete the game, player must keep all balloons off the ground for 60 seconds. Egg Roll (Cotton balls or Ping-Pong Balls) Place 2 cotton balls or ping pong balls on the ground 15' from the target area. When the clock starts, player begins fanning cotton balls or Ping-Pong balls with the white boards at any time. If the player or white board touches the cotton balls or ping pong balls, the game is over. The player must stop fanning when time expires and the cotton balls or ping pong balls must be touching the target zone. To complete the game, cotton balls or ping pong balls must be touching the target zone at the same time and come to a complete stop on the zone.
Face the Cookie When the clock starts, player grabs the first cookie and places it on the forehead. The cookie must remain in contact with the face (i.e. player may not toss the cookie from the forehead and catch it in the mouth). If a cookie falls, player may reset an intact cookie on the forehead for the next attempt. To complete the game, the player must hold an intact cookie 3 times with his or her mouth within the 60-second time limit.
Getting Jugged With It Prior to game start, player stands with hands at sides. When the clock starts, player may grab the water jugs and begin stacking. Player must stack the water jugs either mouth up or down and may not place the water jug on its side. The player may not alter a water jug in any way. To complete the game, 4 water jugs must be stacked freestanding one atop the other within the 60-second time limit and the structure must remain in place for 3 seconds.
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Hanky Panky When the clock starts, player may grab the first tissue from each box. Player must use the same hand to pull the tissues from the respective boxes for the entire game. Player's fingers may not enter the box. To complete the game, player must pull the final tissue from both boxes within the 60-second time limit.
Hut, Hut, Hike Prior to game start, place a foul line 15 feet from the hoop. When the clock starts, the player turns around, bends over and begins to throw the rolls through their legs in an attempt to get them through the hoop. Only one roll may be thrown at a time. To complete the game, successfully throw the designated number of rolls through the hoop within the 60-second time limit.
Junk in the Trunk Fill a tissue box with ping pong balls. Then attach tissue box to the back of belt with the tissue box sitting at the small of the back. When the clock starts, player may begin moving body to shake the ping pong balls out. Player's hands or arms may not touch the box or belt. Player may only touch the floor with his or her feet. To complete the game, player must get all 8 ping pong balls out of the box within the 60-second time limit.
Keep It Up When the clock starts, player releases two feathers or two balloons and blows on them to keep them in the air. If the feather or balloons touch any part of the player's body or the floor, the game is over. Incidental contact on the face is allowed. To complete the game, player must use only his or her breath to keep feathers or balloons from touching the ground for the 60-second time limit.
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Noodling Around Prior to game start, contestant must stand with hands at sides. Once the game begins, the contestant grabs the spaghetti noodle and places it into their mouth. Once the spaghetti noodle is placed in their mouth, the contestant may not use their hands to complete the game. The contestant must be careful not to break the spaghetti. Should the spaghetti break, the game may continue, but all six penne noodles must still fit onto the spaghetti noodle outside of the mouth. Penne may fall off spaghetti during an attempt, but only remains in play if it lands directly on the table. Penne may touch lips, but may not enter the mouth. To complete the game, the contestant must hold a spaghetti noodle with the mouth while picking up and holding six pieces of penne with it, so that they remain concurrently on the spaghetti within the allotted 60-second time limit and remain that way for three consecutive seconds. Office Tennis Prior to game start, place the waste paper basket 15 feet away from a designated foul line. Place a second foul line from the basket perpendicular to the other line. When the clock starts, using the clipboards as paddles, the players must volley the paper ball back and forth and land it in the basket. The players may not cross the foul line before the paper ball is hit at least once. The players may not cross the second foul line at any time. The players may not double hit or carry the paper ball at any time. To complete the game, 1 paper ball must remain in the basket within the 60 second time limit.
On the Rebound Contestant must bounce 3 ping pong balls off a clipboard worn by the partner and get all 3 ping pong balls into 1 container.
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Ready Spaghetti Prior to game start, players stand with their hands at sides. Once the clock starts, Player A may only use his/her hands to place one end of a noodle in their mouth. Player A must thread noodle through the tab of the first can while Player B must put their mouth around the free end of the noodle. Should the contestants drop or break the noodle, Player A may use his/her hands to put a replacement noodle into his or her own mouth. Players may only transport one can at a time with the noodle. Players must build a pyramid on the end table with 2 cans on the bottom level and 1 can at the top level. To complete the game, the 3 can pyramid must be constructed on the end table with noodle removed within in the 60-second time limit. Roll with It Toilet paper rolls should be placed on the bar with the paper over the top towards the player. The player should have the end of each roll in designated hand prior to start of game. When the clock starts, player begins to unwind both rolls with designated hand only. To complete the game, player must wrap the toilet paper on the left around his/her left hand and arm and toilet paper on right around his/her right hand and arm until all the toilet paper is removed from the cardboard center roll within the 60-second time limit.
Shoe Fly Shoe Set up each pair of shoes 9' from the table. 5 - 10 pairs of shoes. When the clock starts, player may insert foot into the first shoe and attempt to toss it onto the table. Player may not move closer to the table or use hands at any time. Credit will be given for a shoe hanging partly off the table, as long as it stays on the table for 3 seconds. To complete the game, contestant must use a foot to successfully toss and land 1 shoe on the table where it must rest for 3 seconds within the 60-second time limit.
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Stick to It Prior to game start, place foul lines at designated distances between players. One player will wrap tape around their hands. When clock starts, 1 player bounces Ping-Pong balls from behind foul line to second player, who must catch them on their taped hand from behind their foul line. To complete game, successfully stick designated number of Ping-Pong balls to the taped hands of the second players. Balls must remain consecutively on tape for 3 seconds within 60-second time limit.
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SPECIAL EVENTS – World Record Day Have a copy of World Record Day for each teacher so they can keep the scores of each student. This is a great way for students to interact with each other. Either divide the group into teams or have them stay with their class. You may want to keep the winners’ scores from each World Record and then compare the scores each year. You can change the skills to fit your group and age if you so choose. A great way to meet the school staff is to include them during the competition. Any interaction with the school is important to the ESL camp. The students also will see the staff in a different setting. All will benefit from this experience. World Record Day •
Tests of skill. Balance on one foot with eyes closed. Who can do it the longest? How many times?
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Who can hum the longest with one breath?
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Who can throw a small marshmallow the farthest?
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How many times can you clap your hands in five seconds?
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How far can you throw a feather or cotton ball?
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How many coins can you balance on the back of your hand? Add them one at time to the stack.
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How long can you whistle without taking a breath?
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How small can you write a message and still have someone be able to read it?
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How quickly can you write “World Record” backwards?
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How long does it take to blow up a balloon until it breaks?
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How many people can you fit inside a hula-hoop?
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Who can blow the largest bubble, using up to 3 pieces of bubble gum?
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Who can with their hand bat a balloon the farthest without it touching the ground?
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LAST RECORD IS A TEAM RECORD Divide into two teams. Mark a goal line for each team. The object is to kick the balloon into the other team’s goal. For more action add several balloons.
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