#364: Musical Chairs

Number of players for musical chairs: 5 or more.

To play musical chairs, you will need: music, chairs (one for each player—minus two).


Musical chairs rules:

Place chairs in a circle, the seats facing out. One player is in charge of the music, the others are trying to get a chair to sit on when the music stops.

Put out one chair for everyone, minus one chair. For example, if you have 5 people, one is in charge of the music and 4 are playing, so you need 3 chairs. Without looking at the players, the player with the music randomly turns the music on and off. The rest of the players walk around the chairs while the music is going. (You have to keep moving!) As soon as the music stops, everyone tries to sit on a chair. Whoever is left without a chair when the music stops, is out.

After each round, take out a chair. Keep playing until there is only 1 player left.

Variations: Everyone tries to get in a hula hoop or onto a towel when the music stops.


Make this a family activity: Who can get their butt on a chair the fastest? Is it better to be small or tall?

This activity promotes listening skills, coordination, and timing.

#319: Improv Freeze Tag

To play Improv Freeze Tag, you will need 5 or more players.




What is Improv or Improvisation? It is a form of drama/acting. Instead of a script telling actors and actresses what to do, the actors and actresses make it all up as they go. It can be silly and also very challenging!

How to play Improv Freeze Tag:

2 or 3 players (actors) stand on ‘stage’ and improvise (make up as they go) a conversation or activity for the audience.

Once the stage actors get going, an audience member can yell, “freeze!” The actors ‘freeze’ and the audience member who yelled ‘freeze’ takes someone's place on stage and the actors, including the new one, continue on. The replaced player joins the audience.

There can be as many ‘freezes’ as the group wants or until the group wants to go with a new idea.

Ideas to get you started: a wedding, breaking up with a boyfriend, grocery shopping, meeting a new friend, digging a hole.


Make this a family activity: This is a fun game to play after supper instead of watching TV.

This activity promotes quick thinking, creativity, and laughs!

#317: Hot Potato

To play Hot Potato, you will need 4 or more players.


The rule for Hot Potato are:

One player is a leader who stands with their back to the group. The other players stand close together and pass a ‘potato’. (The ‘potato’ can be a ball or teddy bear, it doesn't have to be a potato.) When the leader says ‘potato,’ the player holding the potato is out. Keep playing until one player is left. If the potato is in the air when the leader says ‘potato,’ nobody is out.


Make this a family activity: You can play this game to decide who opens a present next, who gets to go first when you start a new game, or just for fun.

This activity promotes eye-hand coordination.

#267: Farmer in the Dell

Number of players needed to play Farmer in the Dell: 10 or more.



Players hold hands and dance in circle around one player who is the farmer. As everyone sings the song (below) the farmer picks someone from the circle to be his wife. The wife then picks a child, the child picks a nurse, the nurse picks a dog, the dog picks a cat, the cat picks a mouse, and finally, the mouse picks the cheese. The player who is the cheese becomes the farmer in the next round.

Sing this song as everyone dances:

The farmer in the dell
The farmer in the dell
Hi-ho, the Derry-O
The farmer in the dell

The farmer takes a wife
The farmer takes a wife
Hi-Ho, the Derry-O
The farmer takes a wife [He/she picks someone from the circle.]

Sing it again, but each time exchange the words ‘farmer’ for ‘wife,’ then ‘wife’ for ‘child’ (The wife takes a child), then ‘nurse,' then ‘dog,’ then ‘cat,’ then ‘mouse,’ and finally ‘cheese’.


Make this a family activity: Mom or Dad starts by being the farmer.

This activity promotes memory skills, and musical skills.

#170: Human Knot

How do you make a Human Knot? Gather people together--the more you have holding hands, the harder it gets!




Everyone stands in a group and grabs hands. Once everyone has someone else’s hand in each of their hands, everyone slowly tries to untie the human knot to form a large circle. But don’t let go of anyone’s hand!


Make this a family activity: Get the whole family to hold hands and untwist.

This activity promotes teamwork.

#149: Spoons

You will need 4 or more players, a spoon for each player (minus one player), and a deck of cards.



Spoons are placed in the middle of the players where everyone can reach them. One spoon per player, minus one player. So, if you have 4 players, put out 3 spoons. From the deck of cards, pull out 4 cards for each player. The 4 cards for each player need to be the same. (For example, pull out 4 jacks.) Shuffle all the cards together. Each player gets dealt four cards. Players look at their cards. If all four of their cards are the same, they grab a spoon. As soon as one player grabs for a spoon, everyone else does too. The player who does not get a spoon, is out of the game. If nobody happens to have been dealt all four the same, everyone gives away one card by passing it, face down, to the player on their right. They look a the card they have been given. They can keep it, or pass it along.

Variations: Players, once out, stay out until there is only one player with a spoon left. They are the winner. (As players leave the game, remove a spoon.) Or, players who didn't get a spoon can still play in the next round.


Make this a family activity: Everyone plays! Family game night!

This activity promotes quick reflexes and visual identification skills.

#108: Charades

One player acts out a word, phrase, movie title, person, or pretty much anything they can think of and the rest of the group tries to guess what they are acting out. The actor cannot speak or make any noises while acting out their charade. The player who guesses correctly gets to act out the next charade.



Here are a few ideas to get you started:
Drink
Swim
Driving
Man on the moon
Cat
Tree
Singing
Baby
Crying
Eating
School
Milking a cow
Making a cake
Birthday party
Fight
Snowman
Watching a movie
Building a sand castle


Make this a family activity: Play with the whole family. Make teams and see who wins.

This activity promotes imagination, social intelligence and kinesthetic learning.

#23: Simon Says

You will need four or more players. One player is ‘Simon’ and the other players stand in front of Simon. Simon tells the group to do different actions by saying “Simon says…(and whatever he wants them to do--like stand on one foot, or hop up and down or touch their nose).”



The group then follows Simon’s command. If they don't do what he asks right away, they are placed out of the game. Simon can also give commands without saying ‘Simon says’ to try and trick players. If players do what he asks without the 'Simon says', they are placed out of the game.

Listen carefully! The last player out is Simon in the next game.


This activity promotes listening skills.