Teen Recreational Programming
Games for Teens
Page 2 of 4
Capture the Flag
Somewhat of a war game with periods of
seemingly inactive play interspersed with moments
of great excitement and confusion. Always
interesting with endless strategies, with
opportunities for coordinated teamwork, individual
heroism, and plenty of exercise for those who want
it.
Equipment Needed:
2 bandanas, boundary markers. A key to success is
selecting a large playing field, at least football
or soccer size. If it's irregular, with trees,
bushes, and gullies for hiding, so much the better.
Please be aware of safety, this can be a high risk
game. I've played this many times at dusk (or in
the dark) with the occasional fall or sprained
ankle.
Setup:
Divide the field in half. The boundaries should be
clearly marked, especially the center dividing
line. A bandana is placed in plain view on each
side of the field, usually as far back as
possible.
Object:
To steal your opponents flag and bring it back into
your own territory.
Play:
Divide into two teams. If a player is tagged inside
the other teams' territory they must go to "Jail."
This is an imaginary area usually within twenty
feet of the flag. The only way to be released is
for another member of your team to come and tag
you. You are then given free passage back to your
own territory. Play usually focuses on some players
attacking, others defending the flag and prisoners.
You may need to enforce a clear perimeter around
the flag to prevent defenders from physically
making it impossible to snatch away. If someone is
tagged while bringing back the flag, you may take
it back to its original location or leave it where
the person was caught. The latter option speeds up
game play, since they may be only 10 feet away from
crossing the center line. Decoys and feints come
into play, but let the kids come up with their own
strategies. One game may last a couple minutes or
over an hour.
Variations:
Nobody like to be in "Jail" forever. For more
active participation, especially with younger kids,
put a time limit on their sentence, say 5 minutes.
Then they are free to go.
If defenses rule the day, try adding a second flag
to each side. This spreads out the action and
results in quicker games.
Elephant, Palm Tree, Monkey
Setup:
Players stand in a circle, close enough to touch
the person next to them without straining.
Play:
Two or three "its" stand inside the circle. Each
"it" points to a different player and calls out
"elephant," "palm tree," or "monkey." For
"elephant," the person pointed at crosses their
arms out in front of them forming a trunk, while
the players to each side cup their arms toward the
center person, forming large ears. For "Palm Tree,"
the person pointed at raises their arms straight
up, while the players to the side point move close
to the center person, pointing their arms up and
away. For "Monkey," the center person puts their
hands over their eyes, the person to the right puts
their hands over their ears, and the person to the
left puts their hands over their mouth. This
creates the classic "Hear no evil, see no evil,
speak no evil" pose.
After calling out a position, "it" quickly counts
to ten. If any or all of the players don't respond
correctly or in time, they become "its" and trade
places.
Knots
Group stands in a tight circle. Each person
reaches out with their right hand and grabs hold of
somebody across from them. Then reach out with left
hand to somebody else. The hands you're holding
should not be of someone standing next to you. Now,
very slowly and carefully, try to untangle the
group without letting go of hands. Let the kids
take the lead in giving directions. Be sure to
monitor for safety as they climb over each other.
It's okay to momentarily release hands to get a
more comfortable grip. Start in small groups, then
work your way up to one big knot with
everybody.
Ha Ha Ha
Have one person lie on the floor. The second
person puts their head on the first persons'
stomach. This continues until everyone is lying
down. The first person says "Ha", the second "Ha
Ha" and so on until the everyone has said their
correct numbers of Ha's or the entire group bursts
into a fit of giggles which will always happen!
Around the World
Have the group in a circle holding hands. Break
one set of linked arms and put a plastic hoop in
between and re-link the hands. The object of the
game is get the hoop around the circle, over and
under people in a certain amount of time. The time
will depend on the size of the group. I suggest you
overestimate the amount of time you think it will
take for the hoop to make it around the first time.
You can always have a bonus round with a much
shorter amount of time allotted and have the group
try to beat the clock.
Lap Sit
Divide into groups of 10 or more. Stand in a
circle shoulder-to-shoulder, facing inward. Now
everyone takes a quarter turn to their left and
takes one step toward the center. The circle should
be really tight now. Make sure the right toe is
touching the heel of the person in front of you.
Adjust the circle accordingly. Communication is the
key to this activity. Have everyone sit down at the
same time. Go slow. You should have a tight circle
of everyone sitting on the lap of the person behind
them. If you get really good you can try walking in
a circle, while still in this sitting position. Say
"1, 2, 3, right.... 1,2,3, left......."
Honey, If You Love Me
This is a game where a person goes and sits on
someone else's lap, (or just stands in front of
them) in an attempt to make that person smile. The
instigator asks three times, "Honey, if you love
me, will you please, please smile?" The person that
is trying to refrain from smiling must look the
instigator in the face and reply, "Honey, I really
love you, but I just can't smile." If they do smile
at any time, they trade places with the
instigator.
Back to Back
Two people should pair up that are of equal
height and weight. Partners sit back to back on
ground. The object is to stand up in unison while
communicating. Make sure you don't place your hands
on the ground, as injury may occur. Once all groups
have accomplished the task, group into fours and
eights until the entire group succeeds
together.
I Like Everybody, Especially Those....
Everyone is seated in chairs, in circle
formation. The leader stands in the middle of the
circle. The object is for the leader to call out
what they like about people and if this pertains to
anybody in the group, they must leave their chair
and find another one. The leader also finds an
empty chair, therefore there will be a new leader.
For example, "I like people, especially those who
wear jeans." Everyone wearing jeans must find a new
seat.
Elbow Tag
Define the boundaries of a large area. Everyone
finds a partner and hook elbows. Make sure teams
are distributed evenly over the playing area. Each
person puts their free hand on their hip, elbow
out, creating a hook. Divide a team and make one
person the "chaser" and the other the "fleer." The
object is to hook elbows with another team before
getting tagged by the chaser. Once hooked up, the
person on the other end of this now three person
chain becomes the fleer. If tagged, they trade
places, with the fleer becoming the chaser, and the
chaser becoming the fleer. Anyone running outside
of the boundaries also must become the chaser. This
game is fun to watch, so much so, players are often
caught unawares when they've suddenly become the
fleer! To add dynamics to this game, have two or
three chasers and fleers going at the same
time.
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