Building Relationships Games |
3rd grade & up – Medium group (10+)
Empowerment, Observation, Nonverbal communication, Patience
Similar to Blizzard/Silent Lineup
Have students find their path in a game which combines mazes with teamwork.
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Choose a few people to be “it.” The game begins as normal freeze tag, but when someone is tagged, they must stand where they were tagged and hold their hands above their head simulating a banana. In order to “free” the person who was tagged, two different people must come “peel the banana” by pulling down each arm. After a couple minutes of playing, you can switch the people who are “it.”
Back to Fall Themes
Back to Spring Themes
Give everyone a small piece of paper and tell them they will have a couple minutes to write three statements about themselves. Two of the statements should be true, and the other one should be “stretching the truth,” meaning that it should be believable, but not true. When everyone has finished, each person should get a turn to read his or her three statements out loud. When each person is done reading their statements, ask the rest of the group to raise their hands to guess which statement wasn't true. If possible, have a facilitator share their statements first to model the activity.
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Supplies: a ball (or rolled up tape); for each group: 6 pieces of newspaper, 4 paper plates, 4 paper or plastic cups, ruler, scissors, roll of tape, 4 toothpicks (optional)
Divide participants into groups and have them sit around their building materials. Tell them they are not allowed to touch their materials at this point. Explain that each group is going to build a bridge using only the materials in front of them. The bridge must be able to support a small ball rolling from one side to the other and must meet the following criteria:
- It must be at least 2 feet tall
- It must be at least 3 feet wide
- It cannot be anchored to the table or floor
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Explain that for the next 10 minutes the groups can talk and plan how they will build their bridges, but that they still cannot touch the materials. After these 10 minutes are up, give them another 10 minutes to build their bridges, however they may not talk once the building time has begun. When time runs out the facilitator will measure each bridge to make sure they are at least 2 feet tall and 3 feet wide, and then each group will test their bridge with the ball.
Ask if they have any questions before the activity begins. Be sure to walk around to each group during both the planning and building phases to monitor their progress and make sure they are sticking to the rules.
Variations:
-Randomly assign a leader to each group but do not give them any specific responsibilities.
-To do this activity with slightly younger children, allow them to talk throughout the building phase.
Explain to participants that you will be the captain, and they are all sailing on a ship at sea. The game begins by having all participants run around the available space at random, scrambling themselves. At any time, the captain must call out an order, and the participants must follow that order (see below). If a participant fails to do the correct order or is not part of a group when a particular order is called, he/she is considered to be “overboard” and must stand to the side of the playing area. Depending on the age group, feel free to pick and choose which/how many commands will be used, or ask students to come up with their own commands!
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Back to Spring Themes
Commands:
- Captain’s Waltz – participants must find a partner and pretend to waltz around the room. Anyone not in a group is considered “overboard.”
- Row Boat – participants must form groups of three, stand in a line and pretend to be rowing a boat while singing “row, row, row your boat.” Anyone not in a group is considered “overboard.”
- Captain’s Table – participants must form groups of four and pretend to be sitting around a table eating dinner. Anyone not in a group is considered “overboard.”
- Starfish – participants must form groups of five, put their arms together in the center of the circle and spin around, creating the five arms of a starfish. Anyone not in a group is considered “overboard.”
- Beached Whale – participants must lie down on their backs and put their arms and legs in the air. The last participant to do so is “overboard.”
- Port – all participants must run to the left hand side of the room. Participants who move in the wrong direction are considered “overboard.”
- Starboard - all participants must run to the right hand side of the room. Participants who move in the wrong direction are considered “overboard.”
- Bow - all participants must run to the front of the room. Participants who move in the wrong direction are considered “overboard.”
- Stern - all participants must run to the back of the room. Participants who move in the wrong direction are considered “overboard.”
- Attention! – All participants must face the captain and stand at attention. Once this command is called no one may move or perform other commands until the captain says “at ease.”
This game can be used to split a large group into smaller groups, to learn something new about people in the group, or just as a fun and active game.
Make sure there is enough room to move around freely. Explain that people are going to separate into groups as quickly as possible. Keep the questions moving quickly (i.e. give just enough time for people to introduce themselves or look around their group before asking the next question). Alternate between 50/50 questions and multiple-choice questions.
Back to Fall Themes
Back to Spring Themes
Possible questions:
- Which leg do you put in your pants first when getting dressed?
- When you clap, is your left hand or right hand on top?
- Using your index finger, draw an imaginary circle in the air. Does your finger travel clockwise or counterclockwise?
- Which eye do you use to give a spontaneous wink?
- Can you roll your tongue?
- When eating ice cream cones, which way do you rotate the cone?
- What month were you born in?
- Fold your arms; is your right or left arm on top?
- How many siblings are in your family, including you?
Begin by explaining that there will be no actual running in this game, instead players will have to walk “heel to toe” meaning that with every step the heel of one foot must touch the toe of the other. Ask players if they know what this looks like and ask someone to demonstrate. If no one can or is willing to, facilitators should demonstrate for the group.
Back to Fall Themes
Back to Spring Themes
Explain that the playing area is the ocean and that all the players are clams (and that clams are very slow walkers). The game is played like regular tag with one person (or two if the group is large) being “it” and trying to tag the rest of the group. When a player is tagged they are “stuck in the mud” and must wave their arms in the air and squeal, “Heeeelp me!” over and over again. Two other players can free this person by standing on either side of the stuck person, linking hands, and shouting “Claaaam Free!”. When players are freeing someone, they cannot be tagged. Ask if there are any questions, choose someone to be “it” and give the group a few seconds to spread out (already walking heel-to-toe) and begin the game.
This is a great game to get people moving and find new things that people have in common while thinking creatively.
Begin by telling people to get into groups of three. Tell them they have two minutes to find five things that they all have in common. (You could make it harder by ruling out obvious things like clothing, gender, skin color, etc.). After a couple minutes have passed, have each group find a new group to combine with. Have each original group share their commonalities before giving the newly combined group two more minutes to find three things that everyone has in common. (These new commonalities must be things that neither group shared from the first round). After the two minutes are over, repeat this until the entire group has merged together. As a whole group, everyone should search for at least one thing that they all have in common.
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As part of the debrief, have people share some of the things they learned about each other.
Tell players they are going to be playing a game in which they will be complimenting each other. If you are playing with young children, ask if they know what a compliment is. If they already know, have them share some examples. If not, then explain the concept to them and give a few examples of compliments. Have the players sit in a circle and tell them that they are going to be passing compliments around the circle. One person will give a compliment to the person next to them, who will then say “thank you” and give a compliment to the next person and so on around the circle. Remind them that the compliments need to be sincere and start the relay. If you would like to play a second round, give players 10 seconds to find a new seat in the circle (they can’t sit next to the same person) and challenge them to say something different from the last round.
Back to Fall Themes
Back to Spring Themes
Have the group count off by twos. Have the ones form a circle facing outward with their backs toward one another. Have the twos form a circle around the ones facing inward so that everyone is paired with someone in the other circle. Explain that you will ask them a series of questions. Each pair has two minutes to discuss the questions (one minute for each person).
After two minutes are up have one of the circles rotate either right or left one spot or any number you choose. Then have the new pairs talk for two minutes. Write down some discussion ideas that relate to your activity in advance.
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Back to Spring Themes
Supplies: A prepared list of topics or statements, tape and signs (optional)
Before you begin, make sure you have a large space that is clear of obstructions so people can move around the room easily. Make a line out of tape on the floor down the middle of the room. Label the length of tape with the following: strongly agree, agree, disagree, or strongly disagree, in a continuum (i.e. strongly agree and strongly disagree at opposite ends). Have the group stand in the middle of the room or in front of the line and explain that you will read a series of statements and each person must place themselves on the line according to their level of agreement/disagreement with the statement. They should move without talking. Ask if there are any questions and then begin by reading the first statement. When everyone has found their place on the continuum give participants a chance to share their opinions, making sure to hear from different places along the line. Make sure to remind participants that they may not judge other people’s ideas. After a few minutes, move on to the next statement. Continue until all the statements have been read.
Back to Fall Themes
Back to Spring Themes
Debriefing Tips: Talk about the range of opinions heard, using specific examples if possible, and what it was like to move along the continuum.
Variations: Instead of using a line, label the four corners of the room with strongly agree, agree, disagree, and strongly disagree and have participants go the corner that represents their opinion.
Or: Have participants break into only two groups, agree or disagree, and have the groups engage in short discussions about why they chose to agree or disagree. Then share with the larger group. In debriefing, talk about how it feels to have to make a black and white decision with no shades of gray.
Sample Statements:
- Young men have been systematically conditioned to be violent
- Women are less violent than men.
- I share the same race or ethnicity as many of my teachers
- Poverty is a form of violence
- Guns symbolize power and control
- Guns are a way for young people to have power
- Adults in my life are good models of conflict resolution
- Oppression only havens to non-white people
- Violence is a learned behavior
- Conflict can be a positive thing
- Adults understand what it is like to be a young peons today
- Society discriminates against people of different religions
- It is hard to be an immigrant in this country
- People of African descent are represented on TV as bright, capable, and resourceful, people
- It is difficult to sit in the room and be the only person who is… (white/black/short/gay/in a wheelchair etc.)
- I believe that my vote matters
- The quality of education depends on a person’s income
- I can walk down the street holding the hand of the person I love without a negative reaction from other people.
Supplies: Chairs, CD player, music (or a radio)
Begin the game by having each participant grab a chair and place the chairs in a circle, facing outward. (If there isn’t enough room for a circle put the chairs back to back in two straight lines.) Explain that everyone is going to walk around the circle, and when the music stops everyone must find a seat. The first round should be a practice round, but after the first round a chair must be removed each round. Explain that each time a chair is removed it means one more player without a seat! Explain that it is the group’s job to make room for all of the players without a chair. Room can be made by squeezing multiple people onto one chair, or having people sit on each other’s knees. The game continues until the players can no longer fit everyone on the remaining chairs.
Back to Fall Themes
Back to Spring Themes
There is a set area of play, and a facilitator who stands on the centerline of that area. The facilitator will say a color, and if a child is wearing that color, they are free to cross the field. If a player is not wearing that color, they must run to cross the area of play. The first player to be tagged by the facilitator is the next ‘gatekeeper’ (the facilitator).
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Variation: Substitute colors for something else (ex: If you have two siblings, cross the field, etc.)
Supplies: Several bowls, Candy
From the start announce to the group that there will be no talking during this activity. You also want to mention that there is no physical contact with other members, so if someone gets a piece of candy before another they CANNOT attempt to take it away from them. Also, let the groups know that they can’t eat the candy until the activity is over. Groups of 3 to 5 should be created.
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Back to Spring Themes
Each group should be given a bowl with twice as many pieces of candy as there are people (i.e if there are 3 people the group starts with 6 pieces of candy). The object of the game is for each player to get the most candy for his or herself. The game works in rounds, to start a round the facilitator simply says “Go” and the participants have the choice of taking either at least one piece of candy or as many pieces as they’d like. Before you start the first round let everyone know that at the end of each round (which is determined by the facilitator) the amount of candy left in the bowls is doubled (with a maximum of the original amount in the bowl). Once a group has no candy left in their bowl they can no longer participate. The game goes until all of the groups have no candy left or the facilitator calls the game
Supplies: Soft Balls
The group should stand in a circle. One of the participants starts with a ball and tosses it underhand to someone else in the circle. As they toss the ball they should say “Here you go, .” When the ball is caught the person receiving it should say “Thanks, ___.” After someone catches the ball they should put their arms behind their back so that everyone gets a turn. After everyone has had a turn you can repeat the game starting with the same person and going in the same order, adding more balls to increase the frequency and difficulty of the games.
Back to Fall Themes
Back to Spring Themes
Supplies: One hula-hoop per group of 5
Before splitting the group up into smaller groups of 5, ask for volunteers to help demonstrate. Explain that the object of the game is for team members to work together to lower their hula-hoop to the ground. Ask the volunteers to stand in a tight circle. Than ask the volunteers to kindly raise their hands to shoulder level and pretend like they are pointing at something directly in front of them. Make sure that their fingers are level, and then place the hula-hoop on top of their fingertips. Make sure that all the group members understand they must always have both fingers touching the hula-hoop. Have monitors walking around and ensuring that everyone’s fingers are always in contact with the hula-hoops. If someone does not have both fingers on the hula-hoop, have their group start again. After each group has completed the task once, have the groups try a second time without speaking.
Supplies: Human bingo boards, Writing utensils
Start by giving everyone a Bingo Sheet. In each box is a characteristic or description of something such as “has a brother” or “can speak another language.” Once everyone has a sheet, people can walk around the room trying to fill their sheets with as many signatures as possible. Remind people that one person cannot sign another sheet more than once. As people finish, they can return to their seats. End the game as most people seem to be finishing.
Variation: Use another Bingo sheet, instead of characteristics, each box will have a sentence stem that another person can complete, such as “If I won the lottery, I would...” Have players mingle around the room, and after having a short conversation about one of the sentence stems, they can sign each other’s sheets and fill in the blank. The game ends when everyone has filled in their sheets, or when time runs out.
Back to Fall Themes
Back to Spring Themes
Have the group stand in a tight circle. Tell everyone put their right hand into in the middle of the circle and grab the hand of someone else, making sure that it is not the person standing on their immediate left or right. Next, tell everyone put their left hand into the middle of the circle and grab someone else’s left hand, again making sure that it is not the person on their immediate left or right (and also making sure that they are holding the hands of two different people). To make sure that everyone is connected,have the groups quickly “pass a pulse” around the circle. When the group is well-tangled, explain that their job is to untangle themselves without letting go. Walk around the group and observe the strategies that players are using and the way different people are displaying leadership. Also, make sure that people are physically safe and mindful of each other.
Variation: Challenge the group to untangle the knot without talking.
Back to Fall Themes
Back to Spring Themes
Supplies: Rope
Divide participants into groups of four or six. Group members move as if they would hold hands, but instead they hold pieces of rope between them. The goal of the exercise is to tie a not in the piece of rope between the middle two classmates. Participants must hold onto the rope at all times, but move in a way such that they make a knot.
Confused? Watch one of the many possible solutions here
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Supplies: None
One chosen student, the actor must act out anything he or she desires. All other students in the classroom have their back turned to the person acting so that they cannot see what he or she is doing. One student, the translator, can see what is happening. He or she must try to describe to the students who cannot see what the actor is doing without mimicking the actor’s actions. The other students in the classroom must work together to guess what the actor is trying to act out.
If the group is larger, the class can split into teams of four—where one person is the translator and the other three can’t see the actor. Facilitators can choose to set a one-minute timer to limit how long the teams can guess. The team that guesses in time earns a point and at the end of one round, the actor switches with whichever students wants to act next.
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Supplies: Pieces of paper
Islands are laid out in a designated area of play. Groups must travel from point A to point B by only stepping on the islands. This may be presented as a competition between two teams, a race against the clock, or both!
There can be many variations with this game. Islands can be laid out in an easy/difficult pattern, be smaller/larger, etc. The children may not be able to verbally communicate, or they must have to hold hands in a line through the entire journey. A rule could be made where the first person cannot step off of the last island until the last person is on the first island, etc. Additionally, if someone steps into the water, an island may be removed from his or her team, making the challenge more difficult.
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Each child in the group is assigned an animal (gorilla, snake, crab, elephant, etc.). The children will then form their groups by acting as their animal – i.e., all of the snakes slither to their group’s location, while the elephants wave their trunks to find each other.
Back to Fall Themes
Back to Spring Themes
Try to find a playing space that has a clearly marked dividing line long enough for each team to line up along. Divide players into two teams and have each side choose a “home base” like a wall or play structure. Once a player reaches his or her home base, they are safe and cannot be tagged. Explain that in each round, one team (Team 2) will stand a few feet back from the center line while the other team (Team 1) will huddle up and choose an occupation to act out without talking and a home city/state/country. After they have decided, have them start walking toward the centerline and begin the following script:
- Team 1: “Here we come”
- Team 2: “Where from?”
- Team 1: “_” (the city/state/country)
- Team 2:” What’s your trade?”
- Team 1: “Lemonade”
- Team 2: “Well show us some if you’re not afraid”
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Back to Spring Themes
Target Themes: Safe space, Creativity, Self-control
Begin the game by having the group sit in a circle so everyone can see each other. The facilitator should then tell a story that should include the following:
When I was younger, I had a babysitter. Her name was Mrs. Jones.
Mrs. Jones wore dentures, but she thought it was funny when she took them out because it meant that she talked “like this.” (cover teeth with lips when saying “like this”)
When she would do this, we would all laugh together. She would call it playing “Mrs. Mumbles.”
One day, “Mrs. Mumbles” was running late for babysitting, so I went to look for her
Then explain that each person in the group will have a chance to ask the person next to them if they’ve seen Mrs. Mumbles. However they may not show their teeth when they are asking or being asked a question. If they do show their teeth or start laughing then they will sit out of the rest of the round and watch. NOTE: you can make a few players who are already out the “teeth police.”
Encourage people to exaggerate their questions, include details about Mrs. Mumbles that might help identify her (she’s about his tall, she’s wearing glasses, she was wearing a pink shirt etc.), and keep the conversation going. Encourage people being asked about her to probe their questioners with more questions. Give each exchange about 15-30 seconds before having the person being questioned turn to the next person and ask the same question. Make sure everyone gets a turn. The game should go on until there are only a few people left, or time runs out.