Games for Teenagers

1     The Flour Game

• People: Variable
• Goal: Fun
• Time: 15 - 60 mins
• Materials: Newspaper, lollies or coins, Flour (lots), Container, knife
• Method:
  1. Get everyone into a circle, In the centre lay lots of paper and on a plate create a flour castle.
  2. On the top of the castle place a coin or lolly.
  3. Each player must chop a bit off the castle without dislodging the coin or lolly. Once a peice of the castle has been removed pass the knife on to the next player.
  4. When a player knocks the coin or lolly down into the flour pile, that person must retrieve it with their teeth, no hands allowed.
  5. Make sure a towel is handy to clean up and start again.
• Additional Details:
  • For more difficulty use a smaller coin.
  • You could also use a blindfold to make it more difficult.
  • Be prepared for a big mess!

2     Balloon Warfare

• People: 10+
• Goal: Fun
• Time: 10 - 30 mins
• Materials: Balloons
• Method:
  1. divide group into 2 teams.
  2. Have the teams sit in a line opporsite each other, with a 1-1.5 meter gap.
  3. The object of the game is to get the balloon to land behind the other teams line. The defensive line can lean back to save the balloon from hitting the floor.
  4. Each player cannot lift their Bums off the ground. Anyone caught doing so forfits that game.
  5. The first team to reach 10 wins.
• Additional Details:
  • For more difficulty add extra balloons.

3     Water Obsticle Course

• People: 20+
• Goal: Fun
• Time: 20 - 40 mins
• Materials: 1 Bucket and 4 cups per team, water, Any obsticles that you can find
• Method:
  1. divide group into teams with 4 players per team.
  2. Each team Starts with 4 empty cups. when the whisle goes they must fill the cups with water and navigate an obsticle course as fast as possible while trying not to spill anything.
  3. Once finished the course they must put the water in the bucket and the timer is stopped. A combination of the timer and the amount of water left will determine the winning group.
  4. Obsticle course ideas:
  • Stilts
  • Pushing one member on a bike
  • Going under a blanket or canvas
  • Kicking a soccerball around cones
  • Going through hoops
  • Walking a rope or plank
  • Piggy backing each other
  • Putting down water and shooting a ball into a hoop (every player)
  • Walking backwards
  • balancing the cups in some way
  • Changing cups half way through the game
  • Anything else you think may be enjoyable as well as challanging
• Additional Details:
  • Dont make the course too long or the teams waiting will get bored.
  • The first group will inevitably be the slowest, so a quicker group may need to go first.
  • Warning some groups will want to go again.
  • Good for large groups such as scouts, youth groups or church outings etc.

4     3 Legged Soccer

• People: 10+
• Goal: Active, Fun
• Time: 20 - 45 mins
• Materials: Leg ties, soccer ball
• Method:
  1. Pair up players and get them to tie their inner leg together (like the 3 legged race). Split pairs into 2 teams, try to get pairs of equal skill on each side.
  2. Set up goals at either end of a field. Then just like normal soccer you can only kick the ball. Normal rules apply.
  3. If one of the pair falls over the pair must stay on the ground till taged by another pair from their team.
  4. The team with the most points wins
• Additional Details:
  • To make things harder for them you can only allow them to use the inner leg (the one tied together) to kick the ball.

5     The Big Egg Throw

• People: Variable
• Goal: Catching skills, Fun
• Time: 10-20 mins
• Materials: 1 raw egg per pair (additional eggs if required)
• Method:
  1. Everyone is paired off into pairs. Each pair is given an uncooked egg. Each pair then stands 1m away from each other.
  2. On the leaders command the egg is to be thrown to the other person and then back again.
  3. Everyone then takes one large step (approximately .5 metre) and the process repeats.
  4. Once the egg breaks that pair is out of the game. If the egg lands on the ground and does not break. The throw is taken again.
  5. The pair that gets the furtherest apart wins.
• Additional Details:
  • Expect a mess, make sure everyone is allowed to get messy.
  • If eggs are to messy you can replace them with Water bombs (not as much fun though).

6     Hit the Deck

• People: 10+
• Goal: Very Active, Fun
• Time: 10 - 20 mins
• Materials: none
• Method:
  1. One person (an adult) is Sargent Major. The players are the sailors on a boat. The Sargent Major yells out a command and all the soldiers follow the command.
  2. After a few practice runs the person last to complete the command is out of the game. The winner is the last one left.
  3. To really make this game exciting the Sargent Major yells out command after command even before they have got to the first location.
  4. Here are some of the terms used in the game. You can make up your own as well.
  • Run to the ends of the pretend ship: Bow (front/North of ship), Stern (Back/South of ship), Starboard (Right/East side of ship), Port (left/West side of ship).
  • Captains coming: Stop where you are and present a salute.
  • Freeze: Stop where you are frozen.
  • Man the guns: Sit where you are and pretend to be fireing a machine gun.
  • Scrub the decks: Kneeling down and pretending to scrub the floors.
  • Man overboard: Hand to head as if looking for someone in the sea.
  • Man the lifeboats: Sit down and paddle frantically.
  • Climb the rigging: Pretending to climb a rope ladder.
  • Hit the Deck: Lie flat on your stomach as if a bomb raid.
  • Whatever other ideas you can come up with
• Additional Details:
  • Suitable for functions in a large hall.
  • For added difficulty you could have to Sargents calling orders to 2 different groups.

7     WaterBomb Warfare

• People: 14+
• Goal: Strategy, Bonding, Fun
• Time: 20 - 30 mins
• Materials: Lots and lots of waterbombs (at least 200 per 20 players more if possible)
• Method:
  1. You need a large area (50-100 metres long) preferably with trees or obsticles to make it more challanging.
  2. Divide the players into 2 teams (see below), Each team is given a flag (towel or sheet) that they are charged with protecting, this is put on a tree or rock (not tied). Each team is also given a supply of water bombs (ammo) once they run out that is it.
  3. The object of the game is to capture the opponents flag and get it back to your base without getting hit by a waterbomb.
  4. The rules are that if you are hit by a water bomb and it explodes then you have to go back to your base and count to 30 before carrying on. If you are already at your base when you are hit then you cannot partisipate for the same count. If a water bomb hits but does not break then you are still alive and can continue.
  5. A person can carry as much ammo as they wish but when they run out must go back to base to get more.
  6. The idea is for the teams to construct a strategy to win, this may involve some staying and being protectors, some being snipper fire, and some attacking.
• Additional Details:
  • Do not be supprised that most of the adults end up joining in as well.
  • You will probably loose control fairly quickly, I would recomend at least on adult at each base and another 2 if not more in the middle of the battlefield.
  • Afterwards please make sure to do a sweep of the area to collect as many waterbomb remains as possible.
  • Additionally you may wish to add food colouring (one colour each side) so you can identify when hit. Please make sure that they wear clothes that can be damaged.
  • A good bonding activity (and so you dont have to do all the work). Is to get the teams together the day before to fill up their own waterbombs. This is almost as much fun as the actual activity and gives them a chance to work together. A rule for the war could be that the ammo they create is what they get for the next day. (note: This can be a great time for the leaders to get to know the teenagers and for bonding to occur, I would highly recommend it)

8     Chicken Feed

• People: 2-8
• Goal: Fun
• Time: 5 - 15 mins
• Materials: 1 pack of cards (do not expect to use them again)
• Method:
  1. All players sit around a table.
  2. The pack of cards is shuffled and the one card is selected from the middle of the pack, the card is shown to everyone and then resuffled into the pack again.
  3. The cards are dropped face up into the middle of the table and the players USING THEIR LITTLE FINGER ONLY try to find the card.
  4. The winner is the one who gets the card off the table into their lap.
  5. If a player uses anything else apart from their little finger they are disqualified.

9     Buzz

• People: 5-15
• Goal: Maths, Fun
• Time: 10 - 15 mins
• Materials: Nothing
• Method:
  1. Sit all players in a circle.
  2. A number is chosen between 5 and 9 (7 is good).
  3. The object of the game is for everyone in the circle to say the next number as it goes around. When you get to a multiple of the number chosen they say BUZZ. They must also say BUZZ if the number has the number chosen in it EG 17 for 7.
  4. After a practice round or two you can start eliminating people if they get it wrong. The winner is the last person left.
  5. Eg 7: 1,2,3,4,5,6,buzz,8,9,10,11,12,13,buzz,15,16, buzz 18,19,20,Buzz....
• Additional Details:
  • For more difficulty you can have 2 numbers that you must buzz eg 7 and 9.
  • You could also add difficulty by making the numbers higher eg multiples of 13.

10     Bladder Ball

• People: 14+
• Goal: Energy Release, Fun
• Time: 10 - 20 mins
• Materials: 1 Basketball bladder (the inside of a Basketball)
• Method:
  1. Once you have freed the bladder from a basket ball (the ball will not be able to be used again) you pump it up. The ball can stretch to be almost a metre in diameter.
  2. Split players into 2 teams. design some form of goal at either end. The field should be clear of sharp sticks and about 30 metres long.
  3. The rules follow those of hand ball where you can only use a closed hand to bash the ball up and dawn the field. No one is allowed to hold it apart from a designated goalie.
  4. The winner is the team with the most points.
• Additional Details:
  • For larger groups you could have round robin system. 5-7 players per team is about right.
  • A safe way to have heaps of fun and let off steam.

11     The Frog Pond

• People: Large Groups
• Goal: releasing energy, Fun
• Time: 20 - 30 mins
• Materials: Large amount of space, lots of equipment to stand on(imitating lily pads)
• Method:
  1. You need a large amount of space for this game. The object of the game is to pretend the yard/gym is frog pond, objects are placed around the place which are like the lilies. The idea is that the players can only stand on the objects if they step on the ground they are out (See below for ideas on objects you could use).
  2. Also called the fox and the hare, 2 people are chosen to be the chasers (the seagulls or foxes). They chase the players and try to tag players. Each player that is tagged is taken out of the game. The chasers also have to stay on the lilypads. Anyone tagged where the chaser has cheated by stepping on the ground is allowed to escape.
  3. The winner is the last one left alive.
• Additional Details:
  • Objects that could be used in a Gym.
    • climbing ropes, vaults, mats, beams, trampolines, framework, the key of basketball court
  • Objects that could be used outside.
    • Rugs, large pieces of wood, Chairs, beams, concrete slabs and pathways, clothes line (if you dare), Blankets or sheets, trees, sandpit, climbing frames, Kids swing/slide sets, the garage roof
  • Use your imagination.
  • Not recommended for smaller children.