Simon Says Stretch
A golden oldie enhanced with several great variations.
At A Glance
Participants attempt to strictly follow a series of physical instructions on your command, or be eliminated.
What You Need
- Flat, open space.
What To Do
Ask your group to stand directly in front of you, in a circle, in lines, or distributed evenly throughout an area, where every person has ample space to move.
Explain that your name is ‘Simon’ and you are the leader, which means that everything you command must be followed – exactly!
However, this trick is, only those commands that are prefaced with the words “Simon Says…” should be obeyed.
Start by announcing that you will only ever command the following moves: Left Arm UP, Left Arm DOWN, Right Arm UP and Right Arm DOWN. Or, Both Arms UP or Both Arms DOWN.
As with all commands, I recommend that you add a matching movement to your command (or not!).
Explain that once the game starts, if anyone initiates or completes a move without the command “Simon Says…” – or performs the wrong move – they simply add a point to their total. Or, you could simply eliminate them, but aiming to score the least number of points is much more fun!
To build suspense, issue a series of “Simon Says…” commands one after the other, and then quickly follow up with an instruction sans the “Simon Says…” piece.
Variations
- As above, but substitute your commands with any series of fun movements and stretches, such as Jumping Jacks, Sit Ups, Attention, etc.
- Introduce a championship round in which you add the command “Simon Says … Clap Your Hands Once (Twice, etc).”
- Click here for latest fun “Simon Says…” variations.
Do you know a fun variation? Please add a quick comment by clicking here…
Jump In Jump Out
A crazy, energetic group exercise that will trigger tons of laughter
At A Glance
Holding hands in a circle, facing the centre, a group jumps in, out, left or right of the circle in synch with their leader’s instructions.
What You Need
- Open, flat space to form a circle
- 5 mins
What To Do
This exercise is almost impossible not to stuff-up – which is the whole point. I promise you, Jump In Jump Out WILL cause your group to laugh out loud.
Ask your group to form a circle, holding hands facing the centre. You then explain that you want them to …“SAYwhat I say, and DO as I say.” Next, you practice a few rounds, by calling one of four commands – Jump In, Jump Out, Jump Left or Jump Right.
The aim is for each person (the group) to repeat exactly what the leader says, at the same time they are copying what he/she does. Pretty simple, you’d think. Not! There is always a few people who move to their “other left” (or right) or just simply get confused, causing the circle to crinkle.
After 20-30 seconds, re-form the circle, and announce that you now want the group to “SAY THE OPPOSITE of what I say, and DO as I say.” Get it? For example, if I say “Jump In,” the group says “Jump Out” as they literally jump in. Whoooahh… just typing this out is doing my head in!
OK, give it a go. Expect tons of mistakes, confusion and laughter galore – and that’s exactly what you want.
But wait, there’s more…
Try one of these fun variations.
Variations
- Re-form the circle, and announce that you want the group to “SAY what I say, and DO THE OPPOSITE of what I say.” For example, if I say “Jump Left” the group is invited to say “Jump Left” as they jump to the right.
- Add extra commands, such as “Jump Twice” or “Jump High” or “Jump Two the Left/Right”.
Thanks to Paul Radcliffe, who passed on this gem to me during an Project Advenutre workshop in Boston, MA July 2010.
If you know of a cool variation to this ice-breaker, please add a comment…
Dead Ant Tag
A crazy tag that involves a little co-operation.
At A Glance
Upon being tagged, a person is obliged to lie on their backs with arms and legs extended into the air, and wait to be lifted by others to a designated spot, at which point they can return to the game.
What You Need
- A large, flat open space with boundaries.
- Minimum of 10 ants.
- 5 – 10 minutes.
What To Do
Make up whatever story you care to tell your group (such as “someone has just kicked off the top of an ant-nest, and all of the ants are now frantically searching for their home”), and then spread your “ants” all about your space. Then clearly designate one or more areas as “ant farms.” Ask for a volunteer who would like to be “it” first, and on “go,” this person runs around trying to tag everybody else. Pretty basic set up so far.
Next, explain that when a person is tagged, they are obliged to suddenly drop to the ground and, lying on their backs, wiggle their arms and legs into the air exclaiming “dead ant, dead ant” ad nauseam. This will act as an emergency signal to all other still-in-the-game ants to rescue one of their own. These paramedic ants (no more than four) will grab one or more limbs of the dead ant, and lift them gently to the safety of the closest “ant farm”. As long as the paramedic ants remain in contact with the dead ant, they can not be tagged by “it,” ie this is just one incentive to save souls.
Upon being gently placed (notice, I have used the word gently twice now!) onto the spot of the ant farm, the dead ant will experience a miraculous recovery and swing back into the game. And so it goes on.
Variations
- For really large groups, introduce two or more ants.
- Designate an area that is somewhat to the periphery of the action representing an “abandoned picnic”. Each ant is now called to visit the picnic –eating the scraps, so to speak – as many times as possible, by placing any part of their body inside the designated area. For each visit, the group gets a nominal point (or crumb), and collectively the group will work to earn as many points as possible. Of course, they must continue to save lost souls in the process.
- Just for the fun of it, call “dead ants” anywhere, anytime (ie long after you have played), and watch as people just drop to the floor and wiggle their way through a impulsive “dead ant, dead ant” chorus.
Taken from ‘No Props: Great Games with No Equipment’
If you know of a cool variation to this activity, please add a comment…
Clothes Peg Tag
Excellent for stimulating lots of energy and action
At A Glance
Armed with a swag of clothes-pegs, a person will aim to attach as many pegs on other people, while also trying to dodge extra pegs being pinned on them.
What You Need
- A big bag of clothes-pegs
- 10 – 15 mins
What To Do
Collect as many pegs as would supply 4 to 8 pegs per person. Then distribute this same number of pegs to everyone in your group, and ask them to pin them onto their clothing somewhere. The pegs need to be accessible, that is, somewhere on the upper torso, preferably on the back, front or arms of the clothing.
I doubt you will need boundaries for this activity, because the fun is always in the centre, but go ahead and set them if necessary. On “GO,” everyone aims to take as many of their own pegs off their clothing (one at a time), and attach them to other people’s clothing. To be clear, all pegs must remain on a person’s clothing except for the one they are trying to attach to someone else. Naturally, it’s not a one-way street; often when a person is not looking, they don’t suspect that someone is slyly pinning a peg on their back.
Run the game for as long as you feel there is energy, then stop and count each person’s stash of pegs. Pretty simple, the person with the least wins.
Variation
- Try it in reverse. Everyone aims to steal as many pegs from others in their group and attach them to their clothing.
Taken from ‘Count Me In: Large Group Activities That Work’
If you know of a cool variation to this activity, please add a comment…
Mirror Image
Filed under: De-inhibitizers, Warm-Ups & Stretches
Excellent for stimulating mutual co-operation and plenty of unself-conscious stretching.
At A Glance
Facing each other, one person will reproduce the “mirror image” of the moves of their partner.
What You Need
- A flat, open space.
- Minimum of 2 people.
- 5 minutes.
What To Do
Ask people to find a partner who is about their height, and gather around. Start with a demonstration, inviting a volunteer to face you standing about half a metre apart. You initiate the action while the other person becomes your “mirror image”. Get that, it’s a mirror image, so if I extend my left arm out to my left-side, my partner will extend their right arm out to their right-side.
The intention is to make your movements interesting and slow enough for the other person to mime as if they were a full-length mirror. The enjoyment level is definitely enhanced by an initial zany presentation of unself-conscious stretching. Try not to succumb to typical “star jump” types of stretches – rather, for example, invent an innovative and fun morning “wake up” routine that includes having a shower, dressing in stretchy trousers and a long-sleeve angora sweater, etc.
Got a few laughs, it’s now time to turn it over to the group. The facial and physical gymnastics that result lets you see people like you’ve never seen them before. Swap roles after an appropriate time.
Variations
- After each partner has had their turn, ask them to try the anti-mirror (or reverse) image – during which the follower tries to mime exactly the opposite of their partner’s movement. Classic moves and total confusion are sure to follow.
- Repeat in groups of three or four people (all but one are the mirrors), but not too many more lest people get a little self-conscious.
Taken from ‘No Props: Great Games with No Equipment’
If you know of a cool variation to this stretch, please add a comment…
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Hi, I'm Mark Collard.
This blog shares some of the most successful group games, team-building activities & programming tips I know.
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