Group Games | Jesse Joyner

The Easiest Large Group Game Ever

This is probably the easiest large group game ever invented. If you can think of an easier one, please let me know in the comments.

Heads or Tails!

This game of heads or tails involves EVERYONE in your large group. It is actually better the larger the group gets. There is an elimination factor to it, so that you are left with only one winner. But the eliminating happens so fast that the people waiting to play the next round don’t have to wait long.

What you need: A lot of people and one coin (I like to use a quarter).

How to play: Have everyone stand up. Tell them that they need to select heads or tails before you flip the coin each time you flip it. They indicate heads by putting both hands on their head. They indicate tails by putting both hands on their rear. Whatever the coin says, those people stay in the game and advance to the next flip. The eliminated people (their side did NOT flip) must sit down and wait for the next game. Repeat this over and over until you are left with one final winner.

Tips:

Don’t worry, this game moves fast.
Before you flip, say “ONE-TWO-THREE-Lock it in!” so that the players all lock in their heads or tails at the same time.
No switching selection after you say “lock it in!” If a player does so, they’re out.
Let the winner be the coin flipper for the game after they win.

Kids want to play this game ALL DAY LONG. You’ll be surprised at how crazy easy it is.

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GaGa Ball Variations

The GaGa ball pit game is becoming more and more ubiquitous as each summer camp season passes by. It’s an incredibly fun and simple game. It is like dodgeball in a pit where you hit the ball with your hands and you get out if the ball hits you on the legs or feet. Here are some variations from the common rules that you can choose to add…

Two-ball GaGa: A little harder but still a ton of fun!

I have discovered that there are some fun variations to the game. And even the “house rules” of each group who plays can vary from group to group. Here are some of the variations I’ve come across over the years:

Knees and below versus legs and below: This is a rule that dictates how you get out. Some kids like to play where the ball must hit the knees or below for the player to be out. Other groups might play where a hit anywhere on the leg (waist down) is an out. You could even do shins and below (meaning that a hit on the knee means you’re still in). Whichever route you go, make sure it is clear and everyone agrees to the same rule at the beginning of play.
Getting back in the game: This is a fun variation that says that if you’re out but you catch the ball “clean” (meaning it doesn’t hit the ground outside the pit), then you’re back in the game and the person who last touched the ball in the pit goes out. A word of warning: I saw a group once play where whoever retrieves the ball outside the pit (whether it hits the ground or not) can get back in the game. It was a disaster because the kids chased after the ball and wrestled for it in hopes to get back in the game. Someone could easily get hurt in a situation like that. So I like to say it needs to be a “clean” catch outside the pit (and you cannot reach in past the pit wall to try to catch it).
Double Ball GaGa: I have provided a video example of this variation. You play the game with two balls at once and all the same rules apply. It’s like when you had two balls going at once in the old pinball machine. Just make sure you always look behind you!

What variations of GaGa ball have you seen or played?

Simple Group Game: “Dad Joke, Mom Joke”

Dad jokes are becoming ubiquitous these days. They’ve always been around, but for some reason they are enjoying a resurgence of popularity in our culture. The idea is simple: come up with a joke, usually a pun on words, that makes your kid roll their eyes. The cornier, the better. I’ve heard that there is a social value in Dad jokes in that it is a father’s attempt at connecting with their child (which is super important) by speaking the child’s language (which is playful and fun). Children are also still learning language, so puns and plays on words are fun ways to learn how the same word can have multiple meanings in various contexts.

Since I speak and perform at youth camps, I try to find group games that are simple and fun. Here’s one that I came up with that is super easy and uses the current popularity of Dad jokes. I call it “Dad Joke, Mom Joke.”

Here’s how you play: If I have a large group, I ask all the adults in the room to think of their favorite corny joke. Then I invite the men to come up (the women also get their own round; and it doesn’t matter what order you put the men and women rounds of course). Any adult is welcome to play whether they are a parent or not. I just call it Dad and Mom jokes because that’s what people generally call corny jokes these days.

For the Dad joke round, the men line up on stage and they each get one shot to tell their joke in the microphone to the kids. After all the jokes are delivered, the kids get to vote on their favorite one. I walk down the row with my hand above each contestant and the kids clap and cheer at each one. Whoever gets the loudest cheer from the kids wins. Repeat the process with the women (the “Mom joke” round).

I tell the kids to judge the joke on whatever criteria they choose, whether it be how corny, how dry, how funny, how witty, or whatever is important to them in a joke. It is a fun time for all and you learn some new jokes along the way!