A-z Games

BACK TO BACK TAG

TYPE: Active

Play in a large area

One player is chosen to be "it." He remains "it" until he tags another player who then becomes "it." In this variation of tag, the players can be "safe" only when they stand back to back with another player.  No two players may stand back to back for more than five seconds.  A time limit is set, and whoever is "it" when the time limit expires, loses.

Variation:  Instead of only one "it," all of the players who are tagged remain "it" and can tag other players.  The last player to remain untagged at the end of the game wins.

Variation:  Add a time limit.  If the mouse is caught within the time limit, the cat wins and continues to play with a different mouse.  If the mouse is not caught, the cat is replaced and the mouse continues to play.

CAT AND MOUSE

TYPE: Active

Play in a circle

Two players are chosen.  One to be the "Mouse" and the other to be the "Cat".  All of the other players join hands in a circle.  The cat stands outside the circle and the mouse inside.  The cat must "catch" (tag) the mouse.  The rest of the players help or hinder the cat by raising or lowering their arms.  The cat and mouse can run in and out of the circle, under the other players’ arms.  When the mouse is caught (tagged), two other players are chosen.

CUP GAME

TYPE: Quiet

Play in a circle.  A blindfold, a scarf and ten cups are needed.

Two players are chosen from the group.  Player A is seated in the middle of the circle, blindfolded, and given a scarf to hold.  Ten cups are then placed all around him.  Player B must then try to collect all the cups without being hit by player A with the scarf.  Player A has only three tries to hit player B. If player A uses up his/her three tries without hitting player B, s/he loses.  But if s/he hits player B with the scarf, player 8 loses.

Variation:  In a large circle, instead or using a scarf, have player A point to where s/he thinks player B is.

DEVIL'S ADVOCATE

TYPE: Shtick

Play in a circle

One player is chosen.  He must then try to make someone laugh by making funny motions.  As soon as someone laughs he must help the first player make others laugh.  The next person who laughs then helps those two, etc.  The last person not laughing wins.

DUCK--DUCK--GOOSE

TYPE: Active

Play in a circle

All of the players but one are seated The standing player (player A) walks around the outside of the circle, tagging the players as he passes them and saying "Duck" after tagging each person.  At any time he chooses, player A tags someone and says "Goose." The one who is tagged (player B) gets up and runs after player A trying to tag him.  If he succeeds before player A gets back to player B's seat (by running around the circle), player A must once again go around the circle.  But if player A gets to player B's seat without being tagged, player B must go around the circle saying: "Duck . . . Duck… Goose!"

FREEZE TAG

TYPE: Active

Play in a large area.

The group is divided into two teams.  Team A is "it".  Team A must chase team B and try to tag them.  If a member of team B is tagged, s/he becomes "frozen" in his/her place until a member of his/her team (B) "unfreezes" him/her.  A time limit is set and play continues until the time is up, or until all of team B is "frozen.”  If all of team A is "frozen" by the end of the time limit, team A wins.  If not, team B wins.

Hint:    Use a time limit of 5-10 minutes.

ISRAELI POSTMAN

TYPE: Active

Play in a circle

All of the players take the name of an Israeli city.  One person is chosen to be in the middle and s/he removes his/her chair from the circle.  The person in the middle is the "postman".  The postman then announces the arrival of a letter from city (X) to city (y). The two players using those cities names must exchange seats without letting the postman sit down on one of their chairs.  The player left without a seat becomes the new "postman" and the play continues.

Variation:   To add a little extra excitement allow the postman to also announce a "special delivery".  If s/he calls for a "special delivery", all the players must exchange seats at once.

Variation:   Instead of using just cities in Israel, you can use: Moshavim, Kibbutzim, geographical regions (e.g. the Negev, Galil, etc.), mountains, etc.

MUSICAL CHAIRS--WITHOUT MUSIC #1

TYPE: Active

One chair less than the number of players are set up in a line, every other one facing the same direction (see diagram).  A "leader" is chosen.  The players must walk around the chairs following the leader, doing everything he does (i.e. clapping, jumping, etc.). Whenever the leader sits down everyone must do the same.  The player left without a chair is out of the game and takes a chair with him.  Play continues until only one player remains.

SHINUI - SHINUI

TYPE: Active

Play in a circle

The players are seated in a circle.  One player is chosen to lead the game, and s/he removes his/her chair from the circle.  The object is for the player to steal" a seat from another player, and sit in it.  To do this, the leader uses three commands:

Shinui Yemin-           Everyone must shift one seat to the right.

Shinui Smol-  Everyone must shift one seat to the left.

Shinui Shinui- Everyone must run to any other chair and sit in it (except the two chairs on either side of him/her).

The leader can use any command to gain a seat.  When s/he gets a seat, the player left without a seat becomes the new leader and play continues.

TEAM CHARADES

TYPE: Active

Different situations must be written down on slips of paper beforehand (i.e. digging a hole, reading a newspaper, swimming, etc).

The group is divided into two teams.  Team A goes first.  The leader sets a time limit of 2 or 3 minutes per team.  As soon as team A's time begins, the first person from team A goes to the leader and receives a situation.  This player must act out the situation for his team until they guess what it is (if they can't guess the situation they can "pass" and skip it).  After they guess the situation, the second person goes to the leader and receives a different situation, etc.  For every situation guessed within the time limit the team receives one point.  Then the next team has a turn.  Each team gets X turns.  The team with the most points wins.

Variation:  All of the teams act out the same situations at the same time.  The team to guess what that situation is first gets the points.

WHAT'S MY LINE?

TYPE: Quiet

Four teams are chosen.  Each team selects one player to be on the panel.  The panel is then blindfolded.  Another player, the leader or a "special guest" is chosen as the "mystery guest".  The four members can ask only "yes" or "no" questions to discover the identity of the "mystery guest".  Each time the mystery guest" answers "no", the next person on the panel has a chance to ask the questions.  The panel can ask questions until the identity of-the guest speaker is discovered or they accumulate ten "no" answers.  Whichever member of the panel guesses the identity scores one point for his team.

Variation:  To add more of an educational aspect to the game, have the “mystery guest” assume the role of a famous person in history, the community, etc.  In this variation it is not necessary to blindfold the panellists.

YES, NO, BLACK, WHITE

TYPE: Quiet

Play in a circle

A player is chosen by the leader.  That player must ask the other players questions.  The object is for them to avoid answering the questions with “yes,”  “no,” “black,” or “white.” The player who uses any of these words is "out." The last X number of players "in," win.

Variation:  Whoever uses one of those words changes places with the person asking the questions.