Eldrbarry's Active Games: CHAIN and RELAYS List
KEY: (Activity Level - low, +high, Area Needed - Small Medium Large)
CHAIN - HANG ON GAMES
Chain games are played with players placing hands on the hips of others and hanging on.
- Rattlers (Catch the dragons tail)
- Loose Caboose
-
RATTLERS: (+,L)
Form players in two or three lines of 8-10 each, hands on hips of person ahead. Stress snakes must not "run" and must remain "intact". First and last in line are the "Head" and "Rattle". Object for heads to capture by tagging rattles. Goal is to become the longest snake in 5 or 10 timed minutes. Tactics such as coiling are allowed if correctly moved into. A variation is to have the snakes "shed skin"
LOOSE CABOOSE: (+,L)
Set boundaries and form trains of 4-5 people (at least 3). Switcher tries to tag loose caboose before it can hitch onto a train. If tagged caboose becomes switcher, if not, engine of "hitched" train becomes new loose caboose.
RELAYS AND OTHER RACES:
Relays work well when other games may not. They can be quickly set up, and on a spur of the moment. Simple relays involve a flag carried around a marker and passed to the next in line, with one to three equal lines of players. But these can become more complicated and made more challenging and interesting. If players are tired, go for simpler, if full of energy get creative. Actually in a relay, only one is running at a time, the others while excitedly cheering their man on are actually resting. Often times, relays are good time filler at the end of a session. Here are some ideas, you can come up with many more:
- BALLONS Batting a ballon around a marker. (Indoors?) Or Small Kites.
- TIGHTROPE WALK lay out a rope (straight or winding) on the ground. Runners must "walk" on it to the other end and back, and their feet must be placed on the rope. Perhaps a "crossing" of ropes to make it more interesting. Players who fall off must start over.
- PAPER AIRPLANE RACE Players make Paper Airplanes and must fly them from the starting line to the finish line - it will probalby take a number of throws.
- SPIDERS Players walk on all fours (hands and feet) around the course.
- CRABS Players walk on all fours, belly up around the course.
- INCHWORMS A ball is carried around the course and to the back of the line, then passed (alternating) over heads and through legs (over.. under.. over.. under) to the front of the line and the next runner. Or the ball is passed over and under to the back, and the rear person carries it to the front and starts it back again, until the line is back to its original order.
- WATER BRIGADE RELAY Fill buckets by passing water down a line of players with paper cups - winner needs to have the most water at the end, spilling the least.
Multiple persons racing units are possible too:
- ESCORTS Players must escort the next one in line arm in arm across the finish line; the next one returns for the next, etc.
- CENTIPEDES The lines wraps legs around the person in front of them, and the whole walks on their hands and seats.
- ROWBOATS Pairs sit, holding hands and feet together, one persons legs straight the other bent. They row by the person whose legs are bent moves their seat backwards by straightening their legs as the person in back bends his,
Some of the above games were found in The New Games Book, & More New Games, ed. Flugelman and Tembeck, and New Games for the Whole Family by Dale N. LeFevre (New Games Foundation) and some are from The Outrageous Outdoor Game Book by Bob Gregson (Fearon Teaching Aids)
Thanks for visiting! Your comments and games suggestions are most welcome!
Please E-mail me at: eldrbarry@eldrbarry.net
[MAIN PAGE]
[On Leading Games - Basic Equipment][Other Resources]
[GAMES INDEX]
[Getting Acquainted][Line & Circle] [Chain & Relay] [Tag & Free Form] [Indoor & Misc.] [Make your Own]