Games that work from five

A quick reflex game played in pairs. On '4', try to trap your partner's finger on your palm while pulling your own away.

The group creates a physical action for each word of the verse, then says it aloud while performing the actions until it's memorised.

Everyone picks an animal starting with their initial plus an action to match, then passes around the circle name-and-action style.

A cumulative circle game where each person recites every animal name before them, then adds their own.

A clapping game where every second word of the verse is replaced with a clap, gradually helping younger groups memorise it without realising.

A seated volleyball game played over a line of desks using a balloon. No catching, only hitting.

Everyone ties two balloons to their ankles and tries to pop others' balloons while protecting their own. Walking only, no contact.

The memory verse is printed, cut into jigsaw pieces, and the group reassembles it. Can be made more challenging with cardboard backing.

Teams must collectively place exactly the right number and type of body parts on the ground before time is called, no more and no less.

A cat chases a mouse around a row of alternating-direction chairs. To switch sides, the cat must tag a seated player who becomes the new cat.

The caller performs actions saying 'do this' and everyone copies. On 'do that', everyone must freeze. Move on 'do that' and you're out.

A growing chain of players walks the inside of the circle until the tray drops, then everyone races for a seat.

A hawk tries to get past a mother eagle to tip one of the baby eagles lined up behind her.

A large-scale rock-paper-scissors game where teams pick a character and the winning team chases the other back to their wall.

A musical-chairs-style game where the person in the centre calls out a true statement about themselves and everyone it applies to must swap seats.

Everyone moves around the space until the leader calls a number. Players must instantly form groups of exactly that size or they're out.

Baby photos of the leaders go up one at a time and the whole group points at whoever they think it is before the answer is revealed.

The leader raises their hand silently. Group members copy, and the signal spreads until everyone is quiet and attentive.

Classic four-square handball where players try to stay in as long as possible with strategic bounces.

Classic classroom game where thumb taggers sneak around and tagged players must guess who got them.

Players pass a phrase around the circle while hiding their teeth. Show them and you're out.

A cumulative memory chain where everyone brings an object starting with their own initial and recites everything brought before them.

A clever attention-getter that becomes a game. Get the whole group clapping in unison as fast as possible.

A daytime search for leaders hidden around the campsite, each worth a different number of points. No sneaking, just hunting.

Two players sit either side of a desk and try to blow a lolly off their opponent's edge using nothing but a straw.

The leader performs silent actions and the group mirrors them exactly, creating instant quiet focus without a word being said.

A simple circle game where everyone says their name in turn, then races to see how fast the whole group can get through it.

A classic oval game where tipped players sit and become tentacle-waving octopuses trying to tip runners going past.

Lawn bowls played with oranges and a lime for the jack, where nothing rolls straight and every shot wobbles off somewhere new.

Two teams throw scrunched newspaper across a dividing line. The team with the least paper on their side when time is called wins.

A clapping pattern game where the leader claps a rhythm and everyone must repeat it, with the patterns growing longer each round.

A knockout scissors paper rock tournament where everyone you beat becomes part of your cheer squad.

One player in the centre tries to claim the empty chair while the whole circle shuffles around to block them.

Teach the group a simple sign, tapping fingers on the cheek, that means 'freeze and face the leader' whenever they see it.

A relay where the only tool is a pair of chopsticks and the cargo is one Skittle at a time, which is far harder than it looks.

Everyone lies perfectly still like sleeping lions. Any movement gets you out, and the last person to stay still wins.

The group learns a special rhythmic clap that, once mastered, is used as an attention-grabbing signal to bring everyone to silence.

A blindfolded keeper defends a set of keys by throwing socks at whoever they can hear creeping up on them.

A classic schoolyard game where tipped players freeze with legs spread until a teammate crawls between their legs to free them.

An elimination game where players pick a corner assigned a card suit, and the drawn suit gets eliminated each round.

Two volunteers race to empty a roll of toilet paper off a broom handle, by any method they can think of.

A straightforward water fight. Two teams, lots of water, and the wettest team wins (though everyone wins really).

A week-by-week guessing game with one unlabelled tin. Each week a new volunteer shakes it, weighs it up and guesses what is inside.

A growing chain game where tipped players join hands with the tipper, forming a worm in which only the two end players can tip others.