Circle games

Circle Games

Apples to Oranges

Required: One apple, one orange, paper, pencil, container, and music Players: Small to large groups

Print out slips of paper that you will pull out of a container. Each slip will be labeled differently as follows: before the apple, the apple, after the apple, before the orange, the orange, and after the orange. You might want to do a couple sets in case certain slips become detectable after use. Once youˇve completed the slips place them in a container mix them up. Have players stand in a circle, give the apple to one person and the orange to someone across the circle, then start the music. They are to pass the fruits until the music stops. When the music stops, pull out a slip of paper and read it. If the paper states before the specific fruit that person is out. If itˇs after the specific fruit that person is out. If it just states a fruit that person is out. So not only do you have to worry about holding the fruit but where it is in the circle. If you have a large group, set up several circles or a circle within a circle would be cool. You could also use different colored FlingSocks instead of fruit. Variations to the game can be passing the fruits under the leg, behind the back or twirl around once then pass the fruit.

Big Chief

Players: Small to large groups

Have all players sit in a circle and then chose a person to be ¨it〃. The ¨it〃 is to leave so that ¨it〃 cannot see or hear. Choose one person to be the chief and he will act out short movements. Examples are clapping hands three times, stomping feet 4 times, etc. All other players must do what the Chief does. Have ¨it〃 return to the group to figure out who is the Big Chief, you can give him up to three guesses if thereˇs a large group.

Blindfolded Shoe Shuffle

Required: Blindfolds and shoes
Players: Medium to large groups

Each person puts on a blindfold and takes off their shoes. They then throw them into a pile in the middle of the floor. The referee then jumbles them all up and then shouts GO! The first person to find their shoes by touch and smell alone and put them on is the winner.

Circle Delight

Required: Two balls
Players: Small to large groups

Two teams stand alternately in a single circle formation. Each team has a ball. At the signal the balls are thrown in the same direction from person to person belonging to the same team. The balls start moving from opposing players standing opposite each other in the circle. The purpose is to see if one team can move its ball from player to player at such a speed that it overtakes the ball from the opposing team. If this happens one point is scored and the game begins again. The first team to score three points wins. Note: The ball must be relayed between players of one team as they are positioned in the circle while not hindering the opposing team.

Colonial Circle

Players: Small to medium groups

This is a very old game from the colonial days

One player will be the chosen British spy and all other players will be in a circle formation holding hands, facing inward. The spy will request to enter the circle by saying, ¨Please good people let me in so I can warm my toes and light my pipe〃. The players will allow that person to come into the circle. That player will enter and stand in the center of the circle. He will act out that he is warming his toes and lighting his pipe by saying ¨Ah, itˇs great to be able to light my pipe and itˇs great to warm my toes〃. As he's doing so, heˇll figure out a way out of the circle and then suddenly try to escape through one set of players locked arms. If captured he picks a new spy and the original spy has to sit in the center. If he escapes he picks a new spy to come back and spy with him. When they try to escape, they will exit at different locations in the circle.

Do You Love Your Neighbor?

Players: Small to medium groups

All players sit in a circle except one person who sits on someoneˇs lap and asks, ¨Do you love your neighbor?〃 If he/she says YES, you all move one seat in any direction and the person thatˇs IT tryˇs to get a seat. If he/she does, then the person left standing is IT. However if he says NO then the IT asks, ¨Who do you love?〃 The person that was chosen then answers with a physical trait of other people in the circle (ex. glasses, shoes, hair color, and style of cloths) and those people move to any seat they can get except for there own.

Duck, Duck, Squirt

Required: Squirt gun and clean bucket of water Players: Small to medium groups
All players sit or stand in a circle. Pick a person to be it. They are to go around the circle like Duck, Duck, Goose but they say " Duck, Duck, Squirt". They then squirt a player and the chase begins. The "squirter" is to run around the circle and back to players position without getting tagged by the person that was squirted.

Ducks N Hens

Required: Two objects
Players: Small to medium groups

Circle up in groups of 8-10. Hand one person two random objects. One of these random objects represents a duck, the other represents a hen. The person is a ¨vendor〃. His goal is to sell the foul. To his right, he passes the first item, and says, ¨Do you want to buy a duck?〃 The ¨buyer〃 says, ¨Does it quack?〃 The vendor says, ¨Yes it quacks.〃 The duck continues to be passed to the right with the question and answer session going all the way back to the original vendor and back to the current transaction. (B asks A, A answers B, B sells to C, C asks B, B must turn around and ask A, A answers B, B answers C, C sells to D, D asks C, C asks B, B asks A, A answers B, B answers C, C answers D, and so on.) In the meantime, immediately after the duck is sold, the original vendor turns to his left with the hen, and says, ¨Do you want to buy a hen?〃 The buyer asks, ¨Does it cackle?〃 ¨Yes it cackles.〃 Same deal with the hen... the question and answer session goes all the way back to the original vendor. The fun comes when the messages start to cross. Itˇs hilarious!

Fork Over The Chocolate

Required: Chocolate bar, knife, forks, pair of large gloves, clothing
Players: Small to medium groups

You need a bar of chocolate (preferably cold for older players), knife and several forks, a dice, a pair of large gloves and some other items of clothing depending on age group. e.g. scarf, hat, large coat or jacket, trousers, waistcoat, the list is endless.
Everybody forms a circle, half circle or sits on chairs. One person starts by throwing the dice followed by each person in turn. When someone throws a six he then runs to where all the clothes are and starts putting them on, once he is completely dressed he can then start trying to eat the bar of chocolate, with the knife and fork of course, cutting one square at a time. While they are doing this the rest continue throwing the dice and if someone else throws a six, the person eating the chocolate has to stop and get undressed while the next person tries to get dressed and start eating the chocolate etc... The games obviously ends once the chocolate has been eaten.

Hidden Surprise

Required: Pill bottle, tape, newspaper, money, dice
Players: Small to medium groups

Hereˇs a game for both the young and old. Take an empty pill bottle and place an amount of money in it. Whatever you decide you want the winner to have. Wrap it up with layers of newspaper and duct tape, electrical tape or any other kind of tape. You can even layer it with different types and make a huge tape ball. Have everyone stand in a circle. Take a set of dice and place them in a flat box. If the person rolls a double, they must go inside the circle and start working on getting the tape ball apart. They continue unwrapping until the next person rolls a double. Keep going until someone wins the money. This can take awhile and it is real fun and exciting for all ages.
You can modify this game using different containers to hold food or other prizes.

Iˇm Going Hunting

Players: Small to medium groups

You play this game in a circle and your memory counts. One person in the circle will start the game off by saying, Iˇm going hunting and Iˇm taking an arrow. The next person will have to repeat what the person next to him said and then add something new from the next letter in the alphabet. Iˇm going hunting and Iˇm taking an arrow and a bow. You keep this going around the circle until one person cannot remember what he is taking. That person is out and you see if the next person can complete the phrase. You donˇt necessarily have to choose something that you would normally take hunting-it can be funny. You can also modify this game to a specific topic. Iˇm going to get married and Iˇm taking... would be a great wedding shower icebreaker. Iˇm going to have a baby and Iˇm... would be a starter for a baby shower game. Iˇm going shopping and Iˇm buying would be great for a womenˇs event. Pick a topic that fits your event, play this game at your next family holiday get-together.

Killer Froggy

Players: Medium to large groups

Everyone sits in a circle. One person is chosen to be the detective. He leaves the room or goes to a place where he cannot see or hear what is going on in the circle. Everyone in the circle closes their eyes. An adult or leader walks around the circle and taps someoneˇs shoulder who now becomes the Killer Frog. But no one knows who the frog is at first. The detective comes back in. The frog sticks its tongue out at random people around the circle, trying not to be noticed by the detective. If the frog sticks its tongue out at you, you just lay down. The detective gets three tries to guess the killer frogs identity. If he succeeds, someone else is chosen for the next round. If he doesnˇt, then he is the detective again. Itˇs okay if other players know who the frog is.