3

rd
Grade Games

Alaskan Baseball
All on One Side
Animal Name Tag
Animal Spell
Animalisms
Autographs
Balloon Pop
Balloon Trolley
Barnyard
Big Snake
Birthday Lineup
Blanket Ball
Blanket Drop
Blup Blup
Captain Video
Check-in
Chefs Salad
Color Connection
Committee Ball
Copy Cat
Cross the Great Divide
Detective
Dizzy Izzy
Do This Do That
Dont Touch Me
Dragon Eating Tag
Ducks and Beans
Elbow-Nose
Elbow Tag
Friendship Cards
Frozen Bean Bag Tag
Group Hug
Group Juggle
Group Jump Rope
Group Mural
Group Name Sing
Guess Who?
Hoop the Group
Hug a Tree
Kaleidoscope
Knee Jive
Knots
Legos
Machine
Name Choo Choo
Name Groove
Name-Adjective Add-On
Needle and Thread Tag
Newspaper Relay
Non-Elimination Musical Chairs
Pass the Buck
Person to Person
Pin Your Name on the Floor
Popcorn Tag
Red Handed
Reincarnator
Running Ball Balance
Simon Says Oops
Slipped Disc
Snap Shot
Snatch It Tag
Telephone
Tin Can Pass
Triangle Tag
Two Person Tag
Welcoming Circle
Who Am I?
Wicket Freeze Tag
Yarn Ball
Yurt Circle




Alaskan Baseball


Material: 1 ball
Play: The group is divided into two committees: the fielding committee and the running
committee. One person on the running committee is chosen as the runner and another is
chosen as the thrower. The running committees thrower throws the ball toward the
fielding committee, and the fielding committee must make sure that each of its members
touches the ball; the first person throws it backwards over his/her head to another
member, the second person throws the ball backwards between his/her legs, the third
person backwards over the head and so on. After everyone on the fielding committee has
gotten the ball, the committee yells, Im so cold. Meanwhile, immediately after the
ball has been thrown by the running committees thrower, the running committee forms a
circle and the runner runs around the circle. Each time around counts as one run. After
Im so cold has been yelled, roles switch and the fielding committee becomes the
running committee. This continues for several rounds, and each time a new person is the
thrower or runner.
Variations: If there is an extremely large group there can be more than one running
committee, only one of which will throw the ball, but once the ball has been thrown each
running committee will have a runner. Teams will rotate being the fielding committee.
This is a great variation because it allows this game to be played with groups as large as
eighty people or more.


All On One Side

Material: 1-2 large balls (beach ball, volleyball), volleyball net
Play: Four or five group members play the game by getting on one side of the volleyball
net; no one is on the other side of the net. One player begins the game by volleying the
ball into the air on the same side of the net that all of the players are on. Once the ball is
in the air, the first player scoots under the net to the other side. Another player then
volleys the ball into the air again and also scoots under the net. This is continued until
only one player is left on the original side of the net; this player volleys the ball to the
other side of the net and then scoots under the net. Play is then continued by the person
who volleys the ball next scooting back to the original side of the net. Play continues in
this manner with the goal being to get the entire team back and forth across the net as
many times as possible.
Variation: As the team gets better you can add a second ball into play. More than five
people can play at a time.

Animal Name Tag

Materials: Pillow
Play: Everyone picks an animal that they want to be. No two people should be the same
animal. The group sits in a circle. One person is it and sits in the center of the circle
with the pillow. One person in the circle (ex. dog) starts by saying dog likes ______
(ex. pig). It then tries to tag the pig on the legs with the pillow before pig can say pig
likes______(another animal). The statement must be a correct one. That means they
must start it out with themselves liking someone, and they must correctly name their own
animal; if an antelope said horse likes ______, the statement wouldnt be correct.
Similarly, if they name an animal that is not in the group, it does not count. If it tags
them before they say a correct statement, they become it. If they do not get tagged then
the person that was named must quickly make a correct statement and so on (ex. dog:
dog likes pig pig: pig likes horse horse: horse likes elephant). It continues
trying to tag the latest animal that was named, before that animal can say they like
someone else.

Animal Spell


*Prevention Calendar: OCTOBER
Targets: Pursuit of Excellence/Positive Values/Constructive Use of Time
**Variation to tie with Ethical and Developmental Themes: see bold below

Play: Group is divided in two. The groups are instructed to nonverbally spell a type of
animal using only their bodies (no props) to form letters of the alphabet. Each group
spells their own animal and the other group guesses what it is. The object of the game is
not to stump the other group but rather to enable them to guess your animal. Both teams
are given one to two minutes to decide what animal they will spell and how to portray it.
Afterwards one group spells out their animal and the second group guesses; then, they
switch and the second group gets to spell their animal. Because the purpose is to help the
other team guess your animal, you may spell it out several times, but you should avoid
giving vocal hints.
Variations: The groups can have a challenge placed on them or decide on one
themselves, such as not being able to speak during the planning phase of this activity.
The group can also be allowed to spell other words instead of animals; you can give them
a category or let them choose any word at random. A good technique is to pick a topic
such as things that will help you pass to the next grade, or activities theyre
involved in or even people, places or things they value. Have the group come up
with a list of words in that category. After they have done that, the challenge of
spelling one of those words with their bodies is presented to the group.
Animalisms

*Prevention Calendar: DECEMBER
Targets: Accountability/Positive Identity
**Variation to tie with Ethical and Developmental Themes: Have it try to guess
WHO the person is making the animal noise, perhaps by it being allowed to ask
the person he/she is pointing to one yes/no question. Debrief focusing on how
identity is tied to names of people and how being known can have both positive
and negative impact on our lives.

Play: Everyone stands in a circle. One person is it and stands in the center of the circle
with a blindfold. When it says go, the players begin moving around in a circle.
When it says stop, everyone must stop. It then points in any direction and asks the
person closest to being pointed at to make an animal noise (ex. Bark like a dog. Moo
like a cow.). The person pointed at must make the noise. It tries to guess the persons
identity. If it guesses correctly, the person they pointed to becomes it. If it guesses
incorrectly, the person that was pointed to gets to pick a new it.

Autographs

Materials: One pencil, clipboard, and autograph form (see example on the following
pages) for each group member
Play: Give each participant their materials. Instruct the group to fill in their forms by
finding people in the group who fit each of the categories on the form. Have people sign
on the line by the category that they fit. In addition to just an autograph, group members
should ask one other questions about the category and write this information under the
category. (ex. If the category was "being born out of the United States you could ask
what country someone was born in.) Make some guidelines about how many signatures
of the same person the group members can get; this will prevent the group from only
talking to one person.
Variations: The group members can be required to formally introduce themselves to
other group members before they ask a question.
Autograph Form: Use the form on the following pages.



NAME:
AUTOGRAPHS
1. Has left the state over the summer

2. Has the same shoe size as you

3. Likes to watch football

4. Likes to draw

5. Has been to a
carnival


7. Has a fish

8. Has the same birth month

9. Likes to sing

10. Has the same color eyes as you

11. Enjoys swimming

12. Likes to dance

13. Has a fun hobby

14. Is tall

15. Likes video games

16. Hates insects

17. Likes the outdoors

18. Has more than three brothers and sisters

19. Is an only child

20. Speaks another language

21. Watches more than five TV shows a week

22. Recycles newspapers

23. Chews gum

24. Plays on a sport team

25. Plays an instrument

26. Likes eating broccoli




Balloon Pop

Materials: One 10 round balloon for every two participants
Play: The group is divided into pairs, and each pair is given a balloon. Each pair tries to
pop their balloon using both persons bodies. No hands or feet are allowed.

Balloon Trolley


*Prevention Calendar: APRIL
Targets: Fairness/Boundaries and Expectations/Support
**Variation to tie with Ethical and Developmental Themes: A variation is to have
students identify people, places and things that feel supportive to them in both
personal and education situations and have the balloons represent those items.
Further, debrief on the success level of this activity based on what the students
would define as success (did they drop the supporters, did they avoid obstacles, did
they NOT use their hands to hold the balloons in place.) Ask how fairness played
into this activity.

Material: One 10-inch balloon for each participant and some other random objects
Play: Before the participants arrive, the facilitator needs to make an obstacle course.
Make sure to mark the boundaries. The course can be very simple, with beanbags and
frisbees as obstacles. The course could be considerably more difficult; for example, you
could have two-foot-high poles for groups to go over. The group is instructed that all of
them must make it through the obstacle course as one unit. The students stand in a line.
Between each student there should be a balloon. The balloon should be placed at
stomach level. Every person should have a balloon in front of and behind them, except
the first and last person, who will each only have one balloon. The balloons cannot touch
the ground or be touched by arms/hands once the group has started the obstacle course.
If any of the obstacles are touched or if a balloon touches the ground or an arm, the
facilitator should give a learning experience (ex. someone gets blindfolded, the group
has to start over).

Barnyard


Materials: Blindfolds (as many as the number of group members), pairs of animal names
or pictures (as many as the number of group members; if there is an odd number of group
members, there can be 3 rather than 2 pictures of one animal)
Play: Each member is shown either the name of or the picture of an animal which they
will portray (at least two names or pictures of each animal should be used). Members are
then blindfolded. Each member is to find the other people in the group who are
portraying the same animal they are by making the sound their animal makes. Once all
members of a certain animal have found each other they stay together until everyone is
done; at that time everyone can take off their blindfolds and see how they did.
Variations: Rather than being blindfolded, members can be mute and have to act out
their animals rather than sound them out. Students can be instructed to group themselves
by favorite animal. After they have decided on animals, they can be mixed up,
blindfolded, and instructed to find the other with the same favorite animal.

Big Snake

Materials: Various objects to be parts of an obstacle course (chairs, tables, benches)
Play: Players lie on their stomachs, in a single file line. Everyone grabs the ankles of the
person in front of them. The person at the front of the line leads the group through an
obstacle course set up by the facilitator, with all members on their stomachs the entire
time.
Variations: The players can be the ones to set up the obstacle course, or the first person
can lead the snake wherever she/he wants rather than using an actual obstacle course.
The group can set a group challenge such as trying to beat a certain time. The order of
snake members can be periodically rearranged.


Birthday Lineup


*Prevention Calendar: AUGUST, NOVEMBER
Targets: Integrity/Boundaries & Expectations
**Variation to tie with Ethical and Developmental Themes: Have participants name
a subject, sport, etc. in which they excel, and order themselves alphabetically by
those subjects without speaking. Debrief on being able to know things youre
competent in and how to stand up for those and keep your boundaries (even if
teased, etc.) Discuss how well they did without being able to speak, and how
speaking in whispers counts as speaking and may have compromised the integrity
of the activity. Define integrity and discuss times they stayed within the definition,
times they didnt and how they decide when to do which.

Play: The players are instructed to get themselves in a line in order of their birthday
month and day, without talking.
Variations: Other things can be used to line the students up according to: ages, names,
grade, size of specified animals, alphabetical order for words each member is given
This can also be done without talking and while blindfolded
Blanket Ball


*Prevention Calendar: OCTOBER
Targets: Pursuit of Excellence/Positive Values
**Variation to tie with Ethical and Developmental Themes: Using the variation
listed below, have the teams assess the level of excellence theyve accomplished by
first getting a baseline of success, and then setting goals to attempt to better those
goals (i.e., how many times can they switch and catch the ball without dropping it,
or how many balls can they use and still successfully switch/catch the balls without
dropping, etc.) Debrief which positive qualities they possess that helped them
accomplish their goals.

Materials: 2 sturdy blankets or sheets, one or more beach balls
Play: Two teams of eight to ten students are made and each team is given one blanket.
The teams spread out the blankets and grasp the edges of them; group members should be
fairly evenly spaced around the blanket. A ball is placed in the center of one of the
blankets. That team tries to toss the ball in the air using the blanket so that the other team
can catch it. The second team then returns the ball to the first in a similar manner. Play
continues by the ball being tossed from one team to the other until the facilitator ends the
game.
Variations: The team can try to toss the ball directly up in the air and dash out of the
way so the other team can run under the ball to catch it. Each team can be given a ball to
exchange simultaneously. Juggling can be attempted by trying to keep two more balls in
the air at a time.


Blanket Drop


*Prevention Calendar: SEPTEMBER, NOVEMBER, MAY
Targets: Respect for others/Positive Identity/Concern for Others/Social
Competencies/Empowerment
**Variation to tie with Ethical and Developmental Themes: Using the variation
listed below, debrief on having respect for others differences, both positive and
negative qualities. Focus, as you do this game during the different months, on how
much more in depth the students know one another and how knowing people
creates a climate that can add to learning and taking positive risks. Talk about
negative risks, too, that can occur when a group of people knows one another well.

Materials: One large blanket
Play: Divide the group into 2 even groups. Have the groups face each other. Hold a
blanket up between the two groups so they cant see each other (1 person holds each end
of the blanket). Each group picks one person to move up right next to the blanket (facing
the other group). The facilitator says 1-2-3-drop, then drop the blanket so the groups
can see each other. The object is to be the first group to guess the name of the front
person of the other group. The first group to successfully name the front person has the
person join their group. You can continue for several rounds.
Variations: If the group already knows each others names, you can have them guess
non-physical characteristics or preferences of the front person (ex. shy, friendly, likes
chocolate).

Blup Blup


*Prevention Calendar: OCTOBER
Targets: Pursuit of Excellence/Constructive Use of time
**Variation to tie with Ethical and Developmental Themes: Debrief with focus on
having them improve the number of times they could keep the balloons in the air, or
how many total people they could get involved. You can vary the game and increase
the difficulty by having them use only their non-dominant hands, their heads, etc.
Discuss their standard of excellence both in this activity and in general life. Discuss
what other activities in which theyre involved that they can pursuit excellence.

Materials: Several balloons, possibly water guns
Play: Pairs of players try to keep a balloon up in the air by hitting it with their hands in
alternating turns. The goal is to hit the balloon up as many times as possible without it
hitting the ground.
Variations: More than two players can be used to alternate hitting the balloon. Other
body parts can be used to keep the balloon in the air. Other objects such as water guns
can be used to keep the balloon in the air.


Captain Video


*Prevention Calendar: AUGUST, APRIL
Targets: Integrity/Boundaries & Expectations, Fairness/Support
**Variation to tie with Ethical and Developmental Themes: Debrief with a focus on
the definition of integrity and then how that concept played a part in the success or
non-success of this activity (did the finished product resemble the starting one?)
Further, discuss how knowing consequences can change how people act in different
situations. Also, discuss how having more support (information, actions from
classmates, etc.) would have helped make this activity more or less successful.

Play: The group stands in a circle with one person in the center. Everyone is facing away
from the center of the circle (it is very important that they dont watch the center). The
person in the center comes up with a series of movements (about 5, such as bend over,
then touch nose, and then hop). The center person then chooses one person in the circle
to look at them. They then act out their movements for the person in the circle (once and
once only). Then, they trade places so that the person from the circle is now in the
center. They then choose another person from the circle to face the center, and the center
person then does the same series of movements that the first center person did. These
two trade places, and the new center person chooses someone from the circle to watch
them do the movements. This same pattern is continued until everyone has had a chance
in the center. When the last person is in the center, they stand back to back with the
original center person. These two then do the movements simultaneously; the group then
compares how the movements have changed.

Check-In


*Prevention Calendar: SEPTEMBER, NOVEMBER
Targets: Respect for Others/Positive Identity, Concern for Others/Support
**Variation to tie with Ethical and Developmental Themes: Using the variations
below, work this activity in as often as youd like. Focus on which objects, etc.
students use to check in and whether those reflect a positive personal identity and
a respect for themselves. When doing a partner interview, be sure to focus on
showing concern for others differences and preferences as well as a general support
for people as they share their feelings.

Materials: Vary
Play: Often before a group gets started on their activities, they will have a check-in
where they let the other group members know how they are feeling that day. Basically,
everyone gets a chance to tell the group how they are feeling, what specific goals they
might have for the day, any concerns This can be done in a more creative way than
simply discussion.
Variations: Each group member can describe themselves as being one of a certain set of
objects such as: If you were a type of cereal what type would you be? What magazine
are you? You can have the group pair off and have the partners interview each other,
then report to the group on their partners status for the day. Individuals can draw or
write how they are feeling. Members can act out how they are feeling that day. A group
of assorted objects can be placed in the center of the group and individuals can describe
themselves as one of the objects. The list goes on and you can use any combination of
ideas that you want.


Chefs Salad

Materials: One carpet square for each participant.
Play: One person is the chef and everyone else is divided into pairs. Each pair chooses
a vegetable; no two pairs should choose the same vegetable. The group should make a
circle, with partners as far from each other as possible. Each person forming the circle
should be standing on a carpet square. The chef should stand in the center. The chef
calls out the name of vegetable. The people who have chosen that vegetable have to try
to switch places. The chef tries to grab one of their places while they are switching. The
person who is left without a square becomes the chef. The chef now becomes the
vegetable of the place she/he took. The chef also has the ability to call out chef salad.
When this is done, everyone changes places at once. The person without a square
becomes the chef and the former chef takes the new chefs vegetable name.
Variations: The group could be divided into subgroups 3 or 4 people instead of pairs.
The facilitators could pass out cards telling the group members what vegetable they are.
The group could sit on sturdy chairs or stand in hula-hoops rather than carpet squares.

Color Connection

Materials: One object for each group member. Each object should be a different color.
One blindfold for each group member.
Play: Each group member is given one of the objects and instructed to make note of their
own color. Everyone is then blindfolded. Make sure to have discussed safety issues such
as having bumpers up during blindfolded activities. The facilitators should then move
everyone around the room so that they are spaced out. The facilitator should then pick
one person to take off his/her blindfold and be the color operator. Give that person a
task, such as touch pink. The color operators job is to get every group member in
contact with the person holding the pink object. The color operator, however, cannot
touch anyone. The other group members cannot make any movements without the color
operators directions. Once the task is accomplished, have the color operator put his/her
blindfold back on, space the group out again, and begin with a new task and color
operator. The facilitators should be monitoring the blindfolded participants to make sure
they are not going to bump into anything. Make sure to discuss communication and trust
issues when done.

Committee Ball

Materials: Baseball bat, softball, bases (can be carpet squares or other similar objects)
Play: The group is divided into two groups: the fielding committee and the batting
committee. The fielding committee scatters themselves in the outfield. One of the
fielding committee is chosen to pitch and one of the batting committee is chosen to bat
first. When the ball is hit, the fielding committee must make sure that each person
touches the ball at least once before they yell Bartleby. Once the ball has been hit, the
batting committee runs in a single file line behind the batting committee that crosses
home plate before Bartleby has been called. Then three batters have been up, the
committees switch; pitchers are switched for each batter. There are no strikes; the goal is
to enable the batter to hit the ball so the ball can be thrown until the batter hits it. If the
batter has made several tries, they can pass the batting to another player.

Copy Cat


*Prevention Calendar: NOVEMBER
Targets: Concern for Others/Support/Social Competencies
**Variation to tie with Ethical and Developmental Themes: This game lends itself
to laughter and is great for discussing how support and concern for others comes
across both in verbal and nonverbal types of communication (i.e., laughing at
someone can convey a message of hurt vs. support and concern depending on the
situation.)
Play: The entire group sits in a circle. Everyone must look down at his or her feet.
Instruct them that when they look up, they must look at one (and only one) person. They
must copy whatever that person does. Count to three; then, everyone should look up and
start copying. Continue until everyone gets too silly.

Cross The Great Divide


*Prevention Calendar: JANUARY
Targets: Loyalty/Support
**Variation to tie with Ethical and Developmental Themes: Debrief this activity by
defining what makes a team of people successful. If support for others comes up,
have student rate how they did in physically supporting others during the activity.
Also, have students discuss whether loyalty is a part of supporting others in your
family and peer groups.

Play: Have all of the students line up shoulder to shoulder with each students feet
touching the feet on either side of them. During the activity, the feet must remain in
contact the entire time. The group must then cross the room while attached. If their feet
become detached, they must start over again. You can also set up a small obstacle course
for the group to cross.

Detective

Play: A detective is chosen from the group; while the detective closes their eyes, a
leader is chosen from the remaining players. The detectives job is to find the leader of
this group, but the group wants to protect the leader. The leader begins some sort of
motion such as waving his/her arms; because the group doesnt want the detective to
know who the leader is, they all do what the leader is doing. The leader is encouraged to
change activities often and the group changes right along with him/her. After the
detective has found the leader, the leader gets to become the detective and a new leader is
chosen.

Dizzy Izzy

Play: 2-3 participants will be it. When tagged, players must spin around 3 times and
yell, dizzy izzy. After spinning, the tagged person becomes an it. The it (at least
until they get tagged). Stop play when the group gets too tired.


Do This Do That

Play: Show the group some kind of motion or stretch and tell them, Do this. After a
short time of that motion, pick another motion and tell the group, Do that. Continue
doing several different motions until the group has stretch significantly.
Variation: Have students come up with additional motions/stretches and lead the
group.
Dont Touch Me

*Prevention Calendar: SEPTEMBER
*Targets: Respect for Others/Positive Identity
**Variation to tie with Ethical and Developmental Themes: Debrief with a focus on
respecting others personal space and evolve into a discussion regarding how having
a positive identity can either help or hinder respect one gives and receives.

Materials: 1 hula hoop, stop watch
Play: All group members stand in a circle around the hula hoop. Each person in the
group has a partner standing anywhere in the group. The purpose is to switch places with
your partner. When you switch places, you must step in the hula hoop, you cannot touch
your partner and only one of your feet can touch inside the hula hoop. The group tries
this several times each time trying to do it faster than the last.

Dragon Eating Tag

Uses: This is a great game for teamwork and communication because all members of the
dragon must work together.
Play: Three group members are designated to be the following parts: dragon head,
dragon body, and dragon tail. The dragon parts must always remain in contact by
holding hands in a line. All other players are some sort of dragon food or jewels that the
dragon is trying to capture. The dragon chases the jewels and captures them by
surrounding them in a circle (holding hands). Once a player is captured, they become
part of the dragons body and join the chain. The game is over once the dragon has
captured all the other players. Note: Make sure to emphasis safety rules such as not
busting through the arms of the dragon.
Variations: Players can lose the use of arms or legs if they get out of boundaries.


Ducks and Beans

Materials: The bean bags, two group members
Play: The group sits in a circle. One person is it and places a bean bag on his/her head.
It walks around the group with the bean bag on his/her head and holding the other bean
bag. It places the second bean bag on another members head. That player then tries to
tag it. Neither person is allowed to hold the bean bag on his/her head. If the bean bag
falls, she/he must stop and place it back on his/her head. If the second player tags it,
then it will remain it for another turn. It tries to make it to the second persons chair.
If it does make it to the chair, then the second person becomes it.


Elbow-Nose

Play: Group members form a circle. One person is selected to begin play. This person
then turns to the person on one side of them and says, This is my elbow while pointing
to their nose. The second person then responds to the first person by pointing to their
nose and saying This is my elbow, and then pointing to their elbow and saying This is
my nose. The second person then turns to the third person and repeats this while adding
on another part, such as pointing to their knee and saying This is my big toe. The third
person repeats this list back to the second person while responding This is my knee as
they point to their big toe. This person then turns to number four, repeats all parts, and
adds on another part. This cycle continues with each person repeating the list and
responding to the person in front of them, then repeating the list with an addition to the
person after them. The group tries to continue this all the way around the circle, but it
gets very confusing. As the group gets better they can try to speed it up to add to the
excitement.

Elbow Tag


*Prevention Calendar: SEPTEMBER, NOVEMBER, APRIL
*Targets: Respect for Others/Support/Fairness
**Variation to tie with Ethical and Developmental Themes: Since this game takes
physical contact, discussing respect for others is a good place to start. Continue to
chat about how utilizing others for support can help both in education and in
personal lives. Discussing how fairly the participants played this game is important,
as well as how fairness in daily life is played out for some but not others.

Play: Group members each have a partner. One pair is chosen to begin play; one of the
two is it. The other pairs are spread around the playing area and hook elbows. It
tries to catch their partner, but their partner can get on a base. Bases are any of the
other pairs of group members. You get on base by locking elbows with one of the people
on a base; only two people are allowed to be on a base at a time, so the third person
on a base (the one who the person being chased did not lock elbows with) becomes the
one being chased. If it catches the person they are chasing, then that person becomes
it and chases the former it. The game ends when the facilitator ends play.
Variations: Different forms of locomotion can be used (walking, skipping,). It can
be required to tag with a certain body part.

Friendship Cards


*Prevention Calendar: FEBRUARY, APRIL, MAY
*Targets: Honesty/Positive Values, Support, Empowerment
**Variation to tie with Ethical and Developmental Themes: This activity should be
used when you can ensure that there is ample trust and bonding within the
classroom. Debrief on how honest and positive comments are much more powerful
than meaningless praise (both personally and educationally.) Chat about how peer
support and feelings of connection can add to empowerment and feeling competent.

Materials: One pencil and one card of paper for each participant.
Play: Pass the cards out to the students and have them each write their name on the cards
they receive. Gather the cards and shuffle them. Pass the cards out again without letting
people know who has which card. Do not let anyone have a card with their own name on
it. Now instruct the group to write something on the card that makes the person named
on it a good friend. Have the group pass the card to the left three times before returning
the card to its owner. Read and discuss the cards.
Variations: Instead of having each student do a strip about only one person, everyone
could do a strip about every other group member.

Frozen Bean Bag Tag

Materials: One bean bag for each group member
Play: Each participant puts a bean bag on his/ her shoulder (they cannot hold it on with
their head). Every participant is trying to tag everyone else. A person is tagged if their
bean bag gets knocked off. If a players bean bag falls off, even if not knocked off by
another person, they are considered tagged. Once tagged, they are frozen.
Variations: A person can be unfrozen if someone places their bean bag back on their
shoulder. They can only be frozen for a certain amount of time (ex. until they sing the
alphabet).

Group Hug

Play: Have the group stand in a circle, shoulder to shoulder, and facing the inside of the
circle. Everyone should have their arms around the shoulders of the people next to them.
Instruct everyone to pick up one foot and take a large step into the center of the group.
The result is a large group hug. This is a good closing activity with some groups at the
end of a challenging day, but be careful to assess the appropriateness of doing this
activity with certain groups. Also make a point to monitor emotional and social safety
while doing this activity.

Group Juggle


*Prevention Calendar: OCTOBER
*Targets: Pursuit of Excellence/Positive Values/Constructive Use of Time
**Variation to tie with Ethical and Developmental Themes: This activity should be
timed so that a baseline of success can be measured, and then time improvements
can be made. Constructive use of time and pursuit of excellence are easily
integrated into a discussion here. Using the variation listed below, students could be
asked to state a positive adjective about each person and/or a value they feel
strongly about before throwing the object to the next person.

Materials: At least 1 small ball, but several may be used
Play: The group should be standing in a circle. Start out by going around the group and
having everyone introduce themselves by saying their name and an adjective that begins
with the same letter as the name. A few group members can try to say everyones name
and adjective (n-a) to help everyone learn each others n-a. One group member is then
given a ball. She/he calls the n-a of another group member and then lightly tosses the
ball to them. That person then does the same, and this sequence is followed until
everyone in the group has had the ball tossed to them once; the final person then tosses it
back to the first person. Everyone needs to make sure to remember who they got the ball
from and who they toss it to because this is the order of play. The facilitator then
explains that the only rule of the game is that they keep the order of play (and follow
all safety rules and group agreements as usual). The group decides on a group
challenge, or how they would like to move the ball through the order of play in a way
that will be challenging to them. Example of group challenges: more than one ball, race
the clock, left hands only, catchers eyes closed, stunt throws, behind the back,
Variations: Members can be required to not only say the n-a of the person they are
throwing to, but also of the person they received the ball from. This game can be
done without the use of names or adjectives also. The facilitator could also be in
more control and give the group different tasks to do rather than letting the group
set a group challenge.
Group Jump Rope


*Prevention Calendar: NOVEMBER
*Targets: Concern for Others/Support/Social Competencies
**Variation to tie with Ethical and Developmental Themes: Debrief on how
maintaining concern for others is imperative to this activitys success. Further,
discuss how certain people have attributes that make accomplishing this activity
easier than for others. We all have our strengths and weaknesses and need to
remain aware of them when interacting.

Materials: 20 ft. jump rope
Play: The entire group tries to jump rope at the same time (except the two swinging the
rope). Before play, have the group set a goal of how many times in a row they can jump
the rope together.

Group Mural


*Prevention Calendar: JANUARY, MAY
*Targets: Loyalty/Commitment to Learning, Civic Duty/Positive
Values/Empowerment
**Variation to tie with Ethical and Developmental Themes: A variation could be to
have the murals topic focus on commitment to learning, loyalty amongst people
who care about one another, law abidingness, etc.

Materials: Large poster or butcher paper and a lot of markers or crayons
Play: The group decides on a topic for their mural. The group then makes a mural
on the paper making sure that every group member is participating.
Group Name Sing

Play: The group stands in a circle. Play goes around the circle with each person singing
their own name accompanied by some sort of body motion. The group should try to be
very loud and animated, as well as trying to go around the circle quickly, creating a sort
of name opera.
Variations: The group can sing and do motions for each person as a group, so that no
one sings alone.


Guess Who?

*Prevention Calendar: FEBRUARY
*Targets: Honesty/Positive Values/Social Competencies
**Variation to tie with Ethical and Developmental Themes: Debrief on how honesty
plays a part in getting to know people. Also, focus on how friends are made (i.e.,
what characteristics do you look for when choosing who to befriend and who not
to?)

Materials: Index cards and pencils
Play: The group sits in a circle. Every player is given an index card and a pencil.
The facilitator instructs everyone in the group to write down something interesting
and/or odd that they have done. When everyone has written something, the
facilitator collects the cards, shuffles them, and distributes them randomly, one to
each player. The first player then reads the deed that is written on the card they
now hold, and the group tries to guess which player actually did this deed. After a
bunch of guessing and discussion, the player whose deed is being guessed reveals
themselves. Play continues until all the cards have been read and everyone has
admitted to what they wrote down.
Hoop The Group


*Prevention Calendar: DECEMBER
*Targets: Accountability/Boundaries & Expectations
**Variation to tie with Ethical and Developmental Themes: Debrief on topics such
as how each persons role (the entire group) was important to the success of this
event. Time the event for a baseline and have students continue to try to improve
the time it takes to pass the hoop without errors. Using the hoops as a visual for
boundaries, have students names boundaries that are placed upon them that they
agree and disagree with.

Materials: 1 or more hula hoops
Play: The group forms a circle holding hands. Have two members drop hands and place
a hula hoop around one of their arms; have them link hands again. The group is then to
try to move the hula hoop all the way around the circle without letting go of each others
hands.
Variations: Two hula hoops can be used in opposite directions.

Hug a Tree

*Prevention Calendar: MAY
*Targets: Civic Duty/Positive Values/Empowerment
**Variation to tie with Ethical and Developmental Themes: Since this activity takes
a large amount of trust, be sure to focus on how much trust the duos demonstrated
in order to successfully accomplish this task. Discuss how sightlessness played a part
in either the success or frustration of the partners. How safe did the pairs feel
together? How does Civic Duty, if at all, play a part in helping those, who arent as
capable, achieve their goals?

Materials: Blindfolds (half as many as there are group members), an area with several
trees
Play: The group is divided into pairs. One member of each pair is blindfolded. Their
partner then leads them to a tree. The blindfolded person uses any sense except sight to
learn as much about the tree as possible. Once they feel they can identify the tree, they
are led back to the spot where they began. Once all pairs are done, the blindfolded
partners take off their blindfolds and set off to try to identify the tree their partner had
taken them to. The partners can switch roles when they are done.

Kaleidoscope

Play: Select 1 player to be the first It. Have a group of players stand should to
shoulder facing the It. The It starts the game with his/her back to the group. On
Go, the It turns around to study the arrangement of the line of people (give about 10-
15 seconds). The It makes note as to what order the players are standing in the line, and
then must turn back around away from the group/line. Once It has turned back around,
the players in the line rearrange themselves into a new order. The It turns back around
and must physically move the players back to their original places.
Variations: You can start with fewer people in the line for younger players. Also, good
teamwork can earn the It some hints from the group as to their original arrangement
(example: if the students are being polite to one another, you can award It with a
helper who can assist with rearranging the group.)

Knee Jive

Play: Group members stand in a circle shoulder-to-shoulder. Each member places their
right hand on the knee to the right of them (the left knee of the person to the right of
them). Each member then places their left hand on the knee to the left of them (the right
knee of the person to the left of them.) No one will have their hand on their own knee.
One person begins the play by tapping with their hand one knee that they are touching.
The purpose is for the group to tap each knee in consecutive order all the way around the
circle (each knee is only tapped once). The challenge is to remember not to tap when it is
your knees turn, but rather when it is the turn of the knee your hand is on. This is done
several times in either direction.
Variation: The group can also set a group challenge and try to accomplish this in a
specified amount of time. This can be done sitting in a circle with legs crossed (better for
bad backs).

Knots


*Prevention Calendar: SEPTEMBER, ARPIL
*Targets: Respect for Others/Positive Values, Fairness/Boundaries & Expectations
**Variation to tie with Ethical and Developmental Themes: This activity is great to
spring into a discussion on boundaries, both personal and educational. Have
students define boundaries, then talk about how they create them with friends,
teachers, family. How does having boundaries affect fairness in school?
Relationships?

Materials: Possible blindfolds
Play: All players stand in a small circle and reach into the center with their right hand
and grasp the hand of another player. They then reach in with their left hand and grasp
the hand of someone other than who they already are holding hands with. Players should
avoid holding hands with the person right next to them. The players then try to untangle
themselves by moving over and under each others arms. When you are done, one circle
or occasionally more than one circle, will result.
Variations: Group members can be mute. All but one can be blindfolded. Instead of
holding hands, the group members can hold buddy ropes (small pieces of rope with
knots tied in the ends 6 inches long) or hose pieces (about 2 3 feet long); this
makes the knot more spread out and less difficult. Instead of holding hands in a
random manner, they can take hands in a certain pattern; for example, the first
person can name something about themselves and then take the hand of another
person who also has the same characteristic. That person would then do the same
thing, and so on. Make sure that they still take two different peoples hands.
Legos

Materials: 1000 legos
Play: The facilitators need to make a sample lego house, using about one-fifth of the
legos (before the group arrives). The group is divided into four smaller groups. It is
explained to the group that they are one group. You can compare this to a real life
situation, such as being different departments in the same company. Although they might
be in separate departments, the whole company is working toward a common goal. You
then explain that the company needs to make an exact replica of the lego house. Another
group does, however, have those missing pieces. No single department could replicate
the lego house, but the company together can. The group is not told about this minor
complication. Once the departments work together and replicate the lego house, debrief.
Discuss the difficulties of departments working together

Machine

*Prevention Calendar: OCTOBER
*Targets: Pursuit of Excellence/Constructive Use of Time
**Variation to tie with Ethical and Developmental Themes: Set a certain amount of
time in which the groups must decide upon and create their machines. Debrief this
activity by focusing on constructive use of time. Further, focus on how each
member of the group was a necessity in completing the task of a successfully
working machine. Ask the students how this transfers into their day-to-day
classrooms or home life.
Play: The group is divided in two. The groups are instructed to nonverbally make a
machine using only their bodies (no props). Each group is to make their own machine
and the other group will guess what it is. The object of the game is not to stump the other
group but rather to enable them to guess your machine. Because of this, it is very
important to portray the purpose of the machine rather than its actual mechanics. Both
teams are given one to two minutes to decide what machine they are and how to portray
it. Afterward, one group acts out their machine and the second group guesses; then, they
switch and the second group gets to act out their machine. Because the purpose is to help
the other team guess your machine, you may act it out several times, but you should
avoid giving verbal hints. Sample machines list: donut-hole-punching machine, bottle-
capping machine, book-binding machine, hotdog-roll-making machine, toaster, gasoline
pump, riding lawn mower, milkshake-making machine, computerized scoreboard.
Variation: The groups can have a challenge placed on them or decide on one themselves
such as not being able to speak during the planning phase of this activity.

Name Choo-Choo

Play: A leader should be chosen from the group to start the game. The leader walks
over to a person in the group, sticks out his/her hand to shake hands, and says (very
enthusiastically) Hi! My name is ----------! Whats yours? When the person (whose
name, for example, might be Anne) responds, the leader cheers and yells the name as
follows: Anne! Anne! Anne! Anne!, Anne! The leader then yells Ready! Reverse! and
turns in the other direction. The person whose name was just cheered (in this case, Anne)
puts their hands on the leaders waist, and choo-choos with the leader up to another
person. Play continues in the same manner until everyone is part of the train. Note that
the person who leads the train will be different after the first two introductions because of
the reversing.
Variations: Adjectives can be added to the cheer (for example, Anne! Anne! Active,
Active, Anne!


Name Groove


*Prevention Calendar: DECEMBER, MAY
*Targets: Accountability/Positive Identity, Law-abidingness/Civic Duty
**Variation to tie with Ethical and Developmental Themes: A variation can be to
see how many people can go before there is an error. Debrief this activity by
focusing on having to stay focused in order to be accountable when it is your turn to
go and how a person felt if they were the one to create the error. Also, focus on how
duty and abidingness create a more successful attempt to complete this game, and
life, without errors.

Materials: 1 ball
Play: The group should stand in a circle. The first person states their name, and then
does a stunt toss to themselves with the ball (for example, tossing the ball under the leg
and catching it). The next person states their name and does a different stunt toss to
themselves, then states the first persons name and does the first persons stunt toss. The
third person states their name and does their own stunt toss, followed by the names and
stunt tosses of the first two players. Each person adds his or her own name and stunt toss
to the list. The last player lists all the names and performs all of the stunt tosses.
Variation: Group members can create their own body movements rather than
tossing the ball.
Name-Adjective Add-On

Play: The group should stand in a circle. As in Group Juggle, players will be saying their
name immediately followed by an adjective (that describes the person) that starts with the
same letter as the name. The first person starts by saying their own name and adjective
(n-a). The second person then does the same, but also states the first persons n-a. The
third person does the same, but adds the n-a of the first two people. Play continues with
everyone saying their own n-a in addition to the n-a of every other preceding player. The
last person must say the n-a of every single person in the group after saying their own n-
a.
Needle and Thread Tag

Play: All but two of the group members get in a circle (close enough to hold hands). One
of the two not in the circle is it, and the other is not it. Not it gets to pick if they
want to start in or out of the circle, and it starts in the opposite place. Whenever not it
runs between two people, the two join hands, making a barrier that it cant break. It
starts play by yelling chicken noodle soup. It tires to tag not it and not it tires to
sew up the circle before he gets tagged. When play is over, get two new players to be it
and not it.
Newspaper Relay


*Prevention Calendar: NOVEMBER, APRIL
*Targets: Concern for Others/Support/Social Competencies, Fairness
**Variation to tie with Ethical and Developmental Themes: Debrief on the groups
ability to show support and concern for others in order to accomplish this task.
How included did the participants feel? Did someone (several) people forge on
without the remainder of the team? If so, was this strategy helpful? How fairly was
this task accomplished given the guidelines?

Materials: Pile of newspapers
Play: The group is given a pile of newspapers. They are instructed to get from one side
of the playing field to the other without any part of their body or clothing touching the
ground. This is a team activity and the game is not over until everyone has made it to the
other side. If any body part or piece of clothing touches the ground they will be injured
(have to hold up an arm or leg, be blind, walk backwards, become mute,)

Non-Elimination Musical Chairs

*Prevention Calendar: FEBRUARY
*Targets: Honesty/Support
**Variation to tie with Ethical and Developmental Themes: A variation could be to
have students asked, What are your strengths? over and over again. Debrief this
activity by checking the level (1-10 scale) of honesty that participants felt they used
when answering. Check in with the students to see how the climate with their
partner felt (checking for a trust level, encouragement, etc.)

Materials: One chair for each participant and music.
Play: The game will need to be modified if more than 10 participants play. Each
participant starts by sitting in a chair. When the facilitator turns on the music, the players
must walk in a circle. The facilitator takes one chair away and then stops the music. The
participants then rush to find a chair to sit in. Everyone must be in a chair, even if they
are sharing. The facilitator then starts the music again, removes another chair, and then
stops the music. Again, all participants must rush to get in a chair. Play continues until
there is only one chair and all participants try to find a way to be on the chair.

Pass the Buck


*Prevention Calendar: AUGUST, MAY
*Targets: Integrity/Boundaries & Expectations, Law-abidingness/Positive Values
**Variation to tie with Ethical and Developmental Themes: A variation could be to
make the story about any particular ethical principals (or all of them.) You could
create stories with a theme about law abidingness and civic duty; the options are
wide open with this one.

Play: One person starts a story with 3 words. The next person in the group adds 3 words
onto the story. Continue going around the group until they finish the story. Make sure
each person gets at least one turn.
Variations: Try to make the story as fast as possible even if it turns out to be nonsense.
Get out a strip of paper and have each student write their three words down. At the end,
read the story out loud to the group. A bean bag (buck) can be tossed to one group
member, who must begin telling a story. That person then passes the buck to another
random person, who must immediately continue with the story. After they have added a
bit more to the story, they can pass the buck.

Person to Person

*Prevention Calendar: SEPTEMBER, DECEMBER, APRIL
*Targets: Respect for Others/Positive Identity, Accountability/Positive Identity,
Fairness/Support
**Variation to tie with Ethical and Developmental Themes: Debrief within the
topics of boundaries both in physical and emotional spaces. Further, discuss how
having particular people to lean on (people who are accountable) truly can help
further your growth, educationally as well. Have kids give examples of people who
have helped them in their education. Ask students how fairness plays into asking for
what you need from people (ie., is it o.k. to ask for help in class during a test but not
during a situation you run into at the mall?)

Play: The group is paired up with the pairs standing in a circle, facing the center. One
person is in the center. The center person gets a beat going for the group, and then names
two body parts in relation to each other (for example, hand to foot). The same or
different body parts can be named. The group repeats out loud the two body parts named
to the beat. Then, each pair assumes the position named by the person in the center (for
example, if hand to foot was called by the center person, a member of each pair would
place their hand on their partners foot). The center person will call out several different
pairs of body parts, and the pairs will respond and assume each new position. After
several of these, the center person calls out person to person, which means that each
person (including the center person) must quickly find a new partner. The one person left
without a partner becomes the new center person and starts the process again.

Pin Your Name on the Floor


*Prevention Calendar: OCTOBER, APRIL
*Targets: Pursuit of Excellence/Constructive Use of Time, Fairness/Support
**Variation to tie with Ethical and Developmental Themes: Have students measure
their attempts to see if there was improvement. Debrief by asking questions
pertaining to how they improved each time. What methods did they find helpful?
How did the support from others help or hinder the success? Be sure to discuss how
fairness plays into this game and into success.

Materials: Several blindfolds and a roll of masking tape
Play: The facilitator makes a mark on the floor. The rest of the group tries one at a time
and blindfolded to put a piece of tape on the mark. The rest of the group should not be
talking at all. Try again, although this time the group can give advice. During
debriefing, discuss if there was a difference between the two tries.

Popcorn Tag

Play: All players must hop up and down like popcorn at all times. Start with one it.
It hops around trying to tag pieces of popcorn. When it tags someone, they join
hands, forming an it chain. Continue playing until everyone has become part of the it
chain.

Red Handed

Materials: 5 balls
Play: The group sits in a circle with several balls. The balls are passed from person to
person. The ball can only be passed to the person directly next to you, but the direction
can be changed at any time. The object is to get 2 balls in someone elses lap, but not
your own. If someone gets 2 balls in their lap they must scream AHHHHH you caught
me red handed. Play then begins again.


Reincarnator


*Prevention Calendar: DECEMBER
*Targets: Accountability/Positive Identity/Boundaries & Expectations
**Variation to tie with Ethical and Developmental Themes: Debrief on what is is
like to be labeled something without your consent. Ask the students how peoples
identity is formed, both positive and negative. Further, discuss how accountability
of actions (spreading rumors, teasing folks) plays a part in peoples identity
formation.

Play: Secretly pick one person to be it; do not let anyone except it know who is it.
It can transform people by whispering to them that you are a _ _ _ _ _ (cow, horse,
bird,). Other players can speak, but cannot say you are a _ _ _. When play begins,
everyone starts roaming around the room. Players should shake hands, chat, basically act
as if they are meeting new people at a party. When the it tells someone that they are a
certain animal, that person must wait at least 15 seconds so that it does not give away
who is it, but then start acting like that animal. If someone thinks they know who it is
they say loudly I SUSPECT!!. They then point to the person they think is it and says
you are a _ _ _ _ _. If they did pick the correct it then it must become that animal
and the game is over. If the person they picked is not it then the person who accused
them then becomes the animal.



Running Ball Balance

*Prevention Calendar: OCTOBER
*Targets: Pursuit of Excellence/Positive Values/Constructive Use of Time
**Variation to tie with Ethical and Developmental Themes: Debrief by timing the
group for a baseline, then having the group continue to complete the activity with
time improvement goals. Ask the group whether time constraints/deadlines in
school helps or hinder their progress and success. Ask how students spend their
time when not in school. Decide a way to assess whether that time is spent
constructively or destructively.

Materials: Balls (1/4 as many as players-this can vary)
Play: This game is best with at least eight people and the number of players should be in
multiples of two. You can, however, rotate players in and out of the game. Each group
member has a partner. The entire group stands in a large circle; partners stand together,
one on the inside of the circle and the other on the outside of the circle. The circle should
be large enough so that there is several feet between each set of partners. Every other set
of partners is given a ball; they are required to balance the ball between their bodies
without using their hands. Once the game begins, they try to walk to the set of players in
front of them and transfer the ball without using hands. The pair which received the ball
then tries to transfer the ball to the next set of players. Once a pair transfers the ball, they
must run back to their original spot and get ready to receive another

Simon Says Ooops


*Prevention Calendar: JANUARY, MAY
*Target: Loyalty/Support, Law-abidingness/Positive Values
**Variation to tie with Ethical and Developmental Themes: Debrief on how being loyal to a
team, family, group of friends plays out in real life vs. during this game. Explore how following
the rules helps or hinders people in their road to success in life vs. this game. Ask how rules can
help or hinder someones ability to have positive values.

Play: The group is divided in two. Each group begins with a leader (Simon). Each
group plays Simon Says with the usual rules, but rather than being out of the game when
you do something Simon doesnt say, you simply holler OOOPS! and move to the
other group playing. Players will end up moving back and forth between groups but
never eliminated from the game. You can periodically stop the game and select new
Simons for the two groups.

Slipped Disc


*Prevention Calendar: DECEMBER
*Targets: Accountability/Boundaries & Expectations
**Variation to tie with Ethical and Developmental Themes: Debrief on how each member
was accountable for passing the disc when it was his/her turn. What happened if a member did
not give their best? How did personal space and boundaries play into the success or non-success
of this activity? Ask what other boundaries are in place at home, school, community that keep
things moving smoothly in life.
Materials: 2 Frisbees
Play: The group sits in a circle with everyone on their hands and knees with their heads
towards the center of the circle. A frisbee is placed in the middle of one persons back
and is passed from back to back. No hands are allowed and the frisbee is not allowed to
touch the ground. The frisbee needs to make it all the way around the circle. If it touches
the ground, it starts at the beginning of the group again.
Variations: Two frisbees can be passed around the group in different directions.

Snap Shot


*Prevention Calendar: FEBRUARY
*Targets: Honesty/Positive Values/Social Competencies
**Variation to tie with Ethical and Developmental Themes: This activity plays nicely into a
conversation about honesty. Encourage your participants to create as honest as a title as
possible but be prepared to share why. A variation would be to have the titles included a positive
values or competency that was observed during the game experiences.

Play: Have the group sit in a circle. Tell the group that they are going to take a picture of
what their cooperative game experience has been like. Give them a minute to think about
their experience. Then have everyone (one by one) tell the group what the title of the
snap shot of their experience would be.

Snatch It Tag

Materials: 15 comet balls (hose with tennis ball in the end)
Play: Everyone puts a comet ball on their head (do not cover eyes). Everyone tries to
grab someone elses comet ball off their head. If your comet ball gets removed, you are
frozen. Continue play until almost everyone is frozen.

Telephone


*Prevention Calendar: MARCH, MAY
*Targets: Promise-keeping/Empowerment, Law-abidingness/Positive Values
**Variation to tie with Ethical and Developmental Themes: Focus the debrief in this
game on whether students were empowered by having top secret information told to
them, and if so, did that make passing on the information correctly any more possible.
Further, how discouraged or encouraged did participants feel when receiving the
information, to pass it on correctly? Did some participants choose to create variations in
the message since they were unclear when receiving it? Ask students what they do when
they get hot information that they are unclear about and with which they are uncertain
in how to proceed (i.e., drugs, stealing, etc.)

Play: Group members sit in a circle. One member is chosen to begin play. This person
then whispers a message into the ear of the next person; this person does the same by
passing the message on to the third person. This procedure is followed until the message
gets to the last person. The last person tells the secret out loud to see how it compared to
the original message.
Variations: You can have two messages going in different directions. Signs (wink,
smile) can be used instead of messages. Two groups can be used to see how different
changes are made with each group.

Tin Can Pass

Materials: Several tin cans of different sizes (make sure to tape the cut edge)
Play: Group sits on the ground in a circle. They must pass a tin can around the group
using only their feet and not letting the can touch the ground. If the can touches the
ground, it starts back at the beginning of the group.
Variations: For an added challenge, more than one can should be passed around the
group going in different directions.


Triangle Tag


*Prevention Calendar: AUGUST, MAY
*Targets: Integrity/Social Competencies, Civic Duty/Empowerment
**Variation to tie with Ethical and Developmental Themes: Debrief by asking the
group about their experience with being it vs. being part of the geometric shape (home-
base.) If you choose to create variety by having the game become square tag,, etc, ask
the group if they felt more included and empowered in larger groups (safer?) Finally, be
sure to define integrity and ask the students how knowing right from wrong helped or
hindered their success in saving people from it (meaning, did some people choose not
to have their elbow out as a person being chase ran by?)

Play: The group is divided into groups of four. In each group of four, one person is
chosen to be it and one person is chosen to be chased. The two other people and the
person being chased hold hands, forming a triangle. It then tries to tag the appropriate
person, but the other two people end up playing on the defensive and drive to save the
person from being tagged. If the person is tagged, they become it and another person is
chosen to be the one chased. If it becomes too tired and has not yet tagged the person,
the group can go ahead and switch roles. Play is continued until everyone has had a
chance at all roles.
Variations: The number of people in the triangle can be changed, creating square tag.
However, this game is best played with smaller groups (rather than octagon tag).

Two Person Tag

Play: All group members are paired up; one of each pair is chosen as it. The non-it
member of each pair stands about three steps away from the corresponding it. While
walking and staying in the boundaries, each it tries to tag their partner. Whenever
anyone is tagged, that person must turn in a circle and then say a code word such as
lunch or horse. They then try to tag the former it. Note: This is a very active
game and everyone ends up getting tagged several times. To prevent exhaustion and
frustration, the facilitator should end the game before the players reach this point.
Variation: Players can be required to use different forms of locomotion, tag specific
body parts, or use specific body parts to tag with.

Welcoming Circle


*Prevention Calendar: SEPTEMBER
*Targets: Respect for Others/Positive Identity
**Variation to tie with Ethical and Developmental Themes: Debrief about how
participants felt to be welcomed so vigorously and when, if at all, theyve experienced
this kind of welcome before. Ask them how feeling welcomed in the classroom can
help or hinder learning

Play: Teach the group this cheer: hit knees 2 times, clap twice, snap twice, then point to
someone and in a funny voice say Yaaa. Everyone stands in a big circle and practices
this cheer. Then the leader calls certain people they would like to welcome (ex. everyone
from Texas). All of those people run to the center and the group welcomes them with the
cheer. Note: Whoever is being welcomed also does the cheer, but they point to
themselves. Continue welcoming a variety of different groups. Make sure everyone gets
included. Let the group do some of the welcoming.


Who Am I?


*Prevention Calendar: AUGUST
*Target: Integrity/Social Competencies
**Variation to tie with Ethical and Developmental Themes: Debrief on whether
being the it was empowering or not. Ask what contributed to the length of time in
which the it was able to guess the animal they were assigned. You could further vary
this by having the it be given different labels vs. just animals (i.e., situations
demonstrating right vs. wrong choices in dilemmas, adjectives of personal description,
etc.)

Play: One group member is asked to leave the room. The other group members decide
on an animal that they would like that person to be. The first person is then asked to
come back into the room. Their job is now to determine what kind of animal they are.
They can do this by asking the group questions about the animal that require a yes/no
answer. The goal is to find out in as few guesses as possible. Once they have figured out
the animal, the activity can start over with another person. A time limit or limited
number of questions can also be used.

Wicket Freeze Tag

Play: This game is another close relative of Everyone Is It. Everyone is trying to tag
everyone else. When players are tagged, they are frozen in the spot where they were
tagged, but must stand with their legs apart. When any non-tagged players pass
underneath the legs of the frozen players, this unfreezes them, and they are then free to
chase others.

Yarn Ball


*Prevention Calendar: AUGUST, FEBRUARY, MAY
*Targets: Integrity/Social Competencies, Honesty/Positive Values, Law-
abidingness/Empowerment
**Variation to tie with Ethical and Developmental Themes: Using the variations as
well as the original instructions, this game is great to debrief almost anything during any
part of the year. You can have students name ethical principals they have seen other
students demonstrate during the year; you can have students name developmental assets
that they or someone else possesses. The possibilities are endless but continue to stress
that honesty and sensitivity is the basis for this activity.

Materials: Ball of yarn
Play: One player holds one end of the ball of yarn. She/he states something good that
they have seen someone else do during the previous social skill activities. She/he then
tosses the ball of yarn to that person, while still holding on to the end of the ball. The
second person wraps a piece of the yarn around a finger. That person then states
something that someone other that the first person had done well. She/he still has hold of
the ball of yarn. The third person then does the same thing. This continues with each
person saying something good about a different person (no person will have the ball of
yarn tossed to them twice.) The last person to receive the ball will then toss it to the first
person along with a compliment. The end result will be a web (someone can drop their
piece of yarn to demonstrate), then the rest of the group will support them. If everyone
drops their piece, then there is no one left to support the group. Compare this to real life
situations.
Variations: Each person can name one area another person improved in or name
something that person did to help another person. You can also use this game as a
deinhibitizer and ask questions rather than making statements.


Yurt Circle


*Prevention Calendar: DECEMBER, JANUARY, MAY
*Targets: Accountability/Positive Identity, Loyalty/Support, Civic
Duty/Empowerment
**Variation to tie with Ethical and Developmental Themes: Debrief on the topics of
being accountable and an integral part of the group in order to make this circle work, the
support that is needed so people dont get hurt physically and the empowerment theyll
feel when theyve accomplished this perfect balancing. Ask for examples of times people
may need to stay involved in their communities and why that matters. Ask what is
possible when someone has all three of those elements in life: accountability, support
and empowerment.

Play: There needs to be an even number of members in the group. The group stands in a
circle holding hands. Explain to the group that they need to balance themselves. Every
other person (you can count off by 1s and 2s) leans all the way into the center of the
circle. Everyone else leans all the way away from the center of the circle. Each group
member needs to lean far enough so that if they were alone they would not be able to stay
balanced.