Four Men on a Couch

This is a good game for ages 5 – adults. You’ll want a group of at least 8 people.

Supplies: A couch and other chairs/seats for every player, small pieces of paper with the names of each player written on them.  You can play this game without a couch. You’ll just have to designate four seats in a row to serve as your couch. You can change the name of the game to Four Men on a Log or Four Men on Blue Folding Chairs.

Game Instructions:

Write each person’s name on a slip of paper and put it in a bowl. Ideally, you want the same number of males and females. If this isn’t true for your party, divide into two groups and give half scarves or a sticker on their forehead to identify them as a team. Seat everyone boy-girl-boy-girl around the circle. You will need to have four people sitting on a couch or identify 4 chairs as your “couch”. You will also need one empty chair in your circle. After you are set up, pass the bowl around and have each person take a name. It’s okay if it is their own name. They need to keep this name secret. This is a memory game and they are now that person for the game. The person to the right of the empty chair calls a name. Whoever has that slip of paper moves to the empty chair. Now there is a new empty seat. The person to the right of that seat calls another name and the moving continues. The object of the game is to get the individuals on the other team off the couch and your own teammates on the couch. The first group to occupy all four of the couch seats wins!

 

Animal Sounds

This is a good game for all ages, especially children. You’ll want a group of at least 5 people. No equipment needed.

Game Instructions:

Players sit in a circle with one person in the middle. The person in the middle closes their eyes and counts to ten. The rest of the players change seats. The person in the middle then points to someone, keeping their eyes closed so they do not know who they are pointing to. The person in the middle then calls out the name of an animal. The person who is being pointed at, makes the sound of that animal, trying to disguise their voice. The person in the middle guesses the identity of the sound maker. If correct, that person is now in the middle.

 

Knock Your Socks Off

This is a good game for all ages, but especially elementary school kids. You’ll want a group of at least 5 people. I use this game for class parties at the school at least once per year.

Supplies: Masking tape and socks for every player (Hopefully most of them are already wearing their own socks!) Socks that come above the ankle work the best. Ankle socks come off too quickly.

Game Instructions:

Create a large square or rectangle with masking tape on the floor. It should be large enough for your group to crawl around, chasing each other, but small enough that everyone is still fairly close together. (At school, I usually make a 12′ square.) The object of the game is to be the last person with a sock on. No one can hold onto their socks. No one can pull a sock back up if it’s partially off. Everyone has to stay on their knees or bum. If anyone is caught on their feet, they are out of the game. As soon as both socks are pulled off a person, they must leave the square. They can sit on the outside of the square and cheer. I also tell the kids that if I think anyone is playing too rough, I have the right to pull them from the game. At school, we’ll play several rounds with 6 kids in each round, then have a winners’ round to declare a champion.