source: www.youthwork-practice.com | 2000 Games, Devotions, Themes, Ideas and more for Youth Work
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Safari games

Crazy action games in the jungle

Jungle efficiency test 1: letter jungle (giant scrabble)
- Game category: writing, acquaintance
- Number: at least 6 people
- Age: from class 3/4.
- Location: outside
- Material: 1 piece of chalk for each player
Each player receives a different coloured piece of chalk. One player starts by drawing his name in large letters on the ground. All of the others now add their name using one of letters in the first name. You can do this without speaking. After the names have been written (like a crossword) you can carry on with other subjects such as town of residence, job or favourite author. You can recognise which entry belongs to which person due to the coloured chalk. At the end, each player introduces another player by calling out their answers.

Option: Indoors with pens and a large piece of paper (wallpaper roll etc.)
Jungle efficiency test: Radio operator game
- Game category: concentration, acquaintance
- Number of players: not relevant
- Age: from primary school upwards
- Location: not relevant
- Material: None
The players sit in a circle and everyone is a radio operator. Radio contact is made by placing the thumbs of both hands on the temples so that the palms of the hands are clearly visible and the fingers are wiggled. However this is not enough to send the radio signal. The neighbouring players, the left-hand player with his right hand and the right-hand player with his left hand, must make radio contact as well, by lifting up their hands in the above mentioned way. The chief radio operator now says: "Radio operator ... (name) contacts radio operator ... (name)." The person who is chosen must carry on the contact with the same words but he needs the help of his neighbours! Those who are too slow, it doesn't matter whether chief or deputy radio operator, is out of the game. This person remains seated but folds his arms. The nearest contactable radio operator neighbour then takes his place and offer his support!!

Through the tunnel into the jungle: Feeling/hanging onto the rope
- Game category: Movement and co-operation
- Number of players: not important
- Age: not relevant
- Location: note relevant
- Material: Blindfolds, rope (optional)
Everyone is blindfolded (or keeps their eyes tightly closed!) and are led into the jungle through an imaginary tunnel. They hold hands and are led along in a train with the expedition leader.

Option: everyone must feel their way into the jungle along a rope
Spider attack
- Game category: movement
- Number of players: not relevant
- Age: not relevant
- Location: no rough / thorny ground
- Material: a balloon for each player, string
Each participant blows up a balloon and ties it to his ankle with a piece of string. The players now try to burst each others balloons by stamping on them – everyone tries to rescue their lovely spider – but who will manage this the longest?
Monkey – Elephant - Giraffe
- Game category: concentration
- Number of players: not relevant
- Age: primary school upwards
- Location: not relevant
- Material: none
The participants stand in a circle with one player in the middle. This player points to someone and says the name of an animal. The chosen players must act like the named animal with his two neighbours – anyone who makes a mistake goes into the middle

Monkey: Middle player: hand over mouth / left player – hands over ears/ right player – hand covering eyes

Elephant: Middle player: Trunk / right and left-hand players make the ears with their arms

Giraffe: Middle player holds both arms up (neck) / left player - ears / right player - body

Variations: kangaroo, camel, palm toaster, duck…
Caterpillar
- Game category: Co-operation, movement
- Number of players: not relevant
- Age: 6 years and upwards
- Location: outdoors, lawn
- Material: none
The whole group, and a few select players, make a „caterpillar“. Everyone kneels down and grabs the ankles of the person in front. On the game leader’s signal they all move forward in a „caterpillar“. They can move along an even ground or try to conquer hills or (still) waters.

Variation: Once you have practiced a little you can have a race between two caterpillars.
Dragon tail chase
- Game category: movement
- Number of players: at least 10 for a small round and 12-15 for a larger round
- Age: from primary school
- Location: lots of space
- Material: Dragon’s tails in different colours (scarves or crepe paper strips…)
Slight variation: Each dragon receives a tail in their group’s colour and sticks it in their waistband. Each player tries to collect as many dragon’s tails as possible from the other teams without losing his own. Those who lose their tails can collect a new one at the edge of the playing field.

Large variation: 3-4 players make a dragon by standing behind each other holding onto the waist of the player in front. The last players have a tail. The players at the front must try to snatch the tails from the other teams without losing their own
Crossing the swamp
- Game category: movement
- Number of players: not relevant and age: not relevant
- Location: lots of space
- Material: 3 sheets of A4 paper per player – leaves or footprints
Two teams (or more) are put together and decide on a track which they must cross. The first player receives his A4 sheets of paper - he is only allowed to stand on these sheets – he must therefore always place the third sheet in front of him. Once the first player reaches the other side the next player can start. Which team is the quickest?
Observing the monkeys
- Game category: Creative
- Number of players: not relevant and age: not relevant
- Location: An indoor room
- Material: none
The monkeys all stand in a circle. The scientist is sent out of the room and the monkeys decide who the ultimate monkey is. This monkey does different things and the others must copy him. The scientist comes in and must find out who the top monkey is - he has three guesses.
Hare hunt
- Game category: movement
- Number of players: at least 8
- Age: from primary school age
- Location: lots of space
- Material: none
All of the players make a long row and kneel down. All of the odd numbered players face the left side of the room and the even players the right side of the room. The last player at the end of the row should be the hare; the first player in the row is the hunter. The hare is allowed to run clockwise or anti-clockwise around the row and may change direction but the hunter may only move around the row in one direction. Under these unfair rules he would not have a chance. This is why he can choose a player in the row by tapping him on the back to send him off on the hunt in place of the hunter. The new hunter must also stick to the same direction chosen while the hare can still move around in any direction and dart around.
Sitting in a circle
- Game category: Co-operation
- Number of players: at least 12
- Age: not relevant
- Location: not relevant
- Material: none
The players stand in a circle all with the same shoulder pointing towards the centre of the circle. The challenge is to stand so close together that everyone can sit on the knee of the person behind them on the command. And how long will they keep it up????
Animals at the watering hole
- Game category: co-operation, creativity
- Number of players: 10-30 players
- Age: from 8 years
- Location: large room
- Material: none
Small groups of approx. 5 players "turn into animals" with 6 (or 8) legs. These "animals" must be able to walk towards a watering hole (tap or water bowl) and to drink from it. In order to turn into the animal the group must only have 6 legs touching the ground but all players must be involving in making the animal. Limping, piggy back, wheel barrow....everything is allowed as long as the animal can walk and drink.

Variation: you can also include a vehicle.
Banana, Banana, Banana
- Game category: Concentration
- Number of players: not relevant
- Age: from 6/7 years
- Location: Anywhere
- Material: none
The players sit in a circle and everyone chooses a fruit. No fruit is allowed to be chosen by two players! A player starts by saying the name of the fruit of another player three times. The player with this fruit must shout out the name of the fruit before the first has finished calling out. If he manages this, it is his turn to call out a fruit three times. If he does not manage it, he is out of the game or must forfeit and the player who called out the fruit may choose again.
Spider (ladybird) dice
- Game category: dice game
- Number of players: max. 10 players
- Location: at the table
- Material: Paper and pen for each player, 3 dice
Each player receives a piece of paper and a pen and draws six circles on the paper with the numbers 1-6 in them. The players now take turns to throw the dice. If the players throws a 1 he is allowed to draw in one leg of the ladybird (=circle). If a player throws a 2, he may draw a tail or a head. The first ladybird is finished when it has six legs, a tail and a head. Once finished, they can start on ladybird number two and must now throw in twos so that he can draw the arms and legs of the ladybird. They carry on with numbers 3, 4, 5, & 6 in exactly the same way. The players are only allowed to start the next ladybird when the previous one is finished, it does not matter how far along the others are. Who will be first to have all six ladybirds finished?
Word chain
- Game category: concentration
- Number of players: not relevant
- Age: from 7/8 years
- Location: not relevant
- Material: none
The players sit in a circle and the first player must say a word made of two words put together. The next player must then find a word starting with the second part of the previous word. Each player must try to find a new word starting with the second part of the previous word.

Example: Pullover, overrun, runway...........
Ghost
- Game category: Concentration
- Number of players: approx. 8-12
- Location: almost everywhere
- Material: none
The players sit in a circle or agree on another order of play. The first player thinks of a word and says the first letter of the word. The second player must now think of word starting with this letter and says the second letter of his word. It cannot be the same word as the previous player. The third must now think of a word starting with this letter and says the third letter of his word. Anyone who finishes a word or subconsciously says a letter, with which the word is completed, receives a point and starts again with a new letter.

If someone cannot think of a word beginning with the previous letter, he can ask the previous player what he had thinks. If he can think of something, the player who asked receives a point. If he does not know a word because he simply said a letter, he receives the point. Anyone with three points becomes a ghost. The ghost is not allowed to name anymore letters and does not really play the game anymore but he is allowed to put the others off. Anyone to communicates/makes contact with the ghost becomes a ghost as well. Ghosts can communicate without any problems. Who will hold out the longest?
Uru Uru / Nessie Nessie
- Game category: movement
- Number of players: at least 10
- Age: from primary school age
- Location: A darkened room
- Material: none except blindfolds if required
All of the players move around in a darkened room with their eyes closed. One player is chosen by the game leader - once the game has started and so that no one else notices- to be the Nessie. If two players meet, they ask each other "Nessie, Nessie?" If none of the two players are the Nessie, they move on. If a player does not receive an answer from the other, he knows that he has comes across the Nessie and does not need to be asked if they are the Nessie. The player who has found the Nessie joins hands with him and starts off a chain. When another player comes across the Nessie and his chain, he also joins the chain. The game is over once all players belong to Nessie.
Hen and eagle
- Game category: movement & co-ordination
- Number of players: at least 8
- Age: not relevant
- Location: outdoors
- Material: none
All of the players make a line standing behind each other and holding onto the shoulders of the player in front. One player remains free and he is the eagle. The first player in the line is the hen and the others are the chicks. The eagle wants to steal the youngest chick = the last player (by tagging), while the hen at the front tries to stand in front of the chick so that this is not possible. If the eagle manages to steal the chick, the chick goes to the front of the line and the eagle tries to get the next one. The eagle can also be swapped over.
Waking sleeping lions
- Game category: Concentration
- Number of players: not relevant
- Age: small children
- Location: indoors
- Material: none
One player is the baby lion. All of the other lions lie on the ground and "sleep" with their eyes open and do not move. The little baby lion wants to play and tries to wake up all of the sleeping lions – almost everything is allowed except physical contact. If a lion moves it joins the baby lion in trying to wake the others. You can round off with a big lion roar.
Termites – Eagle – Rhinoceros (Fire – Water – Storm)
- Game category: movement
- Number of players: not relevant
- Age: more suitable for younger children
- Location: in a room
- Material: Tables and chairs to stand on
All of the players wander around the room. When the game leaders shout danger they have to protect themselves: Termites: Everyone stands on something – Eagle: everyone lays down flat on the ground – Rhinoceros: everyone stands up against the wall and makes themselves as thin as possible. The last person to assume the position is out of the game. When the danger is gone, the game leader says "carry on" and they all wander about again.

Variation: The last person to reach safety is allowed to call out the next danger – this can, however, lead to the children not wanting to find safety…