5-10 minute game for Beavers

[deflatedbirthday]

DSS is working towards his bronze certificate at beavers. As part of this he has to run a game for 5-10 minutes.

I'm really struggling to think of one that they don't already play! We do duck duck goose, what time is it mr Wolfe etc.

Does anyone have any ideas for a 5-10 minute game for 15-20 6-8 year olds?!

Head or catch
Dodgeball
Musical statues
Sleeping lions (leaders like that one!)
Wink murder

Obstacle relay races
ladders

Is he confident about running a relay game ... they can work well. Split into teams, each child has a number (ie: four teams of four). Number 1 has to run, number 2 has to walk, number 3 has to hop, number four has to skip. Call the numbers our randomly ... probably hard to explain in writing but you might get the idea.

Or a quiet game like a Kim's Game?

Sleeping Lions?

Head/Hands ... 'leader' in the middle of a circle and throws a soft ball calling out 'head' or 'hands' ... children either have to head the ball, or catch it with their hands ... then keep switching head or hands so it gets a bit frantic.

Ladders - Beavers on floor in pairs sitting opposite each other, each pair is numbered. Call out a number - run up the ladder of legs, round the outside and back to starting position.. keep going until everyone has had a go or the times up.

Go on the Scouting website .. there are probably lots more ideas.

(You can probably tell I used to be a Cub Leaser .. these are bringing back happy memories!)

The Ladders Game:

www.onlinescoutmanager.co.uk/programme.php?action=view&id=4072

Hide and seek?
Kim's game?

Zombies. Great fun for this age group.

Everyone has a chair, places it randomly about the room then sits on it.

One person is chosen to be the zombie and stands in the corner of the room. Their chair stays where it is.

So now everyone is sitting on a chair, except the zombie, and there is one 'spare' chair.
Leader says zombie awaken
Zombie then has to sit down on an empty chair.

Zombie can only walk (and if they do it whilst holding their arms out in front whilst groaning, all the better).
Everyone else can run.
Someone needs to sit on the spare chair before the zombie gets to it, so the zombie can't sit down.
But that will then leave their chair free for the zombie to sit on. So someone needs to run to that chair and sit on it before the zombie etc etc.

Game end when zombie sits down. Then another person is chosen as the zombie and you start again.

Fruit Salad. All kids sit in a circle, and leader goes round outside the ring, touch each one on head, saying "Apple, orange, banana, pear", so each one is a fruit. Then leader calls a fruit name out, with an action, like "Apples - skip! " or "Oranges - dance! " and the named fruits get up and do the action all around the outside of the circle. If leader says"Fruit Salad! " the whole group gets up and does whatever action they like in a spinning circle. Crazy but fun!

Crab football

elephant football

Jailbreak

You need a wall/hedge/fence This serves as the prison.

Have 1-3 guards that 'patrol' an given area, this is the jail.

(maybe a quarter of the hall. They can't leave it.)

Start with 3-5 prisoners who have to have a hand on the wall at all times. They are in the "cells" and can't escape alone.

the other players have to run into the jail and hit the wall/fence and shout "JAIL BREAK" and everyone tries to escape the jail.

Guards can tag players at any point in their jail. Any time a non-guard is tagged they have to go to the cells.

Guards win if they capture everyone
Prisoners win if everyone has escaped.

Really good fun, kids seem to love it.

Cats and mice: tuck a 'tail' (ribbon/sash) into the waistband (not underpants) of each of the mice, who have to avoid having it pulled out by cats. Mice who are caught either sit out or have to count to 20 while reattaching it.

Crusts and crumbs:
warm-up by jogging around then on a signal, they find a partner and sit down. When all are paired up, get them to decide which one is 'crust' and which is 'crumb' in each pair.
Line up row of crusts and row of crumbs, facing opposite each other with 2 metre space down the middle.
Behind each group there is a safe 'den' some way back. Usually a line a few metres away.
Adult gets their attention and they listen to find out who is pursuer/pursued. 'So the ones who have to run away are the... CRUMBS!" Crumbs run for their den. Any caught (reminders beforehand about being careful not to hurt each other) join the opposite team. Repeat endlessly.

I love this idea.

If they don't have chairs, they could place their jumpers on the floor instead.

Lay out a roll of bubble wrap on the floor.
They have to take turns to walk along it, without popping any bubbles.
Keeps them quiet as they're all listening for pops to catch each other out.

Splash was my absolute fave game at youth group and we begged to play it every Friday.

Start with two ropes on the ground a bit apart. Everyone goes in a line and jumps over one at a time. Gradually bring the ropes further and further apart, jumping over each time. Anyone who lands in the river the group shouts splash and the person sits out / helps move the ropes.

There are some different games here...

https://www.scouts.org.uk/beavers/awards/teamwork/

@Snozzlemaid is that even possible!!! Surely some would always pop on each step

Yes. I did it at my dds birthday party once. Best without shoes. But possible with just socks on if you walk carefully.

I'm a beaver leader and my lot love ladders and wink murder

Night at the museum
Buzzy Bees
Cat and Mouse
I used to be a Drama teacher and these were always the favourites.

Wake up Mr Bear,
Corners,
Hospital tig,
Ally Bally, Ally Bally, who's got the ball,
Port and Starboard,
Jigsaw relay based on the theme of the evening's session,
Over and under

Quite fond of Captain's orders/Pirates.
Various instructions shouted out. We do it with Rainbows 5-7 as a run around game, and with Brownies 7 - 10 the last person to do an action / getting an action wrong is out.
Essentially:
Port - run to one side of the room
Starboard - the other side
Scrub the decks - bend down scrubbing motion
Climb the rigging - mime climbing a ladder
Captains coming - stop and salute with an aye aye captain
Its also devolved to include the captain's wife - curtesy
and their pets (various animal sounds and ears)
Additions include:
Lifeboats (4) - changing number, must get in a group of said number, anyone not in group, out
Yellow fever - all lay down with foot in air - cannot get up until the all clear - continue shouting actions to trick
Bombs are dropping - curl up in a ball, as above, neet to wait for all clear
If it becomes a regular game, I tend to add a few more in theme - like island - where they point and say land ahoy, crows nest, etc.

Another is Crocodile Crocodile
1 person is crocodile in the middle. Everyone else at one side of the room.
"Crocodile Crocodile, please may we cross your golden river/lake?"
Crocodile then specifies a requirement to pass - like "only if you're wearing black socks"
Those that meet the requirement may pass to the other side unscathed.
Then those that don't must run across - if caught by the crocodile they become a crocodile.
Repeat until there is 1 person who has survived and is not a crocodile.

Just to comment that depending on the acoustics in the meeting hall some of these games like Captains coming or Fruit salad might be hard for a child to run as it can be a challenge to make yourself heard over the noise of the game.

In Fruit Salad, forgot to say, when leader shouts "Fruit bowl!" they all sit down again.