General Games
Balance It
Equipment needed: A paper bag for each Burrow. Each bag is filled with the same miscellaneous objects. Ideas of what to include:
feather, marble, boiled egg, coin, cotton ball, fist-sized rock, book, potato, playing card, Lego block, toy car, etc.
If you have 4 meerkats per burrow, add 5 -6 items.
How To Play: Give one bag to each Burrow. If you have a small Den, use one bag and the meerkats pick the items at random.
Burrows line up at the start line with a marker about 10 meters away. The first meerkat reaches into the bag and pulls out an item.
Balance the item on the back of one hand and race to the marker, put the item down, and run back to tag the next meerkat.
The game is finished when all the meerkats had a chance. You can repeat if there is time.
Rules: A player cannot touch the item with the other hand. If the item is dropped, the meerkat either starts over at the beginning or picks it up where it dropped - you decide beforehand.
T-shirt Swap
Equipment needed: 1 extra large T-shirt for each burrow. A supervising adult for each burrow.
How To Play: Best played in burrows of four. Burrows line up in single file. The shirt is given to the first meerkat in each line.
On 'Go' signal, the meerkat puts the shirt on, and then holds hands with the next meerkat in line, facing each other.
The other meerkats pull the shirt over from one meerkat to the next, while they are holding hands. The new shirt wearer then turns and holds hands with the next meerkat, and the other two meerkats move the shirt from over.
Teams need to have the same number of players or some need to put the shirt on twice.
Tails / Tails Tag
Equipment needed: Group Scarf, ribbon, or small fabric square to act as a tail for each child. You will also need a designated open space for the children to run around. (indoors or outdoors)
How To Play: Each child tucks a ‘tail’ into the back of their shorts.
The children run around the play area trying to capture the other players' tails whilst keeping their own tails safe.
If a child’s tail is captured, they perform a pre-agreed fitness activity – e.g. 5 jumping jacks or hopping on the spot 5 times. You can use some of the Keep Fit Badge activities here.
They can then rejoin the game, trying to capture a new tail from another player.
Captain Says
Equipment needed: None
How To Play: The DS/ADS can be the captain or select one player to be the captain. The captain stands at the front of the play area.
All other players line up single file, facing the captain. Name and show the various commands and actions to be used in the game.
The captain calls out a command. The players do the action associated with the command. The faster the actions are called and performed, the trickier (and funnier) the game becomes.
Basic commands:
- To the island: run to the left (can also be a command of ‘port’ if you are a Sea Scout Group)
- Scrub the deck: kneel down and make a scrubbing motion with your hands
- Hit the deck: lay on your stomach
- Clear the deck: everyone must have their feet off the floor
- Up periscope!: lie on your back with one leg raised straight in the air. Turn the raised foot as if a scanning periscope
- Captain’s coming: stand to attention and salute
- Climb the rigging: pretend to climb a rope
- Abandon ship!: players must pair up, sit face to face, and pretend to row a lifeboat
- Lifeboat: players pair up and dance together
- Crow’s nest: players pair up and the lightest player rides on their partner’s back (piggyback)
Please, Mr. Crocodile
Equipment needed: Different color ribbons if your Meerkats are wearing a uniform.
How To Play: All of the players (except one who is chosen as ‘Mr Crocodile’) stand side by side on one side of the area or room, facing the other side. Mr Crocodile stands in the middle of the area or room.
The players chant, “Please Mr Crocodile may we cross the river? If not, why not, what’s your favorite color?”
Mr Crocodile calls out one color name and any of the players wearing that color are safe to cross past Mr Crocodile to the other side of the yard/room. For example, if Mr Crocodile calls, “Blue,” anyone wearing blue is safe to cross.
Once the safe players are across to the other side of the space, the players not wearing the selected color must try to run across to the other side without being caught by Mr Crocodile.
The player that is caught becomes the next Mr Crocodile and the game starts again.
Scarecrow Tag
Equipment needed: None
How To Play: One or more players are nominated as the tagger. The players run around the play area and when tagged by the tagger they must freeze, standing with arms and legs spread wide to form a scarecrow shape. The tagged player can be set free if another free player crawls through their legs. A player is also ‘safe’ and cannot be tagged while they are crouched under a scarecrow’s legs.
Duck Duck Goose
Equipment Needed: None
How To Play: Meerkats form a circle. Designate somebody to be "it".
"It" needs to walk around the circle quietly and calmly tapping each kid on the back and saying "Duck". They can only go around the circle once so they must choose the next step carefully. Once they pick the Meerkat to chase them they tap on his/her back saying "Goose".
The "Goose" must then jump up and chase "It" around the circle before "It" reaches the empty spot. If the "Goose" tags "It" before he/she gets to the empty spot, "It" must sit in the middle of the circle until a new "Goose" is chosen.
"Goose" now becomes "It" and repeats the same steps to pick the new "Goose".
The game ends when everyone had a turn to be "Goose" or time runs out.
What's the time Mr. Wolf?
Equipment Needed: None
How to Play: One player must be designated to be Mr. Wolf. If you have Meerkat Instructors, let them be Wolf.
Meerkats all line up a fair distance away from Mr. Wolf. Mr. Wolf stands with his back facing the Meerkats.
To start the Game the Meerkats must all shout "What's the time Mr. Wolf?".
Mr. Wolf has 2 options to respond:
He can call a time "It's 5 o'clock" and the Meerkats will have to take 5 steps forward, 4 o'clock is 4 steps, and so forth. Mr. Wolf is not allowed to see how close the Meerkats are.
He can also say "It's Dinner Time" This is the Key Phrase and Mr Wolf turns around and tries to capture a Meerkat by tagging them!
The Aim of the Game is for the Meerkats to get to Mr. Wolf before Dinner Time to tag Mr. Wolf and win the game. If Mr. Wolf calls "Dinner Time" before a Meerkat reached him then the game re-starts after the chase.