General Games
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.