Variations on Old Favorites

• Clothespin tag: Give each player six clothespins. The object is for each player to pin a clothespin on six different people, while avoiding being pinned by other players. The winner is the first person to get rid of all his clothespins.
  
  Balloon kite war: This game requires a kite and several straight pins for each player, several helium balloons and a windy day. Tie the balloons to long strings so they rise to a kite flying level. Tape the pins to several places on the kites and have the players launch them toward the balloons. The winner is the one who pops the balloon with her kite. Players can take turns flying kites or compete as a team.
  
  Bedlam: Divide the group into two or four teams, depending on how many you have. Each team starts in a corner opposite the another team. Announce a type of movement the teams must do, such as running, crawling or wheelbarrow racing. When you say "go" the teams must move all their members from their corner to the opposite corner using the announced motion. The winning team gets all its players to the new corner first. Repeat with a new motion.
  
  

Challenging Games

• Pass the lifesaver: Line the players up and give each one a toothpick to place in his mouth. All players must clasp their hands behind their backs. Slide a lifesaver onto the toothpick of the first player. She must then slide it onto the toothpick of the player next to her, without using her hands. This game is usually played as a race between two or more teams.
  
  Chocolate scramble: Place a wrapped chocolate bar in the middle of a table with a pair of mittens next to it. The players take turns rolling a pair of dice. When a player rolls a six, he has 30 seconds to put on the mittens, unwrap the candy bar and eat it.
  
  Honey I love you but I just can't smile: Players sit in a circle in chairs. Choose one player to be "it." The chosen player sits on the lap of another player (usually of the opposite gender) and tries to get him to smile. If the chosen player can get him to say, "Honey I love you but I just can't smile," without smiling, she moves on to another player and tries again. However, if she succeeds in making that player smile, that player becomes the next one to be "it."
  
  Liar: One player is selected to ask questions of another while the group watches. The questions can be about anything, but the answers must be untrue. For example, the answer to "What color is the sky?" cannot be blue. When a player answers truthfully, he is out and someone else takes his place. The questions should be asked at a fast pace to keep the player off balance.