ULTIMATE NINJA
Have all the players stand in
a circle. Together, the group
yells, “Ultimate Ninja!” and
then each player jumps to
a new spot and gets into a
ninja stance. Choose one
person to begin the game.
On each person’s turn, they
may try to strike someone’s
hand with one motion, or
they may move one step.
Once the motion is complete,
it immediately becomes the
next person’s turn. Turns
move clockwise around the
group. You are allowed to
dodge in one motion when
you think someone is trying
to strike your hand; however,
you must hold this new pose
after you dodge. A player is
deemed “out” of the game
when their hand is hit by an
attacker. The game is
played until there is one
player standing.
PROTECT THE PRESIDENT
For this game, you will need a
volleyball-sized Nerf ball. Have
everyone stand in a wide circle
with two people in the middle.
One person in the middle is the
“president,” while the other is
the “bodyguard.” The people
comprising the circle have the
Nerf ball and throw it at the
president. The bodyguard may
do anything to block the ball
with their body: jump, squat,
dive, etc. The ball may NEVER
touch the president. If the ball
touches the president at any
time, the person who threw the
ball (or the last person to touch
it) becomes the bodyguard,
the bodyguard becomes the
president, and the president
goes back into the circle. What
makes this exciting is that from
the moment the president
is hit, the new president
is vulnerable because the
transition is instantaneous. The
new bodyguard must quickly
get into the circle to defend
him or her. This sometimes
makes presidential turnover
pretty quick, but it’s exciting.
This game is EXHAUSTING,
especially if the people in the
middle are good players. Be
ready to sweat if you play. One
strategy for the “shooters” is to
pass the ball around the circle
and keep it moving to wear
down the people in the middle.
They’ll eventually tire, and
the president will get hit. As
the kids get more experience
playing the game, they will
develop strategies and
tactics and will thoroughly
enjoy themselves.
NINJA, BEAR, HUNTER
This is a blown-up version of
Rock, Paper, Scissors. This
game can be played with any
three characters as long as
they can be acted out. First,
the entire group breaks off
into pairs. The two players
will stand back-to-back and
count to three. On the count
of three, both players turn
around and immediately strike
one of the following poses.
Ninja (the crane pose from
the Karate Kid), Bear (two
hands raised above the head),
or Hunter (hands in the shape
of holding a bow and arrow
pointed at the opponent).
Who wins:
Ninja beats hunter,
Hunter beats bear,
Bear beats ninja.
These games go quickly and
are most fun when players
make noises representing
each character. Have each
duo play best out of three,
then find a new partner.
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