I have a word doc with a bunch I've copied down from organizations I've been in over the years (you surprisingly need them a lot in college). Here's a good chunk!:
· -Question of the Day: Have a jar with random questions and at the end or beginning of each practice, go around and have everyone answer it (Example: What is your favorite color? What was your favorite vacation? How many siblings do you have? What was the worst candy you’ve ever eaten? Etc etc etc…)
· -The Question Game: Have a jar with a mixture of different questions and random “action” slips such as “give your best air guitar impression” or “run a lap around the gym and talk to all the doors”. Each cheerleader will pick a slip and either answer the question on the slip or do the action. No one ever wants to get an action slip but they turn out hilarious.
· -M&M Game- Cheerleaders sit in a circle. Pass around a bag of M&Ms. Tell them to take as many M&Ms they want but they can't eat them. For every red (any color) M&M they took, they have to share something about (positive) themselves. You can limit the number they can take, or make each color a different thing they have to answer (blue could be saying something positive about a teammate, green could be sharing a hard cheer moment they overcame, etc. etc.). They can eat the candy when they’re done.
· -Human Letters-Divide the squad into groups of 4 to 5 people (stunt groups usually). The coach calls out a letter. Each group has to spell out the letter on the ground with their bodies. The group to get the letter the fastest, or the most accurate, wins. Keep score.
· - Machine builder game:Divide the group into teams (3 or more teams). Assign each group to build a certain machine with their own bodies such as a toaster, washing machine, vacuum cleaner, lawn mower, television, etc. Give them time to work it out. Then they build the machine and the other teams guess what it is.
· -Hula Hoop Game: Everyone starts with their own hula hoop which is their "planet" (or at least only 2 ppl per hoop if you don't have enough) and is told that only two feet can be touching the ground on a "planet" at one time. Additionally, they cannot sit in the hoop. Then they are told to "space" walk around the "planets" like musical chairs. When the music stops, they must find a hoop and not break the 2 feet per hoop rule or they are out. Soon, you start taking away hula hoops. You will have to use teamwork or creativity to fit everyone inside remaining hoops and eventually one hoop (they can either build something to stay inside, or figure out the loop hole that they can't sit inside the hoop but nothing was ever said about sitting OUTSIDE the hoop so the entire team can sit outside it with their feet resting on two of the girls' feet if smart enough). Encourage them to try and save as many of their team as possible from getting sent out to "space".
· -Goofy Cheer: Divide the girls into two or three groups and each group has to make up a cheer for a different situation (policemen, firemen, teachers, fast food places, etc.). The coaches choose the winner of this. They usually turn out pretty funny, with choreography and funny little made up stunts.
· -Name Crostics - Give a piece of paper to every cheerleader and ask them to write their name in the middle of the paper about a half an inch high. When given the signal, the cheerleaders should move around the room, attaching their names to another name if the letters fit (like a crossword puzzle). The person who is able to attach the most names is the winner.
· -FFEACH: This might be one of the best games of all times! FFEACH is a charades race and the categories are Fast Foods, Electrical Appliances, and Cartoon Heroes. Teams compete against each other to complete a predetermined list of items. We use the term "compete" loosely, as it is a charades race, afterall...
- Divide the group into 2 or more teams.
- Have the group spread out so that they can't overhear the next team's answers.
- Ask one member from each team to come to you.
- Whisper the first word into the ears of the volunteers, and release them to their groups at the same time.
- Once a member of the group guesses the word correctly, someone new runs to the instructor for the next word. Advise the group when you are giving instructions that no one can come up for a word twice until everyone has gone up once. This helps ensure that everyone participates.
- The team members must tell the instructor what word their team just guessed, and the instructor tells the new volunteer the next word on the list.
- The object of the game is to complete the entire list without cheating.
FFEACH LIST
1. Superman
2. Curly Fries
3. Spongebob Square Pants
4. Curling Iron
5. Remote Control
6. Pepperoni Pizza
7. Incredible Hulk
8. Dishwasher
9. Microwave
10. McNuggets
11. Fruit Juicer
12. Scooby Doo
13. Batman
14. Portable CD Player
15. Bacon Double Cheeseburger
16. Defribulator(AED)
17. Pappa Smurf
18. Blender
19. Wonder Woman
20. Onion Rings
· -Team Totem pole- have each squad member choose an animal to represent them in their stunt groups to discuss, then build the totem pole on a locker room wall or hallway per team (you can look up native american totem pole animal meanings. they have sheets)
· - Join the circle game- have one person start and list off things about themselves. When another person hears something that they have in common with that person, they get up and join hands. The new person lists things about themselves now until another person gets up to join hands. The game keeps going until everyone has linked hands, making a circle.
· -Newspaper dress up: get a bunch of old newspapers and tape. Announce the fashion theme (disney, rock star, occupation, etc.) and let each group of 3-5 go at it. After an amount of time, judge the winner (can do most creative, best accurate representation, etc.)
· -Draw on backs telephone: just like the telephone game but everyone sits in a single line. person at the back has to draw on the person in front of them's back whatever the "telephone item" is.
· -Toxic River- Everyone is on one side. You measure a space about 5 feet and call it a toxic river. You want the whole squad to cross as fast as they can. They aren't allowed to cross the toxic river without and special pair of boots and there is only one pair of boots. Each person can use the boots only once. The boots cannot be tossed over the river. Each person has to personally give the boots to he next person and if they touch the toxic waste without the boots, the team must start over. Hint: Carrying people over is the key.
· -Make shapes with a rope blindfolded/with eyes closed: Everyone is given a part of the rope, then told to close their eyes. Then the coach calls out a shape and the team has to try and make the rope into that shape without opening their eyes. Usually the shape doesn’t always look like the real shape and it is pretty funny.
· -Group Push Up - Work smarter, not harder. You do not need strength or athleticism for this game. The goal is to have the group (4 or 5 people) to hold each other up with only their hands touching the ground.
· -A round of applause- Spread out a bunch of various objects around the room. Then blindfold one teammate, and then have rest of the team sit facing them. The object of the game is for the team to lead the blindfolded teammate to do a specified task by only applauding. The blindfolded kid can talk but no one can answer them or respond besides clapping. Examples of tasks are things such as sitting in a certain chair, picking up a red colored ball( which gets really fun if there are several colored balls around), and things more difficult such as making a snow angel.
· -Magic carpet challenge- fit the whole team on an 4 by 5 tarp and then try to flip it while once on it
· -Silent Line Challenge: Have the team get into a line according to different things (height, birthday, shoe size, etc.) without talking
· -Replicate, run, build, look race – one person is a “looker”, one person a runner, and the rest are builders on each team. The looker can look at the image, but cannot speak. The runner runs between the looker and the builders, and the builders must replicate the image based on what the runner tells them. First team to correctly replicate wins.
· - Monster game -Make a monster that walks with both hands and feet on the ground. The monster must have at least one less arm than the number on the squad and one more foot. Once the monster is created, it has to move five feet and make a sound.
· - Picture books- Cut out squares of paper and put them into little stacks (we would do 10 in a group with 10 sheets in a stack). You sit in a circle and everyone starts with their own paper stack. Everyone is told to write their favorite movie on the top square and pass their stack to the left. Then everyone takes the square that was written on to the bottom of the stack and tries to draw whatever movie was written on the new blank square that should be on top. After a short time, they pass everything to the left again and then have to guess what was drawn on the top square of the new stack that was handed to them. They write down their guess on the next blank square after they put the drawn on square to the bottom of the stack, and again pass it to the left. This keeps going on until the original person gets their own stack back. (It’s like a drawing version of telephone).
· -Autograph Bingo (google for the sheet): Print out plain bingo like sheets and have the girls go around and get teammates to sign a square (one signature per square), and additionally a small slip of paper to fold and put into a jar. Depending on the team size, that will determine how many squares you will need on the sheet (like bingo, you don’t want everyone to have every signature/i.e. number on every board). Once everyone’s “bingo cards” are filled out, the coach picks out a slip just like regular bingo. Whoever gets bingo first wins.
