Games for Citizen Teachers and Apprentices

Types of Games

Icebreaker/Get to Know You Games
Games that help students get to know each other in the beginning of the apprenticeship

Icebreaker/Teamwork Building Games
Games that build teamwork, communication, cooperation, and coordination skills as well as "breaking the ice"

Apprenticeship Topic Games
Games that can be adapted to almost any apprenticeship and used to reinforce apprenticeship learning

Closure Games
Games that can be used during the last apprenticeship session

Icebreaker/Get to Know You Games
Games that help students get to know each other in the beginning of the apprenticeship

Name Association: The group sits in a circle and everyone thinks of one thing (food, animal, etc.) that starts with the same letter as their name.  Then everyone can introduce themselves: "I am Bobby, and I like Bowling." The next person repeats what the first person said and then adds his or her own. ach person follows until the entire group has gone.

Line it Up: Have students line up in order of their birthdays without speaking.  Remind them to not use number or finger signals and that they cannot make any noises such as grunts or hums.
**Students can also line up by height, shoe size etc.

Starburst Game: Instruct the group to take one piece of candy in each color.   Each color will correspond to a different question that they need to answer in front of the group.  Make a visual key so students can easily see all of the questions.  Here's some sample questions:

• Pink= Something you're proud of
• Yellow= Something you're looking forward to in the program
• Orange= Your favorite thing to do in your spare time
• Red= an embarrassing moment

Everyone should have the opportunity to answer the same number of questions.  Alternate students and/or colors to keep the group's attention.

Two Truths and a Lie: Everyone thinks of three things about him or herself.  Two should be true and one should be untrue.  People try their best to make the untrue statement believable.  Everyone takes turns telling their three statements and the group guesses which statement is untrue.  Make sure everyone gets a chance to have a turn.
**Good for groups that need calming/low-impact games

Human Bingo: Make a sheet of paper with a grid on it.  In every square write a different category or characteristic that might apply to individuals in the group (ex- plays a musical instrument, speaks more than one language, has broken a bone).  Have the students go around to different members of the group and have them autograph any one square that represents them (this may have to be altered for a small group).  The first person to get "Bingo" stops the game and the group sits down to review the categories in the "Bingo" sequence.  This is a good way for the group to begin getting to know one another.
**Good for a large group icebreaker/get to know you game

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Icebreaker/Teamwork Building Games
Games that build teamwork, communication, cooperation, and coordination skills as well as "breaking the ice"

Human Pretzel: Arrange the children in a circle and have everyone put one   hand in and hold hands with someone across the circle.  Then have all of them put in their second hand and hold hands with someone else.  The group must then untangle themselves without letting go of anyone's hands.  You can make this more challenging by giving them a time limit or not allowing talking.

Counting Game: Have the group count from one to ten.  Only one person can talk at a time; if two people speak at once, the group must start over.  There should be no designated order, and no one person can say two consecutive numbers.  If they become good at it, have them try with their eyes closed.
**Good for groups that need calming/low-impact games

Impulse: Divide the group into two teams. Have them stand in two parallel rows about 5 feet apart. You, the facilitator, should be standing at one end of the two rows with a coin. At the other end of the rows, there should be an object like a ball, a bottle, a piece of chalk, etc. Have all the kids stand facing the object with their eyes closed, except for the two kids closest to you who should be facing you with their eyes open. Each child should have one hand behind their back which will be holding on to the hand of the person behind/next to them. The facilitator flips a coin for the two open-eyed participants. Heads = do nothing, Tails = Pulse. If the coin turns up tails, the open-eyed kids squeeze the hand of the person in front of them, and the pulse is passed down the line as quickly as possible to the end. No one may open their eyes, talk or make any noises. When the person at the front of the line receives the impulse (squeeze) that person should grab the object as quickly as possible. The team to grab the object first rotates so that the person from the front of the line is at the back, and the process begins again with a new coin flip. The team to rotate all members through and reach its original order first is the winner. You can penalize teams for false pulses or opening their eyes by allowing the other team to rotate.

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Apprenticeship Topic Games
Games that can be adapted to almost any apprenticeship and used to reinforce apprenticeship learning

Hidden Words: Have pieces of paper with words or messages on them and attach them to the backs of the children.  All of the apprentices must ask each other yes or no questions to try and figure out what is written on their backs.  You can use this as a game to help with vocabulary related to your topic.

Vocabulary Games: Doing anything with vocabulary related to your topic and the alphabet is a good way to learn while having fun.  Try starting with one word and then finding another word that begins with the last letter of the previous word.  For example, in a business apprenticeship you can go around the group coming up with words according to the pattern, "A, is for assets, B, is for bankrupt."

Scavenger Hunts: Scavenger hunts are also a fun way for children to discover.  Sending the kids out to discover things on their own is a good way for them to stay interested in the topic.  Scavenger hunts can be used in almost all apprenticeships.  Just be creative.

Game Shows: You can turn any game show into a way to teach your topic: Jeopardy, Family Feud, Who Wants to Be A Millionaire, etc.  For example, have "Photography Jeopardy," with all (or most) of the categories and questions being related to photography.  You can do this for just about any topic you are teaching.

Toilet Paper Game: Tell the group to pretend they're going on an overnight camping trip.  Pass around the roll of toilet paper, instructing each person to take as many sheets as he/she thinks are necessary.  Ask everyone to count how many sheets they've selected.   Announce that for each sheet they took, they need to answer a question related to your apprenticeship topic. You can create a list of possible questions and have the students choose which ones to ask each other.
**This can also be used as a "Get to Know You" game where for each sheet they take, students have to say one interesting thing or surprising fact about themselves. 

Big Wind Blows: Arrange chairs into a circle with one less chair than the number of people playing.  Everyone in the group sits in a seat.  The one person without a chair stands in the center of the circle and says, "A big wind blows for anyone who...", and then says a characteristic that is true about him/herself, such as "has a little sister." Everyone who shares that trait must get up and find a new seat.  It cannot be next to where they were sitting.  While this is happening, the person who was in the middle finds a seat, leaving a new person in the middle.  The next person continues, coming up with a different characteristic. You can use this game to review Apprenticeship content by having the person who is in the middle answer a question or perform a skill before the "big wind" blows again.

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Closure Games
Games that can be used during the last apprenticeship session

Appreciation Sheets: Have each member of the group write their name at the top of a sheet of paper.  Hang the sheets at various locations around the room or have students help one another tape the sheets to their backs.  Explain that students will move around the room writing appreciations on each other's paper.  Give an example that you might write such as, "You are a great artist and you have a good sense of humor." When the activity is finished, allow students to take their appreciation sheets home or leave the sheets hanging in the room so students can add to them throughout the program.

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Download the printable list of games

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