Chair Game
Large Group (10 and up)
Grades 3-5
No equipment needed
10 minutes or more
Development Goal
To develop teamwork, non-verbal communication, and strategic thinking
Before You Start
- You will need an equal number of chairs to the number of participants.
- Review safety rules (no diving, no head first lunges, one person to a chair)
Set Up
- This game can be easily played in a classroom.
- Have every player bring a chair and arrange them in a close circle with no gaps.
How to Play
- Every participant should start seated in a chair in a circle.
- The leader chooses one player to stand in the middle, so one chair is open.
- The goal of the person in the middle is to sit in the empty chair.
- All seated players must work together to stop the person in the middle from sitting in the open chair. Someone next to the empty seat tries to beat the person in the middle to it by shuffling over, creating a new empty seat.
- The game continues until the person in the middle makes it safely to the open seat. The facilitator then picks someone new to go into the middle.
Variations
Instead of chairs, have players stand on cones (safer, can be played outdoors).