Today’s game is simply entitled, Flip It! It’s a super simple game that involves a teamwork, creativity and a whole lot of balance.
PREP TIME– None
ITEMS NEEDED– Beach Towel or Small Blanket
GAME TIME– 5-10 Minutes
PARTICIPANTS–Â 6-8 Participants per Team
INSTRUCTIONS
Once you have selected teams, lay down your beach towel (or small blanket) on the floor. If it’s one-sided, put it face down. You will then have each team huddle together so that they are all standing on the towel together at the same time. It should be fairly crowded, but they will need a small amount of space to begin playing.
When everyone is situated, explain to them that they must work as a team to turn the towel completely over (so that it is face up) without having anyone on their team touch the ground with any part of their body. If the towel is crowded, they will have to get creative. I’ve seen teams load people on their backs, counter-balance each other and even huddle to one microscopic piece of the towel. Once the towel is completely flipped over with everyone standing on it, you have a winner.
There is no doubt, Flip It will invade people’s personal bubbles, but it also works great to discuss how working together helps you accomplish goals, and how even one person’s unwillingness to cooperate creates a dilemma for the rest of the team.
BONUS TIPS
1. If no team are able to accomplish the task, let one person place their foot or hand on the ground. This will usually be enough to get at least one team over the hump.
2. Use bright colored towels/blankets so you can easily see the difference in colors from the floors and player’s shoes.
3. Closely watch teams to make sure they’re not cheating. While the game is about completing the task, the greater point is about teamwork and seeing how people deal with adversity.
4. If you feel teams are stacked, don’t be afraid to move some people around. I almost always let our students pick their own teams, except when we do team-building games.
So there it is. A great game that you can debrief with teams if you desire, or simply use as a teaching point in a message.
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