Secret Signals is one of our all-time favorites. It gets your group interacting and keeps everyone laughing.
PREP TIME–Â None
ITEMS NEEDED– None
GAME TIME–Â 10-20 Minutes
PARTICIPANTS– Everyone, with 7-9 per Group
INSTRUCTIONS
Once you have group separated, have them all stand in a circle, facing each other. You will then have one person stand on the inside of the group. The outside group are the signalers and the inside person is the guesser.
Have the guesser leave the room for a moment so the signalers can come up with their “secret signal”. It must be something that is obvious and visible. Anything from a peace sign to chicken arms to the John Travolta disco pose from Saturday Night Fever. Make sure everyone knows their signals and everyone else’s signal in their group as well.
When everyone has their signal, explain that the point of the game is to pass their signals on to others. They do this by randomly choosing a person within the group to start. They will first use their signal and then use someone else’s signal from the group. Once they do so, the person it was passed to, must do their signal to signify that they “caught” it and then pass it on to another person.
It would look something like this:
Now that everyone is on the same page, have them group into a circle, about 15′ in diameter. If teams get too close, it’s to easy for the guesser to tag them.
The Job of the person in the middle is to identify and then tag the person who is “holding” the signal. As the game goes on, groups will be able to go very fast and it will make it difficult to catch the signaler. Once the person in the middle identifies and tags the correct person, they will then join the outer circle, create their own signal and switch places with the person who was tagged.
Keep repeating for as long as people are having fun!
BONUS TIPS
1. Do a quick trial run to make sure everyone understand the game. It’s great to have a couple other people demonstrate the game with you if possible.
2. Groups are bound to get your signals crossed at some point- you may even get two signals running simultaneously. Just have the guesser close their eyes and point to the person who will restart the game.
3. Make sure the guessers don’t just start guessing everyone without a reason. It makes the game short… and it’s not fun! If they are struggling after a good amount of time, have the circle close in tighter and tighter. This makes it easier for the guesser to identify and tag the signalers.
4. Suggest funny signs! The bigger the better, because they are difficult to pass and humorous to watch.
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