Favourite Circle Games, Part 1

Name and Purpose

• Favourite Circle Games, Part 1 is a collection of nine low-equipment, high-energy circle activities.
• Each game builds focus, connection, listening, and group trust.

a.k.a.

• Circle Games Collection

Age / Group / Time / Space

• Ages 8-16 | 8-30 players | 5-10 min per game | Any space for a circle (indoors or outdoors)

Materials

• Most games need nothing. See individual game notes below.

Quick-Run Card

1. Choose one game from the collection.
2. Seat or stand the group in a circle.
3. Demonstrate the mechanic clearly with a co-facilitator or willing volunteer.
4. Play a practice round at half-speed, then full speed.
5. Transition to the next game or debrief.

Setup and Boundaries

• Arrange group in a clear circle with enough arm-length space between players.
• Signal: one raised hand means pause. Voice cue: Freeze works well for circle games.
• Ha Ha Ha note: players lie on the floor. Check surface is clean and comfortable.

How to Play

Ah Soh Koh

1. Everyone sits in a circle and learns three commands: Ah (arm across chest, pointing left or right), Soh (arm above head, pointing left or right), Koh (both arms forward, pointing to anyone in the circle).
2. Commands must follow in order: Ah, then Soh, then Koh.
3. When pointed to by Ah or Soh, you receive and pass the sequence. When pointed to by Koh, you may accept and restart with Ah, or raise both hands and say No, which sends it back to the Koh sender.
4. If someone hesitates or uses the wrong motion, they step outside the circle and walk the perimeter, calling out playful distractions.
5. No elimination version: continue play without stepping out. Focus on the fun, not the mistakes.

Ha Ha Ha

1. Everyone lies in a circle. Each person rests their head on the stomach of the person to their left.
2. The first person calls out Ha. The next calls Ha Ha. Continue around the circle, adding one Ha each turn.
3. Goal: reach ten Ha’s without the group dissolving into real laughter. Spoiler: they will.

Have You Ever? (also called Postman)

1. Set up one fewer chair or place marker than players. One player stands in the centre as the Caller.
2. The Caller shares something true about themselves: Have you ever gone swimming in the ocean?
3. Everyone for whom that is also true moves to a new spot, at least two chairs away from their current one.
4. The player left without a seat becomes the new Caller.
5. No one is ever without a role. The Caller is the spotlight, not the loser.

Honey If You Love Me

1. One player stands in the centre. They approach others and say: Honey, if you love me, you’ll smile.
2. That person must respond without smiling: Honey, I love you, but I just can’t smile.
3. The centre player may use funny faces, voices, or gestures (no touching) to get a smile.
4. If the responder smiles or laughs, they swap to the centre role.

Jabberwacky

1. Two players stand outside the circle: one calls Jabberwacky, one calls Jabberwalk.
2. One to three players stand in the centre, bent at the waist, hands touching feet, eyes closed.
3. The Jabberwacky caller guides the centre players toward a chosen gap in the circle.
4. The Jabberwalk caller tries to misdirect them. The rest of the circle sings Row, Row, Row Your Boat as loud as possible.
5. Centre players try to find the gap using only the sound of Jabberwacky.

King Lizard

1. Everyone chooses an animal, a motion, and a sound.
2. One player sends the action: their own noise and motion, then someone else’s.
3. The named player responds with their own noise and motion, then passes to another.
4. Competitive version: if a player hesitates or mixes up their signals, they are out for that round.
5. Non-competitive version (recommended): no one gets out. Play continues until everyone is laughing.

Scissors

1. Group sits in a circle. One person holds a pair of scissors (or two sticks).
2. The holder passes the scissors, saying: I receive the scissors (open or closed) and I pass them (open or closed).
3. Each person repeats the phrase. The leader announces whether each statement is right or wrong.
4. The trick: open and closed refer to whether the passer’s legs are uncrossed (open) or crossed (closed), not the scissors themselves.
5. Once someone figures it out, they whisper to the leader rather than announce to the group.

Woosh

1. Leader mimes pulling an invisible Woosh ball from their pocket and explains it is very light.
2. Passing the ball left or right: say Woosh.
3. Refusing a pass: say Wao and raise both hands. The sender must pass the other way.
4. Going Freakalistic: if the energy of the ball takes over, shout Freakalistic and everyone dances and finds a new spot.
5. Messing up the flow: say Boing, put both hands above your head, and bend at the knees.

This Is a What?

1. Leader holds an object (shoe, hat, ball). Turns to the next person: This is a shoe.
2. That person responds: A what? Leader repeats: A shoe. Person says: A what? Leader: A shoe. Person takes it: Oh, a shoe.
3. That person then turns to the next and repeats with the same object.
4. Once one object is circling, add more. Try going in opposite directions at the same time.

I-OPt Options

• A (Active): Full participation in the main mechanic of each game.
• S (Support): Help demonstrate, count signals, or narrate the action for the group.
• Q (Quiet): Participate at the edges of the circle, lower energy, smaller movements.
• O (Observer): Watch one round, then join when comfortable.

Inclusion Adaptations

• Ha Ha Ha: players who prefer not to lie on the floor may sit in a chair at the edge of the circle and place a hand on the shoulder of the player to their left to stay connected.
• All verbal games (Woosh, Ah Soh Koh, This Is a What?) can include visual cues (hand signals) for participants with hearing differences.

Stewardship Moment

• Most games use no materials. The ones that do (Scissors, This Is a What?) use items that are stored and reused.
• Reflection: These games work because of the people, not the stuff. What does that tell us about what makes fun?

Consent

• Pre-brief: In some of these games, you might be in the middle or on the spot for a moment. For those not comfortable with that, every game has a way to play from the circle edge.
• Mid-game check: Between games, do a quick thumbs check. Ready for the next one?
• Opt-out/re-entry: Step back to Observer any time. Rejoin by stepping back into the circle.

Risks and Mitigation

• Ha Ha Ha on hard floors: use a soft mat or grassy area.
• Jabberwacky participants with eyes closed: clear the floor of objects before play. Staff stand near to spot.
• Honey If You Love Me: reinforce the no touching rule clearly before starting.

Warm-Up Suggestions

• Name and Motion: each person says their name with a big gesture. Group echoes. Builds circle energy before the games begin.

Debrief Questions

• What? Which game was hardest? Which felt the most natural?
• So What? What do all of these games have in common?
• Now What? Which one would you want to teach to someone else?

Cleanup and Reset

• Return scissors, sticks, or borrowed objects.
• Replace chairs if used.
• Nothing else to reset.