Theme

General

Age Range

14+

Type

Games

Number of Participants

10+

Timescale

5-10 minutes

Quick Overview

A crazy game where the king/queen must be defended from a barrage of balls. Requires teamwork, speed and cooperation.

Supplies you’ll need

4-6 soft football-sized balls, a marker for where the king/queen must stand e.g. a cone, an X made with masking tape.

Game run-through

There are many versions of this game; here is one such:

Have the young people make a large circle around the room.

Pick a volunteer, congratulate them and reveal that they are now the king/queen. Have this young person stand in the centre of the room.

Next pick three more volunteers; explain they are now the bodyguards. Have them form a tight circle around the king/queen facing outward, towards the outer circle. Explain that it is now their job to defend the king/queen who is constantly under threat from people usurping his/her power.

To win the game, at the end of the time limit, young people must either be the king/queen or a bodyguard.

To become the king/queen, the young people who form the large outer circle must throw the balls at the king/queen and get a hit on them. Once the king/queen is hit; the game stops, the person who hit the king/queen becomes the new king/queen and the old king/queen becomes a bodyguard, replacing the bodyguard who has been there longest.

Nobody in the game is allowed to move their feet during rounds of the game as this helps to make it more manageable. It may mean you have to fetch balls for people, but comparatively its easier.

Health and safety

Softer, spongier balls are strongly advised.