Banana Fencing

Materials:
bananas, peanut butter

Directions:
Have two people sword fight with a peanut butter tipped banana. The first to tap the peanut butter onto the torso of the other is the winner. Use another non-flingable, non-staining material if worried about peanut allergies.

Pumpkin Decorating Mixer

Materials:
4-5 pumpkins, markers

Directions:
Divide into groups of 4 or 5 and give each group a pumpkin which they need to draw a face on with markers. Works great around October 31st.

Hula Hoop Pass Mixer

Materials:
2 hula-hoops

Directions:
Have two large circles hold hands and compete against each other trying to pass their whole team through the hula-hoop.

Paper Plates Musical Chairs Mixer

Materials:
paper plates

Directions:
Have paper plates scattered throughout the room. When the music stops everyone must be touching the plate. If they are not, then they are out. Take out more plates every time.

Song Making Mixer

Materials:
index cards

Directions:
Split the room up into groups and give each group five words on a card. They need to make up a song with those words. This works well on theme nights, for example, come up with a western song.

Cut Up Pictures Mixer

Materials:
camp/club pictures, scissors

Directions:
Use old camp or club pictures, cut them up into 3 or 4 pieces, mix all the pictures bits up and hand them out. They have to put the pictures back together.

Cross The Room If Mixer

Materials:
none

Directions:
Divide the room in half and have students, "cross the room if..." and say some description. Example: "cross the room if you are wearing red."

Spoons Mixer

Materials:
plastic spoons, decks of cards

Directions:
Play the game of spoons with everyone. Use several decks of cards if you need them, either as separate games or combining them for one game

Length-Of-String Mixer

Materials:
string

Directions:
Everyone gets a length of string. Each string is the same length as one other person in the room. Students have to find their match.

Candy Match-Up Mixer

Materials:
assorted candy

Directions:
Hand out (one type to each) all sorts of mixed up candy. Have students match theirs to others who have the same and have them introduce each other or tell something about themselves when they get into their groups.

Human Knots Mixer

Materials:
none

Directions:
Separate the club into small circles. Everyone grabs the hands of a person not standing next to them. The first team to untangle back into a circle wins.

Flour Bag Pass Mixer

Materials:
bags of flour, tarp (if inside)

Directions:
Separate the club into big lines and see which one can pass a bag of flour overhead to the back of the line and then back up front the fastest (cut some small holes in the bag first). This mixer is extremely messy.

Water Buckets Mixer

Materials:
5 buckets, cups, water

Directions:
Get four groups into a line with one bucket of water on the end. Have small cups used to pass down the water to the opposite end of he line and fill up an empty bucket. The first line done wins.

Fruit Sculpture Mixer

Materials:
fruit, tarp or plates

Directions:
Break up into groups of 7 or 8 and make sculptures out of the fruit give to your group. Leader then interviews each group.

Farm Animal Mixer

Materials:
piece of paper with farm animals, (optional: strobe light)

Directions:
Give everyone a piece of paper with a name of a farm animal on it, then during the mixer time have everyone make the noise of the farm animal and find the same animals. This works well with a strobe light and the lights off too.

Conversational Hearts Mixer

Materials:
valentine conversational hearts, paper, pens

Directions:
Pass out valentine conversational hearts to everyone, then split up into groups and have each group come up with a poem using what it says on their hearts.

Rainbow Soccer Mixer

Materials:
2 different color sets of balloons, 2 large containers

Directions:
Two teams, each has balloons with their team color. Goalie for each team stands opposite his team with a large container. Kids try to get their balloons to their goalie and into the container while keeping the other balloons out by popping, etc.

Organized Mingling Mixer

Materials:
list of questions

Directions:
Students mingle to music and shake hands. When the music stops, leader calls out a question they must ask of whomever they are shaking hands. Use fun and serious questions.

Body Part Mixer

Materials:
none

Directions:
Each kid has a partner. Mingle, then call out two body parts and they put those two parts together (i.e. "nose to toe").

Your Number Is Up Mixer

Materials:
none

Directions:
Instruct your whole group to walk randomly around the room. About every ten seconds or so, call out a number. Everyone in the game must immediately form a group hug made up of the number of people that you called. This sometimes leaves some people unable to form a group because they don't have enough people - they are out of the game. Repeat until you only have two people left and declare them the winners.

Dollar in the Crowd Mixer

Materials:
1-2 dollars

Directions:
A mingling game. One or two people have a dollar. Everyone goes around shaking hands. Person with a dollar passes off dollar to tenth person he shakes. Keep going until the music stops and whoever has it gets to keep it.

Circumference Mixer

Materials:
measuring tape

Directions:
Have teams of the same number of people. Tell group to get in a tighter circle to see who will have the smallest circumference. Measure.

Ha-Ha Mixer

Materials:
none

Directions:
Everyone lies on the ground with head on someone's stomach. First person starts saying, "ha ha.." and soon everyone is laughing as heads bounce up and down.

Lap Sit Mixer

Materials:
none

Directions:
Get in a circle, all facing counterclockwise. Tighten up the circle, then everyone sits down. Try to take steps as a group sitting on each other's laps.

Balloon Bust Mixer

Materials:
balloons, string

Directions:
Tie balloons to ankles. Everyone tries to stomp on everyone else's balloon, but save their own.

Killer Mixer

Materials:
none

Directions:
Mingle around room shaking hands. The chosen "killer" has a special handshake and kills people. They must die dramatically.

Encore Mixer

Materials:
none

Directions:
Dive into groups and give a word like "red". Each group must think of a song with that word in it. Go around the groups until a group can't come up with a song.

People Scavenger Hunt Mixer

Materials:
small prizes (candy, etc.)

Directions:
Have three or four teams each with a captain. Leader stands a distance away and calls out certain characteristics: blue eyes, likes to snowboard, etc. The captain of the team must bring someone with that characteristic up to the leader. First team to leader wins prizes (candy, etc.).

License Plate Mixer

Materials:
list of state slogans

Directions:
Here's a take-off on a game some folks have played while traveling in a car. List on a blackboard, overhead, or handout the following state slogan from license plates. Then have your group divide up into teams to identify the correct state for each slogan. The team that correctly identifies the most states wins the game. You can play the game several times by only using ten states at a time. If the game seems too difficult for your age group, provide the state names as well (out of order) and make it a matching game.

1. Alabama - Heart of Dixie
2. Alaska - The Last Frontier
3. Arizona - The Grand Canyon
   
   State
4. Arkansas - Land of Opportunity
5. California - The Golden State
6. Colorado - The Centennial State
7. Connecticut - The Constitution State
8. Delaware - The First State
9. Florida - The Sunshine State
10. Georgia - The Peach State
11. Hawaii - The Aloha State
12. Idaho - World Famous Potatoes
13. Illinois - Land of Lincoln
14. Indiana - The Hoosier State
    
15. Iowa - The Hawkeye State
16. Kansas - The Sunflower State
17. Kentucky - The Bluegrass State
18. Louisiana - The Sportsman's State
19. Maine - The Vacation State
    
20. Maryland - More Than You Can Imagine
21. Massachusetts - The Bay State
    
22. Michigan - The Great Lakes State
23. Minnesota - Land of 10,000 Lakes
24. Mississippi - The Magnolia State
    
25. Missouri - Show-Me State
26. Montana - The Treasure State
27. Nebraska - The Cornhusker State
28. Nevada - The Silver State
29. New Hampshire - Live Free or Die
30. New Jersey - Garden State
31. New Mexico - The Land of Enchantment
32. New York - The Empire State
33. North Carolina - First in Flight
34. North Dakota - The Peace Garden State
35. Ohio - Birthplace of Aviation
36. Oklahoma - Native America
37. Oregon - Pacific Wonderland
38. Pennsylvania - The Keystone State
39. Rhode Island - The Ocean State
40. South Carolina - Smiling Faces. Beautiful Places.
41. South Dakota - Great Faces. Great Places.
42. Tennessee - The Volunteer State
43. Texas - The Lone Star State
44. Utah - Greatest Snow on Earth
45. Vermont - The Green Mountains State
46. Virginia - Is For Lovers
47. Washington - The Evergreen State
48. West Virginia - Wild, Wonderful
49. Wisconsin - America's Dairyland
50. Wyoming - Like No Place on Earth

Toe Fencing Mixer

Materials:
none

Directions:
Here's a wild mixer, and if it's set to music it looks like a new kind of dance. All the players pair off, lock hands, and try to tap the top of one of the their partner's feet with their own feet. In other words, one player tries to stomp on the other player's foot while their hands are clasped. Of course, since players are also trying to avoid having their feet stepped on, they are all hopping around the floor in a frantic dance.

When a player has had his foot tapped three times, he is out of the game, and the winning partner challenges another winner. The game continues until only one person is left (or until the music runs out).

Name Tag Mixer

Materials:
number name tags, slips of paper with instructions

Directions:
Before kids arrive, prepare name-tags by writign an easy-to-read number on each one. Also prepare slips of paper with instructions such as:

• "Introduce #4 to #12"
• "Find out #7's favorite pizza topping"
• "Shake hands with #5 and #13"

Don't use numbers higher than the number of kids expected. It's better to make instructions for #1 to #10 and have duplicate name tags for those numbers. Give kids a name tag and slip of paper, then send them out to complete their assignment.

Chewing Gum Relay Mixer

Materials:
packs of gum, work gloves, shopping bags

Directions:
This is a relay for two or more teams using sticks of chewing gum, work gloves, and shopping bags. Individual sticks of gum (wrapped) are placed inside the shopping bags, and each team is given a pair of work gloves. The idea is to put on the gloves, run down to the bag, pull out a piece of gum, unwrap it and chew it (with the gloves on), run back, and then pass the gloves to the next person. The team that finishes first is the winner.

Top 40 Mixer

Materials:
iPod or CD

Directions:
This is a guessing game that can be used as a mixer. Divide the room up into teams. Make a playlist (or mixed CD) of top 40 hits or songs popular with your kids. Edit it so that only a second or two of each song can be heard (Tip: in iTunes, select the song -> select Get Info -> Options tab -> set the start/stop time). Then when you play it back for the kids, see how many of them can identify all of the songs. Usually they are so familiar with these songs, that it is nearly impossible to stump anyone, even when you only play one second of each song.

Dummy Bag Mixer

Materials:
paper grocery bags

Directions:
This idea is a variation of the Take Off Something You Don't Need Game. Get the group in a circle and give each a paper grocery bag. The group is seated in chairs or on the floor. The instructions are that you are going to have an endurance test to see who can last the longest. Each person is then told to place the bag over their head to minimize embarrassment. Then they are told to take off something that they didn't wear to bed the night before.

Some will catch on immediately, others will take off an article of clothing or piece of jewelry, etc. Then they are instructed to take off something else that they didn't wear to bed the previous evening. Just to watch someone sitting with a paper bag on his head undressing is hilarious. Before the slow ones take off too much, you yell at them, "Take off the bag, dummy. Or did you wear it to bed last night?"

Clothespins Relay Mixer

Materials:
clothesline (rope or string), clothespins

Directions:
String a clothesline from one end of the room to the other at shoulder height to the average person. Pace clothespins on the line. Teams line up facing the line. The object is to run to the line, remove one clothespins with your teeth (no hands) and bring it back to the team. All team members do the same in relay fashion.

By The "Seat of Your Pants" Volleyball Mixer

Materials:
"light" beach ball type ball (or a Nerf ball), volleyball net

Directions:
This can be an excellent indoor game for large groups in a large room, especially during rainy weather. Divide the group into two teams. Set up a volleyball net in the room so the top of the net is approximately 5 feet above the floor. Each player is instructed to sit down on his team's side of the net so that his legs are crossed in front of him. From this position a regular game of volleyball is played with the following changes:

1. Use a "light" beach ball type ball (or a Nerf ball)
2. Use hands and head only (no feet)
3. All serves must be made from center of group and overhand
4. Because of limited mobility of each player a larger number of participants is suggested (20-25 per team)
5. All of the other rules of volleyball apply
   

Broom Jump Relay Mixer

Materials:
brooms

Directions:
Divide into teams. Team members should stand two across. The first couple on each team is given a broom. On "go" the couple must each grab one end of the broom and run back through their team (broom is held just above the floor). Everyone in the line must jump over he broom. When the couple reaches the back of the line they must pass the broom back to the front of the lines. This done by hands only - no throwing. Then the second couple repeats, etc. The game is won by the first team with the original couple again heading the team.

Boy Relay Mixer

Materials:
none

Directions:
Here is a wild relay race that most boys really like. The boys line up in several teams. The girls members of their teams divide in half and each half lines up one side of their boys' team. So you have a line with a short line of girls on each side of them. At a signal, four girls from each team (two from each side of the boys) pick up the first boy. One girl takes one leg, another the other leg and one girl takes each arm. They then carry the boy across the room and deposit him on a chair. The girls race back to their teams, get to the end of the line and the next four carry the next boy. First team to carry all boys across is the winner. Girls will have to carry more than one boy.

Blanket Ride Relay Mixer

Materials:
blankets

Directions:
This is a relay in which a girl (or girls) ride on a blanket while being pulled around a goal. Other team members (preferably boys) line up behind the starting line. The girl rider is positioned on the blanket (sitting cross-legged) holding on tightly and the first boy in line grabs the blanket assumes a pulling position. On signal, the boy begins running while pulling the blanket all the way around the room and around a marker on the far end, then back to the starting point before the next boy may pull. The first team to complete all rounds wins. Obviously this game works best on a slick floor.

Move If Mixer

Materials:
none

Directions:
All kids sit down. They move over a specified number of seats if they meet certain requirements. If someone is sitting there, they sit on that person's lap. Example: "Move one spot to the left if you have red on," etc. After a while, see who has the most people stacked up on them.

Find People Sheets Mixer

Materials:
pencils, filled-out papers

Directions:
Hand out papers with lines to be initialed:

• 5 people with birthdays in February
• 10 people to build a 4-3-2-1 pyramid
• person with fake ID
• Etc.
  

Indoor Scavenger Hunt Mixer

Materials:
none

Directions:
Four teams find Fruit of the Loom tags, the longest belt chain, the biggest ball of gum, family pictures, and a love letter, etc from among their teammates or around the room. Really think through things they can come up with and a great prize for the winning team can go a long way.