Game: I Have Oof-ed

Type/Purpose: Community Builder, Ice Breaker

It seems every youth group has played the common ice breaker game, “I Have Never” or “Train Wreck”. This game is a simple variation of this, sure to please!
Materials:

• “Spots” for each participant (rubber markers, paper plates, shoes, etc.)
• “Mashies” for each participant (something soft…small pillows or socks may be acceptable)

Set-Up: Find an open space where participants can stand in a circle, with some room for movement.

Play:

• Have participants stand in a circle and ask them to take a small step back, to allow for room, and ask them to stand on their “spot”.
• Have one participant (or you, the leader) remove their spot and stand in the middle.
• When play starts, the person in the middle will state a true fact about themselves (ie. I like the color blue; I’ve dropped a phone in the lake; I have 5 sisters).
  • If this particular fact is also a true statement for another participant in the middle, they are to step off of their “spot” and use their “mashie” to hit the person in the middle.
  • That person (as well as the person in the middle) then needs to pick up a different “mashie” and return to a “spot.”
  • Whoever is left without a “mashie” is the new person in the middle.

NOTE:

• In these kinds of activities, there can arise circumstances in which play gets “Out of Hand.” Consider these RULES when explaining:
• The mashie is to strike the person above the waist, and below the neck. Participants not doing so may be eligible to “sit this one out.”
• Strike the participant at an appropriate velocity. If you pull a muscle, you may have thrown too hard (i.e. don’t try to hit the person as hard as you can).

Extra Ideas:

• Instead of the person in the middle stating a true fact, consider these alternatives:
  • The person stating something they have never done, and participants coming up if they have (ie. I’ve never been fishing; I’ve never eaten spaghetti; I’ve never had fake teeth).
  • The person names a location they’ve been (New York, a bathroom, Lincoln Street).
  • The person names something they’ve eaten before (Pizza, Anchovies, Menudo).