GAMES FOR GROUPS OF ALL AGES

1. Accepting Circle
Get everyone in a big circle. One player starts by making a little gesture, perhaps with a little sound. His or her neighbour then tries and does exactly the same. And so on. Although we expect the gesture/sound not to change, it will.

2. Bippety Bop
Players in a circle, one player in the middle. The player in the middle closes his eyes, holds right hand pointing in front of him, and spins around. When done spinning, open your eyes and say, as fast as you can 'Bippety Bippety Bop'.

The player you're pointing to, and his 2 neighbours, need to build an elephant in less than the time the middle player needs to say 'Bippety Bippety Bop'. An elephant consists of a trunk, made by the middle player, by holding your nose with one hand, and extending your other arm through the arm that holds the hand that holds the nose (does this make any sense?). The neighbouring players each form a big ear, using both arms. Don't forget to attach the ears to the elephant's head.

3. Alien Tiger Cow
Everyone in a circle. There are 3 things a player can be:
An alien: hold you index fingers up next to your head, as little antenna's and say 'Bleeb bleeb', bending inwards into the circle;
A cow: bend forward, hold your right hand on your tummy and go 'Moooo'
A tiger: push your right hand forward, imitating a claw and roar.
On your sign, every player decides to become one of the three. The idea is for everyone to become the same, which obviously won't be the case, the first time. We re-do this until everyone is in sync.

4. Fruit Basket
All players but one sitting a circle, one person in the middle. The person in the middle calls out a category or some descriptive that might apply to some or all of the other players. E.g. all women, all blondes. When called, if a player matches the description must leave her chair and find another chair. Person that doesn't find a chair becomes the next in the middle.

5. Millipede
Great fun but be careful not to hurt each other. Make sure there are no objects along the walls of the room. All players in a circle, linking arms. Then move the circle to one of the walls, and 'squash' the circle, until it becomes 2 lines, one line of players with their backs to the wall, and another line in front of the first, players facing each other.
Have this whole construction wheel along the walls of the room at high speed. Tell players to be careful and not to make fists or they might slam into someone's face.

6. No Doubles 1-10
Everyone in a circle. We will count from 1 to 10. Any player can start by saying '1'. Then any other player can say '2' and so one. If 2 players say a number at the same time we start all over again.

7. Pass Yes
One player starts by saying 'Yes' to her left-hand neighbour. Neighbour does the same, passing the 'Yes' to her left-hand neighbour. Or she decides to say 'No', after which it's her right-hand neighbours turn.
Try and pass the 'Yes' along the circle as fast as possible.
When everyone's got this. Do the same but with eyes closed. Then try with two different words.

8. Shootout
Excellent game to get to know each other's names.
Everybody's a cowboy or cowgirl; you get them in a circle and ask them to test their revolvers. Have them shoot up in air, not at each other (yet). Then ask the group to concentrate; when everybody's quiet, call someone's name. That person needs to drop to the floor as fast as he can. His neighbours take a shot a him; if he's not down fast enough, he dies (making gruelling sounds). If he's down before a gun is fired, the neighbour who fired last dies.
Insist that for every shot there should be at least one victim. If there's any confusion about who shot first, they should all spontaneously die.
Repeat till only 2 players are alive. Place those 2 back to back in the middle of the room, and give them a sign to start walking away from each other. When they hear you drop a coin (or a key ring, or whatever) they turn around as fast as they can and shoot the other. Again, at least one victim, and if they're not sure who shot first they should both gladly die.
Variations
A shot can only be fired after a player has made a 360-degree spin.
Notes
This is really a game about Chivalry and not about winning. Use this game early in a workshop to spot the students that stubbornly refuse to be shot and correct them. You could consider your moment of death you moment of glory - show off how willing you are to accept you own death, and die with enthusiasm.

9. Simon Says
You are Simon, and you tell the players to do exactly what Simon tells them to do, but only if Simon's sentence starts with "Simon says". Any time a player does what Simon tells her to do, without preceding that with "Simon says" is out.
Tell the players the game starts when you say "Simon says the game has started". Then try to trick them into doing stuff they're not supposed to do. Ask them e.g. if they understand the rules; whoever nods is out. Try telling players that are out they can join in again; if they do they're out again.