Games for 20 People with No Equipment Needed: A Collection of Fun Ideas That Use Your Body and Mind
Good news for anyone looking for no-equipment games that even 20 people can enjoy! Here, we introduce fun activities that get everyone moving their bodies or using their brains together.
Because no tools are required, you can start easily—and there are plenty of ideas that naturally spark communication.
From simple number-based rules to competitive team challenges that require cooperation, you’ll find lots of ideas to warm up the atmosphere.
Spend a delightful time together that’s sure to bring out smiles!
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Games for 20 People with No Equipment! A Collection of Lively Ideas Using Body and Mind (1–10)
Tag, where kids and adults both have fun: “Hand-Holding Oni (Tag)”
Participants are divided into one “it” and the “children.” The children form pairs and hold hands.
At the start signal, the children run away, and “it” chases them and tries to touch their joined hands.
When a pair is touched by “it,” they must let go, find a new partner, hold hands again, and keep running.
At the finish signal, any child who is in a pair is safe; any child left alone loses.
If there are many children, you can increase the number of “it” players.
It’s a game everyone can enjoy, and it helps people get friendly even if they’re meeting for the first time.
You can play it in the classroom too! Haiihadon
Sit in a circle and stack your left hands in order.
Decide the order, and when someone says “Hai,” the person whose hand is at the very bottom moves it to the very top.
When they say “Iha,” the person whose hand is at the very top keeps it at the top.
When they say “Don,” the person with the bottom hand lightly taps everyone’s hands from above.
Through this game, children develop concentration, quick reactions, and a sense of unity with those around them.
It’s a game that fills the classroom with laughter even when mistakes happen and instantly livens things up.
No tools or preparation are needed, so you can start right away.
It’s recommended as a quick communication activity for class recreation or morning time.
Adults can enjoy it together, too.
Territory game! S-Ken
A game called “S-Ken,” where teams compete to steal a treasure from territories drawn in a large S-shape.
Participants split into two teams and start from their respective sides.
Decide roles in advance: who will defend your territory and who will steal the enemy’s treasure.
When the start signal is given, move by hopping on one foot from outside the S to the enemy’s territory.
Once you enter the enemy’s area, you can move with both feet, so quickly grab the treasure.
The square spaces near the enemy territory are safe zones where you can stand on both feet and rest.
Those in your own territory should push enemies out of your area and protect the treasure.
The treasure can be anything like a stone on the ground.
Games for 20 People with No Equipment! A Collection of Ideas to Energize the Group Using Body and Mind (11–20)
Handshake Relay
Handshake Relay is a simple yet fun competitive activity where participants move forward by taking turns while shaking hands with the person next to them.
Each participant exchanges three handshakes before passing the baton to the next person, aiming to reach the goal faster than the opposing team.
As the handshakes are repeated, smiles spread and communication deepens—that’s the key point.
Because it requires no equipment, it’s easy to play with both large and small groups.
The added sense of speed boosts excitement, and it’s a recreation activity that is easy for people with lower activity levels to join.
Small Number Game
Do you know the Small Number Game? First, ask the children to choose one favorite number between 1 and 20.
I will call out the numbers in descending order, and when I reach the number they chose, they stand up.
If they are the only one who stands up at that moment, they become the champion and remain standing.
If two or more stand up at the same time, that’s a bust, and they have to sit down.
If someone becomes the champion with a smaller number, the previous champion sits down.
It’s fun because strategy and mind games are important.
Without Katakana
We use katakana for many names in daily life.
Katakana is familiar, but let’s try playing without using it.
First, show items that have katakana names and have people describe them without using katakana.
For example, for “pen,” someone might answer, “something you write with that isn’t a pencil.” It’s a game where you shift your thinking a bit, describe the given topic without using katakana, and have others guess.
If the topic is “game,” you could describe it as “something where you use your fingertips to control characters on the screen.” From there, everyone tries to guess the topic together.
Explaining with your current vocabulary makes for a good brain exercise.
Birthday line
Within the time limit, let’s try lining up in a single row in order of birthdays.
The rule here is that you must not say your exact date of birth.
If everyone clearly knows the others’ birthdates, you can line up smoothly.
But if someone’s is unknown, you’ll have to exchange clues and reason it out as you line up.
It might be tricky to come up with hints that others can understand, like “around the middle of the season.” If you think it through and line up correctly with no mistakes, it should be a big hit.
Having kids from various age groups—not just those born in the same year—will make it both more fun and more challenging.