[For Kids] Exciting Class-vs-Class Games: Team Competition Activities
Looking for team-based games that will get everyone excited indoors with your friends? We’ve gathered a variety of cooperative indoor games—like creative twists on the classic charades, flipping races, and telephone—that teams can enjoy together! With simple rules that let you start right away, these games are sure to bring out smiles all around.
Indoor games that deepen team bonds while letting each person’s individuality shine.
Let’s sync up and have fun together!
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Rock-Paper-Scissors / Tag (11–20)
Rock-Paper-Scissors Wheelbarrow
@mimasakadaigaku A must-see for elementary school teachers! Build bodies while having fun with the “Rock-Paper-Scissors Wheelbarrow” activity! Mimasaka University – Elementary School Teacher – Fun Exercise
♬ Lilac – Mrs. GREEN APPLE
This is a game where pairs of two do a wheelbarrow and challenge other pairs to rock-paper-scissors; depending on the result, they swap roles.
After each round, the previous pairs dissolve: the winning pair both take the easier holding role, while the losing pair both take the tougher moving-on-hands role.
If you keep getting matched with strong rock-paper-scissors players, you might make it to the end without suffering, so let’s also see how lucky your draws are.
It’s a game that lets you enjoy the tactics of competition while having fun and getting a good workout.
Rock-Paper-Scissors Dash
This is a game that tests your reaction speed: you look at the result of rock-paper-scissors and instantly switch to actions that match each outcome.
The winner becomes the attacker and chases the opponent, while the loser takes on defense and runs away to avoid being caught—roles that must be decided in a split second.
Even if you’re fast at running, you might lose at rock-paper-scissors, so having a balanced set of strengths might be important.
It’s also recommended to experiment by tweaking your approach little by little—for example, adopting a stance during rock-paper-scissors that makes it easier to burst into a sprint.
Ball Carry Tag
Here’s an introduction to a tag-style ball-carrying game.
The rules are very simple! Wearing a flag, teams start at the starting line and try to carry as many balls as possible to the goal within the time limit.
There are taggers in between, so be careful not to let them take the flag you’re wearing.
If a tagger takes your flag, reattach the flag placed by the tagger and return to the start to try again.
It’s a team game where you aim to transport all the balls while avoiding being caught.
It’s also fun to come up with strategies, like having someone act as a decoy.
We also recommend switching between the carrying team and the tagger team and incorporating it as an event in a sports day.
Cooperative Rock-Paper-Scissors Activity
Enjoy it in your spare moments or during breaks! Here are some cooperative rock-paper-scissors activities.
When you hear “rock-paper-scissors,” you probably think of a game that decides winners and losers.
This time, let’s try a unique twist with cooperative rock-paper-scissors.
Ideas include “Rock-Paper-Scissors Pyramid” and “Queen of Scissors.” Both are team-based games for children, so they’re great for strengthening relationships within a class or group.
Tamaire Hoop Rock-Paper-Scissors
Spice things up with items! Here’s a game called Hoop Toss Rock-Paper-Scissors.
When you think of ball-toss games, many people probably picture school sports days.
This time, let’s try a version you can easily set up indoors.
You’ll need colored balls and a small hula hoop.
As an introduction to the activity, it’s a good idea to give some free play time where participants can freely toss balls into the hula hoop.
Eventually, the game evolves so that the person who wins rock-paper-scissors within each group gets the role of throwing the ball into the hoop.
Feel free to adapt and arrange the game as you like.
River Crossing Tail Tag
Let me introduce a tail-tag river crossing game that gets your heart racing when you cross the river.
Create a river using mats or tape.
The tagger waits on the riverbank.
The runners attach a tail to their backside and dash across the river with all their might.
The tagger’s chance to grab the tail is when the runners are crossing the river! You’ll need quick reactions and clever evasive moves.
If you make it across the river, you succeed.
The tagger then waits for the next person to come and cross.
Setting a time limit for the game might make it even more exciting.
Werewolf Tag
In simple terms, “Werewolf Tag” is a game of tag where you don’t know who the tagger is.
In regular tag, you know who’s ‘it,’ so you just run away from that person.
But in Werewolf Tag, since you don’t know who ‘it’ is, you first have to figure out who the tagger is.
For the runners, the key to surviving is how well you can see through the tagger’s lies when they claim, “I’m not it!” Conversely, if the tagger doesn’t get exposed, they can tag freely, so the key to winning is how well they can move around early on without being found out.
If the tagger catches everyone within the time limit, the tagger wins; if even one person escapes, the tagger loses.
It’s a game kids around upper elementary school age and up can enjoy, but if you want to play with younger children, it’s easier if you add rules to soften the mind games—like revealing who the tagger is once the number of remaining runners drops to a certain number.
