source: www.youthwork-practice.com | 2000 Games, Devotions, Themes, Ideas and more for Youth Work
only for private using

Games with Paper (Newspapers, Toilet Paper)

Here are some games using newspapers and toilet paper. The entire group room can be equipped and decorated with newspapers and balled-up newspapers.

1. Newspaper Mummy

   Each group must totally wrap up one person in newspapers. The mummy is packed using adhesive tape or package twine. Then the mummy must be transported from point A to point B. Who is the fastest? Which mummy is best preserved?

2. Get Acquainted Game

   Everyone sits in a circle on chairs with one less chair than the group needs. One person stands in the middle with a rolled newspaper in his hand. The game begins: the person in the middle says a name, that person must quickly say another name. If he is too slow, the person in the middle hits him with the newspaper and he must then take his place in the middle.

   Variation: no names are allowed to be repeated so that every name is called.

3. Eat Chocolate

   A bar of chocolate is wrapped up in many layers of newspaper with each layer having twine wrapped around it. The die is thrown. Whoever rolls a 6, puts on a hat, a scarf and a pair of gloves. Then that player uses a knife and fork to open the package. As this is going on, the die continues to be passed from player to player. If another player rolls a 6, he takes over opening the package after putting on the hat, scarf and gloved too. The player who takes off the last layer of paper gets to eat the chocolate.

4. Newspaper Short Story

   With help of a newspaper, a short story must be made using cut-out words and pictures. Who made the best story and who has the best story with a picture?

5. Newspaper Relay Race

   Each group gets 2 newspaper pages. The first page is put on the ground in front of the first player. He stands on it and places the second page in front of him on the ground. He then stands on it. This continues until the player reaches the goal where he then runs back to the start and the next player on his team takes his turn an so on.

6. Answer the Questions

   Each group gets an identical newspaper. Questions are then asked. The answers are to be found in the newspaper. Example: What was the weather forecast for October 3rd?, Who was married or was buried on March 13th?, On which page can you find …? How many words does the article with the title “XXX” have?, Find an article that has exactly 55 words in it., Which article did the editor write? Who won the game in which X played Y?, etc.

7. Newspaper Dance

   2 people dance with music on a sheet of newspaper. After a while, the newspaper is folded in half and then they dance again…

8. Newspaper Snake

   The longest snake is made by tearing a strip of newspaper. Use a ruler to measure the strips.

9. The Love Letter

   An original love letter is made within a certain time period using cut-out words from the newspaper. You will need: glue, paper, scissors, newspaper or magazines.

10. Newspaper Puzzle 1

    A page from a newspaper is cut up and must be put back together.

11. Newspaper Puzzle 2

    A newspaper or magazine is used but not cut up. The pages are mixed up and then the players sort them and put them back in order.

12. I Can Make A …

    The challenge is to make a hat, a plane or a boat out of a newspaper page. Whose plane flies the farthest? Whose boat floats the best?

13. Collages out of Newspapers or Magazines

    Collages, photographic reports or suspenseful reports are made using a theme. Example: a photo love story about person X.

14. Headlines

    A specific headline must be made as fast as possible by the players by cutting out the words from a newspaper. Example: “THE youth group: make new experiences – join us- this is where it’s at!”

15. Paper Salad

    Small pieces of newspaper are sucked up with a straw from bowl A to bowl B. Variation: the snippets of paper can be moved using chopsticks.

16. Coin Throw

    A newspaper is placed on the ground. From an appropriate distance a coin is thrown and must land and stay on the newspaper.

17. Hit Me!

    2 players are blind-folded. Each has a rolled-up newspaper as a bat and tries to hit the other players with it. For the playing area, use a table where the players must always have a hand on it.

18. The Watchman

    One player is blind-folded, sits on a chair or table and holds a rolled-up newspaper in his hand. The other players try to crawl as quietly as possible under the chair or table without getting hit. Instead of crawling, a set of keys can be placed under the chair or table and the players must get them without getting hit. It can be agreed upon that each player can only be hit 3 times before he is out. The last player becomes the watchman.

19. Can’t Hit Me!

    All players sit in a circle on the floor. A pail is on the floor in the middle of the circle. One player (A) is also in the middle. He selects a player (B) out of the circle and gently taps him with a rolled-up newspaper, then puts it in the empty pail. He then goes to sit in player B’s position. After player B is tapped, he runs behind player A, tries to grab the newspaper out of the pail and tap player A before player A gets to player B’s place. If player B can tap player A, player A must stay in the middle and play continues.

    Variation: The game can be played with multiple newspapers.

20. Take a Dictation Please!

    2 players sit about 2 meters away across from each other. One player dictates a text while the other player writes it down. Between them is the opposing team who through loud yelling makes it hard for the player who is writing, to understand what is being said to him. Afterwards, they switch places. Which team has the most correctly written words?

21. The Tower of Babel

    Which team can build a house out of newspapers? Judge the stability, size and beauty of the house.

22. Pocket Newspaper

    Which team can fold a newspaper the smallest?

23. Toilet Paper Tower

    A tower is built using rolls of toilet paper. Who can build the tallest tower?

24. Balancing Toilet Paper Tower

    Many rolls of toilet paper are stacked and must be balanced while going through a route. Who can go the farthest without dropping any toilet paper rolls? Who can carry the most rolls through the course?

25. Carrying Floating Toilet Paper Rolls

    4 or 5 toilet paper rolls are pressed together with the hands so that the middle ones can fall out. This game can be played as a relay race or run through an obstacle course. If a roll falls, it is picked up, put back in place and the player may continue the race.

26. Newspaper Battle

    Each team defends it’s half of the battlefield and gets a pile of newspapers. At the signal, each team makes balls out of the newspapers and throws them to the opposing teams side. When the whistle blows, which team has the least paper balls and newspaper pages on their side? The newspaper pages must be made into balls. They can not be simply thrown to the other side.

27. Toilet Paper Snake

    Each team completely unrolls a roll of toilet paper, which is then carried by the teams members so that the paper snake doesn’t tear. It is carried through a forest area or around a building. Which team has the longest snake when they arrive at the goal? This game can become chaotic. What really matters is that the entire team coordinates their work together.

28. Toilet Paper Mummies x2

    2 players wrap themselves or are wrapped up from a team. Which team of 2 can walk the farthest without their wrappings coming undone?

29. Toilet Paper Tag

    There are 2 teams of 2 players each holding a one meter long piece of toilet paper between them. It is not allowed to let go of it. Each team tries to tear apart the band of paper held by the opposing team. The losing team is the one who is no longer connected by the band of paper.

30. Newspaper in the Pant Waist

    Each player except one sticks a piece of newspaper folded the long way in the waist of his pants so that it hangs out and down. The player who has no newspaper is it. He must try to pull out the newspaper from one of the other players waists. Then that player is it.

31. Newspaper Boy

    Large single sheets of newspaper are hung over the body (head, arms, legs, etc.). Without using the hands to hold the newspaper in place, the player must run to the goal. If a piece of newspaper falls off, the player may stop, replace the newspaper and continue the race. This game can be played as a relay race. You may also count how many pieces of newspaper make it to the goal, without replacing any that have fallen off.

32. Newspaper Press

    One page of a newspaper is held between two players chests. Both (or more) must keep the page between them and run to the goal. Using hands to keep the page in place is not allowed. Which team can in the time given transport the most pages?

33. Tied Up Together

    2 small holes are torn in a large newspaper page. 2 players stick their hand or a foot in these holes. Together they must go through an obstacle course or a relay course. Which team/pair is the fastest without tearing the newspaper and it falling off?

34. The Page Turns

    Two players stand back to back. In between them a newspaper page is placed. Both players must now move about to make the page end up between their tummies. Which team can do it without the page falling on the ground?

35. Newspaper Pyramid

    How many people can stand on one newspaper page?

36. Spy-glass

    Who can make the longest spy-glass out of one page of a newspaper within 30 (60) seconds?

37. Intake Pipe

    A newspaper page is rolled up to make a pipe. A cotton ball must be sucked up into the pipe from a jar and put into another jar. Or: Blow into the pipe and move a cotton ball or a balloon from the starting line to the finish.

38. Newspaper Funnel

    A funnel is shaped out of a newspaper page. From a distance of 2 meters, a player tosses a small article (cotton ball, wooden ball, lego brick) to the player holding the funnel. This player tries to catch the object with the funnel. Which team can catch the most items?

39. Stuffed

    Each team receives the same amount of newspapers. At the signal, each piece of newspaper is rolled into a ball and is stuffed inside one players shirt/pants. Which team can stuff the most balls within a certain time period into the clothing of their teammate?

40. Newspaper Tarp

    At least 6-9 newspaper pages are taped together to make a large tarp. All group members must hold the tarp, balance an object (cotton ball, balloon) on top of it. And carry it to the goal. This game can also be played as a relay race.

41. Paper cable

    A hole is punched in one or several pieces of paper which are threaded onto a piece of thread. The thread (or thin string) is tied between two objects (stool, trees or posts) at eye height. The task is now to blow one or several pieces of paper along the length of the thread.

[ © www.youthwork-practice.com | 2000 Games and Ideas for Youth Work ]