Gym Games for Boys

Monsters, Warlocks and Elves

• In preparation for this game from the website Wilderdom, first determine actions signifying the three different characters used. The "monster," for instance, squats down and snarls; the "warlock" spins around, pointing his arm to the sky; and the "elf" cups his ears to represent stereotypical "elf ears." To prepare the boys, call out each character and have them perform the short movements that signify which character they are.

  To play, divide the players into two teams. Line up the teams on either side of the play area. Set up a base point in the area for the players to run to later. While you count down from 10, the teams have to quickly decide which character to perform out of the three. Once the time elapses, the team has to signify which character they chose using the characters' motions. The hierarchy of the characters is as follows: the monster wins over the elf; the elf wins over the wizard; and the wizard wins over the monster. If a team loses, they have to quickly head to the base as the winning team tries to tag them. If tagged, a player joins the enemy team. Continue until one team has more players than the other team.

British Bulldog

• Gather the boys around a play area and pick two of the boys out of the group to stand in the middle as "British Bulldogs," as suggested by the website Boy Scout Trail. When you say "Go," the boys on the sidelines rush past the bulldogs. The bulldogs try to lift up as many boys as they can for as long as it takes to say "1, 2, 3 British Bulldog." If successful, the boy they pick up joins them as a new "bulldog." Continue until only one player--the winner--remains on the sidelines.

Mice in the Corner

• From the website Fun Attic, play this variation on the game dodge ball by picking one player to stand in the middle of the gym blindfolded with a softball. Let the other players assume a corner in the gym. When you say "Go" or blow your whistle, the boys in the corners race to another corner, while the blindfolded player tries to hit as many boys as he can with the ball. Any player hit by the ball gets eliminated from the game. The last player standing, having avoided the blind player's attacks, wins this game.