After two decades of working with self-directed teenagers, I’ve accumulated a lot of group games, ranging from the silly to the sacred. Now I’m sharing these games online, piece by piece, with a focus on facilitating for connection.
If you’re a parent, youth worker, educator, or other kind of facilitator, you can use these games to encourage group bonding, interpersonal empathy, and deeper friendships. The target demographic is “older teenagers and beyond,” as many games require high levels of trust, attention, and vulnerability.
The big goal of these connection games is to take a group from “awkward, self-absorbed, and distracted” to “smiling, attentive, and connected,” without ever making things too weird, forced, or therapeutic. Here’s more backstory.
The Games (so far)
Warmups 🍳
Flock – a physical warm-up for larger groups (10+) that deep noticing and joyful silliness
Incorporations – a fast-paced, movement-and-talking game to help members of larger groups (20+) discover what they have in common
Verbal Games 🗣️
Mindmeld – a fast-paced verbal association game for groups of 5-15, in which two group members attempt to “mindmeld” by saying the same word at the same time without collaboration
G’Day Sheila – a hilarious, ridiculous, and fast-paced verbal game for groups of 6+
Improv 🎭
Powerpoint Karaoke – participants create 10-slide presentations about anything they’d like and each person confidently delivers someone else’s presentation, sight-unseen
Deep Connection 🌶️
Hot Seat – an intimate question-asking game for small-to-medium sized groups (8 to 15) who already have trust but need an excuse to get more vulnerable—an absolute classic that I’ve used for two decades!
Curiosity – a powerful 2-person game in which you ask a series of questions that interest both you and your partner, reflecting on the nature of curiosity itself
Reach Out and Touch – a sweet, appreciative activity for groups of 10+, perfect for the end (or middle) of a long gathering or event
Trust Circle – an intense, high-vulnerability game for larger groups (20+) that promotes group bonding through cathartic personal revelations
How to get involved
I’m sharing new games via occasional group videocalls on an ever-changing schedule (to accommodate various time zones + my own travels). Each call includes 3-4 games: a deliberate mixture ranging from light/silly to deep/spicy. The calls are recorded, chopped up, and posted here!
To get notified about future calls, join here:
Why join a live games call?
Because then you become part of the magic-making! You also get to experience live demonstrations, take part in the fun, and ask detailed questions about facilitation, troubleshooting, and making a game work for your particular situation.
When you join, please donate to signal your support for this project. If you’re a cash-strapped individual or non-profit, donate $3. If you have deeper pockets or institutional support, donate $30. Or any amount in-between. I just request that donations be made before the call.
Ways to donate:
- Venmo (@blakeboles / last four: 9738)
- Zelle (yourstruly@blakeboles.com)
- Credit card (https://ko-fi.com/blakeboles) – warning, I lose a good amount to fees!
- Foreign bank transfer (ask for details)
Future games (in no particular order)
- Zen Counting
- Evolution
- Ha-Ha
- Affirmation Circle
- Spectrum
- Silent/Blind Line-up
- How’s Yours?
- Best Friends / Mortal Enemies
- Rock-Paper-Scissors Cheerleaders
- Walk with me if
- Confusing introductions
- Bonding night
- Tarp drop
- Blind face drawing
- Big wind blows / Never have I ever
- Question of another
- Power shuffle
- In the manner of the adverb
- Yee-haw
- Exquisite corpse
- Fantasy
- Gladiator
- Thunderdome
- Big Booty / Big Buddhist
- Camouflage
- In Groups of _ Form _
- Empathy
- Poop Smoothie