Beach Ball Volleyball

Students love to throw and hit things so beach ball volleyball is always a hit.

• Break students up into two groups 
• Place some type of line down the middle of the room
• Have a team on each side of the line
• Then have students get on their KNEES

You will have some students who will try to get real competitive and want to make sure the score is perfect. I try to be fair, but the goal is for the students to have a great time.

QUIET BALL

Students get on their knees on top of their desks (This is up to the facilitator of the activity, but I found that this adds to the excitement.) Students pass the beach ball back and forth. If anyone talks or makes a noise, they have to sit down. Also if someone throws the ball so another person can't possibly catch it, the person throwing has to sit down. If the ball is thrown so the person could catch it but doesn't, the person catching the ball has to sit down. It's a process of elimination and kids love it. It requires teacher as referee, but it does afford a few quiet moments when you really need one. Kids love to play it. 

FLINCH

Players stand in a circle with a student in the middle.  The person in the middle tosses a beach ball around the circle and occasionally “fakes” the people they are throwing the ball to. If the person “flinches” (Acts like they are going to catch the ball when the ball has not been thrown) then they are out and sit down. The game continues till the person in the middle has gotten everyone out.

  THE REVERSE FLINCH OPTION

     If you would like to add a level of excitement, then the people in the circle and try to flinch the person in the middle. If they succeed, then the person in the middle is out and the person who succeed is then in the middle. This allows many more people to be in the middle in a given game.

DONUT ON A STRING

One classic that is always a hit is called “donut on a string.”  You take your students and pair them up by two’s.  The way this game works is that half of the students will lie on their backs and their partner will stand behind them.  Their partner will have a donut that will be tied to a string.  They will then put the end of the string in their mouths and put their hands behind their backs.  At the whistle they will dip their donut in a bowl of chocolate, then dip it in a bowl of powdered sugar and feed it to their partner who is lying on the ground with their hands behind their backs, from the string.  The person who eats the donut first wins the game. It is very messy so place plastic on the ground to limit your clean-up time, but it is a blast!   

REDNECK CHRISTMAS TREE

One of the most exciting Christmas Party activities is Redneck Christmas Trees. 

• Divide your students into small groups (5 or so). 
• Each group will be given a roll of duct tape. 
• Have each group select "a tree" - a student to be decorated
• Group members will wrap loops of duct tape, adhesive side out, around their "tree" in various ways as the “branches” of the tree.
• Groups will then find anything they can to decorate their tree that will stick to the duct tape
• Give the groups 10 minutes to "decorate" their tree.

Groups can earn presents for their tree in the following areas:

• Most attached ornaments
• Most creative
• Best teamwork
• Most spirited

After time is up, let each group showcase their tree. Below is a picture of one of our Christmas parties where this activity was a great hit.

UGLY CHRISTMAS SWEATER PARTY

One of the funniest Christmas events is to throw an Ugly Christmas Sweater Party. Just pick any event that you are hosting and announce to the participants that they are to wear the ugliest Christmas Sweaters or Christmas apparel that they can find. Give prizes for the worst dressed. This event is a surefire way to create a festive atmosphere.

Darrell Beasley, 1st place Winner of Adrian United's 1st Annual Ugly Christmas Sweater Sunday

THE 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS DRAMA

For a great Christmas party activity, remix an oldie but Goodie, 12 Days of Christmas Jingle. Break your students into groups and then give them the handout below. If you have four groups then you will give:

• GROUP 1 - Days 1-3
• GROUP 2 - Days 4-6
• GROUP 3 - Days 7-9
• GROUP 4 - Days 10-12

Have a bag full of really weird and random items that you will give to each group. Then have the groups fill in the blanks of the Christmas Jingle using the random items. This will get really interesting when people are singing about salt shakers, ladies shoes and coffee pots.

On the first day of Christmas, 
my true love sent to me 
A

 ______________________________________________ 


On the second day of Christmas, 
my true love sent to me two

 ______________________________________________  



On the third day of Christmas, 
my true love sent to me 
Three  

 ______________________________________________



On the fourth day of Christmas, 
my true love sent to me 
Four 

 ______________________________________________



On the fifth day of Christmas, 
my true love sent to me 
Five 

 ______________________________________________


On the sixth day of Christmas, 
my true love sent to me 
Six 

 ______________________________________________



On the seventh day of Christmas, 
my true love sent to me 
Seven 

 ______________________________________________

On the eighth day of Christmas, 
my true love sent to me 
Eight 

 ______________________________________________


On the ninth day of Christmas, 
my true love sent to me 
Nine 

 ______________________________________________

 
On the tenth day of Christmas, 
my true love sent to me 
Ten    

 ______________________________________________

On the eleventh day of Christmas, 
my true love sent to me 
Eleven 

 ______________________________________________


On the twelfth day of Christmas, 
my true love sent to me 
Twelve 

 ______________________________________________