Rock Paper Scurry
Rock, Paper, Scurry
A Fun Youth Group Game
Watch the Tutorial Video
Rock, Paper, Scurry takes the classic game of rock-paper-scissors and turns it into a fast-paced running game for youth groups.
Overview
Ideal # of Participants: Any!
Where to Play: Indoor / Outdoor
Age of Participants: Elementary School / Middle School / High School
Approximate Time to Play: 10 to 20 Minutes
Materials Needed: Nothing!
How to Play Rock, Paper, Scurry
Divide Into Two Teams
Divide your group into two teams, and send each team to their own half of a basketball court.
Each side will decide whether their team wants to throw rock, paper, or scissors in the impending battle, and remembers their choice.
The whole team is going to throw the same thing, so make sure everyone’s on the same page.
Line Up for Battle
Once both sides are ready, everyone approaches the half-court line and stands toe-to-toe.
On your call of “Rock, Paper, Scissors, shoot!”, they’re going to play a normal game of rock-paper-scissors.
But there’s a twist.
Run or Chase
Whoever loses needs to try to escape from the winner.
In our space, “escaping” means managing to make it all the way to the back wall on your side of the court.
If the runner successfully gets to the safe area without being tagged, then they have survived the round and stay on the same team.
But if the chaser catches up with them and tags them, then the runner changes teams.
Remember Your Team's Choice
This is why it’s important that everyone knows what their team has decided to throw.
If someone is confused and throws something different, they risk confusing the other team.
To counteract this, if you throw something different than your team and it causes confusion, you also have to switch teams.
This adds another layer of chaos to an otherwise simple rock-paper-scissors game.
The Chaos Begins
What’s funny about this game is that when you’re lined up, everyone is so skittish because they don’t know if they need to run or not.
Every round you might have both people running away from each other, the loser chasing the winner, and sometimes both people just collide right into each other.
As the game goes on, the teams should become more and more lopsided, which can make for some really funny moments.
How to Win
Keep playing rounds until one team has been completely eliminated.
Once a team is eliminated, the game is over!
Tips for Playing Rock, Paper, Scurry
- Make sure teams know their choice. Give each team enough time to agree on rock, paper, or scissors before lining up.
- Clearly define the safe area. Make sure students know exactly where they need to reach to survive the round.
- Use a large playing area. A basketball court works really well because students have enough room to run.
- Emphasize tagging instead of tackling. Students only need to tag the runner; there’s no reason to make physical contact beyond that.
- Keep the rounds moving. The game gets more exciting when you quickly reset and send students back to the line.
- Expect chaos. Students will sometimes misunderstand who is supposed to run, chase, or switch teams. That’s part of what makes the game funny.
- Stop when one team is eliminated. Once one side has no players left, you’ve completed the game.
Lesson Handout
Want to make this easy to share with your volunteers or students? Download the “Rock, Paper, Scurry” Lesson Handout (PDF) below!
Where Games Meet God's Word...
Most leaders just look for games to play, but miss their true value. When used well, games help teach your lesson, because experiential learning is by far the most effective way to teach a lesson that sticks.
If you want to see this principle in action, check out Uplift, our FREE youth group lesson that is built for engagement. It contains a fun game, but then your students’ experience from the game ties into the Christ-centered message you’ll teach.
