Blind Fold Game

This fun and simple game will get teens engaged with one another and help them learn about good communication. This activity can be done in an open classroom, gym, or outside. To get teens excited, let them plan the obstacle course and the types of obstacles they want to use. The possibilities are endless! The goal is to communicate with a blindfolded team member on what direction they need to go in and how to do; an activity, get over, around, or under an obstacle and see how long it takes to make it to the finish line. This takes teamwork and good communication to accomplish your goal in the shortest amount of time.

Tools
1. Blind fold

2. Any type of safe object(s) to create multiple obstacles. Here we used carpeting, a hula hoop and a bouncy ball.

3. Stopwatch (The stop watch from a cellular device will work)

Step 1

With a large group of teens, split into groups of no less than three and no more than 6.

Step 2:

Each team will take turns going through the obstacle course. Decide which team will go first, second, and so on. Allow the teams to choose the types of objects they would like in the obstacle course and allow one person from each team to set it up. No fewer than three objects should be a part of the course, but no more than 8. Space the objects out in random order and vary where each obstacle will be. There should be a starting point and an ending point.

Step 3

Blind fold one person from each team. Place the blindfolded person a few feet from the starting obstacle.

Step 4

Have someone who is not on your team say, "on your mark, get set, GO!" They will then start the stopwatch.

Step 5

The blindfolded person will need to listen to their team member's instructions to get to the first obstacle. The team will need to communicate what needs to be done to do an activity, go over, around, or under an obstacle, before moving to the next obstacle. Only if they complete the task correctly, should they then move on to the second obstacle.

Step 6

Once the first obstacle has been concurred, the team will instruct the blindfolded person to move to the next obstacle and give instructions on how to do an activity, go over, around, or under the obstacle. Continue until all obstacles have been accomplished. In the pictured examples, the blindfolded team member goes over the carpet, crab crawls over the hula hoop and then bounces on the bouncy ball over the finish line.

Step 7

The person who is keeping the stopwatch will then stop the clock once the blindfolded person crosses the finish line. Then record the teams time.

Step 8

The next team will then go through the obstacle course using the same steps indicated from 1 through 8 in the instructions. Repeat steps until all teams have had a turn to go through the obstacle course at least once.

Step 9

Compare recorded times to see which team crossed the finish line the fastest. If time allows, the steps can be repeated and other team members can have a turn being the blindfolded person and compete for the shortest amount of time. (Caution: even though the goal is to finish in the shortest amount of time, it needs to be done at a safe pace to keep anyone from being injured.)

Step 10

Have each person that was blindfolded, give feedback on what communication worked best or worst for them during the obstacle course. Also, have those not blindfolded give feedback on their forms of communication and what they feel worked or did not work for the team.