Women Team Game Ideas

[coachmolly]

We have an issue in our gym of the lower level and upper level girls being treated like 2 totally separate teams. So for the summer, I'm trying to come up with something that will facilitate some type of positive interaction between the two groups.
My plan is to split the girls into 4 teams of mixed ages/levels and do periodic contests and games for chances to earn points. The team with the most points at the end of the summer gets to choose how the whole team celebrates the end of summer. But I'm stuck on coming up with games/contests that suit different ages and abilities as I don't want the big kids to win everything, I want the little ones to feel like they are contributing something too.

So far I have:
Relay races
Handstand contests
Most pull-ups/leg lifts
Farthest handstand walk
Team with the most girls wearing their team color
Most creative team routine

But a lot of those favor the higher level girls. So I'm in need of ideas that might benefit the little guys. They can be individual things (team nominates 1 person or everyone participates and the team the winner is on gets the point) or something that can be done in a team of approx. 6 girls can do together. The age range is 7-16. They can be gymnastics/strength/flexibility oriented or something a little bit more off the wall and silly.
Thanks in advance, I know you guys always have great ideas!

 

[MuggleMom]

What about a photo scavenger hunt? You have to take pictures with the required items. You could also award extra points for most the creative pictures. It could all be things around the gym so you wouldn't have to "go" anywhere. Some of the items could be a skill instead of a physical item (like handstand or cartwheel on high beam) and state in the rules that that every person on the team must be featured in at least one photo. Some of the required photos could also include some type of group shot so they have to figure out how to use a timer and get everyone involved. You could even assign "team captains" and ensure that each team has an older team member and a younger team member as a captain.

Also an obstacle course relay race could be fun too--mix up the ages and put them in groups at different stations and each group must complete a circuit before the group at the next station can start.

I think to foster more team work there should be some sort of problem solving component that requires people to come together to solve it. Like did you every have to do that human knot exercise? Everyone grab a hand of someone else and you are all reaching through and tangled up together. Then you have to work together to get out into an untangled circle without letting go of anyone's hand. That could be particularly fun with gymnasts and their flexibility. http://www.group-games.com/ice-breakers/human-knot-icebreaker.html

 

[fuzi]

A lot of these can be done as team contests.

For example, each gymnasts does the most pull-ups she can and all the #s are added together for a team score. Yes, the higher level gymnasts will do more, but the goal is to get the most pull-ups as a team. So if team A goes 10 + 10 + 20 + 20 = 60 and team B goes 9 + 11 + 18 +20 = 58, team A won. Same idea with handstand holds (add up the seconds), handstand walks (add up the distance or have a team member start from where the previous team member fell).

I'd might also give attendance points. Something like, each team gets 1 point if everyone on their team goes to workout that day (or that week).

 

[Jard.the.gymnast]

I think to foster more team work there should be some sort of problem solving component that requires people to come together to solve it. Like did you every have to do that human knot exercise? Everyone grab a hand of someone else and you are all reaching through and tangled up together. Then you have to work together to get out into an untangled circle without letting go of anyone's hand. That could be particularly fun with gymnasts and their flexibility. http://www.group-games.com/ice-breakers/human-knot-icebreaker.html

We did something similar. We were mixed up and in a circle facing each other. We had to get into a circle facing out, so you face towards the wall instead of each other. There is a technique for it, but they have to work together to find it. Maybe get each group in a small circle and see which team can do it the fastest.

 

[CAGymmie]

We have done something like this at my gym. Everyone was on teams (mixed age, level, training group etc.) and you had to earn points for your team. You could earn points through games and group activities like already mentioned above, but you could ALSO earn points for other, individual things. For example, you could earn points for sticking a certain number of beam skills or getting a new skill. Coaches would give out points during regular workout and you would go add your points to your team's whiteboard. We did this for a whole summer and I really enjoyed getting to know other girls from higher levels. One of my current friends at the gym, I met through this activity.

 

[Flyaway]

My gymmie loves it when the levels mix and play a game! Great idea! One of her favorites (I don't know the name) is when each gymmie is paired up (usually one smaller with one bigger/stronger). Then they split up into two circles, partners in opposite circles - one circle is bigger and one is smaller, inside the bigger circle. Music starts and they begin jogging in opposite directions (for example, outer circle clockwise, inner circle counter-clockwise). When the music stops the coach calls out a pose/skill, and the gymnasts have to find their partner and perform the skill. They all have fun names like Water Under the Bridge (one gymnast bridges while the other planks underneath her) or Backpack (one gymnast jumps on the other gymnast's back). Like musical chairs, the last pair of gymnasts to find each other and perform the skill is out. Then the circles reform and the music starts again. It's a fun mixer AND a warm up. I bet if you googled you could find the actual rules.

Edit - I realize this isn't really a team contest sort of game, but it is a fun way to get the girls to work together with gymnasts they probably don't train with much.

 

[Deleted member 14190]

pair them in multiple groups and do an extensive treasure hunt.

 

[MAmom]

Rather than older vs younger, perhaps mixing up the groups would give more chances for the kids to interact and cheer each other on.

 

[SMH]

In the summer our team does water relay races- they fill up a bucket that they dunk a giant sponge into and have to pass the sponge down their line to a different bucket, and squeeze out the water- they have a few minutes to do this and whoever has the fullest bucket wins.
They also love to play Ships and Sailors, and a bunch of variations on tag. They also play a game called 'spud' that I think you can google for rules.

 

[skschlag]

Our boys' team just did a bunch of these. they were in mixed age/level teams. They had to do them all "connected" like a train. they had a word search, crab races (feet on shoulders-- funny), mountain climb (had to climb up a stack of mats and slide down the whale mat on the other side while staying connected), A relay where the front person would disconnect, run around the floor, and reattach at the back. once reattached, the next front person would go. and a building challenge...they had to put 60 pit blocks in a hula hoop.....meaning staying connected while going to get them and build. Oh, and they had to travel across the pit connected.

They had other ones like mat race, where they had 3 mats of different sizes and had to move everyone across the floor without touching the floor (not connected). They had a blast!

 

[gymisforeveryone]

Beam games!
Everyone in a smaller group chooses one turn, one acro skill and one jump/leap or jump/leap connection (for higher levels) from their beam routine OR during the summer the skills can be their up training skills and you can work on low beams. Then they take turns on their (ideally group's own) beam and every time they stick a skill they get a point. You can give them like 5-15 minutes of time to do this OR you can say that the first team to get 10 points total is the winner. You can also make the teams count the points for other teams or have other "judges" to give points so the game is fair for everyone. This game is great for mixed ability and level teams since they choose their skills by themselves. For example the Bronze girls can do a pivot turn, a handstand and a split jumps. The silver girls can do a full turn, a cartwheel and a split jump - straight jump connection and the cold girls can do a full turn, a back walkover and a split leap - split jump connection etc.

Rope climb is another nice one! Give the team 10 turns (or whatever you decide) total on rope and make them count every step their team takes without feet.

Are you familiar with the tic-tac-toe realy race? That would be fun too!

Color game is the all time favorite for my girls! Everyone stands on the floor and you tell them a color and a body part, for example "touch something blue by your right foor". The last one to find the color and touch it gets a minus point for her team. At the end the team with no minus point or with least minus points is the winner. Sometimes I like to mix the game up a little bit and tell them to for example hide their entire body, touch the ceiling etc, something unexpected like that. You can also turn this game into "Bring me XXX" game. Ask them to bring you for example a pit block, a water bottle, a nice oversplit, a crash mat etc and the firs team to get you what you asked gets a point.

 

[Jard.the.gymnast]

Rather than older vs younger, perhaps mixing up the groups would give more chances for the kids to interact and cheer each other on.

I think OP meant that she wanted to mix them up, but she was worried that the older girls would bring in more points than younger girls on one team (because they are stronger and have more skills) and she was looking for games where the younger girls could get points for their team so they really felt they were a part of it.

 

[tdoesgymnastics]

My gymmie loves it when the levels mix and play a game! Great idea! One of her favorites (I don't know the name) is when each gymmie is paired up (usually one smaller with one bigger/stronger). Then they split up into two circles, partners in opposite circles - one circle is bigger and one is smaller, inside the bigger circle. Music starts and they begin jogging in opposite directions (for example, outer circle clockwise, inner circle counter-clockwise). When the music stops the coach calls out a pose/skill, and the gymnasts have to find their partner and perform the skill. They all have fun names like Water Under the Bridge (one gymnast bridges while the other planks underneath her) or Backpack (one gymnast jumps on the other gymnast's back). Like musical chairs, the last pair of gymnasts to find each other and perform the skill is out. Then the circles reform and the music starts again. It's a fun mixer AND a warm up. I bet if you googled you could find the actual rules.

Edit - I realize this isn't really a team contest sort of game, but it is a fun way to get the girls to work together with gymnasts they probably don't train with much.

It's called Lovers Leap.

 

[MAmom]

I think OP meant that she wanted to mix them up, but she was worried that the older girls would bring in more points than younger girls on one team (because they are stronger and have more skills) and she was looking for games where the younger girls could get points for their team so they really felt they were a part of it.

Oh, that makes sense, sorry! I love the ideas people are giving, by the way.

 

[coachmolly]

Thanks so much! I love all of these! I think I'll probably do a bigger game with some more running/activity during warm-ups and then more of a contest later in the practice around their break time or towards the end. I'm just hoping to get the teens (and HC) excited about it.