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Description

A game that requires players to work together and communicate to score points for their team by matching cut up Christmas cards.

This game sounds so simple but it relies on communication, working together and memory and can be quite challenging to play.

You could make it Beaver friendly by just using 10 or so cards.

It can be made harder by adding in additional players and becomes harder the more cards are used. It also become harder if the tops and bottoms are not segregated (so each table contains some tops and some bottoms but obviously the two halves must be on separate tables).

Resources

Old Christmas cards, scissors or a guillotine.

Instructions

Set Up.

Cut the front page of all your Christmas cards in half keeping the two halves in separate piles - let's call these piles tops and bottoms (though lefts and rights is just as valid) discard the back page of the card.

Place two tables against opposite walls of the room with lots of space between them. Create a wide barrier down the middle between the two tables. (I use chairs).

Spread the tops out coloured side down on one table and spread the bottoms coloured side down on the opposite table.

The object of the game is for pairs of players to work together to correctly match tops to bottoms.

Rules.

Pieces of card cannot be passed over the central barrier.

Players can hold a maximum of one piece of card at any time.

Players can pick up one piece of card at a time but must return it face down to the table before picking up another piece.

It is acceptable if one partner stands at the barrier and calls out details about their part of the card (e.g. size, main colours, glitter content, etc) and this should be encouraged!

It is also acceptable to show (but not pass) pieces to their partner across the barrier.

Play.

Divide your pack into two teams and ask them to find a partner within their team (if odd numbers- somebody will need to go a second time).

Taking one pair from each team, put one person from each pair on either side of the barrier (so you get one person from each team on each side).

Say go!

First pair to correctly match up a top and a bottom (verified by a leader ) wins a point for their team.

Card tops and bottoms are returned to the correct tables and you then move on the next two pairs of players.

If they find this too easy, challenge them to find two or three pairs at a time or increase the number playing at any one time.


Notes:
Cards that are written on the back might be easy targets for the children to spot - you can remove these or leave them in as you see fit.

Be aware that the young people will watch you replace previously chosen cards so be a bit discreet about where they return to the tables.

Winners are likely to be pairs that communicate most effectively but also those who make wise choices to start with. Choosing a tiny (or huge card) gives a pair a real advantage as size is the one element they can see from the back!

At the end of the night make sure your tops and bottoms go in separate bags or you will have to sort them out before you can play it next time.

Tags

• christmas cards
• communication
• team building
• team game

Badge Links

• Teamwork - Team game
• Teamwork - Team-building