A good pep rally offers lots of fun, a rousing dose of school spirit and one or two good pep rally games. Cheerleaders generally plan and execute these games with the help and supervision of an advisor or coach. If you're looking for ideas for games and tips to help pull your spirit event together, you've come to the right place!
Pep Rally Games to Play
Get creative and see if you can work some of these game ideas into your next pep rally.
Izzy Dizzy
Izzy Dizzy is a relay race in which participants run straight down a path towards a baseball bat. The participant stands the baseball bat on its end, places his/her forehead on the end, and then spins around the bat ten times. After spinning, the participant weaves through cones in a zig-zag pattern to get back to the starting line. Note: This game can make participants dizzy, so take safety precautions as described below and play at your own risk.
Tips:
- Choose four people from each class.
- Have one cheerleader watch each bat to make sure that participants spin ten times.
- Set the cones up on mats so that if the participants fall, they won't hurt themselves.
Get Ready for Homecoming
You can also use humor to raise spirits. For this game, you'll want to call people forward in partners; you'll need sets of two from each class. (You might want to consider calling on the homecoming court.) Have the partners decide amongst themselves who wants to sit in the chair and who wants to stand. The sitting partner must have his/her hands to the side and cannot use them. The partner who is standing will be blindfolded and handed a bag with cosmetics in it. The blind partner is then given the charge to make up his/her partner who is sitting in the chair.Tips:
- Choose very bright make up such as lipstick, eye shadow and blush.
- Leave out the eyeliner and mascara to lessen the risk of eye poking.
- For a hilarious twist, have someone narrate what needs to happen next such as: "Now I'm putting on my lipstick", and "Now I'm going to drink a glass of water".
- Decide who looks best by having classes cheer for the most beautifully made up partner.
- You might want to have some baby wipes on hand so participants can clean off afterward.
Tips for Pep Rally Games
In general, you should always plan pep rally games with the approval and advice of a coach or faculty advisor. There may be safety issues that you're overlooking, or rules that you're not aware of. On top of that, having an advisor or coach approve your games beforehand generally ensures that everyone will have a good time. In this case the old adage is true: "More heads are better than one". You'll also want to keep some other game planning tips in mind.
Keep It Clean - Literally
Games that involve eggs, water or other sundry substances are often fun and entertaining to watch. However, things can get messy. With that said, be aware that some substances might actually ruin a gymnasium floor. Even water can warp the hardwood of a gymnasium. If you want to do something messy a la Nickelodeon style, consider having a pep rally on a football field where rain will clean up any residual mess.
Encourage Friendly Rivalry
School spirit is all about being proud of your school and your class. Feel free to play on rivalries between classes. However, make sure the rivalry is friendly and does not get out of hand. Choose participants who have a good sense of humor and are not known as being hotheaded. This attention to a minor detail can help students avoid conflicts.
The More the Merrier
Plan rally games around involving as many people as possible. Cheerleaders who are not actually running the games should be involved in getting their section of the gym to cheer louder.
Award the Winning Classes
One great way to encourage participation is to award the winning classes. This can be as simple as throwing candy into a crowd whose class wins, or as elaborate as a pizza party for the class that shows the best team spirit.
Pep Rally Fun
Remember that the primary purpose of a pep rally is to have fun and promote school spirit. Avoid making fun of people or humiliating them. Consider it fair play to warn someone if they're going to get messy or could be put in an embarrassing situation. In general, consider how you'd want to be treated in front of your entire school and do likewise to your game participants. Keeping these tips in mind will help everyone have a great time!
