Shoe Scramble

Overview

In this blindfolded relay race, players must use their abilities of touch and sound to find their missing shoes. The more the merrier in this wild scramble. Great as an icebreaker or end to an event where everyone has removed their shoes.

Age

School-age, Tweens, Teens, Adults

Number of Players

5 to 10, 10 to 20, 20+

Team Division

Teamwork! (divide into teams)

Competitiveness

Either/or (can be played either way)

Difficulty

Easy peasy (fun and simple)

Indoor or Outdoor

Either

Space Needed

Medium (a clearable open space the size of a 2-car garage), Large (gym, outdoor field, reception hall)

Noise Level

Rowdy

Mess Factor

Clean and tidy

Prep Time

5 minutes or less

Game Time Length

15 - 30 minutes

Supplies

Blindfold (one for each team)

A pair of shoes from each player

Setup

1. Have every player remove their shoes and place them in a big pile. Mix the pile up so none of the shoes are together.
2. Break kids into even teams and line them up about 10 to 15 feet from the shoe pile. Depending on your space & number of teams you can line teams up in the following manner -
A. like points on a compass
B. like hours on a clock
C. divided on two sides of the playing field
D. on one side of the playing field
3. Give each team a blindfold.

How to Play

1. Blindfold the first player from each team.
2. On "go", the blindfolded player crawls toward the pile of shoes - with team members shouting encouragement and directions.
3. Upon arriving at the pile, the blindfolded player searches for their own shoes AND puts them on correctly.
4. Once they have placed the shoes on their feet they may remove the blindfold. If they are wearing the wrong shoes they must replace the blindfold, take off the shoes, and begin their search again.
5. If the shoes are correct the player runs back to their team (with the blindfold off) and passes the blindfold to the next player.
6. Play continues until each team member has their own shoes on their own feet. The team that does this the quickest is declared the winner.

Variations

1. Instead of shoes try using jackets for a winter party.

Tips

1. Make sure you have someone at the shoe pile mixing and remixing the shoes.
2. Make sure none of the players gets too rough at the shoe pile, pushing is not allowed, nor is tossing unwanted shoes.

Educational

Can be used to exercise observation, sense memory, and comparison by touch.