PTO Today

Our middle school has a big Dance night coming up. Can anyone suggest any games that the DJ can play that would work well with large groups of kids?

You could do a limbo--- this is middle school some of the usual-- such as musical chairs- won't work with these kids-- if this is a Halloween dance-- we did a game where the kids got into groups and had a song to wrap one of the group with toilet paper- and then the audience picked a winner-- we gave out small prizes -- I would have a photo area-- kids love to get photos with their friends, especially middle school-- either bring a digital printer and print as you go... or have a 1/2 sheet flier that the kids fill out to get their picture sent to their class a few days after the dance-- the cost to print is like .15 cents if you have over 50-- which we always do.

If it's anyone who has DJ'd for kids before, they should know group dances that are usually hits (Macarena, Hands Up, YMCA, Electric Slide, Chicken Dance, The Twist, Cotton Eye Joe, Hokey Pokey, Shout).

You can also get a couple of those jumbo balloons that are 3' in diameter. (Check party/craft stores.) They cost $3-$5 and are pretty heavy latex so don't pop too easily. You just fill them up with air, not helium. As long as the kids don't get out of control, having one or two floating around the dance area is a lot of fun. Because of the size, it almost seems like the balloon moves in slow motion. Kids and adults alike seem to love playing with these. The goal is simply to keep it in motion along with whatever else is going on.
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Here's the games that I run at my events, though I change them around so as not to make them old...

"Mummy Wrap" - Or TP Race. I use the Mummy Wrap name for the Harvest event, and TP Race for others. Pretty much a team of two. Sometimes I'll do parent and child, sometimes two children. One is the "Mummy" or one to be wrapped, while the other is the one doing the wrapping. Different criteria to use can be first one to empty their spool, or first one to cover all of their teammate.

"Hot Potato" - For the Harvest event we make it "Pass the Pumpkin". Have some stuffed pumpkins, potatos, whatever. Depending on the amount of kids I start with more of the item being passed. One huge circle with a passing item per every 5 kids. Really speeds up the game this way. Getting like five or six out every turn. Once you get down a few take one or two out. Keep going until it is only two players. These two I have stand ten feet apart and toss the "pumpkin".

Simon Sez - Usually for the younger kids. Start off with group commands until down to like ten. Then start asking individual commands. Fun to watch.

Cotton-Eyed Joe Dance-Off - Have all the kids dance to the Cotton-Eyed Joe and pick five or six to come up and dance-off. Have the audience pick the winner.

"Treasure Hunt" - Have up to 20 contestants. The one with the most points will win. First one to bring the item up to the DJ gets 5 points, second one gets 3 points and third get 1. Have a list of ten items that would likely be found within the room. For example, a School ID card, a brown wallet, a sneaker with pink shoe laces, a purple hair brush, a blue hair band, etc. This gets them roaming around the room asking for help and interacting with the people in the room.

Hope these help. If I come up with others I'll post them.

PresidentJim