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Volunteering at Scouts is changing to help us reach more young people

Volunteering is changing to help us reach more young people

Volunteering is changing at Scouts. Read more

Discover what this means

All tied up

Complete a series of tasks as a team while being tied to each other at the wrist.

Back to Activities

You’ll need

  • Scarves (such as neckers)

Play the game

  1. Divide into small groups. 
  2. Each group should form a circle, facing inwards. 
  3. Each player should get a scarf, and tie one end of it around their right wrist. They should leave as much scarf as possible dangling, like a tail. 
  4. Each player should look to their left and take hold of their neighbour’s dangling scarf with their left hand. 
  5. Players should tie the scarf they are holding to their own left wrist.

This can be challenging – make sure players take their time and take it in turns. Offer help if needed. 

  1. Complete tasks, without untying your knots.
  2. Check that scarves are not tied too tightly. Make sure there’s enough space between young people. 

We’ve come up with some ideas to inspire you, but you can use whatever’s available to challenge the teams.

Get the hang of it:

  • Perform a Mexican wave.
  • Touch your toes.
  • Touch the head of the person on your right.
  • Turn your circle into a different shape – try a triangle, rectangle, or heart.

Challenge yourselves:

  • Build a structure from wooden blocks or cardboard boxes.
  • Hop or skip from one end of the room to the other.
  • Decorate a cake, or some biscuits.
  • Create a piece of art (for example by laying down a large piece of paper and using paintbrushes or sponges dipped in paint).
  • Throw a ball around the circle, and play catch.

Become a pro:

  • Complete a jigsaw puzzle.
  • Tie your shoelaces.
  • Wrap a present.
  • Make a sandwich.
  • Tie a knot in a length of rope.

Reflection

To complete the tasks, you had to work in a team. How did you cooperate with others? Could you all do the task at the same time, or did you have to take it in turns? How did you decide who should go first? How did you help anyone who was struggling?

You also needed to have respect and trust for others. Was it hard to trust other people to move your body? How did you talk to each other when it got difficult? Did different people have different ideas?

Safety

All activities must be safely managed. You must complete a thorough risk assessment and take appropriate steps to reduce risk. Use the safety checklist to help you plan and risk assess your activity. Always get approval for the activity, and have suitable supervision and an InTouch process.

  • Add your own tasks which are the right level of challenge for your teams.
  • Increase or decrease the number of players in each team.
  • Repeat steps 3-4, but with scarves around players ankles.
  • Adapt tasks to meet players’ needs. For example, players with limited mobility could sit down and try tasks like wrapping a present, or cracking and whisking an egg.
  • Use longer scarves to allow more space between players. Players who don’t want to be tied together could hold on to either end of a scarf, and not let go.

All Scout activities should be inclusive and accessible.

Ask players to choose their own tasks or challenges – or get them to pick the challenges for another group.