Blindfolded Cup Guard for children's Sunday school

Before We Begin: Thank You to Everyone Who Shared These Ideas

This is an evolving game library. I will continue adding worthwhile ideas I discover online, along with games I think up myself, for use in children's Sunday school, church camps, family days, and small-group icebreakers.

Teachers, parents, church volunteers, and other generous people have taken the time to film or explain simple, creative activities, making it possible for the rest of us to learn from them.

My sincere thanks go to every person who shared an idea. I have reorganized the activities below and adapted them for children's Sunday school, church camps, family days, and small-group icebreakers. I am not claiming that these games are my original creations. Online posts are frequently reposted, so it is not always possible to identify the first creator. If you know an original source or believe a game needs attribution, please let me know so I can add or correct it.

The AI-created images in this article are visualizations of the activities. They are meant to communicate the general mood and setup, not to serve as exact rule diagrams. Always adjust a game to suit the children's ages, group size, venue, and physical needs.

A safety note for leaders: Give every blindfolded child a nearby adult spotter, remove obstacles from active areas, and replace hard cans, brooms, or poles with paper cups, foam batons, or other soft props. Check allergies and hygiene requirements before any food activity. Fun matters, and safety matters even more.

Picture Index: Jump to a Game

Select a game name to jump directly to its picture and instructions.

# Game Format Main supplies
1 Blindfolded Target Step Partner cooperation Blindfold, paper cup or soft marker
2 Blindfolded Cup Guard Team attack and defense Chair, cups, foam baton, blindfold
3 Newspaper Foot Scrunch Race Individual race Newspaper, chairs
4 Broom-and-Disc Target Challenge Relay or points game Soft broom, discs, tape
5 Color Cone Swap Relay Team relay Colored cones or spot markers
6 Cookie Fishing Partners Partner cooperation Safe short rods, cotton string, cookies
7 Back-of-Hand Cup and Ball Challenge Individual or head-to-head Colored cups, soft balls, trays
8 Pull the Cups into Your Circle Team competition Cups, hoops, foam batons
9 Sticky-Note Face-Off Circle icebreaker Low-tack sticky notes

1. Blindfolded Target Step

Two blindfolded children trying to step on a target inside a hoop
The blindfolded player must rely entirely on a teammate's voice. Select the image to view it at full size.

Supplies: Blindfolds, a hoop, and an upside-down paper cup or soft floor marker. Although the illustration shows an empty can, a soft prop is a safer choice for children.

How to play: Place the target inside the hoop. The blindfolded player starts one or two steps away while a teammate gives short directions such as “forward,” “a little left,” and “stop.” The player scores by gently touching the target with a foot. Time each pair or award one point per successful attempt.

Leader tip: Allow only one player in the activity area and keep an adult spotter within reach. Afterwards, ask, “When you could not see, what helped you decide which voice to trust?” It can open a natural conversation about listening, trust, and guidance.

2. Blindfolded Cup Guard

Blindfolded seated defenders use foam batons to guard paper cups while other children try to collect them
The defender listens for movement while the other team cooperates to collect cups. Select the image to view it at full size.

Supplies: A stable chair, paper cups, a blindfold, and a foam baton. Do not use wood or rigid plastic sticks.

How to play: The blindfolded defender sits on the chair with several cups near its legs. Attacking players approach one at a time and may take only one cup. The defender listens and gently taps the floor or an approaching player with the foam baton. A tagged player returns to the start; the team with the most cups at the end of the time limit wins.

Leader tip: The baton must stay below knee height, and only a light touch counts. Attackers should walk or crawl slowly, never push, and never go underneath the chair.

3. Newspaper Foot Scrunch Race

Children sitting in chairs and using only their feet to gather the newspaper beneath them
No hands—only feet—to complete the newspaper challenge. Select the image to view it at full size.

Supplies: One similarly sized sheet of old newspaper per player and stable, non-slip chairs.

How to play: Each child sits with an open newspaper on the floor under their feet. When the leader says go, players must use only their feet to gather and scrunch the sheet into a small bundle. The first player to finish without leaving the chair wins.

Leader tip: There is no need to use blindfolds in the children's version. Add non-slip pads to the chairs, or remove the speed element and let the whole group try to finish within a shared time limit.

4. Broom-and-Disc Target Challenge

Children using a broom to push flat discs toward a taped target on the floor
A target game where control matters more than strength. Select the image to view it at full size.

Supplies: A child-sized soft-bristle broom, flat foam discs, and concentric squares or circles marked with painter's tape.

How to play: Starting behind a line, each child slowly pushes a disc with the broom and tries to leave it inside the target. Areas closer to the center earn more points. Give each player three discs and total the score, or turn it into a relay.

Leader tip: Establish one clear rule: the broom remains close to the floor and is never swung. Leave enough space between players to keep brooms from colliding.

5. Color Cone Swap Relay

Two teams racing to rearrange colored cones into the required sequence
Players may move only one cone per turn, combining speed, observation, and teamwork. Select the image to view it at full size.

Supplies: Two equal sets of colored mini cones or flat spot markers and two pattern cards.

How to play: Mix the colors at the far end of the play area and line up two teams. Each player may run out, move one cone, return, and tag the next teammate. The first team to reproduce the color sequence on its pattern card wins.

Leader tip: Use fast walking in a small room. Younger children can simply sort by color, while older children can reproduce a sequence from memory. Invite teams to describe how they divided the work.

Two seated children using short rods with hanging cookies and trying to guide a cookie to a partner
A partner challenge that rewards patience and coordination. Select the image to view it at full size.

Supplies: Smooth short rods with no sharp ends, cotton string, and an individually portioned cookie for each participant.

How to play: Partners sit facing each other. A cookie hangs by string from the end of a short rod. One child carefully controls the rod while the other keeps their hands down and tries to take a bite. Once they succeed, the partners switch roles.

Leader tip: Confirm allergies, swallowing ability, and parental permission first, and never ask children to share one cookie. For a food-free version, use a cotton ball or paper fish and guide it into a cup held by the partner.

7. Back-of-Hand Cup and Ball Challenge

Children balancing colored cups on the backs of their hands while sorting matching soft balls
Keep the cups balanced while matching the colors. Select the image to view it at full size.

Supplies: Colored paper cups, matching large soft balls or pompoms, and rimmed trays. Never use small balls with children who may put them in their mouths.

How to play: Give each child a tray of mixed colors and balance one cup on the back of each hand. Without dropping the cups, players use their fingers to move matching balls into a scoring area or into the corresponding cup. The most correct matches at the end of the time limit wins.

Leader tip: Begin with one hand and one cup before increasing the difficulty. For a communication version, one partner calls out the colors while the other handles the objects.

8. Pull the Cups into Your Circle

Children standing in hoops and using foam batons to pull cups from the center into their own circles
Stay inside your base and use the tool to bring cups home. Select the image to view it at full size.

Supplies: Paper cups, one hoop per team, and foam batons or short poles with padded ends.

How to play: Put all the cups in the center and have each team stand inside its own hoop. Players may not step outside. They must hook, push, or pull cups into their hoop using only the foam baton. The team with the most cups when time expires wins.

Leader tip: Keep teams at least an arm's length apart and do not allow anyone to steal cups already inside another hoop. With younger children, remove the timer and work together to move every cup into one of the “homes.”

9. Sticky-Note Face-Off

Children wearing sticky notes on their cheeks and trying to remove them without using their hands
The sillier the expressions, the more laughter this game usually creates. Select the image to view it at full size.

Supplies: One or two clean, low-tack sticky notes per player.

How to play: Each child places the notes on their own cheeks. Once the game begins, no hands and no help from anyone else are allowed. Players blow, wrinkle their noses, and make faces until every note falls. The first person to lose all the notes completes the challenge.

Leader tip: Keep notes away from eyes, nostrils, lips, and broken skin, and do not let children blow directly into one another's faces. A child with sensitive skin can place the note on a shirt shoulder and shake it off instead.

Connecting the Games to a Sunday School Lesson

Choose one short question after the game, then move naturally into prayer or the Bible story:

  • Which directions were easiest to follow while blindfolded?
  • What did a teammate do that helped you?
  • When did slowing down produce a better result?
  • How can we encourage someone who did not finish?

One More Thank You to the Online Community

Thank you to every teacher, parent, church volunteer, and creator who has shared group-game ideas online. I will keep adding new games whenever I discover or develop a good one.