Group games are a fun way to get everyone in a room to play together and break the ice. If you need a fun icebreaker game on a whim, you may consider Dragon’s Eggs (sometimes also called Swamp monster) – a group game that’s easy to set up and play in a matter of seconds.
This group game creates and fun and competitive experience for everyone involved. If you have shy kids in your group this game can them break out of their shell and start participating more with the other kids in the group.
Features of the Dragon’s Eggs Game
| ★ Game Name | Dragon’s Eggs or Swamp monster |
| ★ Group size | small and medium |
| ★ Age | any (6+) |
| ★ Type | active |
| ★ Skill | reaction / balance / running |
| ★ Place | indoor and outdoor |
| ★ Time | up to 10 – 20 min |
| ★ Preparation | no |
| ★ Materials | no (or balls) |
The Aim of the Dragon’s Eggs
There are 2 goals behind the group game Dragon’s Eggs. As the volunteer Dragon, your aim is to catch any of the players that are approaching your nest. As an “exploring” player (Treasure hunters), your goal is to reach the dragon’s nest and take the eggs without being caught by the resident Dragon.
Group Size and Age
You can play Dragon’s Eggs with groups between 4 to 10 people. Larger groups are always welcome, although you may want to have 2 or more resident Dragons if you have more “exploring” players.
Dragon’s Eggs can be played by anyone aged 6 and up.
Preparation and Needed Materials
To play Dragon’s Eggs, you’ll have to prepare a large room and cones to draw the boundary of where the island is. You can also replace this with strings or bags – simply anything that will tell your players where the dragon’s nest is.
How to Play the Dragon’s Eggs
Begin your game by picking a volunteer Dragon. This player will have to stand guard behind the boundaries you’ve set. The volunteer dinosaur will start with their back facing the remaining group. Your other players must stand at the far end of the room. This is a game that’s best played in a large space, so it’s harder for your players to reach the dragon’s nest.
Step 1: When you say go, all the players must run toward dinosaur island. As they inch closer to the boundary, your resident Dragon will turn around. When the Dragon is facing your players, everyone must stop in their tracks to avoid being caught.
Step 2: If a player is moving and the Dragon noticed that, they will be sent back to the end of the room and start all over again. The winner is selected based on who reaches dragon’s nest first.
Step 3: You can reset the game by choosing another resident Dragon, making it an endless group game that can go on for hours.
Alternative ways to play the Dragon’s Eggs
1. Theme. If you’d like to introduce alternatives to the group game Dragon’s eggs, you may consider adding a theme to the game. For instance, each time the Dragon turns around, your players must stand in a themed stance. If the theme is animals, then your players must stand (or sit) like an animal. This will make the game tougher as many players will find it difficult to act based on a theme at random.
2. Non-stop Action. If you want to have more action, the game can be easily modified to that as well. However, in this case, you will need to use some objects that will represent the dragon’s eggs or any other treasure (for example balls, pens, bags, etc.). The players grabbing the balls can grab only one ball at a time.