The Chair Game is a popular icebreaker game that provides lots of laughter in groups of friends. As you’ll have to use generic statements such as, “My favorite food is macaroni and cheese,” this game will also help the players know each other better.
Keep reading to learn how to play the Chair Game.
Features of the Chair Game
| ★ Game Name | Chair Game |
| ★ Group size | small and medium |
| ★ Age | any |
| ★ Type | stationary |
| ★ Skill | memory |
| ★ Place | outdoor or indoor |
| ★ Time | up to 5 – 15 min |
| ★ Preparation | no |
| ★ Materials | chairs |
The Aim of Game
In The Chair Game, the one aim is to find a seat for yourself. While there are usually no winners to be found for this group game, you’ll want to be able to find a seat after every round for your comforts and to increase the overall excitement.
Group Size and Age
The Chair Game is best played with groups of 6 to 12 people. It’s a fun group game to be played by anyone above the age of 8, although younger children too can play with adult guidance.
There are no teams involved in The Chair Game, so groups don’t necessarily have to be in even numbers for a fun time.
Preparation and Materials
The best thing about The Chair Game is that you won’t need to prepare anything but chairs. In every round, you’ll want to ensure there is always one less chair to the number of players. For example, if you have 8 players in The Chair Game, you’ll only want to prepare 7 chairs.
How to Play the Chair Game
Before you begin to play The Chair Game, you’ll have to arrange the chairs in a circle, so it’s easier for everyone to move around. You will then be ready to play The Chair Game through these easy steps:
Step 1: Pick 1 volunteer from your group of players and have everyone else find a seat. Start the game by having your volunteer say a general statement such as, “I had cereal for breakfast.”
Step 2: After this statement has been made, every player who had cereal for breakfast must stand up and find a different seat. This seat cannot be the one next to them. If there are no remaining seats for that player, they will be the volunteer for the next round. Should nobody stand up after the statement has been made, the volunteer remains as the same person.
Step 3: Repeat these steps until a certain time limit is up. You may opt to include a punishment mechanic for the volunteer standing up if you wish to add some excitement to the game.
Different ways to play The Chair Game
As you can see, The Chair Game is an easy group game that’s ideal if you want to help everyone get to know each other. But what happens if you’re playing with a group of close friends? Well, here are some alternative ways that you can play The Chair Game:
- Include a theme: If you’re playing The Chair Game at a party, you may consider having a theme for all the statements that are being said. For example, your volunteer’s statement can be, “I’m wearing red today” for a Christmas party.
- Reduce the chairs: To make The Chair Game more exciting, you could also reduce the chairs after each round. This, however, means you may not change the volunteer as often and instead use this variation to eliminate players. Reducing the chair is a fun way to have everyone scramble for a seat and to find a winner by the end of the game. As a host, you may consider being the volunteer to keep the game fair.