School Spirit Game Ideas for Pep Rallies

"We've got spirit, yes, we do ... We've got spirit, how 'bout you?" Team spirit can have a positive influence on every aspect of school life. What seems like silliness at a pep rally can create camaraderie among students as well as school staff. A friendly atmosphere means a better school year, and planning irresistible pep rally games is one way to get there.

  1. Teachers vs. Students

    • Little amuses students more than watching their teachers or administrators participate in an activity that allows them to loosen up. A "dance off" will certainly create energy at a pep rally. Using music from an era with which the teachers feel more familiar gets the crowd and the dancers more involved. It's an ideal time to get the school mascot involved, to judge or participate in the competition.

      Pie-tossing also serves as a crowd-pleaser, and works best when students throw the pies at the adults. Get the crowd revved up with Tug of War or Pass Completion, where two football players team up against two coaches. Timing them while they throw passes gets the crowd involved and on their feet cheering. The team that completes the greatest number of passes wins.

    Athletes

    • Giving the athletes a role in the pep rally does wonders for boosting school spirit. "Powder Puff" games--dressing the largest football players up in cheerleading outfits while the cheerleaders wear football gear--makes a mock game between the players and the cheerleaders even more spectacular.

      Chicken Walk--another game involving the athletes--places plastic across an area of the gym floor. The players, blindfolded, must walk across the floor while raising their legs as high as possible to avoid crushing the eggs placed in various places on the plastic. For more fun and less mess, remove the eggs before they start and watch them try to avoid invisible eggs. A dramatic music number by the school band boosts the tension in this game. A similar activity, a tricycle race, offers the most entertainment when involving the larger athletes, who compete by racing each other across the floor on tricycles.

    School-Wide

    • Total school participation is a sure-fire way to create a successful pep rally. Although the Spirit Stick Competition probably dates back as far as the concept of pep rallies, it still works. Cheerleaders positioned around the gym explain that the grade-level cheering the loudest will win the prestigious Spirit Stick. Each cheerleader leads the crowd in her section, urging them to yell louder.

      Another idea, which takes more planning, has homeroom classes create a spirit item to display at the next pep rally. For example, for a school with a bulldog mascot, the contest might consist of each class creating bones. An incentive for participation, such as a pizza party, creates anticipation and excitement.