“Play is often talked about as relief from serious learning. But Play is serious learning”

-adapted from Fred Rogers

Why PLAY? Play can reduce stress. Play can increase joy. Play can help you learn. According to psychiatrist Stuart Brown “Play is a basic human need as essential to our well-being as sleep, so when we’re low on play, our minds and bodies notice.” Lynn Barnett, a professor of recreation, sports and tourism at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign notes that “At work, play has been found to speed up learning, enhance productivity and increase job satisfaction; and at home, playing together, like going to a movie or a concert, can enhance bonding and communication.”

How To Play Stuff was created to enable play.

Learn how to play a new game or re-discover a game you played with your grandma. Whether you want to learn how to play hearts, soccer, team building games, or board games, we’ve got something for everyone!

Check our our Top 10 Team Building Games. Whether you have a small group, large group, or limited supplies we’ve got a game for you that will increase communication and engage even the most stubborn team members.

Human Machine

Work together with a team to choose and act out a machine using only the people in your group Ideal for building: Teamwork, communication, creativity At least 10 people How to Play Human Machine Divide the group into teams of 5-7 people Tell the group that they are going to choose a machine for...

How to play Basketball

Basketball Basics -The object of basketball is to score on your opponent's team by putting the ball through their hoop while preventing them from scoring on your own team's hoop. This is the basic premise if you're learning how to play basketball. -2 teams of 5 players will play against each other...

Noodle Dual

Get your group moving around and working on communication while trying to whack the other team with a pool noodle. Ideal for building: Communication, trust, and group energy 4+ people 2 standard pool noodles 2 Blindfolds Whistle if possible Boundary markers (cones, rope, circle of people, etc.) At...

How to Play Go Fish

Go Fish is a great game for 2 to 6 people.  This is how you set up the game: 5 cards (7 cards if only 2 people are playing) are dealt to each player from a standard 52-card deck. The balance of the deck is splayed out in the middle of the group. The object of Go Fish is to collect the most books...

Puzzle Challenge

Work with your team to think outside of the box to solve multiple riddles, word problems, and other challenges. Ideal for building: Thinking outside of the box, teamwork, patience Puzzle questions for each team Answer sheet Match sticks Pencil for each team 2+ people 10 minutes Set Up: Print the...

Fox Walk – A Game About Behavioral Adaptation

Summary Fox walk teaches about the stalking technique of foxes, a behavioral adaptation, and the physical adaption of rabbit ears.  Predator prey relationships are explored and this is a great game to practice focus and center a groups attention.Activity Stats Group Size: 6-20 participants Ages:...

How to Play Spoons

Learn how to play Spoons, a simple card game with an active twist.  It's simple to learn and can be played by children or adults. There's even a version of spoons that has become popular as a drinking game at parties.  It's a sneaky, fast-paced and involves bluffing, so if you have a good face for...

More than a Pencil

Encourage your team’s creativity and challenge them to work together to come up with a brand new use for an old tool. The pencil. Ideal for building: teamwork, communication, innovation, creativity 4-30 people Pencils Set Up: Gather enough pencils for all groups. Group sizes should be 3-4 people....

How to Play Football

Football Basics: • Football is played on a marked field measuring 100 yards, an end zone at each end of the field. The field is marked with hash marks, each being a yard apart. The fifty yard line marks the center of the field with each yard line counting down until a team reaches its end zone on...

How to Play War

War is an easy card game involving 2 or more players.  It is generally played with a standard deck of 52 cards with Jokers, but any number of decks or types of decks can be used.  The object is to win all of the cards.  Continue reading to learn exactly how to play war.The rank of card values for...