Pep rallies, or any whole-school event that aims to build school spirit, are all about the way you engage students and staff. They bring students together to have fun. Include traditional activities like having a Cheer-o-Meter, quick Minute To Win It activities, and ongoing competitions to increase participation. Here are our favorite pep rally games, activities, and ideas for your next whole-school spirit event.

Pep Rally Traditions

These activities aren’t games per se, but they are great ways to get students and staff jazzed about an upcoming pep rally.

Cheer-o-Meter

To create a Cheer-o-Meter, divide students into sections and assign point values to different levels of cheering. Encourage each section to cheer as loudly as they can. Have one teacher record who cheered the loudest, or if you have it, use a decibel reader to get the official numbers. Start the Cheer-o-Meter at the beginning of the year and incorporate it into every pep rally. 

Photo Booth

Have your school mascot stand in a photo booth or in front of a school flag, ready for selfies. Have each class stop and take their photo as they enter the pep rally, or leave the photo area up for the day. 

School Decoration Challenge

Get students fired up for the pep rally by creating a class float or class wall. Students can change their decorations based on the theme. Then the school itself will feel like a warm-up to the pep rally.

Class Floats

Kick off the year or season with a float from each class. As students enter the gym or pep rally space, they can bring their float along. Challenge students to create floats that align with the school values, mascot, or another theme.

Day of Service

Participating in a school-wide day of service before the pep rally can be an awesome way to raise school spirit while doing some good at the same time. Students can start a painting project, clean up around the school, or even help teachers clean out their classrooms.

Celebrate Your Inclusive School

Have an inclusion-themed pep rally with a pep rally that meets everyone’s needs. Think about all the various ways kids engage in your school, and consider passing out headphones at the door for noise cancelling, dimming the lights for kids who might get overstimulated, and having interpreters for multiple languages if you have MLL students. 

Learn more: Everyone Is Welcome Here door-decorating kit

“Minute To Win It” Pep Rally Games

These timed challenges are just so fun and a great way to include every student in a fun and engaging way. Kick off a pep rally with a few Minute To Win It pep rally games and keep tally of which classes win so you have a Minute To Win It champion at the end of the year.

Human Ring Toss

Use two sets of blown-up inner tubes, Hula-Hoops, or pool noodles turned into rings. One student stands still while the others throw the rings over them. The group that can get all the rings on their student wins. 

Balloon Pop

Put letters that spell out your school’s cheer or song into balloons. Students have a minute to pop the balloons and use the letters to spell out the phrase. Students can work individually or in teams.

Indestructible Balloon

Students get a balloon that is blown up so that it’s difficult to pop. Then, see who can pop it, but they only have one minute to do it.

Stack the Cups … Blindfolded

Provide each student or team with the same number of plastic cups. Students stack cups in a pyramid, and then unstack them into a tower. The fastest team wins. For an extra team-building challenge, blindfold one student on each team while playing.

Head, Shoulders, Knees, Cup

Perform the command called out by touching the appropriate body part, but be ready to grab the cup before your opponent when “Cup!” is yelled.

Tic-Tac-Tweezer

Each player has two bins in front of them. One bin is filled with Tic Tac candies (or something else that’s small) and the other bin is empty. Using tweezers, the student that moves the most Tic Tacs from the full bin to the empty one in 60 seconds wins.

Toilet Paper Mummy

This game works especially well around Halloween, but it can be played anytime (make it a winter game by adding a carrot and top hat and the mummy becomes a snowman). Students work as a team to mummify a classmate with TP. You can include the audience during this activity by having them vote on the best mummy.

Make a Snake

Have students form single lines while reaching their right hand through their legs for the person behind them to grab. Then, the front student walks backward, and the other students follow, creating a snake effect. The students then go the other way, and the team with all members standing the fastest wins.

Cover Them in Positivity

Print positive phrases on Post-its, then see how many Post-its a team can cover someone with in one minute. They’ll literally be covered in positivity. 

Learn more: Print on Post-its

Elephant March

Put a tennis ball in the leg of a pair of pantyhose. Students put the pantyhose over their head and have to use the tennis ball to knock down a water bottle or a line of water bottles in a minute or less.

Musical Chairs

Musical chairs isn’t just for little kids’ birthday parties, so why not give it a go at your next pep rally? We especially love the idea of playing with both staff and students.

Learn more: 50 Minute-To-Win-It Games

Relay Pep Rally Games

Include some relay race games at your next pep rally for students to engage in a little friendly competition.

Sweep the Potato

Students use a broom to sweep a potato from one side of the gym to the other. The student who gets the potato the farthest wins. It’s harder than it sounds!

Relay Race Limbo

Limbo isn’t just for parties. Create teams of students from a grade or class, and have them compete in a relay and limbo. The team that goes the lowest wins. (Note: Let students know about this activity ahead of time so they can dress in limbo-appropriate clothing.)

Dizzy Bat Race

Students take turns spinning around a baseball bat and running to and from a cone in this traditional relay race. Make sure you have someone at the start to count the number of times each participant runs around the bat so it’s fair.

Sack Race

Sack races are a classic for a reason since they are both fun and hilarious. Break students into teams and see which team can get all their teammates down and back the fastest. But be careful not to wipe out!

Granny Pants Game

One student wears the “granny pants,” a pair of pants with a large Hula-Hoop waistband. Other students toss balls to see how many the granny can catch.

Buy it: Granny pants game at Amazon

Toilet Plunger Relay Race

Who knew toilet plungers could be so entertaining? Students use two plungers and a scooter to make it to the finish line in this relay-style game.

Obstacle Course

Set up an obstacle course relay race for students from each grade to participate in. The crowd will undoubtedly be cheering their friends on!

Tricycle Races

Set up a tricycle obstacle course with cones and painter’s tape. Then, have teachers and school leaders compete to complete the obstacle course on tricycles. Decorate the tricycles ahead of time with streamers and banners for more school spirit. 

Balloon Relay

In this pep rally game, students run with a balloon between their knees. If the balloon pops, they have to go back to the start.

Hands and Feet Hopscotch

This awesome take on hopscotch is reminiscent of Twister. You can create your own board pieces and rearrange the tiles for a fun and engaging pep rally game. Have students go through the hopscotch one at a time. If they fall, they start over. The first team to move everyone through wins.

School Spirit Pep Rally Activities

Pep rallies are all about amping up the energy. Use these games to get students riled up, in a good way.

Choose Your Entrance

As students enter the pep rally, have them choose how they present themselves when they enter. You can have them use an idea from the classroom greeting sign below to choose how to greet the school mascot or principal. 

Learn more: Classroom Greeting Sign

Foam Noodles Entrance

Teachers hold pool noodles above their heads so students can run through a tunnel of foam noodles. Classmates cheer on each arriving class. Make sure you have upbeat music playing!

“Pie Your Teacher” Raffle

Students can earn the opportunity to pie a teacher. It’s all in good fun and a great incentive to build excitement in advance of the rally.

Glow Party

Set up a black light and tons of glow-in-the-dark items for a fun and glowy pep rally. You can even have students wear different-colored neon shirts to enhance the glow effect.

Pass Out Affirmations

Sometimes the same students get the academic and attendance award. At your next pep rally, give out inspirational posters to kids who are just that: inspiring! 

Learn more: Inspirational Coloring Pages

Lip-Synch Battle

Pick a theme for the pep rally, such as “Circus,” and have different grades compete in a theme-related lip-synch battle. This creative idea allows students of all abilities to participate and feel included.

Holiday-Themed Rally

Especially if you have a pep rally each quarter or semester, work in a theme, like this Halloween-themed rally.

Themed Dance-Off

This is for the students who won’t stop dancing. Have a theme (Disney songs, 1950s music, rock and roll) and have students participate in a dance-off. The dancers with the loudest cheers (see Cheer-o-Meter, above) win.

Bobbleheads

Create bobbleheads of your school leadership team by printing super-enlarged photos of their heads. Cut them out, glue them onto foam core board, and attach a stick. Once you have your bobblehead admin, you can use them in dance competitions and games. 

School Mascot Skit

Involve your school mascot at every opportunity, including having them perform a skit.

Banner Competition

Bring in different school departments by having students design banners that celebrate the school cafeteria staff, the English department, sports, and more.

Yearbook Reveal

When it’s time to reveal the school yearbook, or any anticipated school product, reveal it during the pep rally with an unboxing, or have the band play while the yearbook is paraded around on a velvet pillow for all to admire.

Team Games

In a pep rally, a team can be comprised of students from a class or grade level. These team pep rally games get kids up and moving, strengthen relationships, and create class memories.

Human Hungry Hungry Hippos

This is the life-size version of the popular game Hungry Hungry Hippos. See who can scoop up the most balls in their laundry basket while acting as a hippo!

Team Sport Swap

Have the teams of various sports come onto the court or field and then have them swap sports with another team. For example, have the football players try cheerleading, the wrestling team try soccer, etc. If you have a pool, have the synchronized swimmers switch with the water polo team.

Keep the Balloon Up

Simple but fun, students keep the balloon in the air without using their hands. Students work in teams to avoid dropping the balloon.

Hula-Hoop Pass

Students stand in a line holding hands. The first student passes a Hula-Hoop to the next student without breaking the chain of hands. The first team to pass the Hula-Hoop from the first to last person is the winner.

Four-Team Tug-of-War

A new take on the classic pep rally game, this tug-of-war game features four teams. After the timer goes off, whichever team is farthest from the middle wins. More players + more directions = more fun!

Three-Legged Race

This classic race is a great way to get teams moving. Students can pair up by grade level, advisory or homeroom, sports teams, or another way. They tie two legs together and race from one end of the gym to another.

Seated Basketball Game

This game requires participants to play a version of basketball while sitting in chairs around the room. The “hoops” are two laundry baskets held by students. Watch as the chaos unfolds! This would be great for a small pep rally where everyone can pull their chairs into the center of the room and play.

Jump-Rope Marathon

Take older students back to their elementary school days with a jump-rope marathon. Students start to jump at the same time, and continue until there’s one student left.

Human Foosball

All you need for this game is some PVC pipe and a ball. Participants act as the players in a game of foosball and try to score points for their team.

Human Knot

The Human Knot is traditionally an icebreaker game but would also work really well for some school bonding. Participants stand in a circle and reach out, grabbing others’ hands. The challenge is to untangle the knot without letting go of any hands.

Learn more: 20 Active Icebreaker Activities

Team Scavenger Hunt

Pep rally activities that get everyone involved while having different grades and faculty compete against each other are some of the best! Have a representative from each grade and faculty department come to the center of the gym or field, and then yell out something they have to go and find (example: a piece of homemade jewelry). The crowd will have fun being included because they just might be in possession of the treasured item!

Human Battleship

Play Battleship with people instead of ships. Divide the gym into a grid with numbered squares. One student stands on the grid (or more than one student, depending on how much time you have). Hide the space from other students so they can’t see where the student is standing. Students call out coordinates or numbered squares until they “sink” all the “ships.” 

Javelin Throw

Create a javelin toss by taping pool noodles into circles and taping the circles together. Hang the pool noodle targets. Then, students stand back and heave a pool noodle javelin through the rings. 

Bowling

To turn bowling into a pep rally game, you need to make pep rally–size pins. Turn two-liter bottles into bowling “pins” by painting them in your school colors. Then, students use a kickball to knock down as many pins as they can. Have multiple games going on at one time and staff keeping score so students can cheer their teams on.

Non-Physical Pep Rally Activities and Games

Get students who are artistic, musical, and who know “all the things” involved with these games.

Blindfolded Connect 4

Students will love this new take on a childhood favorite. Have one student guide the blindfolded participants to complete a game of Connect 4.

Themed Bingo

Bingo is such a crowd-pleaser, and you can create boards with fun themes such as school spirit or an upcoming holiday. Students will be engaged and excited to win prizes!

Paper Airplane Toss

Have students create paper airplanes with their names on them and then try to toss them into trash cans in the center of the gym. Fun, inexpensive, and so easy!

Trivia

Challenge students to trivia. Have each grade level or class send a representative and ask them trivia questions. This is a great pep rally activity because you can adjust it for the time of year or theme. 

Learn more: 130 Trivia Questions for Kids in All Grade Levels

Chant-Off

Students create a school spirit chant and compete to see which team wins. Have staff or even other students serve as judges, but make sure you have criteria for the winning chant!

Guess the Song

Play a short snippet of popular songs and have students guess the titles. Students can earn points for their grade level or class. You can even customize this activity by theme with holiday songs or songs about friendship. 

Learn more: 100 Fantastic Songs About Friendship

Art Competition

Choose teams of four people from each grade level. Give each team a box of art materials (make sure each box has the same supplies). Each team has five minutes to create the best spirit display. 

Marshmallow Tower Challenge

Provide students with toothpicks and mini marshmallows and challenge them to build the tallest tower they can in a set time limit (e.g., five or seven minutes).

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Plus, check out Fun Tag Game Variations.