Games – Cat and Mouse – The Badge Archive

Game also called Mouse Trap or Thread the Needle

Items Needed

A large open space for the group to form a circle and run around

Instructions

Ask scouts to form a circle, standing at arm’s length from one another. Scouts should not hold hands initially.
Select one scout to be the “cat” and another scout to be the “mouse.” The mouse starts inside the circle, while the cat begins outside the circle.
Explain the Rules:
- The cat is trying to catch the mouse. The mouse protects themselves by “stitching up” the circle.
- The mouse runs between two scouts in the circle where hands are not being held. Once the mouse passes, those two scouts hold hands, “stitching up” that part of the circle.
- The cat cannot pass through “stitched up” sections of the circle where scouts are holding hands.
- The mouse has a 10-second head start to move within the circle before the cat can start chasing.
- The round continues until the mouse is caught or until the entire circle is “stitched up,” trapping the cat either inside or outside.
Start the game. If the game comes to a standstill, with neither the cat nor mouse willing to move, the cat must make the first move (go through an open section) to restart the action. The game ends if all hands are stitched up or time runs out (if timed).

Variations

Timed Rounds: Set a timer for each round and see if the cat can catch the mouse within a given time (e.g., 2–3 minutes).
Team Cat and Mouse: Pair scouts as teams of two for cat-and-mouse duos and see which pair succeeds first.

Large Group Variation – Mouse Trap

Play with 10–30 scouts and select 4 scouts to form the “mouse trap.” These 4 scouts stand in a circle, facing inward and holding hands with their arms extended high to create an opening.
The remaining scouts act as “mice” and move in and out of the mouse trap. One scout, or the adult volunteer, not in the trap or a mouse, faces away and calls “spring the trap!” The scouts forming the trap lower their arms, trying to catch mice inside.
Mice who are caught become part of the mouse trap, joining the circle. The trap grows larger with each round. Mice are not allowed to touch and fight their way free of the trap. It’s just luck of the timing. The mice are either inside the circle or out. If they are in the middle of crossing the line, they are counted as out of the circle, not caught in the trap.
The game continues until only 4 or fewer mice remain free.

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