Scout Leaders… let’s be honest for a moment.

If you’ve found yourself halfway through a Scout night thinking, “Are we really playing this same game again?” you’re not alone.
And if your Scouts are looking at you saying, “Can we play something new?” this one’s for you.

Welcome to Flashback February.

This month, I’ve been digging back into The Scouting for Boys book, the Scout Leader’s Bible. And wow. Buried in those pages are brilliant, simple, no-nonsense games that have stood the test of time.

No apps.
No fancy kit.
No 45-minute setup.

Just proper Scout games.

Here are five of my favourite indoor games straight from Scouting for Boys and why they still work just as well in 2026 as they did in 1912.

1. Kim’s Game (…the way Baden-Powell actually meant it)

You’ve almost certainly played Kim’s Game if youv’e been in Scouting for sometime.
But after rereading Scouting for Boys, I realised… I’ve been playing it wrong for years.

Here’s the original version:

  • A Leader places everyday objects on a tray (nothing fancy — BP even suggests a book)
  • Cover it with a cloth
  • Reveal the tray for one minute
  • Scouts memorise everything they see
  • Cover it again
  • Scouts write down as many items as they can remember

Simple. Timed. Focused.

You can play:

  • Individually
  • By patrol
  • Or mix it up by removing one item and asking, “What’s missing?”

It’s observation. Concentration. Quiet competition.
And it still works beautifully.

Leader tip: Fewer items than you think. Let success build confidence.

2. Thimble Finding (the quiet chaos game)

Page 75 of Scouting for Boys gives us this absolute gem — and it’s wonderfully odd.

First, one Scout is chosen to hide a small object (a thimble, coin, ring, woggle…), The Scouts are then told what they are looking for. The rest of the Scouts leave the hall for a few minutes.

The Scout hides the item in plain sight, but somewhere your eye wouldn’t naturally be drawn.

When the others come back, the game begins:

  • Scouts don’t shout
  • They don’t point
  • They don’t run
  • Once they spot it… they sit down silently on the floor anywhere in the Scout Hall, it doesnt need to be near where the item is.

That’s it.

After a couple of minutes, pause the game and ask everyone who’s found it to point.

The room ends up full of Scouts randomly sitting down, pretending they haven’t seen a thing, desperately hoping no one else notices.

It’s confusing.
It’s subtle.
It’s brilliant.

Leader warning: They will want to shout. Push through the first round — it clicks fast.

3. Nobody’s Airship (balloons, tape, and chaos)

This one feels incredibly modern… yet it’s straight out of Scouting for Boys (page 342).

You’ll need:

  • A balloon
  • Tape or string across the hall
  • Two teams

The aim?
Get the balloon to hit the floor on the other team’s side.

The twist:

  • If the balloon lands on your side — you’re out
  • If your hands cross the line — you’re out

That’s it.

What you get is:

  • Fast reactions
  • Frustration
  • Laughter
  • Absolute balloon unpredictability

It’s loud.
It’s chaotic.
It’s fantastic.

Leader tip: Brief them properly:- popped balloons are not the objective 😄

4. Pass It On (you played this… you just didn’t know it was Scouting)

I guarantee you’ve played this at a party and never realised it came from Scouting for Boys.

Patrols line up. Each patrol has a ball.

The pattern:

  • Over the head
  • Between the legs
  • Over
  • Between…

When the ball reaches the back, that Scout runs to the front and keeps it going.

You can:

  • Race patrols
  • Or play until everyone is back in their original position

It’s simple.
It’s physical.
And it always gets laughs.

Leader bonus: Great for burning energy before a quieter activity.

5. The Stave (or Broomstick) Circle — my favourite game

This is hands-down my favourite Scouting for Boys game… even though I’m terrible at it.

Each Scout stands in a circle holding a stave (or broomstick like we do in my Scout Troop).

You call:

  • A number
  • And a direction

For example: “One to the left!”

Scouts let go of their stave and move to grab the next one.

If the stave hits the floor — that Scout is out.

It builds to:

  • One-on-one face-offs
  • Total noise
  • Complete mayhem

It’s loud.
It’s messy.
It’s glorious.

Big leader tip:
Don’t go beyond three spaces — any more and it becomes injury-adjacent chaos 😬

Why These Games Still Matter

What I love most about these games is this:

They’ve been played for over 100 years.

No technology.
No screens.
No massive setups.

Just:

  • Balloons
  • Sticks
  • Trays
  • And imagination

The rules might flex slightly, but the ethos hasn’t changed.
Scouts still laugh. Still compete. Still get hooked.

And that’s powerful.

Over to you, Scouters 👇

Have I missed your favourite game from Scouting for Boys?

Drop it in the comments ,because you never know… it might feature in the next Big Man in the Woods video.

And if you’re fed up of playing the same games week after week, I’ve got whole playlists of:

  • Indoor games
  • Outdoor games
  • Wide games

So you can keep your programme fresh — without reinventing the wheel.

Until next time…
Happy Scouting 🏕️