Cheerleading Games to Play at Practice

Games that drill voice, counts, motions and jumps with every foot on the floor: no stunts, no tumbling.

Cheerleading Games to Play at Practice

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  1. Three-Rung Jump Ladder1. Work in threes, standing side by side.2. Rung one is a pencil jump, with the body straight and the arms in a T or overhead. Rung two is a spread eagle, with the arms up in a V and the legs apart so that the body makes an X. Rung three is a tuck, with the knees pulled up toward the chest.3. A trio climbs a rung when all three take off and land together twice in a row.4. Trios at the top make up a three-jump combination to show the squad.Drills: three basic jumps in time with others. Youngest player: age 7. Players: 3 to 30. You need: nothing.
  2. Spirit Stick, Warmer and Colder1. Wrap a paper towel tube in team colors to make a spirit stick.2. One camper covers their eyes while another hides the stick somewhere in the room, in plain sight and within reach.3. The seeker walks around, and the camp cheers louder as the seeker gets closer and softer as they move away, with no pointing and no words.4. The finder hides it next.Drills: cheering louder and softer on purpose. Youngest player: age 4. Players: 5 to 30. You need: a paper towel tube wrapped in team colors.
  3. Spot Scramble1. Put down a floor spot for every camper, in two lines, and let each stand on their own.2. On scramble, everyone runs to touch any wall.3. On spots, they run back to their own spot, face the front and put their hands on their hips.4. Count out loud how long it takes, and try to beat the count. Later, call new spots and everyone finds a different one.Drills: knowing your spot. Youngest player: age 4. Players: 6 to 30. You need: a floor spot for each camper.

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How it works

These cheerleading games to play at practice turn the parts of a cheer into something a squad wants to repeat: words the back row can hear, claps that land together, jumps that take off as one.

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The three jumps the games name

A pencil jump keeps the body straight, with the arms in a T or overhead. A spread eagle has the arms up in a V and the legs apart, so the body makes an X. In a tuck the knees are pulled up toward the chest. Any other jump is the squad's own choice from the ones it has learned.

For the youngest campers

Mini cheer camp games are for ages four and up: one rule each, poms in most of them, and nobody is ever out.

  • Use chants the squad already knows, so a game drills the skill and not the words.

Questions and answers

What are fun cheer games to play at practice with no equipment?

Volume Dial, Silent Eight, Clap on the Called Count, Ripple Down the Line and Honey or Snap need nothing but the squad. Choose No props under More filters to see the rest.

How do you get a cheer squad to yell louder and clearer?

Play Back-Row Test: one member listens from the far wall and repeats the words they could make out. Echo Across the Gym rewards the clearer side, so shouting over the beat wins nothing.

What games help a squad stay on count?

Silent Eight shows who rushes and who drags. Clap on the Called Count and Pass the Beat train one shared tempo, and Half Time, Double Time makes the squad hold together while the speed changes.

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All 34 games

Voice and chant games 6

  • Back-Row Test 1. One squad member walks to the far wall, which is the back row of the bleachers, and turns away. 2. The squad performs a chant the listener has not been told. 3. The listener repeats the words they could make out. 4. Every word they get right is a point for the squad. Send a new listener and a new chant, and try to score every word. Drills: words a crowd can understand. Youngest player: age 7. Players: 6 to 40. You need: nothing.
  • Echo Across the Gym 1. Split the squad in two, on opposite walls. 2. Side one calls the first line of a chant, and side two echoes it back in the same rhythm, then calls the next line for side one to echo. 3. A judge in the middle faces neither side and raises a hand toward whichever echo was easier to understand. 4. Swap the judge after each chant. The judge listens for clear words, so shouting over the beat wins nothing. Drills: clear words in rhythm. Youngest player: age 6. Players: 7 to 40. You need: nothing.
  • One Word Each, on the Beat 1. Stand in a circle and pick a chant everyone knows. 2. Clap a steady beat together. 3. Go around the circle saying the chant one word a person, each word landing on its beat. 4. If a beat is missed, the next person starts the chant again from the first word. Count how many times around the squad can go, then speed up the clap. Drills: knowing every word and its beat. Youngest player: age 7. Players: 5 to 30. You need: nothing.
Show all 34 games (31 more)

Voice and chant games, continued

  • Spell It Down the Line 1. The squad stands in one line. The coach calls a word to spell, such as the mascot or the name of the school. 2. Everyone claps twice, and the first person shouts the first letter. Everyone claps twice again, and the next person shouts the next letter. 3. When the word is done, the whole line shouts it together. 4. A late or wrong letter sends the word back to the start, with a new first speaker. Drills: one loud voice at a time. Youngest player: age 6. Players: 5 to 30. You need: nothing.
  • Two Lines From Three Cards 1. Write single words on cards: go, fight, win, each team color, the mascot, loud, proud, defense, score. 2. Each group of three or four draws three cards. 3. In three minutes the group writes a two-line chant that uses all three words and adds one motion or clap pattern to it. 4. Each group teaches its chant to the squad, who say it back. Drills: writing and teaching a chant. Youngest player: age 8. Players: 6 to 30. You need: word cards, paper and pencils.
  • Volume Dial 1. The coach's arm is the dial: down by the knee is a whisper, straight out is a talking voice, and overhead is the game-day voice. 2. The squad starts a chant everyone knows and keeps repeating it. 3. Follow the dial as it moves, without speeding up when it gets loud or slowing down when it gets quiet. 4. Hand the dial to a squad member for the last round. Drills: voice control at a steady pace. Youngest player: age 5. Players: 4 to 40. You need: nothing.

Counts and timing games 6

  • Clap on the Called Count 1. The squad marches on the spot, counting to eight out loud, over and over. 2. The coach calls a number, such as five, and from the next eight count on, everyone claps on that count only. 3. Add a second number, then a third. 4. Then count silently and keep the claps. The round is won when every clap in an eight count sounds like one clap. Drills: counting together. Youngest player: age 6. Players: 4 to 40. You need: nothing.
  • Eight-Count Add-On 1. Stand in a circle. The first person makes up a move for counts one and two: a clap, a motion or a step. 2. The squad repeats it on the count. 3. The next person adds counts three and four, and the squad performs all four. 4. Keep adding until two eight counts are full, then perform the whole thing three times through without a caller. Drills: remembering choreography count by count. Youngest player: age 7. Players: 4 to 20. You need: nothing.
  • Half Time, Double Time 1. Pick eight counts of a cheer or routine everyone knows. 2. Perform it at normal speed while the coach claps the beat. 3. On the call half, the coach claps half as fast and the squad stretches every move to fit, and on the call double, twice as fast. 4. Mix the calls. The squad wins a point each time everyone finishes on the same clap, and the coach wins one when they do not. First to five. Drills: staying together when the speed changes. Youngest player: age 8. Players: 4 to 40. You need: nothing.
  • Pass the Beat 1. One person, the beat keeper, claps a steady beat while the squad performs a chant to it. 2. Without stopping, the beat keeper points at someone else, who takes over the clap on the very next beat. 3. The chant must not speed up or slow down at the handover. 4. Pass the beat five times in one chant. A clean run earns the squad its choice of the next chant. Drills: one shared tempo. Youngest player: age 8. Players: 5 to 30. You need: nothing.
  • Ripple Down the Line 1. The squad stands shoulder to shoulder in one line. 2. Choose one motion, such as both arms straight up in a V. 3. The person at one end hits it on count one, the next person on count two, and so on down the line, each a single count after their neighbor. 4. Send the ripple back the other way. Then send two ripples, one from each end, that cross in the middle. Drills: moving on your own count. Youngest player: age 7. Players: 6 to 30. You need: nothing.
  • Silent Eight 1. The coach claps four steady beats to set the speed and then stops. 2. Everyone closes their eyes and counts on silently from one. 3. On eight, each person claps once overhead. 4. Open your eyes: an early clap was rushing and a late one was dragging. Try again at a faster speed and a slower one until the squad lands together. Drills: holding a tempo with no one counting aloud. Youngest player: age 7. Players: 4 to 40. You need: nothing.

Motion and formation games 6

  • Formation Scramble in Eight Counts 1. Teach the squad three formations and give each a name, such as two lines, two lines with the back row in the gaps, and one big V. 2. Everyone walks around the floor. 3. The coach calls a formation and counts to eight, and by eight everyone is in a spot, facing front, with hands on hips. 4. Call the next one straight away. When that is easy, allow only four counts. Drills: finding a spot in a formation. Youngest player: age 7. Players: 6 to 40. You need: nothing.
  • Honey or Snap 1. The coach calls a motion and then one word. 2. On honey, move into the motion as slowly as if the air were honey, taking four full counts to arrive. 3. On snap, hit the same motion in one count and freeze. 4. Mix the calls and the motions. Anyone still moving after a snap calls the next one. Drills: the difference between placing a motion and hitting it. Youngest player: age 6. Players: 2 to 40. You need: nothing.
  • Motion Dice 1. On a poster, number six arm motions the squad already uses from one to six, and six ways to stand or step from one to six. 2. A roller throws two dice of different colors, one for the arms and one for the feet. 3. The squad hits that pair together on the coach's five, six, seven, eight, and holds it for two counts. 4. Pass the dice along the line after every roll. Drills: hitting a motion on the count. Youngest player: age 6. Players: 4 to 30. You need: two dice of different colors and a poster.
  • Motion Memory Match 1. Write the name of each motion the squad uses on two cards and lay all the cards face down. 2. Sit around them and take turns flipping two cards. 3. A matching pair stays face up, and the whole squad stands and hits that motion together. Cards that do not match turn back over. 4. Play until every pair is found. It is a good game for the rest between two hard parts of practice. Drills: the names of the motions. Youngest player: age 6. Players: 3 to 16. You need: two cards for each motion.
  • Pass the Motion Down the Line 1. The squad stands in a line, all facing the front, so each person sees only the back in front of them. 2. The coach taps the last person on the shoulder and shows them three motions in a row. 3. That person taps the next, who turns around to watch, and passes the three on, and so it travels up the line. 4. The person at the front performs what arrived, and the coach shows the original beside them. Drills: copying motions exactly. Youngest player: age 7. Players: 6 to 20. You need: nothing.
  • Spot the Mistake 1. Work in pairs. One performs three motions the squad uses and gets one of them slightly wrong on purpose: a bent wrist, one arm lower than the other, or a fist turned the wrong way. 2. The partner names the motion that was off and says how to fix it. 3. The performer does it again correctly. 4. Swap. Then the coach performs for everyone and hides two mistakes. Drills: a sharp eye for clean motions. Youngest player: age 8. Players: 2 to 40. You need: nothing.

Jump games 5

  • Jump Combo Cards 1. Write each jump the squad has learned on four cards and shuffle them. 2. A pair draws two cards and has one minute to join the two jumps with a clap between them. 3. Each pair shows its combination, counted in by the squad. 4. A pair that takes off and lands together keeps its cards, and the pair with the most cards at the end picks the last game of practice. Drills: linking two jumps. Youngest player: age 8. Players: 4 to 30. You need: four cards for each jump.
  • One Sound Landing 1. The squad stands in lines with room to jump. 2. The coach counts five, six, seven, eight, and everyone does the same jump on the next count. Start with a pencil jump, body straight and arms overhead. 3. Listen to the landing, because the whole squad's feet should make one sound. 4. Each time they do, move on to the next jump the squad has learned, such as a spread eagle or a tuck. Drills: jumping and landing as one squad. Youngest player: age 6. Players: 4 to 40. You need: nothing.
  • Sticky Note Reach 1. Each person gets three sticky notes with their name on them. 2. In turn, stand beside a wall, jump straight up, stick a note as high as you can, and land on two feet. 3. Everyone has three tries. 4. Leave each person's highest note on the wall, and bring the notes out again in a month so everyone can try to beat their own. Drills: jumping for height. Youngest player: age 6. Players: 2 to 30. You need: sticky notes and a clear wall.
  • Three-Rung Jump Ladder 1. Work in threes, standing side by side. 2. Rung one is a pencil jump, with the body straight and the arms in a T or overhead. Rung two is a spread eagle, with the arms up in a V and the legs apart so that the body makes an X. Rung three is a tuck, with the knees pulled up toward the chest. 3. A trio climbs a rung when all three take off and land together twice in a row. 4. Trios at the top make up a three-jump combination to show the squad. Drills: three basic jumps in time with others. Youngest player: age 7. Players: 3 to 30. You need: nothing.
  • Two Stars for a Jump 1. Work in pairs. One does a jump the squad has learned, three times. 2. The partner watches and then gives two stars, which are two things that were good, such as pointed toes, straight arms or a quiet landing. 3. The jumper picks one thing to improve and tries once more. 4. Swap. Finish by telling the coach your partner's best star. Drills: watching a jump closely. Youngest player: age 7. Players: 2 to 40. You need: nothing.

Mini cheer camp games 6

  • Give Me a Name 1. Sit in a circle with one camper standing in the middle. 2. The coach leads the cheer, give me an A, and the circle shouts each letter back, through every letter of the camper's first name. 3. On what does that spell, everyone shouts the name and shakes their poms. 4. The camper in the middle strikes a pose of their own, the circle copies it, and they choose who goes next. Drills: a loud voice, and everyone's name. Youngest player: age 4. Players: 5 to 20. You need: poms.
  • Pass the Pom on the Beat 1. Sit in a circle with one pom. 2. Everyone says a short chant together, and the pom moves one person along on every beat. 3. Whoever holds the pom on the last word stands up and shows a motion for the circle to copy. 4. Start again from that camper, a little faster. Drills: keeping a beat. Youngest player: age 4. Players: 5 to 20. You need: one pom.
  • Pom Freeze 1. Play music and let the campers dance with their poms. 2. Stop the music and call a pose: arms in a T, arms up in a V, hands on hips, or poms behind the back. 3. Everyone freezes in it until the music starts again. 4. Nobody is out. The coach names one frozen camper with straight arms, who calls the next pose. Drills: freezing in a clean pose. Youngest player: age 4. Players: 4 to 30. You need: poms and music.
  • Spirit Stick, Warmer and Colder 1. Wrap a paper towel tube in team colors to make a spirit stick. 2. One camper covers their eyes while another hides the stick somewhere in the room, in plain sight and within reach. 3. The seeker walks around, and the camp cheers louder as the seeker gets closer and softer as they move away, with no pointing and no words. 4. The finder hides it next. Drills: cheering louder and softer on purpose. Youngest player: age 4. Players: 5 to 30. You need: a paper towel tube wrapped in team colors.
  • Spot Scramble 1. Put down a floor spot for every camper, in two lines, and let each stand on their own. 2. On scramble, everyone runs to touch any wall. 3. On spots, they run back to their own spot, face the front and put their hands on their hips. 4. Count out loud how long it takes, and try to beat the count. Later, call new spots and everyone finds a different one. Drills: knowing your spot. Youngest player: age 4. Players: 6 to 30. You need: a floor spot for each camper.
  • Team Color Shout 1. The coach hides two poms behind their back, one in a team color and one in any other color. 2. When the team color comes out, everyone jumps and shouts go. 3. When the other color comes out, everyone stays silent with hands on hips. 4. Go faster and fake a few. A camper who shouts at the wrong pom becomes the coach's helper and holds the next one. Drills: shouting together on a signal. Youngest player: age 4. Players: 4 to 30. You need: two poms of different colors.

Team games to end practice 5

  • Lead the Crowd With Two Signs 1. Half the squad sits on the floor as the crowd, and the other half stands in front with two signs, each showing one word of a two-word chant, such as the two team colors. 2. The leaders teach the crowd to shout a word when its sign goes up. 3. They lift the signs in turn, faster and faster, and try to keep the crowd with them. 4. Swap halves. The crowd then says one thing the leaders did that made them easy to follow. Drills: leading a crowd. Youngest player: age 8. Players: 8 to 40. You need: two signs.
  • Pom Toss Thank-You Circle 1. Stand in a circle with one pom. 2. Say the name of a teammate, toss them the pom underarm, and tell them one thing they did well at practice today. 3. They toss it on to someone who has not had it yet. 4. The last person tosses it to the coach, who names one thing the whole squad did well. Drills: noticing what teammates do well. Youngest player: age 5. Players: 4 to 30. You need: one pom.
  • Scrambled Cheer 1. Write each line of a cheer the squad knows on its own card. 2. Shuffle the cards and hand one to each group of two or three. 3. Without showing its card, each group performs its line, and the groups arrange themselves across the floor in the right order. 4. Perform the cheer from left to right, one group to a line, then all together. Drills: knowing a cheer line by line. Youngest player: age 8. Players: 6 to 30. You need: a card for each line of a cheer.
  • Sideline Situation Cards 1. Write game moments on cards: our team just scored, our defense needs a stop, a time-out with a quiet crowd, the last minute of a close game. 2. Split into small groups. 3. The coach reads a card, and each group has until a count of ten to choose a chant that fits and start it. 4. Talk for a moment about which chants fit and why, then read the next card. Drills: choosing the right chant for the moment. Youngest player: age 9. Players: 6 to 40. You need: situation cards.
  • Three Ribbons Cheer-Off 1. Split the squad into three groups and give each five minutes to polish the same chant. 2. Each group performs for the other two. 3. The coach awards three paper ribbons, for the clearest words, the sharpest motions and the best timing, and no group may win two. 4. Each group tells the squad what it did to earn its ribbon. Drills: polishing one chant. Youngest player: age 8. Players: 9 to 40. You need: three paper ribbons.

How this list was compiled: Our suggestions, written for this site for a coach or a captain running a squad practice or a mini camp. The wording is ours, and the youngest ages and player counts are our estimates. No game includes a stunt, a lift, a toss or tumbling, and the jump games use only jumps from the floor that the squad has already been taught; nothing here is coaching, training or injury advice. The three jumps named (the pencil or T jump, the spread eagle and the tuck) were checked on 2026-10-08 against https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cheerleading_jumps. Licence: own work