Family Games
How to play The Floor Is Lava
Cooperate to move a team between marked zones using the permitted stepping surfaces without touching the floor.
What you need
Marked start and finish zones and three sheets of newspaper per participant for the Scouts version; a clear, supervised area
Set up the game
- Split into teams of four or five and mark opposite start and finish zones. Give each participant three newspaper sheets.
- Check that the floor and stepping material do not slide. On a slippery surface, substitute stable nonslip floor markers and label that adaptation. Do not use furniture climbing.
Playing The Floor Is Lava
- Treat the space between zones as lava. Stand only on permitted surfaces while moving the team across.
- Plan who moves which stepping surface and how everyone will fit before leaving a safe position.
- Finish when the whole team reaches the end zone. The base cooperative challenge needs no individual points; a first-team race is optional.
Move the spare forward
Three teammates occupy safe markers while one unused marker is within reach. Move the spare into an open safe location, step onto it, then recover an unoccupied marker behind. Do not pull a marker from beneath someone’s feet.
Test the route before adding a timer
Try the distance with the actual team size. If the only apparent solution needs a leap, shorten the crossing or add stable markers. A cooperative practice crossing helps the group discuss movement without rewarding rushing. Timed competition is an optional later variation, not the defining objective.
Beginner decisions
- Keep a reachable spare surface available before the last person leaves the start. Otherwise a front player may advance while a teammate is stranded.
Common rule mix-ups
- Assuming the title requires jumping from sofas or tables.
- Inventing an elimination rule after someone touches the floor.
Questions about this game
What if someone touches the floor?
The source offers restart penalties as optional. Agree on a reset before beginning.
Is this the boxed board game?
No. This is the Scouts team crossing activity.
Sources and edition notes
Scouts Play the Floor Is Lava team activity; stable nonslip marker substitution is a safety adaptation. Not the television contest or commercial boxed game.
Sources and stated format checked October 14, 2026. This records a document check, not a claim of hands-on testing.
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