Pastor2Youth.com :: Games
This game is played with a group of kids sitting in a circle of chairs with one trashcan (or something that is fairly deep). There is one less chair in the circle than there is kids playing. The extra kid is in the middle with a swim noodle or a foam sword or something that’s not going to hurt the kids. The object of the game is for the person in the middle with the noodle to hit one of the kids in the chair (lightly and not in the face) the person in the middle must then run back to the trashcan and toss the noodle in the can so that it stays in the can (if it bounces out then it doesn’t count. Nor does it count if they miss the can, if they miss then they must start again) then they must run back to the chair of the person they just hit. Simultaneously the person who got hit must run to the center and grab the noodle from the trashcan and hit the person who hit them before that person sits in their chair (so basically the person in the middle we’ll call him john hits one of the people sitting down we’ll call him bob at which point john runs to the trash can and puts the noodle in it before bob gets the noodle and hits him back.
Everyone is split into 2 teams and each person gets their own straw. They then have to suck up a baked bean from a large bowl using the straw and take it to a cup a certain distance away. The first one that fills the cup or fills the cup to a marked line on the cup wins.
We call it "That's Nasty". Inspired by my newborn son you take ten different chocolate candy bars (i.e. snickers, twix, kit kat, milk way, etc..) and you place each candy bar inside a diaper and microwave the diaper. (Don't microwave too long...diapers do smoke) Set up a table in your youth room and have each student walk by with a sheet to fill in what they think each candy bar is. Then reveal one by one, what each candy bar is. Have a couple easy one's like the kit kat so that they don't feel like complete failures :) Enjoy!!
This game is a good lead in to discuss hypocrisy, walking the walk, etc. Line up everyone on one end of the room. Instruct the students to choose an animal but don't tell anyone what animal they chose. When the leader says go, all students make their way across the room acting like the animal they chose. The leader (can be you or a student) tries to guess as many animals before everyone gets to the other side of the room. If they guess correctly, then that person joins the leader to help guess. The leader then says go, and the students make their way across the room again. The game ends when the last person is left or some of the animals are so obscure that no one will ever guess. The idea: do your actions alone show people you are a Christian?
For this game you will require the use of a dark gymnasium and obstacles (stacking chairs and tables work great).
Setup: Make a double row of stacking chairs in the middle or close to the end of the gym and make obstacles and places to hide in front of the chair wall. Basically what you want is a make shift wall and a bunch of places for the youth to hide as they approach the wall.
How to play: Leader(s) stand on top of the wall depending on how many people you have playing. All the youth should be warned to wear dark clothing and make sure they are aware of potential hazards should they run full speed into them in the dark. The game begins when the youth are lined up against the wall opposite your makeshift border. Turn off the lights and they youth begin to sneak their way to the wall. After about 10-20 seconds the leader(s) on the wall, armed with flashlights, begin to spot the youth as they approach. Youth are out when they are spotted and called out by name and must wait until the next game to try and cross the border. Youth who are able to cross the border to the other side of the gym get a point and you reset the scenario and whoever gets the most points at the end of the game wins.
A fun variation is to play in groups because the youth will start to form elaborate plans to get one of their party over/under the wall to the other side.
Of course this game is not with out its dangers but safe enough if you take time in setup and explaining the rules.
Split group into two teams (it can be guys and girls, or jr. high against sr. high, or whatever works the best)
(girls with dresses should probably opt out of this game)
Have each team lay on their backs in a straight line, every other person needs to have their head facing the opposite way (this is a "millipede"). The important part is that their behinds need to be in the same place. Have them put their feet up in the air, and one person from their team will start them off by “surfing” to the end (they lay on their backs on the feet of the “millipede” and the "millipede" moves them to the end), once at the end, that person needs to become part of “millipede”. Once the person on the end of the "millipede" is clear to start “surfing” they can. In this way the millipede advances forward. First team to get all the way across the finish line wins.
This game is an active game that combines many activities. I came up with about 45 different activities for the kids to do and gave them all different point values.
For example
Sing Jesus Loves me - 1 point
Outline Colossians Chapter 1 - 12 points
Tell me the 5 purposes of our Youth group - 7 points
Throw the Frisbee into a basket 10 times as a team - 5 points
You can get as creative as you want with this. I had some fun random activities and then some that pertained to the lessons we had been going through. We then took ping pong balls and marked them all with numbers based on the point values of the different activities. I hid them throughout the entire church. The kids broke up into teams and as teams they had to search for the ping pong balls and then do the activity that corresponded to the point value on the ball.
The kids absolutely loved the game and are beggining to do it again. You could also use easter eggs instead of ping pong balls.
Might be a good idea to explain to the group about the persecution that many Christians face in a communist government.
Works best in a church or youth building with many rooms that can be locked or unlocked.
Great for a lock-in. play this game in dim light or no lights at all!
Youth leaders or older youth group members can play the roll of the communist government. They will be in cahrge of locking doors, unlocking doors and arresting the youth whenever they are caught.
The rest of the group will play the roll of the persecuted church goers. They will constantly be searching for the "light" and attempting to hide in the room with that light.
you will need a flashlight.
take the flashlight and hide it in a dark room. This room must stay unlocked. The light represents the church. The object of the game is to find the church or the "light" and hide in the room where the light is hidden.
Durring play the youth leaders will "catch" the churchgoers and escort them to another part of the building or outside and then they will have to find their way again. If they make it to the room with the light and are able to hide inside with the light, they are safe... Once a pre-determined number of kids is safe in the room with the light, the game is over.
The youth leaders will continue to lock and unlock doors. Maybe even leaving only one door unlocked at any given time. They will also continue to "arrest" the youth for trying to find the church and escort them as far away from the "light" as possible.
It is fun and it helps enforce a lesson.
We all sit in a circle with one person standing in the middle. The middle person does not have a chair. The middle person says, "I never..." and inserts something they really have never done. Example "I never wore legwarmers." Well, everyone that HAS in fact worn legwarmers has to get up and run toward a different chair. They cannot sit in their original chair, so...The person who misses out on a chair is now the center person and has to tell the room something they have never done.
A good way to get to know the group. Those that get up and run for another chair, we now know have worn legwarmers... or eaten sushi... or been caught wearing their sisters lipstick. Whatever. I do put a PG rating on it... I am always afraid that someone will say something risky.
Set up chairs to play musical chairs. But this time, bring out the strobe light. Turn off the lights, turn on the strobe light, turn on the music. Have youth play musical chairs until the last one is left. Have pumped up music and award a prize to the winner.
