Pastor2Youth.com :: Games
Here\'s a twist on Capture The Flag and Fire in the Jungle and Water Balloon fights. You can adjust it to fit your group. You will need tons of water balloons. I gave our students each a pack of water bombs on Wed that they could bring back filled on game day (Friday).
Create a wide field with a mid-field line. Put a bandana or similar behind each endline. Teams are defending the \"flag\" as in Capture the Flag.
Each team has some players playing offense and some playing defense. Offensive players are trying to score by running into enemy territory, grabbing the flag and returning to their territory with it. These players are safe when they cross the endline of enemy territory or when they are in their own territory. We had the offensive players wear swim fins.
The defensive players stand over a bucket of water balloons and they are not allowed to travel more than one step from the bucket. They throw the balloons at any opposing players who enter their territory.
If an offensive player is hit with a balloon (below the head) in enemy territory he/she is \"dead\" and must sit down at that spot. The referee can give players back their life any time.
Also, we had people switch being offensive and defensive players every few minutes. Make sure that the field is wide enough to give the offense a chance to make it across without being hit. Have fun!
It is just like kick ball but with a twist, You Fill up three big buckets of water for the bases and then put a tarp, or if you have a slip and slide, down about 10 feet from the home base and but water and soap on it so that they can slid into home. The buckets are the bases and when they kick the ball they have to put one foot into the bucket filled with water. every base that they go to they have to stick their foot in the water. they have to keep their foot in the water untill the ball is hit if they are left on base. It is a fun game and is great to see them slide into home on the tarp and you can give more runs if they do some sweet sliding into home base. ( Make sure to clear the grass before you play of all pine cones and to make sure they wear old clothes to play in.)
Played just like Duck Duck Goose except the ducker carries a bucket with water in it and instead of saying goose the ducker dumps the bucket on the person who will get up an chase the ducker to tag him/her before sitting down. If they tag them, then they get to be the new ducker and get to dump water on someone else. However, if they miss them, the ducker remains the same person. Obviously it is fun being the ducker cause you get to dump water on others.
The size of the bucket and amount of water is up to you.
My son played this game in 1st Grade and loved it. I am sure that the teens will completely enjoy splashing each other.
Water Balloon Wiffle Ball
Get slips of two different colored paper (to randomly divide the teams) and on these slips, write the following roles (one for each color). Be creative and add your own. (I made extra and mixed them up a little so that there would be some variation in the teams.)
Mom (Caretaker)
Dad (Coach)
College kid (Plays sometimes)
Step-dad (Alternates every other inning with the dad)
Oldest kid (first in the line-up)
Baby
Spoiled 2 year old
Angry middle child
Shy junior high kid
Nerdy kid
Sports nut
Physically handicapped child (specify handicap)
Rebellious teenager
Boyfriend/girlfriend of rebellious teen
Foster child
Here is how the game is played:
First, begin by telling the players that the youth minister (or other adult) is the umpire, and calls that the umpire makes are not up for discussion. Then, make sure that each team comes up with a batting line up according to their roles (and sticks to it – call outs and runs accordingly). Flip a coin to determine who bats first. Now, here’s where the umpire’s calls can come in to play. Depending on which team shows the most team spirit or support of the person calling the coin flip – this is the team that gets to bat first (whether they win the toss or not). Umpire needs to award runs or outs depending on how the team acts and reacts as a family. Is the mom loving and supportive? Does the dad provide direction? Do the children respect the parents and follow their rules? If the handicapped child is up to bat, does the family supports and helps out the handicapped child? Make sure that the umpire makes some calls that will cause someone on the team to say “that’s not fair!” (We had a team be punished and not get to use water balloons for an inning – they had to play straight whiffle ball – and it was amazing to see them pull together as a team.)
Here’s how to use the water balloons: each team member in the outfield gets ONE water balloon per batter. This balloon can be used to throw a runner out by a direct, balloon busting (below the neck) throw. Otherwise, batters must be tagged out with the ball (usual baseball rules). The pitcher can also pitch a water balloon to a batter, but if the balloon bursts and drenches the batter, it is an automatic double. If the balloon does not break at all, it is an automatic out. Umpire has final call to the “sharing” of outfield water balloons. Umpire can award runs if the outfield does not follow rules about water balloon usage. Umpire also can call a player out for not playing their role in the team family.
Discussion: After the game is finished, call the youth together for discussion. Discuss that like a family, the youth didn’t get to pick which team they were on. They were also given roles to play, but they could decide how they wanted to play the roles and how well they wanted to act them out. Remind them that because we don’t get to pick our family members, we don’t always “like” our family, but must continue to work and play and love them anyway. Also discuss that life is not fair, sometimes the umpire made random calls that didn’t seem to make sense and that sometimes life is a lot like that. Discuss that how well we work together and live together as a family make a big impact on how we play the game of life. We had a youth that didn’t want to play because he was dressed up, but the youth begged him to play, so he played anyway and ended up getting really wet. The umpire gave his team a home run because of his attitude. We had a great discussion about how sometimes we are not prepared (dressed) for what life throws at us or we are really reluctant to undertake something that we don’t really want to do at the time but our attitude makes a huge difference in whether or not we have success in our endeavors.
We also talked about how families need to have rules, and that those rules need to be followed. Then talk about how God gave us rules (10 commandments) and that there is even a rule about how to live in your family (several of my junior highers said “thou shalt not kill” as the commandment for living in a family) and that even if our parents are cold and distant, that we still need to honor and obey them. If parents are good, Christian parents, they will lovingly and gently discipline their children. A good Christian family will relate with each other through compassion and love. Discuss how we are all members of God’s family adopted into it by the redeeming blood of Christ and that we need to learn to work and live together will all of God’s children. Learning to live and work together harmoniously with our own family will help us in life. (Suggested Bible verse: Ephesians 6:1-4)
Ahead of time fill a TON of water-balloons (at least half a garbage can full). This can be pretty tedious so try and get lots of help.
At game time divide the group into teams (divide a smaller group in half, or a larger group into thirds, etc.). Each person gets two water-balloons and each team gets one flag. If members of the opposing team cross the dividing line and a balloon breaks on them (either thrown or popped on them) they are out until the next round. Game play continues until one team captures the other's flag. A large grassy field is the best terrain. You can also speed the game up by adding a time limit, or limiting people to one balloon. It's a BLAST! to play, and usually turns into a giant water fight afterward.
fill up the water guns,make two teams,pick two volunteers to start.have volunteers stand 15 feet away from person with water gun put shaving cream in a pile on top of the volunteers head and fire away till they knock it off, then go through the line, the first team to go all the way through the line wins. volunteers go to back of the line.
1 Volunteer and 3 helpers
Have people find out the weight of the volunteer prior to the game.
(They need to find out as naturally as possible). During your meeting have one of the helpers come up and explain how this person has the uncanny gift of guessing the weight of anyone they meet. Then ask for three volunteers. Choose the other two helpers and the volunteer you are going to get. Have the three 'volunteers' stand off to one side of the room. Have the weight machine person sit on the floor and then bring over the first helper/volunteer. They sit down facing the weight machine and put the bottoms of their feet against the bottom of the weight machine's feet. They both reach across and grab wrists. The weight machine leans back and lifts the other person off their butt and then lowers them back down. They think about how heavy the helper was and then announces their weight. (Of course, you already gave him this information beforehand - although a pronouncement of 400 lbs for a small ninth grade girl is funny, too) This is repeated for the other helper and then the true volunteer. But after the weight machine lifts the true volunteer up you slide a monster sized, plastic bowl or pan of water under where their butt will be lowered.
we set a few ground rules (some safe havens and off-limits areas), divided up the leftover water balloons, provided a hose for each team, they had their own water guns, and we'd let them at it - usually for 20 minutes or so. Watermelon was our snack, of course, and everybody helped pick up broken balloons afterwards.
Two leaders, a chair and volunteer, and a plastic or Styrofoam cup full to the brim with water.
Get a volunteer and lead them into another room. While they are away clue in everyone else what is going on. Basically the scene is a restaurant the youth leader is the customer, the other leader the waiter. The volunteer must be the table. Lead the volunteer in explain to him that he or she is a table. They must act like a table, rigid and supportive, strong and straight. Get them set up as the table with the chair beside them. Now the youth leader walks in and the waiter comes up to him and asks him for his order. Act this out in as funny a way as possible. Then the waiter asks what the customer would like to drink. "Oh, just water" The waiter leaves and returns with the Styrofoam cup of water which either he or the youth leader places on the table right between the victims shoulder blades. then everyone runs away. It is impossible to get the cup of your shoulders without spilling the water all over yourself! But it is fun watching people try!
We did a "The-Olympics-Aren't-Over-Yet-Water-Olympics" with our middle school students. It was a big hit. I've included the games that we played for any who are interested. This is a great low-cost outreach idea. "Heave-Ho" and "Fizzler Tag" were the biggest hits of the evening. The kids came "prepared to get wet" and brought their own squirt guns. I had a few extras for those that forgot. Also, I prepared the water balloons (10-15 per person, I did about 450) ahead of time to keep the evening "flowing" well. Great fun!
Water Olympics Idea Sheet
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Heave-Ho: use a regular volleyball net, lots of water balloons, and two king-sized sheets or blankets. Each team gets a sheet, and the entire team surrounds the sheet, holding it by the edges. A water balloon is placed in the middle of the serving team's sheet, and the team must lob the balloon over the net using the sheet like a trampoline. The other team must catch the balloon on their sheet (without breaking it) and then heave it back over the net to the other team. If it goes out-of-bounds or lands back in their side of the court, they lose the point (or serve). If the receiving team fails to catch it or if it breaks in-bounds, then they lose the point. The scoring is the same as in regular volleyball. Teams can be any size, but if too many people are around the sheet, it becomes difficult to move quickly. The game requires teamwork and is perfect for a hot day
Soaker: one person throws a water balloon high in the air and calls out another player's name or number. The player so called must catch the balloon. If the player succeeds at catching it unbroken, she gets a free shot at the thrower who called her name and gets her turn at throwing a water balloon up and calling another's name.
Sponge Dodge: on an open lawn, take along four or five five-gallon buckets and an equal number of sponges. Mark out a circle somehow and place the buckets around the perimeter. Half fill them with water, and drop a sponge or two in each. After the entire group gets in the circle, the leader soaks the first sponge and throws. Those who get hit join the leader around the edge, and the game continues until only one is left--the winner. Sponges that drop inside the circle can be retrieved by any thrower, but they must be dipped again before they are thrown. Variations: Reverse the game: when someone is hit, the thrower joins those inside the circle. Last one on the perimeter loses. Play by teams: time how long it takes for one team to get all members of an opposing team hit and out of the circle. Shortest time wins. Or set a time limit the winning team has the most members still in the circle when the clock runs out. Run the game indefinitely, with no winners or losers: begin the game with five inside the circle. Whoever makes a hit trades places with the victim.
Fizzler Tag: drill a small hole in the center of as many Alka-Seltzer tablets as you have kids, and then run a string through each tablet in order to hang it loosely around a player's neck. Have each player bring a squirt gun, provide several full buckets of water out-of-bounds for refills, and begin the game. The object? When a player's Alka-Seltzer tablet gets hit enough and dissolves sufficiently to drop off the string, that player is out. To shorten the game, bring out the garden hose!
Water Balloon Shot Put: see who can toss a water balloon the farthest. For added incentive, have a leader stand just out of reach of the players for a target.
Water Balloon Blitz: this is simply an all-out water balloon war. Divide into teams, and give each team ten balloons per player and time to fill them all up with water. At the signal, everybody starts throwing water balloons until supplies run out. Anything goes. Judges choose the winner based on which team is driest.
