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Jump right to our Newest Games! 
Two very wide goals are
placed in the room- one for each team (you can just use a designated wall
for a goal). An inflated balloon is used for the ball and fans are made of
cardboard or plastic with a handle (you can use strips of wood and use
staples to hold the two together). The game is played by fanning the
balloon in to the other team goal (which can be difficult). The first team
to get a goal wins. Added by Kevin Matthews
Split your group into several teams. Give each team a
platter and a few cans of ALPHABITS soup, or for a less messy option, a
box of ALPHABITS cereal. Each team must sift through the goo to
spell words or make numbers. You can give points a number of ways: -words of three letters -words of four letters -words with five or more letters -Churches can give students high points for spelling spiritual words -the biggest word gets a lot of points -leaders name gets high points as well They are given a time frame to do this maybe 5 minutes or so. Make sure you specify no curse words or body parts. Added by Frank Salvatore
Ankle Balloon Pop: Give everyone a
balloon and a piece of string or yarn. Have them blow up the balloon and
tie it to their ankle. Then announce that they are to try to stomp out
other people's balloons while keeping their own safe. Last person with a
blown up balloon wins.
You
play this game just like hot potato, with everyone sitting in a circle.
The twist is you use jars of baby food. When the music starts, you begin
passing the jar of baby food around the circle. When the music stops,
whoever is left holding the jar has to take a spoonful. We use this game
for special occasions, such as Thanksgiving, and use flavors such as
turkey and gravy, sweet potato, green beans, etc. Be prepared for someone
to throw up.Added by Brian Phillips
Back to Back This is the game where you
start out with two people sitting back to back and they have to stand
straight up without using their hands. Add one person every time they
stand up successfully. Our record is ten!Added by Greg Cates
Balloon Pop Relay: This is the age old
boring relay where they line up, run to a chair across the room, blow up a
balloon, pop it by sitting on it and run back. First team that finishes
wins. The less people you have on each team, the better- kids will get
bored if they stand in line too long.
Barnyard: This is a good little game to
divide into teams for the day/evening. Have pre-made cards for more than
enough kids. Come up with as many animals as you want teams that night. If
you want four teams, have four animals. If you predict 35 kids that night
make forty cards, four groups of ten. Each group of ten cards will have a
particular animal written on it (so you will have 10 chicken cards, 10 cow
cards, 10 donkey cards and 10 pig cards). Hand out cards randomly to the
kids and tell them to not tell anyone their animal. When you give the
signal, have them make the sound of their animal as loud as possible until
they find their entire group. First group to totally find each other wins.
Put a twist on the game by putting in only ONE card that says
"donkey". After all of the animals have found each other, there will still be one poor kid out there Hee-Hawing his head off to no avail.
Banana Dress-Up Each team or group is
given a banana and a baggy of random items (felt, foil, beads, etc BE
CREATIVE). They then are told to create a personality and appearence for
their banana with the items they get. One volunteer from each group gets
up and introduces their banana to the group. It's better if each group
gets different items for varitey. FUN STUFF. )Added byJessica Fletcher
Place tape on the floor in two places, one for a starting
line and one for a finishing line. These may be as far apart as you wish.
Have as many players come up to the line with their bagel ready. They
stand on the starting and line and pitch their bagel to the other line.
The one closest to the finish line, wins. You can keep going with
eliminating players as you go along so you can finish with the best bagel
throwers. This is like pitchin' pennies or horse shoes.Added by Michelle Kolbeck
The Big Squeeze: Easy game for a big
group (at least 20, if not more). Quickly divide into 2 teams and announce
that each team will be racing to squeeze into the shape of the item
mentioned. For example: if the leaders yells out the word "football" the
teams must squeeze into the shape of a football as would be seen from
above. Keep score- first team to 10 wins.
California A dog A pair of sunglasses A baseball bat A shark A map of the U.S.A. Jonathan (your youth group leader)
Bobbing for Worms: Similar to Bobbing
for apples, but you use gummy worms and an infant's swimming pool. Not a
game for the week at heart or have hang ups about germs. Take the infant's
swimming pool and fill with water. Add one bag of gummy worms to the
water. They will sink to the bottom. Have the volunteers take a turn at
bobbing for the worms. The person who can get and keep the most worms in
their mouth during their one minute try time wins. You can have the youth
wear goggles to protect eyes. Junior Highers love this game. Added by Jodie
British Bulldog: This is a good game to
release a lot of energy. Divide into two teams and have them each get to
one side of the room, divided by a line down the middle. The object of
this game is for teams to try to convert members of the opposite team to
their own team. How? Easy. A team member runs to the opposite team's side
and tries to lift an opposite team member into the air. While lifting the
opposite team member you must yell "British Bulldog." If done successfully
you both have free walk back to the lifter's original side, who just
gained a new team member. While on the opposite teams side, you, of course
can be lifted as well and converted to that team(if not on a free walk
back). Winning team is the one that gets everyone.
Build your own Snowman For each
contestant have a bag full of assorted snowman accessories such as a hat,
scarf, mittens, a carrot etc. and a pair of safety goggles, a can of
shaving cream and a set of clothes to go over their clothes for
protection. Each team has a designated amount of time to use the shaving
cream to cover their snowman and put all of the accessories on. The team
to make the nicest looking snow man wins.Added by Tina Ogle
Bubble Gum Sculpture: Materials: bubble
gum and a towel or twoDuration: 5_20 minutes Cost: ($5.00) Divide your group into groups of 4 or 5. Ask for two very brave volunteers out of each group. (Don't tell them what they're volunteering for) Give them a plate or flat dish(we used cookie sheets). Give the rest of the groups the bubble gum, and tell them to chew as quickly as possible. Have them chew it only until it is soft, and then give it to the volunteers in their group, and start chewing the next piece. As the group is chewing, the volunteers need to be working on their sculpture. Set a time limit, say 10 minutes, and give them creative ideas of what to make_ such as pizza, turtle, etc., but it has to be something difficult. When the gum chewers are through, have them step back and watch. Have someone judge the sculptures. We gave a prize (a Christian CD) to each of our winning volunteers, since they were so brave! Note: Instead of regular stick gum_ such as Wrigly's, I would suggest
using larger gum drops_ such as Bazooka. {It's much easier to work with!}
Keep it cheap, because you'll want to buy enough!
Bug Collecting: Buy a bag or more of
those little plastic insects and scatter them around the room, have all
the young people bring a flash light, (or team up with those who have
one), turn out the lights. And have them try to find the bugs. This game
could be called "Animal Safari" if you used little plastic wild animals.
Submitted by Youth for Christ
Busted Divide group into equally
numbered teams. You can play this with two or two hundred teams, it makes
no difference. For each team you will need to assign them a color that you
can find balloons to match. Beforehand you will need to blow up an equal
number of balloons for each team, the more the better the game. You will
also need to acquire some ping pong balls. With the ping pong balls you
will write letters on that spell out a word. You will take the balls and
put them into some of the balloons (one word for team) as you are blowing
them up. It is a good idea to use a common long word like Baseball or
Dinosaur. You may use the same word for all teams, different words, the
words can connect, it is up to you. Put all of the balloons in the middle
and mix them up. Scatter the teams so that each team is an equal distance
away from the balloons. Have the teams line up. The game kind of works
like a relay in that once you say go, the teams will send one player to
the middle to retrieve one of their balloons, when they return, another
player from the team may go, etc. As the team gets balloons, they will pop
them to find a ping pong ball (or perhaps no ping pong ball). The team
that correctly spells out the word first wins. In warm weather, this game
would make a great pool game.Added by Jennifer Hicks
Butt Charades: Cut up slips of paper
with words on them and put them into a bag. Break up into two teams. Get a
volunteer from each team to spell the word he/she took out of the bag by
moving their hips (spelling the words with thier butts!). (Make sure they
do not say a word to give away clues.) If their team does not figure out
the word after two spellings, the other team gets to guess.
Make it interesting by the words you choose, try to keep it clean. We don't want any dirty butts!
All you need is
a trash can. The taller they are, the better. Also, plastic ones are
better than metal ones, and it's always better to find a trash can that
hasn't had anything put in it ( a clean one).The participants get into a circle around the trash can and hold hands. If a player touches the trash can in any way, they are out. Also, if players break their grip on one another, they are both out. Play pauses after an elimination, giving a much-needed time for players to re-firm their hand-holds. This game is seriously tiring, and is an excellent way to tucker out jr. high kids who just can't seem to chill out. Play until one person remains. If an elimination seems slow in coming, adding another trash can to the mix speeds up the game. Added by James Conley
Have everyone run with their hands on their head- except when grabbing a tail. This prevents people from blocking and makes them look pretty funny. Idea by Chris Dunn
Cereal Mania We had a blast one night
with 5 games that all involved cereal. First was the snoot shoot as you
may have seen before. The youth shot Cocoa Puffs out of their noses. The
team whose Puff went the furthest won. Next was the Rice Krispy Marble
Dig. We filled a small swimming pool full of Rice Krispies & marbles
and added water (milk is better, use the powdered kind to save $$$). A
representative from each team took off their shoes and socks and had to
dig the marbles out with their toes. It was messy and fun! The third game
was cereal art. Each team was given various kinds of cereal, glue, paper,
and scissors. No adults were allowed to help them. They were only told one
rule: BE CREATIVE! You wouldn't believe the finished projects. After 10_15
minutes, they came back with the incredible pictures. We used some adults
as judges. The the fourth game was hilarious. I am not really sure what to
call it. Two representatives from each team played. A person was at one
end of the room holding an upright bucket on their head. The other person
was at the other end with a bucket a water and boxes of the large shredded
wheat (some groceries stores do not carry them). They dunked the shredded
wheat one by one and attempted to throw them in the buckets on the their
team members head. It was so funny! The last game was Cereal eating relay.
Five members from each team lined up. One at a time they raced to a table
where they had to make themselves a bowl of cereal and eat it, then go
back at tag the next team member. We gave them spoons, but they were
rarely used. The entire night was a huge success!Added by Jason Huddleston
Christian Strip Have group sit in a
circle. Give them a paper grocery sack. (Quantities available at your
local store for about $.03 ea.) Tell them that you're going to play a game
called "Christian Strip." Tell them to put their sack on their head. When
everyone has a sack on their head, tell them to remove ONE thing they
DON'T need. Guys and girls will begin removing rings, watches, shoes,
socks, etc. Watch closely though because one or two always figure out the
game and immediately remove their sack. Motion for them to remain silent
however, because the group begins to catch on. There will always be at
least one guy or girl who never catches on and the group will laugh
hysterically! STOP the game however, when the group has exhausted simple
things. Keep it in good taste!!!Added byWoody Crosthwaite
Clothespin bite relay: This is set up
like any relay with multiple teams, each team with 5 clothespins. Have the
first person in line attach the clothespins to their shirt, clothes, or
body part, run around a certain designated point and return to have the
clothespins removed by the next person in line . . . with their teeth!
Christmas Quiz Heres a quiz you can
give out at Christmas time to kill time.
1. Bleached Yule 2. Castaneous_colored Seed Vesicated in a Conflagration 3. Singular Yearning for the Twin Anterior Incisors 4. Righteous Darkness 5. Arrival Time2400 hrs _ WeatherCloudless 6. Loyal Followers Advance 7. Far Off in a Feeder 8. Array the Corridor 9. Bantam Male Percussionist 10. Monarchial Triad 11. Nocturnal Noiselessness 12. Jehovah Deactivate Blithe Chevaliers 13. Red Man En Route to Borough 14. Frozen Precipitation Commence 15. Proceed and Enlighten on the Pinnacle 16. The Quadruped with the Vermillion Probiscis 17. Query Regarding Identity of Descendant 18. Delight for this Planet 19. Give Attention to the Melodious Celestial Beings 20. The Dozen Festive 24 Hour Intervals
2. Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire 3. All I Want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth 4. O Holy Night 5. It Came Upon a Midnight Clear 6. O Come, All Ye Faithful 7. Away in a Manger 8. Deck the Hall 9. Little Drummer Boy 10. We Three Kings 11. Silent Night 12. God Rest Ye, Merry Gentlemen 13. Santa Claus is Coming to Town 14. Let it Snow 15. Go, Tell It on the Mountain 16. Rudolph, the Red_nosed Reindeer 17. What Child is This? 18. Joy to the World 19. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing 20. The Twelve Days of Christmas
For this game all you will need is some cool whip (one
canister per team), different colors of food dye, and a few high powered
water guns. Not to long before you want to run the game, mix the food
coloring with the cool whip making each canister of cool whip a distinct
color (Use only real Cool Whip. The imitations dont stick.
Also, keep it very cold - the cool whip will begin to melt and not stick
if it is out of the fridge too long). If you have a small group, just divide into equal sized teams. If you have a large group, bring up several teams of people. This is a two part game. For part I, each group paints one member of the group in cool whip. You can judge who looks best if you want. Part II is when the team rinses the cool whip off with the water gun. The first team finished or best rinsed team wins. Use tarps- this game tends to get messy, and it is a good idea to offer a decent prize to the winning team.
CPW (cotton projectile wars): Divide
into two teams and give each member a straw and a pile of Q-tips. One team
member from each side sits on their side of the room on a chair with a
paper cup on their head. The object is to knock the opposite team's paper
cup off the person's head by blowing the Q-tips through the straws. No
blocking Q-tips by anyone during the battle.
Criss Cross: Simple game! Divide into 4
teams. Send each team into a corner. The object of the game is to see
which team can get to the opposite (diagonal) corner the fastest using the
designated method that the leader calls out (eg. if the leader calls out
"hopping," the teams must hop to the opposite corner). This will create
quite a "bottleneck" or "traffic jam" in the middle each time. Keep score
of which team wins each crossing. First team to 5 wins.
Hopping Wheel barrel (one person holding a partner's legs while they walk on hands) Crab Walk Sprint Backwards Walk Skipping Crawling I think you get the idea!!!
Use tape on the floor to design an "arena" and have all
contestants take off shoes but leave socks on. You can have as many people
participate, but remember the more kids, the bigger the arena should be.
The idea of this game is to keep your socks on as long as possible! There
is no standing, so everyone is crawling around on the arena trying to pull
everyone elses socks off while trying to defend their own socks. You have
to be careful in this game as sometimes the group thinks it would be
easier to grab someone by their trousers and pull those off! Added by Stephanie
Drip, Drip, Drop Just like Duck, Duck,
Goose except with a cup of water that the person drips, drips, drips then
drops on the person they want to chase them around the circle!
Added by Amy Hackman
The Duct Tape Challenge: Divide into
even teams and have each team select a volunteer- preferably a small,
light one. Give each team a roll of duct tape. The object is to tape a
team member up on to the wall, using no more than the provided role of
tape. The one who stays up the longest is the winner. (At one event, a
middle school kid was on the wall for 30 minutes!)Hint: Make sure you use the tape that doesn't leave sticky stuff on the wall or tear off paint (especially in rented or borrowed facilities!) Provide a soft landing for youth as they drop off the wall! Added by Michael Holt
What make this game interesting is that even though one player goes over the rope at a time, the other team members can help any way they want. Once a person is over the fence, however, he or she must stay over the fence and not come back around to help anyone. So the last person each time must somehow get over the fence without help from the other side. This game requires lots of teamwork and cooperation. If you do this with multiple teams, competing with each other, have them each send one member over at a time. You can start with a low rope and make the rope higher and higher each turn. Teams can be eliminated entirely if one person touches the fence, or you can eliminate individual members only as the rope gets higher and higher. Make sure your teams are evenly divided according to height, age, and sex.
The Electric Orange Game Game
Description: Just like Grab It (below), except team members grab an orange
instead of soap or marble in an ice bucket. It requires less resources, is
a great last minute game, and can produce some "orange juice" if your
youth group is as violent as mine!Added by Amy Hackman
Elf Defense: SUPPLIES NEEDED: two
different colored balloons, 25 to 50 of each for two teams of
play.Form two teams of elves. Each team must defend its treasure (a pile of balloons) while attempting to steal or destroy the other team's treasure. Use one color of balloons for one team, and another color for the other team. Designate a time period (five to 10 minutes) to play the game. When the time ends, each team's unpopped balloons count 100 points each. Stolen, unpopped balloons count 200 points each.
Encore: This is a simple game that tests
kids ability to think fast. Divide into teams (usually divide into girls
and guys for good competition). Yell out a word that is commonly found in
songs (love, road, river, girl, baby, need . . . ). The teams must sing a
song in unison (together) using that word. The first team to do it wins a
point. Play as long as they like it.
(Works well with large
groups.)Give out the "find someone who list" to students and have them go from student to student looking for someone who meets the description on their list.
Items needed: Find Someone List (make one up.) Make enough copies for everyone. Pencils or pens
Find Someone Who Bingo: Same game as
Find Someone Who (above) but the find someone who's are organized in Bingo
rows on a piece of paper (a Find Someone Who Bingo Card). First one to get
5 across, down or diagonal wins.
Foot to Ear: This is kind of like
musical chairs . . . but much, much better. It works best with an even #
of guys and girls (you can make other divisions work- but we'll just talk
about guy/girl now). Have the girls stand in a circle. Now have the guys
stand outside of the circle of girls, each guy next to one girl, his
partner for the game. Have the inner circle (girls) walk clockwise when
the music begins and the outer circle (guys) walk counter-clockwise. When
the music stops the leader will yell out two body parts (e.g. "foot to
ear"). The girl's part is always first (ladies first) and the guy's is
second. When the music stops and the leader yells the body parts the
partners need to run straight to each other and put those designated body
parts together (e.g. the girl would run to the guy and put her foot on his
ear). Great game . . . just think before you yell body parts (e.g. don't
yell "chest to head")
Form a Group: Easy game that can be used
to divide into teams if need be. Simply yell "Form a group according to .
. . (GPA, hair color, cavity #'s, sibling #'s, shirt color, etc.)"
Fruit Basket Upset: Have group sit in a
circle. Make sure each seat is clearly marked-- use chairs or mark places
with tape. "Number" people off, but instead of saying, "one, two, three,
four, five" say "apple, banana, orange, kiwi, peach" or whatever fruit you
like. The more people you have, the more groups you may want. The last
person is "It" and stands in the center of the circle.
"It" yells out a fruit name. Everyone with that name must exchange seats with someone else with that name. "It" tries to take one of the empty chairs before they are all taken. Whoever is left without a chair is "It". Rather than yelling a fruit name, "It" may yell "Fruit Basket Upset." Everyone must change seats. Variation: "It" may yell more than one fruit at a time. This gets more people up and moving.
(You need a wide
blanket or canvas to play this game) Divide the kids into two teams. Put
two chairs (one for each team) about 2 meters apart facing each other.
Assign two people who will hold one corner of the blanket such that the
blanket is in a vertical position. This will prevent whoever sits in each
chair from seeing the one sitting on the other. Each team will assign
somebody per turn to sit on each chair. At the count of three the 2 people
holding the blanket will release it causing it to fall down and reveal who
is sitting on the chairs. The two people sitting on the chairs will
immediately say the name of the one opposite them. The first between the
two who names the person opposite him/her scores a point. Submitted by Youth for Christ
Golf Ball and Nylon Relay: This game can
be a relay, but I, personally, think relays just take too much stinkin'
time and leave kids just standing there bored . . . so I usually do this
as an up-front game for everyone to watch a couple people do.
Tape two lines on the floor about fifteen feet apart. Have ready two pair of pantyhose and four golf balls. Put one golf ball in the leg of the pantyhose and one golf ball on the ground. After wrapping the other leg of the pantyhose around your waist, the leg with the golf ball should be hanging down in front of you just barely touching the ground. With movement from your body alone, you are to hit the golf ball on the ground with the one hanging from your waist. The object is to move the golf ball from one line to the next. Pass the pantyhose to the next person and they must go back. This is repeated until 5-10 people on each team have completed the task. Items needed: 4 golf balls, tape, 2 pairs of pantyhose
Grocery Bag Yoga You take a regular
paper grocery bag and set it in the middle of the floor with the kids all
around it in a circle. The object is for each youth to try and pick it up
by their teeth while standing on one leg and NOT touching the floor (if
you touch the floor or fall, you're out!). Once they do it, they tear off
the piece that was in their mouth....then the next youth goes. Now, after
so many go, the bad gets shorter and shorter. Eventually, they realize
that they can tear a big piece or small piece! The bag ends up getting so
short, kids loose their balance and fall. I did this game with my group
and was SHOCKED at how difficult it was.Added by Rachel Harris, NC
Guess the leader: Everyone gets in a big
circle. Pick a volunteer to leave the room after you explain the game.
Once that volunteer is out of hearing range, pick a volunteer in the room
that wants to be leader. Everyone must slyly watch this person and imitate
what they do when the other volunteer comes back into the room (cross
legs, cross arms, yawn, stick out their tongue, etc. ). The person who was
out of the room will come back in, stand in the middle of the circle and
try to see who is the leader (the one everyone is watching). The leader
can get bold and make faces, throw there hands in the air, etc. when the
person's back is turned and before the person in the middle has a chance
to see who started it, everyone is doing it. Give the person in the middle
three guesses of who the leader is. Then find a new volunteer and a new
leader. You can have the leader be the next volunteer if he is guessed or
any way you see fit.
Guess the task: Everyone gets in a big
circle. Pick a volunteer to leave the room after you explain the game.
Once that volunteer is out of hearing range, choose a simple task that the
volunteer is to do when he or she enters the room (walk in and tie a
certain kids shoe that is untied, take off their own coat, say the pledge
of allegiance, etc.) The volunteer must come in the room and try to start
doing certain tasks (unaware of the task to be done). The kids in the room
help direct this ignorant person by clapping when this person gets even
close to doing the task. Louder and faster clapping means the person is
getting hotter (closer to completing or discovering what the task is) and
silence means "you're way off- keep trying stuff"
Grab Bag Scarf: Again, this can be a
relay, but I hate relays. So I play it as an up front game involving 6-8
people. Great game for a guys against gals night.
Obtain 2 bags of miscellaneous food items. They must have the same amount of items in each bag. Some items could be: package of unsweetened Kool Aid, a candy bar, soda, a can of sardines, a dill pickle, an onion slice, a clove of garlic, etc. Each bag should have 12-15 items in it. The object of the game is that the first team to eat the entire contents of the bag wins! Note: Kids might need to vomit after a game like this so give them the bag. Items needed: 2 bags, lots of food items.
Grab It: Divide into two teams. Put them
into two lines parallel and next to one another (about 3 feet apart)
sitting down and holding hands. At the back of the line put a bucket of
water with a bar of soap in it (if this is , on carpet, put a layer of
towels down- the water tends to splash, then drip . . . let's face it . .
. this is a messy game!) between the two lines. Stand at the head of the
lines with a quarter in your hand. Instruct them that you are going to
flip the quarter so only the first person in line can see the results.
They are not to yell out how the quarter landed or even look back at their
team. If the quarter lands on heads the persons in front are to squeeze
their hands. The rest of the line is to squeeze their hands if their other
hand is squeezed so that they can communicate to the last person in the
line that the quarter is indeed heads not tails. If the last person in
line has their hand squeezed than they are to try to grab the soap out of
the bucket before the last person on the other team does. The person
successful in retrieving the soap gets to go to the front of the line. The
problem arrives however when the message is wrongly communicated to the
person in back and they grab the soap only to find out that the quarter
was actually tails. At that point the person in front must go to the back
of the line. The first team to get their entire team forward in line (back
person to front- not front to back), wins.
Each player writes a name
on a slip of paper and then passes it to the judge. After the judge
receives all the slips, he mixes them up and writes the names on the
board. The judge picks a person to start.
The person (Frank) chooses someone in the game and guesses what their name might be. "Bob", I think you're Cinderella." If Frank is correct, Bob in now on Frank's team. Later, if Frank's name is guessed, both Frank and Bob join the other's team. Frank continues to guess people's names until he guesses wrong. The last person he asks now gets to guess. Play continues until all but two players have been guessed. The winner is the player with the most people on his team.
Hi my name is: Plant several people in
your crowd who have a one dollar bill, a certificate to something, or any
prize of your liking. Tell everyone that they need to go and introduce
themselves to and learn the names of as many people as they can meet. Have
your "planted people" give the prize to the 15th person that introduces
themselves to them. Once the prizes have been given announce who received
them and who had the prizes. A great get to know ya' game!
Separate the group into small circles. Everyone grabs
the hand of a person not standing next to them. The first team to untangle
back into a circle wins. (I've never tried this- but it sounds
cool. Try it with a few friends or staff before springing it on the
students!) Submitted by Young Life
Human Scrabble Break the youth up into
groups of about 10. Give each person a sheet of paper, marker, and a piece
of tape. Have each person write a letter of the alphabet on the paper and
tape it to the front of their shirt. Now give the teams 4 minutes to come
up with as many words as possible using the letters on their chests.
Minimum 3 letters per word. Give each team 2 points for each letter used
and an additional 5 points if it is a biblical word. The team with the
most points wins. Added by Becky Talbot
Played just like Poor Little Kitten. Everyone sits in a circle. One person is "It". He or she must walk over to someone and say,"Honey, if you love me you'll smile." They can sitting on their lap, make faces, etc. No tickling. If they laugh while the person who is "it" says the 7 magic words, then they must be "it". If they are heartless and don't laugh they must say to the "it" person,"Honey, I love you but I just can't smile." It's great for people who are pathetic in the romantic area. Shorty, FCC Langley, Oklahoma
Get everyone in a circle and start passing the potato when the music plays. Heres the catch . . . you can only touch the potato when the oven mitt is on your hand. Two people next to each other start with the mitts on, one hands the potato to the other, then the hander takes off the mitt and hands that to them as well. The handee must hold the potato in their mitt, waiting for the other mitt, and when they receive it pass it on to the next person. Once they have the mitt on, they pass it on, etc. When the music stops . . . the hander (the person with the potato) and the handee (the person putting on the mitt) are both out! (This keeps the handee from dillydallying.) For bigger groups, get several of these going at once. Id get a pair of mitts and a potato for every 10 or so. Rules: 1. If you touch a potato without your mitt- youre out!. 2. If you have a mitt when the music stops- youre out! 3. No using weapons or firearms (its always good to say that just to be safe!) Added by Jenn Kernya
No.1 starts off by saying, "Ibble Dibble no.1 with no Iblle Dibbles, calling Ibble Dibble no. (choose) with no Ibble Dibbles. " Then that person must respond and choose another person by saying, "Ibble Dibble no. (whatever # they are) with no Iblle Dibbles, calling Ibble Dibble no. (choose) with no Ibble Dibbles. " If a person makes a mistake, then they receive an Ibble Dibble (a spot of red paint on their cheek) That person then carries on with, "Ibble Dibble no. ? with one Ibble Dibble calling Ibble Dibble no.? with no Ibble Dibbles (or how many they do have) Added by Phil Greig
Ice Grab It: Played like the game "Grab
It!" (See above) But instead of a pail of water and soap, use a huge
bucket of ice with a marble in it. Just like grab it if the quarter is
heads up they go for the marble. Trying to grab it and get it out of their
bucket before the other team does and goes to the front. Not as messy as
the original but less soap in eyes and everywhere. Plus they get really
cold hands!Added by Jodie
Identity Circle (Fruit Basket
Upset): This game is just like the Fruit Basket upset- but
this is when you forgot the fruit. You just have the person in the middle
yell out certain characteristics that they have (hair color, color of
clothes, gender, etc.) instead of a fruit, and people with those
characteristics must get up and move. Have the person in the middle yell
out "I am" or "I have" then the characteristic (I am blonde, I have a blue
shirt on, I play on the soccer team, etc.)
I Have Never This game is much like
Identity Circle, or Fruit Basket Upset. Have everyone sit in a circle
except one person. When everyone is seated the person in the middle says
something that they have never done(ie. I have never drank. or I have
never worn a dress). All the people who have never done that have to get
up and find an empty seat (from someone else who just got up). The person
stuck without a seat is now in the middle. This game has no time limit and at our youth group is wanted to be played on a weekly basis. Added by Mark Lussier
Keys: Everybody sits in a chair but one
person. The chairs are scattered all over the room. The person standing
has a set of keys in his hand. With his other hand he grabs someone's
hand. This person gets up and follows the leader who weaves in and out of
the chairs in the room. The person who has gotten out of their chair then
grabs someone else's hand who grabs another persons hand. This keeps going
until the leader drops the keys on the floor then everyone standing runs
and sits in a chair. The person left standing is the new leader. Playing
music really adds to the fun of this game!
This game is in addition
to the rules of Silent Animal Game. We call it King Elephant because the
object is to go around the circle until we get to be King Elephant. The
game is the same that you have animal symbols and as you move a chair you
become a new animal. We try to put animals in order of the food chain, ie.
after elephant, we have lion, tiger, bear, crocodile etc. down to snake,
bird and worm. Worm is just a single finger bent and wiggling. We also
include a clapping beat to go with the game that King Elephant controls
and can increase in speed. We clap twice palms down on our knees and I
clap with hands together. On the last clap is when the participant does
their symbol. For example: knee clap, knee clap, hand symbol (ie. worm
wiggles finger), knee clap, knee clap, another symbol ( ie. two hands come
out like claws for bear) then the bear person does the same not missing a
beat, knee clap, knee clap, bear symbol, knee clap, knee clap, next
symbol. Same as the other game, if the participant makes a mistake, they
become the worm and everyone moves up. Object is to try to be king by
knocking out anyone in front of you. Some examples of animals that we
use:
Chicken - hands under armpits and arms flapping Crocodile - arms extended with one hand facing down, other up, clapping together Bear - two hands out like claws Tiger - hands with fingers spread apart placed on cheeks to look like stripes Lion - hands above head and connected like a circle - just looks big I guess Raccoon - index finger and thumbs together like a circle and put in front of eyes Snake - make a snake movement with one out-stretched arm Giraffe - one hand up above head fully extended with hand bent at wrist Rooster - palm facing to left or right, brought to forehead Monkey - pull ears out from head with hands Beaver - bring to fingers bent to mouth like big teeth Worm - wiggling one bent finger Elephant - one arm extended away from nose, other arm wrapped around and grabbing the nose - hardest one to do, thus challenging to try and stay King
Kiss the wench: This game is steal the
bacon but with a guys team and a girls team lines up parallel, facing each
other. Number them off so each person has a counterpart. Start with a girl
in the middle, "the wench" (no chauvinism implied). When a number is
called, 12 for example, guy number 12 is to try to run out and kiss "the
wench". Meanwhile, girl number 12 is to try to kiss "the dude" before he
can kiss "the wench". The loser stays in the middle and becomes the new
wench or dude. Continue game calling numbers and they continue to be the
first to kiss the opposite sex, whether in the middle or the person
called.
"Kissing in the Dark" Divide the kids
into five teams. Put five targets on a wall with point values such as that
on a dart board and line up each of the teams so they are about ten feet
away from one of the targets. Assign a volunteer to each team to help
things run smoothly and not get out of hand. Explain that each team needs
to choose five volunteers to "kiss in the dark." Make sure they are a
mixture of guys and girls. Each team will have two blindfolds and a tube
of lipstick. Have the team blindfold the first contestant and put lipstick
on his/her lips. On your signal, each of the five contestants will walk
toward their target and kiss it. There should be another volunteer at each
target tallying the points. After the kiss, the kids can take off the
blindfold and see how they did. While the first contestant is going, some
of the members of the team should be blindfolding and putting lipstick on
the next contestant so he/she is ready to go on your signal. After each of
the five contestants have gone, announce the team with the best score and
give them some Valentine's candy.
Much like "Toothpicks and Lifesavers." Give everyone a
straw to put in their mouth. In rows or pews have them stand up and get
ready to pass a small cup to the next person by using only the straw. The
row to do this first, without cheating, wins! You can have a few people in
the middle blind folded for an extra twist.Added by Sterling Lynn
Submitted by Young Life
The Long John Stuff: This game requires
teams of 6 or 7 be chosen. The number of teams depends on the number of
kids present.
Once the teams are chosen, litter the floor with dozens (or hundreds) of deflated balloons. Then give each team a full pair of long-johns (or union suit). The team then decides who will wear them over their clothes. It works to their advantage to find the most wiry person for this part, (although you'll need to be careful to not make weight an issue). Once the long-johns are on, the leader of the game does or says something to officially begin the game (a cap pistol, the word "go", etc.) The object is for the team members not in long-johns to begin inflating balloons, and stuffing them into the long john pants and tops. Decide on a time limit that will officially end the inflating and stuffing portion of the game. Each team is then featured one-by-one as they are given a pin to begin popping each balloon--counting out loud as they do. The balloons are popped through the clothing. Ultimately, the team with the most number of popped balloons is the winner. Suggestion: Have a camera available for taking shots of the fully stuffed long-johns
This is a
great game if you have limited space and you're stuck indoors (which
happens a lot in western pennsylvania _ rain and snow!) It's also good for
smaller youth groups or over_nighters. The object of the game is to not get killed off.. Unfortunately, it takes a lot of explaining, but once you get it, it will quickly become a group favorite. You need at least 8 players to make the game interesting. You need a deck of cards, or slips of paper with the identities on it. For 10 or more, there should be 2 Mafia, 1 Angel, 1 Cop, and the rest townspeople. For less, have only 1 Mafia. Try not to play with more than 30, because it turns into a huge shouting match. Distribute the identities secretly. Everyone should keep their identity a secret, but if they choose to they can reveal it as part of strategy later. Here is an outline of how to play each round:
2. N: "Mafia wake up" Only the mafia open their eyes and look at narrator. 3. N: "Mafia, who do you want to kill?" Mafia have to point to someone in the room and agree on that person. Narrator nods to let them know they understand. 4. N: "Mafia go to sleep" Mafia close eyes again. 5. N: "Cop wake up" The cop opens eyes. "Who do you think it is?" Cop points to someone they suspect is a mafia. Narrator either nods yes or no. Now the cop has an advantage for later. "Cop go to sleep" 6. N: "Angel wake up" Same deal. "Angel, who do you want to save?" Usually, the angel points to him/herself, in case they were picked to be killed off. But sometimes they are gracious and point to someone else to be saved, especially if they have an idea who has been picked by the Mafia. "Angel go to sleep" 7. N: "Town wake up" At this point, everyone opens their eyes, and the narrator announces who is dead, or that no_one is dead (if Angel managed to save them.) Everyone gasps in surprise, and then the accusations fly. 8. Narrator asks for accusations as to who the town thinks the mafia is. It's usually a good idea to limit it to 2 or 3 per round. To make it more interesting, I always insist on the accuser making up some creative reason why they are accusing so_and_so. (like, "I heard them leave their house last night" or "look how muddy their shoes are!") 9. Narrator then allows each of the accused to defend themselves. This whole process can get really rowdy, and you need to be careful not to offend the sensitive kids. Narrator must remain neutral, but can egg on either side with "facts" 10. After a few minutes, narrator should announce that it's time to vote. By a show of hands, go through each accused. The one with the most votes gets "lynched" by the town and is therefore dead. 11. Repeat. The advantage of being the cop is that they can say "I'm the cop, I know the Mafia is so_and_so." However, they should be careful, as sometimes the town doesn't believe them and the cop ends up getting killed off! Also, you can play that once the Angel is killed off, that's it, or that he/she can continue to save people because they don't technically die. Added by Becky Heffner
Mummy Wrap: Pick three groups of three
people each. Give each a roll or two of toilet paper. Make sure you give
each team the same amount. Two people wrap up (like a mummy) the third
person in the group. The object of the game is to: See who can wrap up
their "mummy" first or who is most creative in their "mummifying". You may
wish to add a few other objects into the game (Q-tips, t.p. rolls, etc.)
to aid in the "artistic expression possibilities". You could have the
crowd vote or the staff. You need 3 or 6 rolls of toilet paper.
Musical Guys: Musical Chairs with a fun
twist. The guys are the chairs and the girls play. Remove a guy (just like
a chair) each round until finally two girls fight over one guy!
This is just like musical chairs, but with more
versatility and you dont need chairs! Begin by giving each player a
6-8" strip of sticky tape. You can use duct tape, masking tape,
etc., just make sure it doesn't leave residue when removed. Ask them
to fix it anywhere on the floor. While introducing and explaining the
game, remove one of the strips. Tell the youth that they are to move
around the room while the music plays, but as soon as the music stops they
must place a foot completely over the tape. If some of the tape is
visible, the spot may be stolen. One player will be eliminated. With each
round another strip is removed until it comes down to the final winner.
Because the duct tape is placed randomly, this game is different each time
it is played. The choice of which strip to remove will greatly affect the
strategies the kids must use to win. Added by Joyce Stork
Musical Wardrobe: Items needed:
15-20+ articles of clothing (hats, scarves, blouses, pants, shoes,
etc.)The bigger the group, the more items you will need. It is a lot more fun if the items are "thrift store" type clothes (goofy, ugly, lashing, out of style, etc.) Make sure items are in good taste. The game is played like "Hot Potatoe" (notice the CORRECT, old school, Dan Quail spelling of the word) in that you turn the music on, and pass the bag(s) of clothes around. When the music stops, the person left "holding the bag" must pick something out of the bag to put on. They must put it on as it would normally be worn, no cheating by setting it in their lap, throwing it over their shoulder, etc. Continue starting and stopping music until all the items are on people's bodies.
Vote on the "Best Dressed" Most clothes wins Least amount of clothes wins Take a picture for laughs later!
You start with a name (Tom
Cruise). The other team must come up with a name starting with the last
letter of the name (Edward Scissorhands). We had it going for a long time
until we ran out of names for Y's and got into arguments over whether or
not people really existed. We did another variation of the same game with
songs. Less fights that way.
Newspaper Name Nail: My favorite. I play
it all the time. It's designed as a mixer "get-to-know-ya" kind of game
(usually for no more than about 30-35 people)
Have everyone sit in a circle or something as close as you can get. Then, have each person give their name and make sure each name is clearly said so that all others can hear it. After going through the names once or even twice, have someone start in the middle by asking someone to call the name of someone in the room. The person in the middle proceeds to find the person and try to whop'em with a rolled up newspaper (or pillow) before that person can say both their name and someone else's name in the room. If they get whooped before they can say their name and someone else's name, they are now "it". Also, if the person whose name is called fails to say both their name and another person's name, they will have to be it. The person who is in the middle takes the place of the person they whoop. This helps people learn each others name and mixes kids around with each other. Items needed: Rolled up newspaper or pillow (pillow is actually preferable.)
One volunteer hops around on
one foot while blind-folded, picking up at least one of each flavor of
lifesaver in the area. To begin, they must dip their foot in
peanut-butter, then hop around an area where three different stations of
different colored lifesavers are set up. Meanwhile, the rest of the audience, or several dozen members, surround the chosen one, but do not touch him/her. For the first round, the audience insults and deceives the blind-folded volunteer to keep them from completing their task. For the second round, the audience encourages and helps the volunteer successfully pick up at least one of each flavor. This was specifically designed for a class on encouragement. added by Jason Eppink, Jenna Eppink, Natalie Maddux
Sample questions: 1. What is your favorite pizza? 2. What is your favorite kind of weather and why? 3. If you could go anywhere on a vacation for a week, where would you go? 4. What would you do with $1,000 dollars cash right now? 5. Share a moment in your life where you remember being the most happy. 6. Share a moment in your life where you were really sad. Hint: you can use questions that will kick off that night's discussion. Submitted by Young Life
Over Under Relay: This pathetic game
actually works sometimes, although don't count your chickens. Line up your
teams (however many you want). The object is to pass an item (a balloon, a
ball, a bucket of water, etc.) over their head then the next person under
their legs and so on until the back of the line. First one to the back (or
back up, or the back person runs it to the front of the line, etc.) wins.
Have paper plates scattered throughout the
room. When the music stops, everyone must be touching the
plate. If they are not, then they are out. Take out more
plates every time. Submitted by Young Life
Pass the Brains Here's a Halloween
variation of the 'pass the parcel' game we typically play at kid's parties
in Australia. Scoop out a pumpkin as you would to make a jack _o _lantern.
Carve out a face, but don't make the holes too big otherwise the 'brains'
will fall out too quickly. (Alternatively, you could just draw a face on
the pumpkin with a black marker pen.) Fill the pumpkin with cold, cooked
spaghetti hiding wrapped candy in amongst the 'brains'. There should be
one candy for each kid playing. Play some spooky music as the pumpkin head
is passed around. When the music stops, the kid holding the head feels
through its 'brains to find some candy.
Submitted by Young Life
Play Doh Pictionary: Just like it
sounds! Pictionary, but with Play-doh. Divide into teams. Have a
representative come up front from each group. Whisper a Pictionary word
(like "dog") to the group and they must run back to their group and,
without talking, mold that word with Play-doh. Put a staff member on each
team cause kids will cheat (so do some staff members!)
In
most hardware stores you can buy the pink plunger part separate from the
stick. So get two plunger ends for every stick. Put one plunger end at
each end of the stick. Tie a tennis ball by about 2 feet of string to the
middle of the stick. Put your group into equal teams. Have
them run a relay to the end of a determined length in pairs. Each member
has to put a plunger end on his forehead and together they have to wrap
the tennis ball around the stick without using their hands (other than to
hold the plunger to their heads). When they get it wound, they drop it,
run back and tag the next group who then has to UNWIND it in the same
fashion. Not only does it teach teamwork and team cheering, everyone looks equally stupid in the process. Added by Robin Thornett & Johnna Maddox
Pole Pole: (also known as Can-can) Find
something to use as a free-standing pole (you can use a garbage can as
well, hence the name "Can-can."). Circle around it holding hands. The
rules are simple. If you touch the pole or the pole touches you in any
way, you are out, and if you break hands with the person next to you, you
both are out. And the last man (or woman) standing wins. My youth love it-
it's their favorite game. Can get a little intense though.added by Scott Norris
Poor Little Kitten: Everyone sits in a
circle. One person is the "Poor Little Kitten", and stands in the middle
of the circle. He must then go to any person in the circle and kneel down
in front of them and meow the saddest "meow". The person sitting must then
say "Poor Little Kitten" and pet him on the head without laughing. The
"Poor Little Kitten" has three chances to make the person laugh. If the
person sitting laughs he becomes the "Poor Little Kitten".Added by Mary Vela
Pull Across the Line: See "British
Bulldog" (above). Same object of the game, but you can't cross the center
line and you convert people to your side by reaching over the line and
pulling them to your side.
Variation: Have someone sit down if they are pulled across
Pull Apart: This is the heinous game
where all the guys link up (get in a big pile and hug, grab each other,
whatever necessary to try to stay linked together) and when you say "go,"
the girls try to pull them apart. Once a guy is pulled to where he isn't
touching any other guys, he's out and needs to go sit down. Last two guys
together are the winners.
I don't suggest reversing the gender roles on this game. Guys don't need to be grabbing girls. They'll have dreams for weeks! (Face it, guys are twisted!)
Pyramid Races: Pretty Simple. Divide
Group into teams of six. Have them build a pyramid (three people on
bottom, two in the middle, one on top) and walk across a certain point
(only needs to be 10 or 15 feet away), turn around and walk back, all
while in the pyramid. First team done wins!
This is a
messy game, so do game outside or in area easily cleaned up. Have a staff
person wear a T-shirt, preferably plain white. Draw a target on the shirt
that is big enough to cover the front of the shirt. Divide into 4 teams,
each with a different color. Give each team 5 Q-Tips per person or an
equal amount if teams are not even in number. (6 on team one, 7 on team
two, 6 on team 3 - give team #2 five more Q-Tips) and give each person a
straw (wide straws work best - McDonald's has them, but it would be wise
to ask instead of just grabbing that amount). You also need a bowl or cup
of water (about 1 cup of water per team ) with enough food coloring added
to color water well.
One by one kids dip their Q-Tips in the bowl/cup to color the tip. Then they shoot their five "darts" (Q-Tips) at the target on the staff person's shirt. It does not matter who shoots when as long as each person gets in their five shots. The object is to hit the most points on the target. Staff note: Make the target however you want in terms of points. Add up the total points or # or hits. You may just put a big (+) across the front making 4 different quadrants, one for each team and score it by how many times a team can "hit" in their quadrant. 2 points if they hit their own quadrant and 1 point for hitting someone else's quadrant.
Old white T-shirt (they'll need to be thrown out after this event!) Enough Q-Tips for each kid to have 5 4 different food coloring colors 4 cups or bowls 4 one cup measures of water Drop cloth Tape to tape a firing line on the ground
Q-Tip Shuffle: Another stupid relay . .
. but some of you might actually like those pathetic things! Several teams
divide in half and stand in two lines on the opposite sides of the room
for this relay game. A person in front of the line shoves six Q-tips in
different orifices of his/her body (sticking out of pockets, between
knees, protruding from armpits . . . ), then shuffles across room to the
person in front of the other line who grabs Q-tips with their teeth, and
drops them on the floor. That person then sticks the Q-tips on their body
somewhere and does the same, running (shuffling) back to the original
line. First team to finish the relay wins.
This is a great "get to
know ya" and a memory game. Everybody is in a circle. Everyone takes a
turn saying their name and something about them (example, "Hi, I'm John
and I play football"). The next person needs to say the previous person's
name and item of interest before saying their own (example, "He's John, he
plays football and I'm Mary and I torture small animals."). As this game
moves on, people need to remember more and more information. With bigger
groups you can have them only repeat the names to save time.
Ro Sham Bo Train: Everyone grab a
partner. Rock paper scissors- if you lose you go follow behind the person
that beat you and they will do it again with another pair. Keep this up. A
large train will build behind the people that keep winning- eventually
someone will have everyone behind him- he or she wins a prize.
Run the Gauntlet: Girls are given rolled
up newspapers, and they are lined up in two single file lines. The two
lines are parallel, facing each other with approximately three to four
feet between them. The boys tie balloons to their seats (on their pant
belt loops) and must "run the gauntlet", that is , they must run between
the tow lines of girls who try to pop the balloons by hitting them with
the newspapers. The object is to see which boy(s) can avoid having their
balloon popped.
Play this one in the
sanctuary during an all nighter! Split group into two teams. Play a basic
game of softball with the following exceptions: The ball must be a VERY
light nerf or fabric ball (must not be able to damage anything). Use a
racquet_ball or tennis raquet instead of a bat. Bases are located at three
locations that require youth to weave themselves through the pews (half
way down each side, and at the back door) Ball must clear the first row of
pews to be considered 'in play'. Players in the 'field' must not climb
over pews, they must go under or around. Runners are out whenever the ball
touches them (ball can be thrown at them) Have fun!Added by Dan Holt
Submitted by Young Life
Shuffle your Buns: This game requires at
least a good handful of people and a chair for everyone. Have everyone sit
in a circle. Then select a person to go into the middle. When you say "go"
they are to try to go back to their seat. Everyone slides their tush
(shuffles their buns) over to block the person from sitting in the empty
seat. The person will end up running around the circle trying to get to
the rapidly moving empty seat. If he sits than the person on his or her
left is the person who has to go in the middle.
Silent Animal Circle: This game gets
difficult with more than twenty people; it is better for groups of 15 or
so. Everyone gets in a circle and is given an animal in which they are
assigned a hand motion that represents that animal.
Hand Motions (a few examples): How To Play: Lets say that 12 people are playing this game. They are all in a circle. The Elephant, in the 12 o'clock position of the circle is the leader. Then in the 11 o'clock position the mosquito then whatever order you like. The animal is always in the same position- as people move, they assume the animal in that particular seat or place in the circle. The object is to get to be the elephant. As people mess up in this game, they have to move back to the one o'clock position and work their way up again as others mess up. The elephant starts the game by doing his own signal then another animals signal, such as the cow. The cow must then do his own signal and another animal's signal immediately. A certain rhythm or speed is set by the elephant (by how fast he or she does the signals). Everyone must keep that rhythm- no hesitations. If an individual pauses, forgets to do their signal, or messes up the signal in any way, then he or she must go back to the one o'clock position. Lets say that the cow is always in the 10 o'clock position. If the person that was the cow messes up, then he or she goes to the one o'clock position and is now a snake (for example). The person who was the deer (in the 9 o'clock position) is now the cow and so on down the line. When ever someone messes up, it is only the people below them that are affected and have to move up to a new animal. If the elephant messes up, everyone moves because he is the highest position.
Sink the Bismarck: Basically, it's every
man for himself dodge-ball. A group of students, 10-30, is asked to stand
in a large open circle and game balls are placed sporadically (if that's a
word) throughout the circle. You can pick the number of balls. I use about
5 or 6. When the leader says "Go" students run to the nearest ball start
trying to hit anyone around them. If you are holding a ball you can't run
and if you get hit you must sit down.
if you get hit and the ball hits the ground, you are out and you must sit down, In order for a person to move with the ball, he must pass it to a trustworthy person who is sitting on the ground (by rolling it -- remember if caught in the air you're out). But be careful, they could hit you with the ball or give it to another standing thrower) the last person standing wins the prize. I got this game from my good friend, Will Hagle
Sockball: kind of like hot potatoes/tag/WWF
NEED: circle of chairs of no less than 15 people 2_4 people standing in
the middle 3_4 long socks with tennis balls in the end. HOW Those sitting
in the circle toss the sockballs to each other (usually very hard throws)
and try to keep those in the middle from catching them.(more fun if you
can bounce it off someone in the middle) If they catch it then the thrower
goes in and the runner sits down.(even if it falls to the ground and is
picked up) The people in the middle can also tag any thrower who is
holding the sockball and they have to switch.(this keeps the pace up).
This is our favorite game, good for those nights when high activity level
is the best option.
Submitted by Young Life
Song Endurance: This game is very simple
and can be played with two or more teams. Sometimes this is fun to do with
guys against girls. Pick a song theme (at Christmas choose Christmas
songs, with a younger or more ignorant group you don't even need a theme-
any song can be open game) and let the singing begin.
The object of this game is to keep coming up with songs longer than the other team or teams. One team starts and sings a line of one song. Then the other team has 5 seconds to start singing a line of another song. Then the other team has 5 seconds to sing a line from yet another song . . . Teams may discuss and plan out which song to sing while the other teams are singing. The first team to repeat a song, sing a song that doesn't fit that category or just not sing within 5 seconds is the loser. If more than two teams play, sit losing teams out until one team finally prevails.
Simple but fun,
especially on a hot day! You divide your group in rows. In front of
each row you place a bucket with water and a sponge. At the back you place
an empty bucket to collect water. When time starts running the person in
the front dips the sponge and passes it to the back and the last person
squeezes the water into the bucket. The row that manages to collect the
most water wins.Added by Elizabeth Oliveras
Sticks and Tires (Toothpicks and life
savers): This is a simple game with any number of evenly
divided teams. Everyone gets a toothpick and places it in their mouth. Get
the teams in some sort of single file line, row or circle. Start the front
or beginning person with a Lifesaver candy on their toothpick. They must
pass the life saver from their toothpick to their neighbors toothpick
without any hands. First team to pass it all the way down is the winner.
Steal the bacon (the fish, the freshman, backpack
style, etc.): This is an age old game that can be played a
billion different ways. How good the game is depends on how creative you
are with methods and objects.
The game is played by forming two teams in parallel lines facing each other. Number them off so each person has a counterpart. Put an object in the middle such as an old tire tube (the bacon) When a number is called, 12 for example, the number 12 from each team is to try to run out and grab the bacon and get it back to their side. This can be played many ways. Here are a few: Kiss the wench- see above in the game list Hockey style- a ball is in the middle and several hockey sticks. A goal of some sort is on each end of the play area. When numbers are called (single numbers or multiple numbers) the numbers called are to run out, pick up a hockey stick and try to hit the ball in the appropriate goal. Water balloon style- one Water balloon is in the middle- the number called runs out and tries to get the Water balloon first and try to hit the other person with it. Bucket of water- same as Water balloon but with bucket of water Chalk Sock- Same as the Water balloon style but they have to try to grab the chalk sock (a long sock with a pile of chalk powder in the end- leaves a chalk mark on clothes- and sometimes starts really cool fights!) and hit the other person with it. Steal the Freshman-Take a wild guess what you put in the middle! Steal the Fish-Gross, but fun Backpack Style-With this method you always call two numbers and one must get on the other's back before running to get the object in the middle. You can use an object suspended in the air (hung by string) that they have to grab with their teeth.
Suck and Blow: You might want to rename
this game! This racy title just happens to describe what you do. Line the
kids up, and have them pass an index card down the line as fast as they
can using only their mouths. You need to suck in wind to keep the card on
your lips in order to pass it (by blowing out) to the next person in line.
This game is especially great with boys, because if one person drops the
card at just the right point, the two come very close to locking lips. The
first group to pass the card all the way down (and back if you wish) wins.
Super Sundae: Divide group into teams of
4 to 6 kids. In a giant bowl, see which team can construct the most
original ice cream concoction using equal amounts of ice cream products
supplied by the staff. Afterwards, award a prize to the team with the
coolest sundae. THEN spring it on them that they have 5 minutes to see
which team can eat the most of their sundae without using their hands or
utensils. The team with most ice cream gone wins a prize. Talk about
messy! Added by Bruce Huffstetler
Rules: no hand motions no "sounds like" or rhyming with other words
The Ha Ha Game: Get every one to lay
down on the floor next to each other in a line. The first person in the
line say's "ha" , the second "ha ha," the third "ha ha ha," and so on. You
can never get to the end of the line because every one starts laughing.
You can also line up two lines of people and do it as a race. added Jayda Campbell
The Story: Stand or sit in a circle. Go
around the room assigning the name of a person, place or thing to each
person. The first person in the group begins to tell a story that they
make up. Within 10 seconds (longer or shorter is okay) that person must
mention the person, place or thing assigned to them. When the timer goes
off (you can use a kitchen timer or just a stop watch) the story is picked
up by the next person and they must mention their assigned person, place
or thing within 10 seconds. This continues around the circle until
everyone has had a turn. The stories can get pretty strange but that's the
fun of it. Submitted by Youth for Christ
Submitted by Young Life
Toilet paper over under: See "Over Under
Relay" in this game guide. Use toilet paper, unraveling it as you go. If
toilet paper breaks, the person must tie it together before continuing to
unravel.
Trust Circle: Object of the Game: To
hold up the person in the middle and keep him safe from falling.
One player is chosen to be "it" first. A tight circle of players is formed, alternating physically strong and weak people. The person chosen to be "it" goes into the middle of the circle and crosses his arms across his chest. The "it" stiffens and falls backwards. The players in the circle work together to catch the person and pass him back and forth around the circle. The player in the middle must keep his feet together and near the middle of the circle for this to work well, and players in the circle generally grab the person who is "it" around the arms and shoulders. Each player is encouraged to have a turn. Variations: 1. Players in the circle sit down, placing their feet around the ankles of the person in the middle. Sounds crazy, but it works 2. "Courage Camille" is a slight variation of this game in which only 3 players are required. Two of the players face each other and lock hands. The third person stiffens and falls backwards into their arms. This should be done several times, with the person falling farther backwards each time (the players locking their hands should lower them each time). Other players can then try. 3. "Courage Camille" can also be played with only one person catching. 4. The person who is "it" wears a blindfold. Comments: The players who are "catchers" should be careful as they pass the person around and catch him. In the "Courage Camille" variation, care should be taken that the two players who are acting as "catchers" are strong enough to hold the heaviest person participating.
Trust Lift: More of a learning exercise
than a game!
Object of the Game: To lift a person above everyone's head. One player is chosen to be "it" first. He lies on his back and stiffens himself while everyone else assembles around him. Together everyone lifts him slowly toward the ceiling as he maintains his reclining position. Once he has reached maximum height, the others hold him there for about 30 seconds before slowly lowering him. T-Shirt ChallengeYou use a men's size medium t-shirt, place it flat out on the ground, and then see how many kids can get on the t-shirt with no feet or any body part touching off of the t-shirt. Our record stands at 17 people! It is a-lot of fun and I would love to hear if anyone can get more than that! Valley Chapel -Juneau, Alaska! shilling@gci.net
Two Truths and a Lie: A good game for
small group interaction. The object is to reveal unknown things about
yourself to the group in a fun atmosphere.
A person states three things about himself. Two must be true and one a lie. For example: "I was born in South Africa. I have a green card. I have a dog named Bubba." The others in the group try to guess which statement is the lie. If a player guesses correctly, they earn a point. If no one guesses correctly, the individual earns five points. Each person should get a chance to share.
Have everyone secretly
write down the name of a person on a small piece of paper. It has to be a
person that everyone in the room would know about (eg. Jesus, George
Washington, Madonna, Leonardo DiCaprio, etc.) Then have them tape the name
on the back of the person on their left. Everyone must now go around and
ask people yes or no questions about who is on their back. They can only
ask each person one question. The person who can do it in the least number
of asks wins.
Who is it?: This is a good game for
small group interaction. The object is to get individuals to share unknown
things about themselves in a safe environment. Each player writes down a
little know truth about himself. The paper slips are handed in and read
aloud one at a time. The slips are then read a second time, and players
write who they think wrote that slip. After everyone has guessed on slips,
the truth is revealed. Each player gets a point for every correct guess.
If no one guesses a person's slip correctly, that person gets five points.
Win Lose or Draw: This game is the same
as the old TV version by the same name. It is played like Pictionary,
either guys against girls (battle of the sexes kind of deal), or team
against team. A word is given to one member of each team who tries to draw
symbols and pictures to lead his/her team to say the word that was given
to them. You may not use numbers letters or the "number sign" (#),
anything else is okay. You also may not say anything or do any kind of
gestures, to help you team guess the word.You may point to a team member who is on the right track or very close to saying the answer, but no other gestures may be used. You may nod your head to say "yes, that's right" or "no, wrong". Use Pictionary cards if you have them or make up a list of words yourself (may be use a certain subject or topic of the club, i.e., Santa Claus, Reindeer, Christmas tree or pencil, teacher, school, etc.) Whoever has the most points (words guessed) at the ends wins. If it is a tie, give each team another word and see who can do their word the fastest.
Added by Donald Jin
Zip Zap Bop: Played like Newspaper Name
Nail with a few changes. Everyone is to learn the names of the persons to
their left and right. Zip means left and Zap means right. The person in
the middle says a persons name and either Zip or Zap. The person called
must say the name of the person to their right or left, depending on what
the person in the middle said, Zip or Zap. The person in the middle tries
to bop them on the head with the newspaper before they can say it. This is
a pretty stupid game- but some kids actually like it- try it and if it
doesn't work right away have a back up.
For this game you
need to make your own money on your computer (careful- it might be a
federal offense). Give each person 10 of the bills. They are to try to win
as many as possible from their peers by challenging them one on one doing
one of three things:
Rock, paper, scissors Flipping a coin Rules: You must accept any challenge Sudden death, no two out of three Challenger has to have a coin and is "heads" on the coin toss |
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