Divide into two teams. Each person holds one letter (listed below) printed on one sheet of paper (some people can hold two letters, if needed). Call a word, and students run up and spell it out. The first team done scores a point. To add a twist, insert three more letters late in the game. Sample words: ENTMPASROG: Rats, smart, gore, set, master, roast, smear, togas, snore, ten proms, get spam, great son Add letters B-I-L: Bails, boring, lent, lamps, lips, boils great, strong meal GAMES DISCLAIMER: None of the games listed in this #GAMEMONTH series or in the download below are
Read more →Arrange teens in a circle of chairs, facing inward. One person is in the middle. The middle person asks any seated person, “Do you love your neighbor?” If “No,” the people on either side (the neighbors) switch seats. The middle man tries to steal an empty seat. If “Yes,” the seated person has to come up with someone he or she does not like. For example, he may say, “Yes, but I don’t like people wearing red.” Or, “Yes, but I don’t like people with long hair.” Every person meeting that criteria jumps up and switches seats. The middle
Read more →Circle the chairs, facing inward. Each CHAIR receives an animal “sign.” The first chair is the “Head Moose,” and the order of chairs goes clockwise. The Head Moose’s sign is moose antlers (2 open hands, palms out, thumbs on temples.) The other chairs choose signs. They can be anything you can think of that can easily be seen by everyone in the circle. Some examples: Snake – hand “slithers” in an “s” shape away from your body Raccoon – two circles over the eyes Shark – “fin” hand on top of head Rabbit – 2 finger “bunny ears” behind head
Read more →Arrange the chairs in a circle, facing inward. One person is in the middle. Pass a beach ball from person to person without the middle man intercepting the ball. If the middle man gets the ball, the LAST PERSON to TOUCH the ball is in the middle. For example, if the ball is thrown across the room and no one catches it, the thrower has to race across the room to get his own ball before the middle man gets it. Or, if someone bounces the ball off their neighbor’s knee and into the middle man’s hand, the last one
Read more →It’s not quite the bottle flip, but it’ll do for a fun time. This game has a simple setup and makes a good competition between two teams. It involves large groups, and anyone can win. SETUP Divide the group into teams of equal size. Since teammates are holding hands, we split guys/girls and used adult youth workers to balance the numbers. For larger groups, divide into more lines, as long as the first person in line can see the coin toss. Teammates link hands. The first person in line can see the youth leader flipping a coin. The last in
Read more →I allow our teens to run every Wednesday night’s game time. We play for about 20 minutes before the announcement and preaching time, and the teens choose, prepare, and run the games. Here was my original post to them: EVER WANTED TO CHOOSE AND RUN OUR WEDNESDAY NIGHT GAMES? NOW YOU CAN! I’ve got a crazy idea… how about YOU choose and run the games on Wednesday nights. Here’s how this is going to work… We’ll assemble a team or teams. Add your name to the signup sheet in the back if you are interested in helping with this. Each
Read more →In my absence last week, the teens played the oldie-but-goodie game “Heads Up Seven Up.” It was new to them, and any game that gets teens talking in between rounds and after the game is a good one. SETUP Choose 7 volunteers (or fewer for smaller groups) to stand up front while the audience members shut their eyes and stick up a thumb. PLAY The up-front volunteers each touch someone’s thumb and return to the front (quietly!) When their thumb is touched, the person puts his or her thumb down so no one else touches it. GUESS Someone says, “Heads
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I recently found the board game OUTBURST: Bible Edition at a thrift store and tried it with my teens during our game time. It was a fun (and loud, in a good way) addition to our growing arsenal of games, and because it is Bible-themed, it is safe from questionable categories. PREMISE Two teams (side vs. side, men vs. ladies…) compete for one minute to shout out related items from a 10-item list. One person checks off the items the he hears, earning team points for each. BONUS A 10-sided die is rolled. If the team answered that number, another die
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