Keeping youth entertained in a youth group can be hard. They could be sitting there thinking of all the other things they would rather be doing or that the youth leader is boring. Every youth group can go through a rough patch where the youth is not entertained, and seem to be lost in a world of their own. Playing different games as an ice breaker, team building or even for the whole youth period can help keep them entertained, learn more about themselves and each other, and above all else, keep them wanting more and coming back. There are some games that are more complicated than others, but sometimes the complicated ones are the fun ones.
Know Your Role: This is a fun game. I actually played in a job training class, but it works for youth groups as well. You get the group into a circle and the group finds out who is around them, mainly two people across from them. You give 1 ball, stuff animal or something to one person have them call a name and toss the object to that person. Then they call a name and toss it and so on and so forth. The people they toss to the first time is the person they keep throwing to. So if I catch the ball from Renee, i keep catching it from her. I throw to Jeff one time and I keep tossing to him. Get the idea. After they get into a groove with the one object give them a second one. See how many objects they can have before they mess up. This will help them focus their mind not on the objects flying across the circle but focusing on their roles as catching and tossing, and who is apart of their team.
Guess The Person: This is another fun game. You break your youth group into 2 teams if you have a large group split it into more team around 5 or 6 people per team. Have the members of each team write down 10 names from the Bible or actors who have played Biblical characters such as Jim Cavesile who played in “The Passion. They can grab a Bible to find many names. The first round is where 1 person from the team pulls a name and tries to describe the name. They have 1 minute to go through as many names as possible. After the minute they can go onto the next team. Once all the teams have gone then you go to round two. This round is somewhat the same, but you are only allowed to use 1 word to describe the name. Then round three is where they have to act out the names. They act like the person they have. Score 1 point per name they get right.
This game will help the youth group learn the names of those in Bible. THey may learn something new about a Biblical character they didn’t you. You as the youth leader can stop between rounds and say something about some of the names the teams didn’t get. If they have Deborah and can’t get her; the youth leader can talk a little on her. This will also give you some ideas for future lessons, such as talking about the little known Biblical stories.
Encouragement Game: This is a game that I love the idea of. As teens, there are many things we hate about ourselves and it can be hard to find something good. With this game, it can help them see things that others see in them and maybe encourage them. Give everyone a piece of paper and a pen or pencil to write their name on the top. Have them pass the paper to their left and that person writes something positive about the person whose paper they have. Go around the circle and have everyone write something on it. Then you can collect the papers and hand them out one by one so the group can see the person’s reaction as they read what was written.
For Example:
Lee Wadsworth
strong
caring and compassionate
funny
atheletic
looks out for others
The point of this game is for each member of the youth group to see that God gives us all qualities that make us special even if we don’t see them, others do. Hopefully that will give the group encouragement and self confidence they need.
Name That Tune: Name That Tune can be a game that gets everyone involved or just some of the group, but it is still a fun game to play. You start out with simple songs like Jesus Loves Me, or This Little Light of Mine. As you get more and more of the youth group guessing the songs. You can start tapping out or humming the chorus of some of the songs that you sing as a part of the worship service. You can tell the kids one week to pay attention during the service the coming Sunday, the songs may become a part of Name That Tune, or something like that. It helps get the youth interested in the Sunday service and gets them interested in what songs are out there. You can also have them tap out or hum a song they know to try and stump the group.
Blanket Identification: I played this game in my college youth group which had over 60 members which made it even more fun and exciting, but you can play it with smaller groups as well. WIth this game you need two people to hold up a blanket and split the rest of the group into two teams one on each side of the blanket. One person from each team stands behind the blanket, quietly. Then when the blanket is dropped the two shout out the other person’s name. The first person to get the name right wins a point for the team. If you have a group that knows each other very well you can shout out something positive something like the encouragement game. Say I am paired with a youth lady named Caitie. She can say great writer for me and I can say very atheletic for her. That brings up all the positive things about each other and helps get rid of the negatives while helping the group bond with each other.
Youth group is a place that should be fun and entertaining while they learn something about the Bible and living accordingly. Some of the games I mentioned helps with the groups self esteem and bonding. I have seen groups bond close enough that they stick up for one another and spend time together outside of the youth group. Games are entertaining and many times the youth leader can turn the game around and make it into a great lesson without the youth group realizing it is a lesson.
