Category Archives: Game Ideas

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Game Ideas

A-Z Christmas

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Have a blank flip chart or sheets of newsprint prepared with all the letters of the alphabet from A to Z. Ask participants to fill in a holiday word or phrase that starts with each letter. Here are examples for you to use. Give bonus points for the letters Q, U, V, and Z.

A. Angels
B. Bells
C. Candy Canes, candles, cranberries
D. Deck the Halls ,doves
E. Elves, Eggnog, Eight Maids a Milking
F. Food, Frankincense, five golden rings, four calling birds
G. Garland, Goose
H. Holly
I. Incense
J. Jingle Bells
K. Kwanzaa
L. Logs – as in Yule
M. Mistletoe, Menorah, Mir
N. Noel
O. Ornaments
P Peace on Earth, Partridge in a pear tree.
Q. Quiet
R Ribbons, Reindeers
S. Silent Night, Seven Swans a Swimming, Six geese a laying, Shoes, Sleigh, Santa
T. Trim, Turkey, two turtle doves, three French hens
U.
V. Venison
W. Wreaths
X. X-mas
Y. Yule tide
Z.

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Games and Activities helping youth discover the Reason for the Season.

Get more than 200 creative ideas for planning a Youth Christmas celebration or Christmas Party party. You can immediately download my best Christmas Icebreakers, games, illustrations, Christmas activity ideas AND MUCH MORE in a useful ebook!

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Game Ideas

Pass the Orange (Christmas Variation)

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Introduction
This is a classic game that has been around for ages. The key prop for this game is an orange. Oranges, along with apples, nuts, and other fruits were the original Christmas Tree Ornaments. For many families, an orange in the Christmas stocking is still an important Christmas tradition. Oranges are also a common treat in Asia, especially around Chinese New Year when they represent prosperity for the New Year.

Game Description
Participants must pass an orange down a line of participants using only their chins.

Game Materials
A single orange for each team… you might want to have a few extra for eating afterward!

Game Preparation
None

Game Play

  1. Divide the group into teams of about 5-10 persons of an almost equal guy-girl ratio. There can be an extra guy or girl for odd numbered teams.
  2. Teams must stand in line, one behind the other (arranged boy, girl, boy,… or girl, boy.girl…).
  3. Give the person at the front of each team an orange which he or shee must tuck under his/ her chin.
  4. The orange must be passed to the next person, using only the chins. The use of hands is strictly forbidden.
  5. When the orange gets to the last person, they must run to the front of the line (without dropping the orange) to win!

Get Creative Youth Ideas: "Christmas Collection" ebook Christmas Collection
Games and Activities helping youth discover the Reason for the Season.

Get more than 200 creative ideas for planning a Youth Christmas celebration or Christmas Party party. You can immediately download my best Christmas Icebreakers, games, illustrations, Christmas activity ideas AND MUCH MORE in a useful ebook!

=> Tell me more about the Christmas Collection

Game Ideas

The Twelve Days of Christmas Birthdays

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Introduction
Use this Christmas Party game involving the popular Christmas tune “The Twelve Days of Christmas” to raise the energy level and get everyone involved.

Game Description
Participants will stand up when the “Twelve Days of Christmas” verse corresponding to their birthday month is sung or heard.

Game Materials

  • Song: “The 12 days of Christmas” (Can be sung or played)
  • Chairs for each participant.

Game Preparation
None needed

Game Play

  • Explain that Each of the “Twelve days of Christmas” corresponds to a month of the year. (For example: First day = January, Second day = February, Third day = March, etc.
  • When the verse corresponding to a person’s birthday month is sung or heard, they must stand up. When the verse is finished they must sit down. They must also stand up whenever the gift for that day is sung in the chorus.
  • Once you get a few verses into the song, you have people popping up and down like crazy. Great to get the energy up. By the end of the song EVERYONE is involved!
  • Add a little more life by requiring participants to sing loudly for their verse and the mention of the gift in the chorus.

Take it to the Next Level
Like many Christian traditions, the secular is often mingled with the spiritual. Sometimes meanings are lost. Sometimes the meaning is revised as we get further and further away from the historical events that inspired them. While Christmas and December 25th is almost certainly NOT the actual date of Christ’s birth, it is an opportunity to celebrate the fact that Christ the Savior was sent to us more than 2000 years ago. God came down, and because of his birth, death, and resurrection our lives are forever changed. Because of his birth and what he did, we can be born again. God became flesh and suffered on the cross that we might receive a new birth and be reconciled with God. It doesn’t matter when you were born, you can be born again today if you will accept Christ into your heart.

To Note
Contrary to some stories circulating around the internet, the song is very unlikley to be a symbol or metaphor for he basic tenets of the Christian faith. Click here for for details.

Get Creative Youth Ideas: "Christmas Collection" ebook Christmas Collection
Games and Activities helping youth discover the Reason for the Season.

Get more than 200 creative ideas for planning a Youth Christmas celebration or Christmas Party party. You can immediately download my best Christmas Icebreakers, games, illustrations, Christmas activity ideas AND MUCH MORE in a useful ebook!

=> Tell me more about the Christmas Collection

Game Ideas

Fruit Basket Turnover – Thanksgiving Version

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Game Description
This is the classic fruit basket turnover game modified for a Thanksgiving theme

Game Materials

  • As many chairs as you have youths. Sturdy chairs work best as there might be some wild dashes for chairs and I have seen a flimsy chair collapse before in the wild chaos that ensues when two people are rushing for the same chair.

Game Preparation

  1. Set chairs in circle with the chairs facing towards the center of the circle.
  2. Have the youths sit in the chairs close enough to close all of the gaps.
  3. Select one to stand in the middle of the circle and then remove his or her chair and the circle close the gap.
  4. The person in the center of the circle points to each of the other players and gives them a name, such as “Corn,” “Cranberries,” “Pumpkin,” “Squash,” “Turkey,” or any other food related to thanksgiving. Limit the items so that the youth are divided into 3 or 4 groups and everyone is assigned a label, including the youth in the middle.

Game Play

  • The person in the center will call out a food item related to Thanksgiving.
  • When that food is called, all youths with that label must get up and find an empty set vacated by another youth. The youth in the middle must do the same. Youths cannot sit in the same chair they vacated.
  • The one who ends up without a seat is the now in the middle and call out the name of a food items and attempt to get into a chair.
  • On occasion the youth in the middle can call out “Thanksgiving FEAST.” At this point everyone must get up and find a different seat.
  • As a variation you might also allow the person in the center to call TWO food items.

Variations

  • Place the food items labels on pieces of paper taped to the bottom of the chairs.
  • You can play it so that if you a youth ends up in the center of the circle three times, he or she must perform some kind of “forfeit” such as sing a song, do a dance, tell a joke, pretend they are popcorn popping, sing “I’m a Little Teapot” with actions, etc. You can also wait until the end of the game and bring everyone that has been IT times to the center of the circle to do the forfeit as a group.

Take it the the Next Level
Each time a person ends up in the center they must share something they are thankful for.

Get Creative Youth Ideas: "Holiday Collection" ebook Holiday Collection
Games and Activities in Celebration of common Holidays.

Creative Holiday Ideas has over 300 pages of ideas to help you plan your next Thanksgiving celebration and games and activities for other familiar holidays. If you’ve ever wondered what you’re going to do for the various holidays and how you’re going to do it, this resource is for you.

=> Tell me more about the Holiday Collection

Game Ideas

Thanksgiving Tailfeathers Icebreaker

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Game Description

  • Who’s the biggest Turkey?

Game Teaching Point / Purpose

Game Materials

  • At least 2 Clothespins for every participant.
  • Craft feathers

Game Preparation

  • With a glue gun or piece of adhesive tape, attach feathers to both legs of each clothespin.

Game Play

  1. Give every person two clothespins (Turkey Feathers) as they enter.
  2. When everyone has their turkey feathers, tell them you’re giving them two minutes to get rid of their feathers. The only way for participants to get rid of the feathers is onto pin them to someone else.
  3. Chaos results as everyone tries to get rid of their feathers!
  4. Award a prize to the person with the least number of feathers. The person with the MOST feathers is the official TURKEY!

Icebreaker Variation

  • As a variation, use this as an icebreaker activity for your next Thanksgiving Party or Thanksgiving Celebration. After playing the game, each person must state one “Fun Fact” about themselves for each feather they are wearing. If they have no feathers they only have to say ONE thing about themselves.

Take It to the Next Level

While we don’t carry clothespins with us through life, we do carry our sins. Sometimes they pinch us in uncomfortable places. Sometimes we don’t even realize they are there. But the sins carries with them pain and suffering.

Jesus suffered the ultimate pain and suffering on the cross as he bore the penalty for our sin. Ultimately that penalty is death. He chose to bear the consequences for us. He did not run away from sin, but said place all your sins on me and I will carry them for you. (Let everyone take their clothespins off and stick them to a cardboard cross.) While pain and suffering still accompany sin in our lives, the penalty of death has been removed for those who will trust in Christ.

And that’s something we can all be thankful for.

Bible Scripture References

“He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.”
1 Peter 2:24

“God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
2 Corinthians 5:21

Closing Song

Thank You For the Cross
Mark Altrogge

Thank you for the cross, the mighty cross
That God himself should die for such as us
And everyday we’re changed
Into Your image more and more
Yes, by the cross we’ve truly been transformed

And we’re so amazed
And we give You praise
That you would save us at such a cost
And we’re so amazed
And we give You praise
For the power of the cross
For the power of the cross

Copyright 1990 Integrity’s Praise! Music

See the game Clothespins for additional Teaching Ideas

Get Creative Youth Ideas: "Holiday Collection" ebook Holiday Collection
Games and Activities in Celebration of common Holidays.

Creative Holiday Ideas has over 300 pages of ideas to help you plan your next Thanksgiving celebration as well as other familiar holidays. If you’ve ever wondered what you’re going to do for all the various holidays and how you’re going to do it, this resource is for you.

=> Tell me more about the Holiday Collection

Game Ideas

Turkey Toss

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Game Description
How much corn can you feed the turkey and fatten it up for Thanksgiving.

Game Teaching Point / Purpose
Just for fun

Game Materials

  • Candy Corn in a feed bucket. (You can also use a paper cup for each pair)
  • Alternatives: popcorn, Cranberries, fish crackers, M&M’s etc

Game Preparation
None

Game Play

  1. Have the youth form pairs and choose who will be the “Turkey” and who will be the “Farmer”.
  2. Give each pair an equal amount of candy corn.
  3. Pairs must face each other at a distance of about 5 feet.
  4. On your signal the Thanksgiving turkeys must start making turkey sounds: “Gobble, Gobble, Gobble.”
  5. The farmer then must toss the candied corn to the Thanksgiving turkey, one piece at a time.
  6. If the turkey successfully catches the corn in his mouth, the pair is still in the game.
  7. If the turkey does not successfully catch the corn in its mouth, the pair Is eliminated from game play.
  8. Increase the distance between the remaining participants then let the farmers toss another piece of corn.
  9. Continue to repeat the activity until only one winner remains. If all pairs fail, then those turkeys that successfully caught the corn at the last distance are recognized as the winners or repeat until one pair succeeds.

Get Creative Youth Ideas: "Holiday Collection" ebook Holiday Collection
Games and Activities in Celebration of common Holidays.

Creative Holiday Ideas has over 300 pages of ideas to help you plan not only your next Thanksgiving celebration, but also games, activities, and meaningful discussions for many familiar holidays. If you’ve ever wondered what you’re going to do for the various holidays and how you’re going to do it, this resource is for you.

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Game Ideas

Turkey Feather Relay

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Introduction to the Thanksgiving themed game
which team can move their Turkey tail the fastest?

Thanksgiving Game Description
Youth will try to blow a turkey tail feather across the finish line in this active Thanksgiving Game.

Game Materials
Feather for each team (You can often get feathers from a craft store)

Game Preparation
Designate a start line and a finish line. (You can use string, tape or a even a chair that participants must go around at the opposite side of the room)

Game Play

  1. Organise the participants into teams, which each team in a single file line behind the start line.
  2. At the start signal, the first person on each team tosses the turkey tail feather into the air and tries to blow it up into the air and across the finish line.
  3. Anytime a turkey tail feather touches the floor, the person must make loud gobble gobble sounds and take three large steps backward toward the start line. They can then toss the turkey tail feather up again and start moving forward.
  4. The objective of this Thanksgiving game is for everyone to cross the finish line and return to the team. The trip back can either be a continuation of blowing the feather or a turkey dash back depending on how difficult you want the game to be.
  5. When a player makes it back to the team the next person starts and the person who just completed the dash, goes to the back of the line and sits down.
  6. Team members should cheer their teams on with the loudest gobble-gobble sounds as possible.

Variation
Give each of your teams a plastic spoon with the feather on it. The idea is to see who can run across the room and back again, keeping the feather on the ruler. If the turkey feather blows off, it must be replaced and three steps must be taken backward before the player can continue.

Take it to the Next Level
Scripture options: Psalm 91:4 We don’t have to be afraid because God covers us and protects us!
See also Matthew 23:37, Ruth 2:12, Psalm 17:8, and Psalm 36:7 fore references related to God’s protection under his wings.

Get Creative Youth Ideas: "Holiday Collection" ebook Holiday Collection
Games and Activities in Celebration of common Holidays.

Creative Holiday Ideas has over 300 pages of ideas to help you plan not only your next Thanksgiving celebration, but also activities, games and meaningful discussions for a variety of other familiar holidays. If you’ve ever wondered what you’re going to do for the various holidays and how you’re going to do it, this resource is for you.

=> Tell me more about the Holiday Collection

Game Ideas

Sleepy Hollow

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Introduction
Can you play the wacky game without losing your head?

Game Description
How quickly can you pass the hat around the circle? While you may not lose your head playing this game, the head to head play is wild and fun!

Game Materials
1 hat for each team — Use cowboy hats for a western theme, baseball hats for a sports theme, etc., or simply find two of the wackiest hats you can.

Game Preparation
None

Game Play

  1. Divide the group into two evenly numbered circles all holding hands.
  2. Place a hat on the head of one player in each circle.
  3. The objective is to pass the hat round the circle from head to head without releasing your hands.
  4. The team which passes the hat round the circle first wins the game.

Variations
For a more difficult variation, play it with only right hands, or do not allow the use of hands at all!
For Halloween or a fall festival, use your favourite mask or hat from a costume!

Get Creative Youth Ideas: "Holiday Collection" ebook Holiday Collection
Games and Activities in Celebration of common Holidays.

Creative Holiday Ideas has over 300 pages of ideas to help you plan your next Halloween Alternative or Fall Festival, as well as ideas for activities for other common holidays. If you’ve ever wondered what you’re going to do for all these holidays and how you’re going to do it, this resource is for you.

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Game Ideas

Circle Tag

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Game Description
How fast can you pass the balloon?

Game Materials

  • Two inflated Balloons of equal size
  • Chair for each participant

Game Preparation
Make a circle of chairs facing inward, one chair for each participant

Game Play

  1. Divide the group into two teams of equal number.
  2. Have each team sit in a circle of chairs, alternating so that every other person is on the same team.
  3. Each team is given a balloon. (Place the balloons on opposite sides of the circle.)
  4. At a given signal, the balloons are passed in the same direction from person to person belonging to the same team.
  5. The balloon must be relayed between players of one team as they are positioned in the circle while not hindering the opposing team.
  6. The objective is to see if one team can move its balloon from player to player at such a speed that it overtakes the balloon from the opposing team. If this happens one point is scored and the game begins again.
  7. To make it more difficult, add variations:
    • Change the direction in which the balloon must travel
    • Make each player sit on his/her right hand
    • Make each player sit on his/her left hand
    • Each player must pass the balloon behind his/her back

Discussion Ideas

  • Is Christianity a circular cycle or a straight line?
  • Is the Christian faith a race or a leisurely walk?
  • Is our Christian faith a competition where we try to catch up to pass others?
  • What are some of the things that we pass along to others in our Christian Faith?
  • What are some things that have been passed on to you regarding your faith?
  • What are some of the most important spiritual truths for you? How did you learn them? What difference have they made in your life? What difference could they make in a another person’s live if you were to pass it on?
  • What are some of the things that you have passed on to others? What was the result?

Take it to the Next Level
Choose one spiritual truth regarding your faith that you are going to pass to someone else this week. Send them a postcard, an sms, an email, make a phone call, or talk to them in person. Let them know why it is important to you and that you want to share it with them!

Get Icebreakers ebookIcebreakers Ahead: Take It To the Next Level

This 170 page resource not only provides 52 of the world’s most popular group icebreaker activities and games, but also includes lesson ideas and discussion questions to smoothly transition into conversations about the issues common to most groups.

Click here to find out how to get your hands on this incredible resource!

Game Ideas

Tips for Success as a Game Leader

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Before the Game

  • Put safety first. One preventable accident can ruin your whole day (and even the entire event!) Troubleshoot what could go wrong and try to put protections in place to prevent accidents and injuries.
  • Try out the game yourself first to check that it works, so that you can check timings, confirm the necessary materials, and to ensure you can answer any questions that arise about the game play.
  • Become proficient yourself first with any team games that you intend to use. This includes anyone helping you in the running of a game.
  • Make sure all game instructions are clear and complete – essential for keeping control and credibility. Factor the time for instructions for the game play. Part of being prepared for a game is knowing how to explain it quickly.
  • You can simplify, adapt, shorten or lengthen most games. To turn a long complex game into a quick activity or warm-up, scale down the materials, shorten the time allowed, and make the exercise easier.
  • Always bring spare materials and equipment to allow for more people and breakages or loss.
  • Plan your activities to move easily from game to game. For instance, if everyone is seated, then play two or three “sitting” games.
  • Plan alternatives and variations and be willing to use them.

During the Game

  • Get the attention of the group.
  • Stand where everyone can see you. (i.e. Do not stand in the middle of a circle, but stand as part of the circle when giving instructions. If outdoors, make sure you are the one facing the sun.)
  • Use other prepared adults as helpers AND participants
  • Have a quick tactic planned to divide teams fast. Arrange competing teams so they are equal in strength and skill.
  • Start positively and with energy. Say, “We’re going to play a game now!” rather than ask, “Do you want to play a game?” Better yet, just start giving instructions to play.
  • Put the group into the correct “position” to play the game before explaining the instructions. Divide into teams, lines, circles, pairs, etc. first. This reduces confusion and allows the group to start playing sooner.
  • Clearly explain the games in a step by step manner – Groups will cooperate better if they know what is going to happen.
  • Demonstrate what you want them to do. Demonstrate more; talk less!
  • Give just enough information to start the game. Do not try to anticipate all possible situations.
  • Have a single round as a test round to be sure everyone knows how to play.
  • End the game on a high. Stop the game before interest lags. It is better to have people wanting for more. Channel their enthusiasm to the next planned activity.
  • Remember that the game leader may always stop the game and modify the rules if the need arises. Change the rules to meet the situation.
  • Encourage players with positive feedback. Communicate honest acceptance.
  • If there is something missing, improvise.
  • Learn to use whatever materials are available.
  • If you’re leading a game … STEP ASIDE so that participants can see each other and enjoy what is happening.
  • There are times when well-planned, well-executed games do not work. Be willing to acknowledge a flop and move on. If it’s not fun or meaningful, stop!
  • Don’t take yourself or your games too seriously.

Avoid

  • Hot Seat Games that will produce group enjoyment at the expense of an individual.
  • Games that are culturally biased and may alienate players.
  • Games that require expertise and may divide the group into those who are confident and those who are
  • not.

Get Icebreakers ebookIcebreakers Ahead: Take It To the Next Level

This 170 page resource not only provides 52 of the world’s most popular group icebreaker activities and games, but also includes lesson ideas and discussion questions to smoothly transition into conversations about the issues common to most groups.

Click here to find out how to get your hands on this incredible resource!