Category Archives: Game Ideas

Adventure Recreation, Crowdbreakers, Group Builders. High-Energy, Holiday Fun, Icebreakers, Messy Games, Puzzles, Relay Races, Scavenger Hunts, Sports Variations, Wide Games, and Simulations.

Game Ideas

Christmas Tree Ornament Relay

December 10, 2005 kensapp Leave a comment

Materials
A real Christmas tree with an equal number of real ornaments and a star for each group.
(It is best to use unbreakable ornaments)

Activity
One at a time, each team member runs to the tree, attaches an ornament, and returns to the team. First group getting all ornaments attached to the tree wins!

Variation
Use stars and blindfold the participants. The team with the star closest to the correct position on the tree is awarded.

You can also award the best looking tree.

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

Christmas Questions

December 10, 2005 kensapp Leave a comment

Materials
None

Activity
One team takes turns to ask a person in the other team a question e.g. What do you stir your coffee with? The person is only allowed to answer ‘Christmas Trees’ and they musn’t laugh or smile. A team gets a point for each question they can answer without laughing. If they laugh, each person in the opposing teams gets to ask a question and get a point for each laugh.

Variation
Sit in a circle. One person in the center asks the questions. Whoever laughs goes to the center of the circle.

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

Christmas Pass the Parcel

December 10, 2005 kensapp Leave a comment

Materials
A Christmas gift that has been wrapped in multiple boxes and multiple layers of wrapping paper with instructions in between each layer.

Game Preparation
Wrap a small gift in a small box. Either use multiple boxes or multiple layers of wrapping paper or a combination. With each box or layer, you will write a message and tape it to the outside of that box or layer. The final box or layer will also have a message on it. (The message on the final big box should read something like this: “This gift goes to the person standing closest to the Christmas tree”. That person receives the gift, opens it and finds the next layer with a message that could say something like this: “So sorry! This present goes to the person who is sitting next to you on the left!” That person then gets the gift and opens it and finds the next box which has a similar message. This continues until you get to the last box which will have the final message designating who actually gets the gift.

Variation
Include challenges as part of the messages. An example: “This gift goes to the first person who runs to you and correctly identifies the three gifts the wisemen brought to Jesus.”

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

=> Tell me more about the Christmas Collection

Game Ideas

Christmas Card Puzzle Relay

December 10, 2005 kensapp Leave a comment

Materials
Scissors, a set of balloons for each team (Different colors to distinguish teams), paper, marker and trash bag to hold balloons.

Game Preparation
Write a Christmas Bible Verse or a phrase from a Christmas Carol on a piece of paper paper, then cut it up into a puzzle (however many pieces will determine how many balloons you will need). Use the same number of pieces for each team. Place each puzzle piece into a separate balloon (you probably will have to roll the puzzle piece up), blow the balloon up, and then put the balloons in a trash bag for holding and preventing them from getting mixed up.

Game play
Pick teams and give each participant a balloon (with a puzzle piece in it) In this relay race, particpants run down to a chair and pop balloon and retrieve the puzzle piece. When the team has collected all the pieces, they must put them together and find the special message… First team finished is the winner.

Game Ideas

Wiseman Wiseman Wiseman, Jesus

December 9, 2005 kensapp Leave a comment

Materials
None

Game Play
Played like the traditional “Duck, Duck, Goose.” In this game, participants sit down in a circle facing each other. One person is “it” and walks around the circle. As they walk around, they tap people’s heads and say whether they are a “wiseman” or a “Jesus”. Once someone is named “Jesus” he/she must get up and try to chase “it” around the circle. The goal is to tap that person before they are able sit down in the spot emptied by Jesus (The Stable). If Jesus is not able to do this, he/she becomes “it” for the next round and play continues. If he/she does tap the “it” person, the person tagged has to sit in the center of the circle. Jesus then becomes it for the next round. The person in the middle can’t leave until another person is tagged and they are replaced.

Variation
Santa, Santa, Reindeer.

Game Ideas

Sniffing for Candy Canes

December 9, 2005 kensapp Leave a comment

Materials
Candy canes, pie tins, whipped cream.

Santa lost his candy canes in the snow and has asked his reindeer to sniff them out.

Game Play
Each team chooses a reindeer as a representative. Each reindeer is given a pie-tin or tray of whipped cream. In each, lie two hidden pieces of candy canes. The aim is to sniff for the candy canes without the use of hands. If you use a tray, two teams can compete on the same tray. First group to sniff out the candy canes and come up with it in their teeth is a winner.

Read about the significance of the Candy Cane to the Birth of Christ in the “Legend of the Candy Cane”

=> Tell me more about the Christmas Collection

Game Ideas

Scattered Nativity

December 9, 2005 kensapp Leave a comment

Materials
Nativity scene with multiple individual pieces.

Game Play
This is a scavenger hunt type game. Hide the pieces from the nativity scene around the room. Some should be easy to find and some more difficult. Place one on the snack table, one could be in with the presents, one in the tree, and so on! Give each person a piece of paper and a pencil, the goal is to be the first person to locate all the items of the nativity scene and correctly write their locations on the paper.

Variation
Help Santa find his reindeer. 8 people (or 9) to find Santa’s Reindeer will win a prize.

See Conducting Scavenger Hunts for help, Hints, Safety Considerations, Rules, and other useful information to make your scavenger hunt a wild success!

Icebreakers 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!

=> Tell me more about the Christmas Collection

Game Ideas

What’s in the Christmas Stocking?

December 8, 2005 kensapp Leave a comment

Materials
Stocking with Christmas objects inside

Game Preparation
Take a new pair of very warm, thick socks or a thick Christmas Stocking. Place objects you use or see around Christmas time, into the socks/stockings. More than one sock/stocking allows the game to go faster, but make sure you put identical things in each stocking. Use things like holly, scotch tape, ornaments, pine cone, etc. (See the Christmas Bingo game if you need other ideas for objects) Make sure you put about 20 to 25 different objects inside. Tie a ribbon or rope around the opening to make sure nobody peeks.

Game Play
Give everyone a piece of paper and pass the socks/stockings around and tell participants how many objects there are inside. Have them write down all they can feel. The person who correctly guesses the most objects is the winner. You might choose to award the stocking to the winner.

=> Tell me more about the Christmas Collection

Game Ideas

Santa Hat Game

December 8, 2005 kensapp Leave a comment

Materials
Red Santa Hat or green elf hat for each participant

Game Play
This games takes place during the duration of the entire event.
1. Everyone must wear a hat.
2. At the start of the Christmas Party announce the simple objective: The objective is to NOT to be the last person left with a hat on.
3. There is only one rule: no one can take their hat off until you have.

Continue with the party activities. As time goes by, people will take their attention off you, and even forget about the game. Without drawing attention to yourself, remove your hat and watch as people catch on. Gradually the hats will come off, with snickering and smirks. Some unsuspecting person will be the last to notice, and much to every ones’ laughter, will be caught as the last person with his/her hat on.

Give them an appropriate forfeit, then put the hats back on and give the loser the chance to start the next round by taking his/her hat off first at a time of his choosing.

Variation
1. Put the group in a circle facing front to back.
2. One person is left without a hat.
3. The person without a hat is allowed to take the hat of the person immediately in front of him/ her in the circle.
4. In the style of musical chairs the game goes until the music stops.
5. Whenever a person loses his hat he takes one off the person in front of him.
6. The person without a hat when the music stops gets a forfeit or is eliminated from the game.

=> Tell me more about the Christmas Collection

Game Ideas

Christmas Photo Scavenger Hunt

December 8, 2005 kensapp Leave a comment

Materials
Digital camera for each team

Game Preparation
Set a time for groups to be back then send them off to the local mall or shopping center to get the Christmas Photos.

Activity
This is a photo scavenger hunt where participants must take a snapshot of the entire group that satisfies each description in the list. Add point values based upon the difficulty of the photos. Collect the photos at the end for a wonderful slideshow or customised Christmas Cards.

RULES
1. One picture per item on the list.
2. 500 points off for each minute after 10:00pm you are late.
3. Everyone in your team has to be seen in each picture.
4. Words written on paper or drawings will not be counted if used instead of a place or object.
5. Be respectful in everything you do.
6. Sponsors have the authority to veto any picture situation for whatever reason.
7. Stay with your sponsor at all times and obey him/ her.
8. No collaborating with other teams.
9. Your sponsor is your official photographer.
10. Winners will be announced after the film is developed and be given special prizes.
11. For each non-group member in a picture, a bonus of 50 points is added.

ITEMS
(Assign points to these based on the difficulty to accomplish each)

Scavenger Hunt Items
* Picture of your team with everyone licking a candy cane.
* Picture of your team reading the Christmas story in their Bibles.
* Picture of your team in a snowy looking landscape- White Christmas
* Picture of your team with a guy on the team in a red or green dress
* Picture of your team all wearing hats and one wearing a Santa Hat
* Picture of your team with Christmas lights
* Picture of your team all wearing red and green ties
* Picture of your team with a snowman
* Picture of your team with a pet wearing a Christmas Bow
* Picture of your team with someone gift wrapped… bow and all
* Picture of your team with Santa in the background
* Picture of your team with someone sitting on Santa’s knee
* Picture of the team with red noses like Rudolph the rednosed reindeer and standing next to a reindeer
* Picture of your team around a Christmas tree with lights
* Picture of your team with a Christmas angel
* Picture of the team with everyone wearing shaving cream Santa beards
* Picture of your team with elves
* Picture of your team posing as a nativity scene
* Picture of your team with a Manger scene – The Real meaning of Christmas
* Picture of your team singing Christmas carols to a church member
* Picture or your team presenting a Christmas gift to a total stranger
* Picture of your team donating to a worthy charity.
* Picture of your team with the parent’s of someone on your team.
* Picture of your team with a church staff member
* Picture of your team with one member dressed up like Santa!
* Picture of a team member on Santa’s lap with everyone else crowded around
* Picture of your team with all the younger brothers/ sisters of someone on your team.
* Picture of your team with a church in the background
* Picture of your team all hugging each other
* Picture of your of one of your team members kissing a Christmas mannequin in a clothes store while the rest of the team looks on. Get permission first!
* Picture of your team spelling out the Word JESUS using your bodies.

See Conducting Scavenger Hunts for help, Hints, Safety Considerations, Rules, and other useful information to make your scavenger hunt a wild success!

Creative Scavenger Hunts: Once Lost, Now Found

is a 160 page e-book that explains everything you need to know to easily plan your very own scavenger hunt: Item Lists, Rules, Riddles, Safety Tips, Guidelines, Scoring, Tips for Facilitators and MORE! There are more than 50 complete ideas (scavenger hunts, photo hunts, video hunts, amazing race, etc.) to use at home, around the neighborhood, at the mall, in the park, on the beach, at church, and around town!

=> Tell me more about the Creative Scavenger Hunts

=> Tell me more about the Christmas Collection

Creative Youth ideas: 1700+ Resources for youth leaders, pastors, ministers to help plan camps, retreats, and meetings using games, illustrations, Children's Worship, Bible Studies, object lessons, sermons, creative ideas,creative activities