Was curious about other Youth Ministry Blogs… found a couple that look interesting…
Get Lost
Materials
A piece of candy or reward for each participant.
Directions
Promise a prize to those that win this game!
Form groups of three. Based upon different criteria one person will be told to “get lost” To begin, have youth alphabetize their first names and tell the person with his/her name closest to “A” to “Get lost!” Those who are told to get lost must quickly join a different pair. The last person to reach a pair AND the two people in that pair are eliminated from the game. Then tell youth to find out from each other when they were born. Direct the oldest and youngest in each trio to tell the middle youth to “get lost!” As before, new trios are formed and the last person to reach a pair and the remaining pair are eliminated. Continue to play with new criteria for getting lost until only one trio survives. Then you tell this trio that for being so cut-throat competitive that they must all “Get Lost!”
Criteria for Getting Lost: (or make up your own)
1. name closest to letter “A”
2. Niether the youngest or the oldest in a group.
3. Has the most colorful socks
4. has the oldest living grandparent
5. has the most cousins
6. has the least # of pets
7. has the largest pet.
8. Is the tallest
9. Has the longest hair
10. Has the shortest fingernails
11. has the biggest foot.
12. has the longest finger
13. has the darkest skin tone
14. has the smallest nose
15. lives farthest from the church
16. lives on the highest floor
ETC…
Application Point
Tell youth they all “LOST” but in grace you are going to consider them all the victors and give each a prize. Grace is actually an “undeserved gift.” In the book of Romans we discover that all men are “lost” because of our sinful nature. Like some of the characteristics in the game, part of our sinful nature we have no control over… it was passed down as a result of Adam and Eve’s fall. But other aspects of our sinful nature are due to choices we made so that we are without excuse. But through Grace, God pardons our sin so that we are no longer lost, but saved! Instead of getting lost, let’s “get saved”. Through God’s grace. Let me tell you how…
MORE IDEAS? See “Creative Object Lessons”
200 page e-book that explains everything you need to know when planning your very own object lessons. It contains 90 fully developed object lesson ideas and another 200 object lesson starter ideas based on Biblical idioms and Names / Descriptions of God.
Water Balloon Catch
Materials
Tons of water balloons and a group of youth.
Preparation
Separate the youth into two or three groups, depending on how many you have and give them a t-shirt. Have them put their arms in the shirt and through the arm holes, but don’t let them put it on any furthur. They will use the shirts to catch the water balloons.
Send the youth out into the yard and set minimum distances for tossing the balloons. Let the balloons fly. When you run out of water balloons, the kids should be soaked. The team that catches the most water balloons within the specified boundaries wins!
It may be helpful to set up a tub or kiddie pool for each team before you start so they can put their balloons in it as they catch them.
Variation:
Instead of tossing balloons by hand, increase the minimum distance and use a water balloon launcher for each team. Not sure what a water balloon launcher is? Check out this site http://www.cxblaster.com/
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!
One Big Idea
One key to effective teaching is concentration on one “big idea.”
Like a magnifying glass on a hot summer day, concentration turns ho-hum teaching into fiery hot teaching. It is the teacher’s job to select what is really important to teach and converge all of the teacher’s energy on that.
Too often the reason our students don’t get things is there was a lack of concentration on the part of the teacher. Focus down to ONE concept. Rewrite it if you need to… but focus on one truth for the lesson.
Too often teachers teach too little because they tried to teach too much.
“How often do we do this in Sunday School?” We scrape the Milky Way with all kinds of high-sounding truth about this and that and never get around to telling people how to read the Bible for themselves, how to be a good Christian, how to memorize scripture and how to know that we are forgiven for our sins.
It is fine to explore some of the intricacies of theology and biblical background and history and cultural issues. These are good to know, nice to know, interesting to know and helpful to know. But the key thing is, how do our pupils perform at game time? Are we making disciples who know how to relate to God, enjoy God, serve God, get along with others and advance the kingdom with the gifts God has given them?
I have been guilty at times of teaching too little because I try to teach too much. I am too interested at times in all kinds of detail related to the Bible that is nice to know, good to know, interesting to know, but not absolutely necessary to living the disciple’s life. I want to be a teacher whose teaching is fiery hot because of the concentration of the message around one single idea.
Select from each week’s Bible Study passage one idea that you want to drive home. Pound away on that one idea. Support it; explain it; give examples of it; discuss it. Draw illustrations of it. Mold it. Shape it. Cut it. Map it. Discuss it. Ultimately, lead your group to apply this one salient idea when they get on the playing field of life.
When one idea has been imprinted in their thoughts, its much easier for it to become ingrained in their actions and life.
MORE IDEAS? See “Creative Object Lessons”
200 page e-book that explains everything you need to know when planning your very own object lessons. It contains 90 fully developed object lesson ideas and another 200 object lesson starter ideas based on Biblical idioms and Names / Descriptions of God.
Alkaseltzer Tag
Preparation
1. Get a large group of youth together and split them into two teams.
2. Give the members of each team a colored cloth to use as an armband so that they can easily identify friendlies and foes. (You can also use different colors of waterguns to identify teams.)
3. Give each person a water gun, a string, and an Alkaseltzer tablet.
NOTE: If you allow youth to bring their own water guns, specify a maximum size inorder to prevent one person with a large super soaker from dominating the game.
4. Have each youth tie the tablet around their neck with the string. It must hang down the front of the shirt and be visible.
5. Have a designated refill point for each team. A couple buckets of water will do the trick.
6. Have kids wear old clothes as this can get a little messy. Rule out white t-shirts to pervent embarrassment when they get wet.
Play
Let everyone run around in a large area squirting each other with the squirt guns. If a person’s tablet dissolves, he’s out. First team to eliminate all the opponents wins.
Variation
This game also works if you want to play every man for himself.
GREAT SUMMER FUN
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!
Clear Marbles
Materials
Give a clear marble to each student and ask them to look through it. The image of whatever they are looking at will be upside down.
Use this to introduce Romans 12:2—”Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”
Our faith can cause us to turn the things of the world upside-down—and the world can turn our faith upside-down too.
Discussion
What are some ways that Christ turns our world upside down?
What are some events that cause people’s faith to be turned upside down?
Describe a time when your faith was turned upside down?
Many of Christ’s teachings were opposite of what people expected. What were some things that Christ taught that turned the world upside down for the early believers?
How is looking through the marble similar to looking at things through spiritual eyes?
What things affect the way we view life? Has your view on anything changed since you became a Christian? What things have changed?
MORE IDEAS? See “Creative Object Lessons”
200 page e-book that explains everything you need to know when planning your very own object lessons. It contains 90 fully developed object lesson ideas and another 200 object lesson starter ideas based on Biblical idioms and Names / Descriptions of God.
Learn More…
Slow Leaks
So many of the sports we play today involve little round objects which we hit, kick, drive or dribble toward a goal. We have basketballs, golf balls, tennis balls, and soccer balls, just to name a few.
Many men my age prefer golf. With golf, the objective is to a hit a little ball into a little hole from half-way around the world. Personally I find golf more an exercize in frustration rather than enjoyable recreation.
I have a preference for basketball. With basketball you can take a much bigger ball, get as close as you want to the hole, and jam it down the hole if you have the vertical leap to do so.
While golf requires expensive club memberships, green fees and a heavy collection of golfclubs, all I need is a basketball and a short trip to the nearest basketball court – which happens to be free.
Unfortunately my basketball has developed a little bit of a problem. It doesn’t quite bounce like it once did. Instead of bouncing into action as it once did, it generally hits the ground with a dull thud. Without a forceful push from an outside force, it is perfectly content to just sit there. And even when pushed pushed, It seems tends to roll off the court and spend the day simply lying around.
You can’t tell by looking at it, but over time my basketball has gone flat. I can’t point to a specific point in time when it lost its bounce. I can’t find any teethmarks from the neighborhood dog or punctures from angry players. The real problem is that the basketball leaks!
Yet now that I have discovered the problem, the solution is quite simple. I take out my trusty air pump and give it a periodic refill.
Yet what is true of my basketball is also true of us as Christians. There was a time when we all had a spring in our step and bounced into action when a spiritual goal was placed before us. But something has changed. We probably can’t point to a specific event that took the air out of our Christianity, but our spiritual life is now flat. We have the same problem as my basketball– we leak! Mediocrity is rarely the result of a blowout, but more often the result of a slow leak.
So how do we get that bounce back in our step? How do we change that dull thud into high flying goals? Instead of rolling away from His heavenly court and sitting in spiritual stagnation, we draw near to God and let him fill us with his presence. “Be ye continually being filled.” (Eph 5:18b)
Go for the Gold
Need an evangelistic Youth Camp/ Bible Study Series with an Olympic Theme?
What is salvation all about? What does it mean to be saved? This sports themed Bible Study / Camp Curriculum uses the Olympic Flag to introduce the concepts of sin (black circle), forgiveness (red circle), purity (white background), spiritual growth (green circle), heaven (Yellow Circle) and (Baptism) blue circle.
-> Tell me about “Go for the Gold”
Destined to Win
Need a Youth Camp/ Bible Study Series on “Running the Christian Race”?
The race as a metaphor for the Christian life is used in several places in the Bible. This series is a great follow up for new Christians or to re-emphasize the basics of our spiritual Journey in the Faith. This Bible Study / Camp Curriculum has a sports theme and is great for athletes as well as a tie in to the youth Olympic Games.
->Tell me about “Destined to Win”
Pantomime Relay
Setup
Break the youth into several groups of equal number. Have each group form a line, sitting side-by-side in chairs. Have an empty chair at the front of each group. Create a list of index cards containing the actions.
Activity
The person at the front of the line comes to the leader to get the first action. The leader reveals the name of the action and the corresponding motions. The action must then be performed consecutively down the line . The last person must then run to the empty chair in the front of his line and perform the correct action for the leader. If not correct, he must go back to the end of the line and the person who initiated the action must again send the action down the line to the end. If he gets the action correct he is given a new action to ADD to the previous actions. He then takes the place at the beginning of the line and everyone shifts down a chair. He must perform all previous actions and add the new one. All actions are then performed down the line and the last man repeats the process. The first team to get through all the actions wins.
Sample Actions:
Rocking chair – rock back and forth
Knitting needles – knitting motions while sitting down
Toothbrush – motion brushing your teeth
Basketball – mime dribbling a basketball and shooting a shot
Bicycle – sitting in chair pretend you ar epedaling with your feet
Pogo stick – get out of chair and jump up and down
Hula Hoop – sway those hips like using a hulahoop
Jump rope – pretend you are jumping rope
Accordian – Side to side motions as playing an according
Escape from Prison – All stand Up – last guy must crawl through legs
Of course you can add or remove any items to control the time required for the activities. You may wish to start with the simpler actions and move to the more vigorous and humorous ones. Be sure to have a list of actions and corresponding motions to give to each youth as they come up. Also be sure to have a camera or video camera ready to record the chaos!
Debrief
1. Use this game to introduce the importance of setting a good example for others to follow.
2. Use this game to discuss discipleship – following Jesus.
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!
Someone Moved
For small to large groups
Have all players sit in a circle and then chose a person to be “it”. “It” must then leave the room. While “It” is gone, one to four players move to a new seat in the circle. When “it” returns he is to figure out who has moved in the circle. Great ice breaker for new groups! If he guesses correctly, he swaps places with the person who moved.
Variation
Instead of moving locations, have someone change body position.
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!
Filled Hearts
Materials
A plastic bag for each participant
Demonstration
Someone begins giving a discussion about the characteristics of the human heart, while eating something from a clear plastic bag (chips or candy etc), but is interrupted as soon as the bag is empty. The first interruption is by someone looking for her stereo. She grabs the plastic bag and holds it on her shoulder like a radio. The second interruption is by someone looking for a shoe. She snatches the bag from the person using it as a stereo and puts the plastic bag on her foot like a shoe. The third interruption escalating the chaos is by someone looking for his car – he holds the plastic bag like a steering wheel. Finally the speaker they interrupted takes the bag away and tells them it is just a plastic bag.
Debrief
The plastic bag is representative of our life. We are a reflection of that which fills our hearts. For some it is music, for others beauty, and still others it is possessions.
Provide a plastic bag for each person. Let volunteers use the paper bag to demonstrate something that is important to them or place something in the bag that is important to them.
What fills your thoughts? What actions fill your life? What words fill your silence? What have you made of your life for others?
MORE IDEAS? See “Creative Object Lessons”
200 page e-book that explains everything you need to know when planning your very own object lessons. It contains 90 fully developed object lesson ideas and another 200 object lesson starter ideas based on Biblical idioms and Names / Descriptions of God.