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Game Ideas, Object Lessons

Lego Instructions for the Christian Life

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LegoInstructions

LEGOs are one of those toys that are universally loved around the world by all ages. They are simple building blocks in a variety of shapes and colors, but with a little creativity and imagination they can be put together in unlimited combinations to create masterpieces. They are a great metaphor for each of us in the body of Christ. And if we follow God’s instruction we can be used to create and do incredible things.

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Games using LEGOs

  • Blind Builder – A player is blindfolded and must construct the item solely from verbal directions from the team. First to team to complete it wins.
  • Blind LEGO Construction – Blindfold each team and ask them to build a Lego sculpture using a pile of Lego pieces in front of them. Give awards for the most like a real object, funniest, tallest, longest, most creative, etc
  • Fast As You Can – In this game you call out a simple object that can be created from LEGO’s. Each team has three minutes to make one as fast as they can. At the end of the three minutes have a judge decide who sculpture most resembles the object. Play a couple of rounds so there are more chances for winners.
  • Guess How Many LEGO Bricks – Guess how many bricks in a lego jar? The winner could go home with the jar of LEGOS.
  • I Spy The LEGO Guy – Get several LEGO guys and hide them in various places around the room. The youth or team to locate the most wins.
  • LEGO Car Race – Divide the youth group into teams and provide each team with a duplicate pile of plastic LEGO building blocks and four LEGO wheels. Within a given time limit, the team must build a car, create a nickname for the car, a racing team name and choose a mascot. Allow each team to line up their racers on a starting line and race them down a makeshift ramp. Your ramp can be a long table propped up on one end, or even a wide board or two. Have challenges or race all at one go.
  • LEGO Chopsticks – Place two bowls in front of each team: one filled with LEGO blocks, and the other empty. Give the youth one minute to move as many LEGO blocks as they can from the full bowl to the empty bowl using only the chopsticks
  • LEGO Identity – Give each group an assortment of peices with the instructions to build something that represents them as a group.
  • LEGO Me – Have youth select a specific lego piece that represent them as an individual and explain it’s significance. Then have them use all the pieces to build one object.
  • LEGO Memory – Before the game, build a structure with Legos (the more complex the structure, the more difficult the activity). Then put the youth in small groups, each group with a bag of Legos (each bag contains the same size, color, and quantity of Legos and has identical stock as that of the structure you built). The group has to exactly replicate the structure you already built. But, the structure to replicate is located outside the room or behind a screen, only one person from each group may look at the structure at a time. They cannot draw or take a picture of the structure to communicate it – they have to use their memory. Each team can look at the structure as many times as they want, but only one person can look at it at a time. The first to replicate the structure – exactly with the same size and color Legos wins.
  • LEGO on a string – Have the youth form a circle, facing inward, with one youth in the middle. String a LEGO piece with a hole in it on a long piece of string and then tie the ends of the string together. Place the string inside the circle and have each youth hold it with both hands . The idea is to pass the LEGO around the circle from hand to hand, unnoticed by the youth in the middle . He tries to guess where it is by pointing to the hand he thinks is holding the LEGO. If he is correct, the LEGO holder goes to the middle and the guesser takes his place in the circle . The youth in the middle must keep guessing until he locates the LEGO.
  • LEGO Scavenger Hunt – Hide an assortment of LEGO bricks and the youth search for them. You can award point values to the different brick colors and have them compete for a high score.
  • LEGO snapshots – Take pictures of simple LEGO structures, and have the youth try to duplicate it from the picture only. You might need a photo from more than one angle to get all the pieces.
  • LEGO Tongue Tower – To win this game, the a youth must first put a tongue depressor (or plastic spoon) in their mouth then build a tower of five loose Legos on the tongue depressor (still in their mouth) and then keep the LEGOS balanced for ten seconds.
  • Lose the LEGOS – Tape an empty tissue box the rear of each player with the opening facing away from the player. You can do this with team representatives or individually if you have enough tissue boxes. You can also have timed trials to determine the fastest. Once the tissue box is taped on, the time will start and the player must shake their rear to be the quickest to get all of the LEGOS to come out of the tissue box.
  • Quickest LEGO Builders – Get a brand new small box of legos, with a picture on the front of the completed set, for each team. Pass it out to the teams and on go they must build the set. Quickest to do so wins. You can also find blueprints for a variety of lego projects at www.letsbuilditagain.com
  • Strongest LEGO Bridge – Give each team of youth a set amount of time to build the strongest bridge. Then line up and test them. You can use ziplock bags filled with rice (250grams), soft wrist weights or anything which will not damage your floor when in falls. Amazingly they have been known to hold 5kg (11.02 pounds) so make sure you have enough weight to test them.
  • Tallest LEGO Tower – See which team can build the tallest tower in a predetermined time limit without the tower falling over.
  • What am I? – Divide the youth into teams and supply each team a pile of Lego parts that include pieces to make cars, trucks and people. Have everyone write down a name of a person, place or thing on a small slip of paper (tell them not to show anyone else). Ask each youth to fold his or her slip of paper and place it in a hat. Mix the slips of paper and ask one member from each team to randomly select one slip of paper. Tell the team member not to show the paper to his or her teammates. Set a kitchen timer for 10 minutes and tell the team member who chose the slip of paper to build whatever was on that slip of paper. It is up to his or her teammates to guess what he or she is building based on his or her creation. No talking or gestures are allowed. The first team to correctly guess the right answer wins that round.

TAKE IT TO THE NEXT LEVEL

Debrief

  • What do we need that will help us turn a pile of pieces into a specific shape?
  • Do you have to build exactly what is on the LEGO box or in the instructions?
  • Can we use the pieces to build other good things as well?
  • (If it has step by step instruction) Do you have to follow the instructions?
  • What is the advantage of instructions?
  • How does a photo, an example or instructions help?
  • What could have happened if we didn’t follow the manual?
  • How did the groups go about assembling their Lego project? How did each person participate?
  • What was frustrating about this activity?
  • Why was it difficult/easy to communicate instructions?
  • What are other situations that happen in your life where you have to rely on others to communicate information or instructions to you?
  • How do you make sure that you understand them completely? What can you do as the person with the information to get your message across to others?
  • How do you know where a brick belongs and how it fits into the overall plan?
  • Is it sometimes possible for more that one brick to fit in the same?

MAKE IT SPIRITUAL

  • What spiritual lessons can we learn from LEGOS?
  • What could happen if you don’t follow the instructions?
  • How is this like the choices we have in life?
  • Were you created with a purpose?
  • What other projects or things have you done that require an instruction manual?
  • Are there instructions for us to follow in life? As a Christian?
  • What are some of the world’s instructions? Those from the Bible?
  • How is a lego set like the body of Christ?
  • How is the Bible like an instruction manual?
  • How is Christ a model for us to follow? (1 Corinthians 11:1)

MAKE IT PRACTICAL

A LEGO manual shows how each piece fits together to form the completed shape and the order or sequence.

How is a lego set like the body of Christ? the youth group?

  1. made up of many parts.
  2. Christ is the cornerstone
  3. The parts fit together to make a whole
  4. if one part is missing, the whole suffers – to be complete they need each other
  5. no piece, is more important that the others.
  6. some relationships are closer than others
  7. together they form a picture / object
  8. they didn’t have the instructions or a picture on a box so it was sometimes difficult to know what they were forming
  9. different people acted as leaders to help them form the picture
  10. The pieces support each other
  11. there are different connections – shapes – that connect each
  12. each piece is different / unique
  13. Each piece is identified by where it fits into the whole
  14. Some pieces are easily identified but not more important

MAKE IT PERSONAL

  • How can we learn where we belong in the church and the role we each should fill?
  • After this activity, ask each youth to take back their LEGO piece as a reminder of the lessons.

SCRIPTURE

  • 1 Corinthians 3:11-15 – “For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames.”
  • 1 Peter 2:4 – “As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him— 5you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual housea to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”
  • Ephesians 2:19-22 “Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.”

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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.

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Game Ideas, Object Lessons

Beach Ball Goals

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Beach Ball Goals

Beach balls are great for the beach, but you don’t need to be at the beach to play these games. The final game explores both personal spiritual goals and goals for the church youth group.

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Games Using Beach Balls

  • Beach Ball Balloon Basketball – Use laundry baskets or large waste baskets as the “goal”. Divide into teams and play like regular basketball. Balloons must stay in the container for points to be scored.
  • Beach Ball Dodge ball – Use one or more beach balls to play a game of dodge ball. Whoever is hit is out. The Goal of this game is to be the last person standing.
  • Beach Ball Icebreaker – A beach ball with icebreaker questions written on the ball. In a large circle, someone tosses the ball to another person to catch. The person that catches the ball calls out the question closest to their right thumb. The youth then answers the question and throws the ball to another participant. Continue until everyone has had a chance to answer a question.
  • Beach Ball Relay – Create a relay course with start and finish lines indicated by tape or chalk. Players must remove their shoes and then stand at the starting line in teams. One member of each team must wear a pair of sunglasses and hold a beach ball between his/her knees. Team members race to the goal line and back without dropping the beach ball. The players then pass both items to the next team member, and the team to finish the relay first wins the game.
  • Dragon Dodgeball – Have the entire group make a circle. Pick four to five people for each team. The first team goes into the center of the circle and forms a line by attaching their hands to the waist of the person in front of them. The people who make up the circle throw the beach ball at the “dragon”, trying to hit the last person below the waist. Once hit, the last person returns to the outside circle and players continue to hit the new person at the end of the dragon until there in only one person left and they too are hit. A new team then goes into the middle. Time each team. The Goal is to see which team can last the longest.
  • Hunter Ball – A hunter tries to shoot other players by tossing a beach ball at them. The player who is shot is out if hit. If the player catches it or if the beach ball hits the ground first there is no kill. He may then throw the ball wherever he wishes. Goal is to be the last person standing.
  • Moonball – Teams compete with the goal to hit a beach ball up in the air as many times as possible before it hits the ground with the following rule: a player may not hit the ball twice in succession. Count 1 point for each hit. To make it more difficult you can add additional rules: 1) a group’s score does not count until everyone has hit the ball once 2) Players can only hit the ball with their hands or head and 3) players cannot “punch” the ball.
  • Rabbit and hunter – A player (rabbit) is in the middle of the circle. The hunter on the outside of the player must try to hit the rabbit with a ball. The time is recorded how long it takes before a rabbit is hit. The goal is to be the rabbit who held out the longest.
  • Scatterball – In this version of dodgeball no one ever really gets out. Throw the ball in the air, and someone grabs it. They have 5 seconds and can take 3 steps before throwing the ball. If you get hit, you sit down. If you are sitting down and a ball comes near you, you can pick it up and throw it at someone standing up. If they get hit, they sit down, and you are back in.
  • Speed Ball – Divide the group into 2 equal circles. Give each group 3 beach balls. The object is to pass the balls around the circle at the highest speed possible. Whenever someone drops a ball, they leave the circle. At the allotted time, the team with the most players left wins.
  • Steal the Bacon – Divide the youth in half and line them up on either side of the room. Have them number themselves off starting at one and going up. Each side will have one of each number. Put the beach ball in the middle. Call out a number, for instance, 3. The number three from team one and the number three from team 2 go toward the beach ball. Points are awarded in 3 ways. They can either pick up the beach ball and run it back to their team for one point. They can tag the other person as they try to run it back, one point. If they pick it up and drop the beach ball, one point goes to the other team.
  • Tunnel ball – The team makes a tunnel with their legs spread apart. A beach ball must be rolled through the tunnel. The last player collects the beach ball and runs to the front to roll the ball through the tunnel again. You can either have 3-4 rounds where the fastest team wins or the teams must complete a certain distance. The first group to reach the goal line has won.
  • Ultimate Ball – divide the youth group into two teams. Find something you can use on either side of your room for a goal. This can be basketball goals, chairs, a spot on the walls, or the walls themselves. The goal for each team is to pass the ball to their team mates and work the ball down the room until someone can throw it and hit the goal. Play just like ultimate frisbee. A player cannot dribble, or run with the ball, they must pass it to their team mates. If the ball hits the ground, the other team takes possession and try for their goal.

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If you are limited on time, just use this game…
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Life-Size Foosball – This game can be played in any open space and some indication or marking of a goal at each end. You can use stakes and string to mark any field. Indoors you can use masking tape to tape the string to the floor. If you are at the beach, just draw your lines in the sand!

Played like foosball (also known as table soccer) this game is a less strenuous form of soccer that almost anyone can play.

Preparation
If the field is not marked off into lines do so in such a way that there is one goalie for each team and the other players are evenly distributed across the field. Players must stay within their marked off boundary. The more narrow the field, the less they will have to run from side to side. If you have a small space, you can even play sitting down.

How to Play

  1. Divide the group into two teams.
  2. Allocate the area between lines on the field so that the players are evenly distributed across the field with 2 or three players inside each area. Alternate areas between teams.
  3. All of the members of one team face toward the opposing team’s goal. Rows can be very close or several feet apart, depending on the size of the chosen field area.
  4. Players may move freely to the right or to the left, but they may not move forward or backward at any time. Players must remain inside their designated area between the two lines.
  5. Play and score the game just like regular foosball. A point is scored for each time the beach ball goes over the opposing team’s goal-line or hits the opposite wall.
  6. If the beach ball is kicked out of bounds, it is tossed back into the game by any player.
  7. A coin toss decides the 1st serve.
  8. The goalie on the serving team tosses the ball into play with his hands.
  9. Other players try to kick the ball into the opponents goal.
  10. If a player steps out of his boundary box, the ball goes to the opposing team.
  11. If a goal is scored, the team last scored upon gets the serve.
  12. The opposing team also gets to serve after a ball is out of play, or after a neutral dead ball.
  13. You can decide whether the goalie can use hands or not to block goals. Use of hands makes it much easier to block.
  14. The first team to score 10 goals wins.

TAKE IT TO THE NEXT LEVEL

MAKE IT SPIRITUAL

What is our goal as a church (or youth group / cell group)

In our group, each of us has areas of responsibility. Sometimes these areas are shared. Our area of responsibility will be based on God’s calling, his gifts, and even our personal interests. Whenever something falls into our area, we are responsible for handling it.

What is the result of someone not handling their area in this game? How does it affect others on the team? How is this similar or different to the body of Christ?

In our own group, do we ever step into other people’s areas of responsibility? Why do we do so? What are some of the possible consequences of stepping into other people’s areas of responsibility?

(They don’t have the opportunities to develop their own gifts and skills for ministry, we may neglect our own area, we burn out, we lose focus)

MAKE IT PRACTICAL

What are some of the areas we need to cover in order to achieve our goal or goals as a group?

MAKE IT PERSONAL

What do you see as an area you can take responsibility for in our group? Why do you see yourself in this area? How will serving in this area help you to grow and develop your own gifts?

Action Point
Find your area and commit to covering that so that as a group we can achieve our goals!

SCRIPTURE

I Corinthians 12 – The Body of Christ

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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…

Creative Teaching Ideas

What is the Church?

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There really isn’t a “best” way to describe the church. Even the writers of the New Testament found it difficult to describe and used a ton of metaphors to help relate the place of the church in its community and the world. We hope this activity helps your youth not only identify with the mission and purpose of the church, but to find their unique place and role within it as well.

WHAT IS THE CHURCH?

Resources

Objects, pictures, or simply index cards with words on them that represent the Church

  • Bride – Wedding ring
  • Vineyard – Bunch of grapes
  • Flock – Sheepskin
  • Family – Family Photo
  • Nation – A Globe
  • Catholic Collar – Priest
  • Building / House – Monopoly house
  • Salt – Salt Shaker
  • Body – A Barbie or Ken Doll
  • Lampstand – Candlestick
  • Loaf – Loaf of bread
  • City – City map
  • Field – Bag of soil
  • Light – Flashlight
  • Fisherman – Fishing Pole
  • Army – Toy Soldier
  • Temple – Small Church with Steeple
  • New Race – Photo of people from diverse ethnic groups

What to Do

  1. Divide into groups and distribute one of the words, photos or objects to each group.
  2. Give groups have ten minutes maximum to generate a list of qualities based on a keyword, photo, or object as it reflects the church.
  3. Each group must choose a spokesperson from their group to present their group’s responses.
  4. Have each spokesperson take five minutes each to present their group’s responses.
  5. When everyone has finished, celebrate their efforts and spend some time to highlight interesting points that were presented by the students.

Variations

  1. Spread the cards, photos or objects out before the group and have them pick one that best represents an experience or a feeling that they have had as a member of the church or youth group. Go around the group and ask each participant to share why they picked what they did and why that represents them or an experience they have had in the church or youth group.
  2. Place cards or photos on each person’s forehead or back and let them try to guess what is on their back by everyone’s reaction to them. No talking is allowed.
  3. Play a game of charades using the words.

Scripture References

Family
(Hebrews 2:10-11; Galatians 4:1-7; 2 Corinthians 6:18; Matthew 12:49-50; Ephesians 2:19; Galatians 6:10; 1 Timothy 5:1)
Do your treat other members of your church as part of the same family, as an extended household?

House
(Hebrews 3:6; 1 Timothy 3:14-15; 1 Peter 4:17; 1 Corinthians 3:11; Ephesians 2:19-22; 1 Peter 2:6-7; Isaiah 28:16; Psalm 118:22; 1 Peter 2:5; 1 Corinthians 3:11-17; 1 Corinthians 6:19)

Fishermen
(Matt. 4:19)
Does your church cast its influence outside in order to capture lost souls for Christ?

Flock
(Matthew 10:16; 26:31; Acts 20:28-30; I Peter 5:1-3; John 21:15-17; John 10:11-15; Col. 1:13)
Are there shepherds in your church guiding and protecting those who are easily lost? Do the members of your church seek and follow the direction of the one Shepherd together?

Body of Christ
(1 Corinthians 12:12, 27; Ephesians 4:12, 5:23,30; Romans 12:4-5, 1 Corinthians 10:17; Colossians 1:24; Eph. 4:12, 16)
Do the members of your church see themselves as part of the same organism with different abilities working together for the common good?

Bride of Christ
(2 Corinthians 11:2, 11:12; Ephesians 5:25, 31-32; Romans 7:4, Revelation 19:7-8, 21:9)
Are they actively engaged in being loved by Christ and loving Him in return?

New Race
(Gal. 6; Eph. 2; 1 Pet. 2)
Do the members of your church see themselves as part of a new group of people brought together in Christ and not by physical race, nationality, gender, and social class?

Salt
(Matt. 5:13)
Do the members of your church preserve, and give others a taste of Christ?

An Army
(Eph. 6:10-1 7, 1 Thess. 5:8)
Do the members of your church see themselves as part of one army that is growing in spiritual life and conquering anything that stands in the way between them and God?

A Holy Priesthood
(1 Pet. 2; Rev. 1; 5)
Do all the members of your church serve God and draw near to him?

Light
(Matt. 5:14)
Do the members of your church bring light to the world’s darkness and shine for Christ in all things?

A Holy Nation
(1 Pet. 2; Rev. 1; 5)
Do their values reflect that of the Kingdom of God or this present culture?

A Golden Lampstand
(Rev. 1-2)
Does your church bear the light of Christ?

One Loaf
(John 12; 1 Cor. 10)
Are the members of your church so connected together that they have lost their independence and individualism? Or do they live as independent, individualistic, uncrushed grains of wheat?

God’s Field
(1 Cor. 3)
Are they passing through spiritual seasons together and growing into Christlikeness as the word of God takes root in their life?

A Vineyard
(John 15; saiah 65:8)
Is your church like a vineyard where the cluster of grapes lives and grows together?

A Temple
(1 Cor. 3; 2 Cor. 6; 1 Pet. 2; 2 Cor. 5, Eph. 2:19-22)
Are the members of your church being built together?

A City
(Php. 3; Heb. 12; Rev. 21-22; Gal. 4:26)
Are the practices of your church based on human tradition, or are they built on the spiritual principles of the city of God?

Take It to the Next Level

These objects are all metaphors for the church in the New Testament that help Christians understand who we are as a church, and our relationship to each other in the church, and to the world.

Make it Spiritual

  • What connections did you make with the church?
  • • What connection was most meaningful to you? Why?

Make it Personal

• What is one characteristic you would like to develop in your church?
• What can the youth do to immediately start developing that trait in your church?
• What will you personally start doing to see that characteristic is displayed in your church?

Icebreakers

Orchestra

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sax.jpgMaterials
None

Icebreaker Description
In the icebreaker, youth will mime particular instruments and learn a little about the musical tastes of others.

Preparation
No preparation is needed for this icebreaker. You may need to suggest some instruments for those that need help:

Common Instruments: Accordion, Bagpipes, Banjo, Bass drum, Bass guitar, Bassoon, Bell, Bongo drum, Bugle, Castanets, Cello, Chimes, Clarinets, Cornet, Cowbell, Cymbals, Didgeridoo, Fiddle, Flute, Gong, Guitars, Handbells, Harmonica, Harp, Harpsichord, Lyre, Mandolin, Maracas, Marimba, Oboe, Organ, Pan pipes, Piano, Piccolo, Recorder, Saxophone, Snare, Synthesizer, Tambourine, Timpani, Triangle, Trombone, Trumpet, Tuba, Ukulele, Viola, Violin, Xylophone, Zither

Icebreaker Activity

  1. Everyone is part of the orchestra.
  2. Each youth must choose an instrument with the exception of a violin. They should announce their instrument and the demonstrate the action of playing the instrument to the group.
  3. Choose one person to be “It”. Whoever is “it” plays the violin.
  4. They must mime playing their instruments while roaming about the room.
  5. At any time, the person playing the violin may change from playing the violin to that of another instrument in the orchestra. When he/she does, the one playing that instrument must immediately change to playing the violin.
  6. If the person does not change to the violin before the leader counts to 5, then that person becomes “it” and now plays the violin. The one who was previously “it” takes over the instrument and joins the orchestra. Whenever a person becomes it they should give their name and a favorite song and who sings it.

Optional Debrief

      • What are some of your favorite instruments?
      • What are some of your favorite bands?
      • How often do you listen to music?
      • How is the body of Christ, like instruments in an orchestra?

Conclusion
Just as there are many instruments in an orchestra, there are many gifts in the body of Christ. When we are united and work together we can make a beautiful sound. When this is discord and lack of harmony we can be an unpleasant noise to the world. Different instruments make different contributions to the melody. No one is more important than another. In fact, at times, one instruments may carry the melody while others support. At other times another instrument will carry the melody. Its the variety that makes it pleasant to the ears. In the same way the Body of Christ is made up of many members, united in harmony, to bring God’s love and grace to the world.

Application

      • What are some of your uniques contributions to the harmony of the church?
      • What can you do this week to be more in harmony and unity this week?
      • How can you use your gifts to create harmony rather than discord?

Scripture
I Corinthians 12:4-28

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