A clothespin is used to attach clothes to a clothesline. It can also serve as a reminder that we need to cling to our lifeline – we need to cling to God (Deuteronomy 13:4). And clothes aren’t the only thing that needs washing. We need to be washed clean as well. And God washes us white as snow. (Isaiah 1:18) The scriptures lists a variety of things we should cling to, things we should hold on to, but in reality most of those other things listed have the same purpose – to help us to cling to God.
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What You Need
- Lots of clothespins. You can easily buy them by the hundreds. You want the spring loaded ones.
Games using Clothespins
- Blind Clothespin Pick-up – Clothespins are strewn throughout the room. While blindfolded, youths must pick up as many clothespins as possible within 60 seconds. The youth with the most clothespins wins.
- Clothespin Grab – Each youth pins 5 clothespins to his or her clothing. The objective is to grab a clothespin from another youth’s clothing while protecting your own, all the while staying within a designated play area. If you lose all of your clothespins you are out of the game, but as long as you still have at least one you can continue to play. Any clothespins you grab must be attached to your won clothing before you can grab another one. At the end of a designated time, the youth with the most clothespins wins.
- Clothespin Jiggle – Attach several clothespins to everyone’s sleeves, pant legs, and shirts. Youth must jiggle jiggle themselves around and try to get rid of the clothespins. They may not touch them to remove them. The person who has been able to get rid of the most clothespins after a given time has passed wins.
- Clothespin Knockoff – Pin a clothespin to the clothing in the center of each youth’s back. Youth must knock off the clothespins from other youth, without getting theirs kocked off. Players cannot pick up clothespins that have been knocked off and they cannot touch the clothespins on their own backs. They also cannot GRAB the clothespins but can only swipe at them.
- Clothespin Puller – Pin 50 clothespins each all over the clothes of a team representatives. The youth must then pull off all 50 clothes pins. First to do so, wins.
- Clothespin Relay – The first person in line for each team must pin the clothespin to the next person in line. Only then can that person unpin it and pin it to the next person in line. Continue to the end of the line. The first team to get to the end wins. Make it more difficult by forcing them to hold hands in a chain and by not allowing them to use their hands to pass the clothespins. Add more clothespins for more fun.
- Clothespin Sorting – Place words to a scripture verse on sheets of paper and attache them to a clothesline. First team to place them in order wins. Variation: Instead of words from a scripture verse, place key events in a Bible narrative on the pieces of paper. First team to put them in the right order wins.
- Clothespin Tag – This wild game is the opposite of clothespin Grab. Give every person 5 clothespins as they enter. When everyone has their clothespins, tell them you’re giving them two minutes to get rid of their clothespins. The only way to get rid of them is to pin them to someone else. Chaos results as everyone tries to get rid of their clothespins!! At the end of the designated time, the person with the least clothespins wins. Turn this into a “get to know you” icebreaker by requiring each person must state one “Fun Fact” about themselves for each clothespin they are wearing.
- Clothespins Face-off – In this game, students pin as many clothespins to the face of someone on their team as possible. They cannot pin them to hair, but only to the face. The team with the most clothespins attached to the chosen team members face at the end of the designated time is the winner.
- Clothespins Pick-up – Using one or two clothes pins, the youth must pic up various objects using only the clothespins and place them in a box or container. The clothespins are the only thing that can touch the objects to move them.
- Hair Clips – The objective is to be the team with the most clothespins pinned to the hair of one of the team members. One at a time, team members run to a box, grab one clothespin, and run back to their team and pin it to the hair of the chosen team member. The game is over when time runs out or there are no more clothespins.
- Hanging the Clothes – Give each team of youth a sack of clothes with the same type and number of items in each sack. Hang a clothesline across the room or use a real one outdoors. The first team member must run to the clothesline and pin all the clothes on the line then run back to the team. The next person in line rins to the clothesline and puts on all the clothes and returns to the team where he or she removes them and places them back in the sack. Repeat the process until all team members have gone. The first team to finish wins.
- Lizard’s Tail – Youth pair up and one person behind the other with his or her hands on the hips of the person in front of them. The person at the rear has a clothespin attached to the middle back of his or her shirt. Players try to eliminate other teams by pulling off the tail of other teams. Only the person in the front can use hands to pull off the clothespins. The person in the back must keep his or her hands on the hips of the person in front at all times. If their hands lose contact, the pair is eliminated. If you lose your tail you are eliminated. Last team remaining wins.
- Pinned Together – Youth pair off and each pair uses 5 to 10 clothespins to attach themselves together. They must them complete a series of actions without losing the connections between them. The pair with the most clothespins still in place wins. Actions could include racing to an object, climbing over or under obstacles, doing a dance move, etc.
TAKE IT TO THE NEXT LEVEL
MAKE IT SPIRITUAL
- What is the purpose of a clothespin?
- What are some of the ways we use clothespins?
- What are the characteristics of a good clothespin?
The Main purpose of a clothespin is to hold on to the line so that the clothes do not get blown away. Their main purpose is to attach the clothes to the line. When the spring in a clothespin loses its strength, they become weak and re easily detached.
Looking at the verses below, what are some things we need to hold on to?
- Deuteronomy 10:20 – “You shall fear the LORD your God; you shall serve Him and cling to Him, and you shall swear by His name.”
- Deuteronomy 11:22 “For if you carefully keep all these commandments which I command you to do; to love the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways, and to hold fast to Him;
- Deuteronomy 13:4 – “You shall walk after the Lord your God and fear Him, and keep His commandments and obey His voice; you shall serve Him and hold fast to Him.”
- Joshua 22:5 “But take diligent heed to do the commandment and the law which Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, to love the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways, to keep His commandments, to hold fast to Him, and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul.”
- Job 27:6 “My righteousness I hold fast, and will not let it go; my heart shall not reproach me as long as I live.”
- Psalm 63:8 – “I cling to you; your right hand upholds me.”
- Proverbs 4:4 – “Then he taught me, and he said to me, “Take hold of my words with all your heart; keep my commands, and you will live.”
- Proverbs 4:13 – “Take firm hold of instruction, do not let go; keep her, for she is your life.”
- Hebrews 4:14 – “Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.”
- Hebrews 10:23 – “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.”
- Romans 12:9 – “Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.”
- Philippians 3:12 – “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.”
- 1 Thessalonians 5:21 – “Test all things; hold fast what is good.”
- 1 Timothy 6:12 – “Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.”
- Timothy 1:13 – “Hold fast the pattern of sound words which you have heard from me, in faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. that word which I preached to you; unless you believed in vain.”
- Titus 1:9 “holding fast the faithful word as he has been taught, that he may be able, by sound doctrine, both to exhort and convict those who contradict.”
- Revelation 2:13 “I know your works, and where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is. And you hold fast to My name, and did not deny My faith even in the days in which Antipas was My faithful martyr, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells.”
- Revelation 3:11 – “I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.”
MAKE IT PRACTICAL
- How do we hold fast to God?
- What thoughts come to mind when you consider CLINGING to God?
- How do you feel when you are close to God? How does it affect how you live and how you treat others?
- When have you felt separated from God? How do we restore the closeness?
- How do we hold fast to God when our grip weakens?
- Of the various things mentioned in scripture, what do you find it most difficult to hold on to in your spiritual walk?
MAKE IT PERSONAL
- From scripture, what is missing in your life right now of those things you are told to hold on to, to cling to?
- To take hold of God you must let go of the world. What things are you holding on to instead of God? What do you need to let go of?
- What can you do to draw closer and cling more tightly to God this week?
KEY SCRIPTURE VERSE
Deuteronomy 13:4 – “You shall walk after the Lord your God and fear Him, and keep His commandments and obey His voice; you shall serve Him and hold fast to Him.”
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