This is post 8 of 10 from our series. In this post I will give a few hints and ideas regarding games in the beginning stages of a youth group.
As mentioned in a previous post I must spend a great deal of time on recruitment and retention for our youth group because the program is not required nor really pushed by the parents. I would say 90%-95% of the kids are there because they they came on their own will. We do it on Sunday nights, which means youth also need to make sure their homework is done before they arrive. Bluntly, games have been essential to initially get kids there. At the same time games have also been the result of losing some active members of our group. Here are my suggestions.
When you have a smaller group of youth and are just starting out, don’t be too creative. Find a board game or card game that everyone enjoys and stick to it. Have someone bring their favorite game each week and learn it and play. Make sure the game is able to be played by more if more show up and break up cliques when deciding teams if needed. If possible, do games that require getting to know other people. Try to stay away from really competitive games that people can take WAY too seriously. Keep putting little bugs in the ears of the youth saying that there are lots more games and ideas that can be used if ‘we just had a few more people!’
Spice Things Up
There are two things I think of when I say this. First is to make sure you are not playing the same game ALL THE TIME. I learned the hard way with this. We had permission from the school to use the gym on Sunday nights and started to play pinguard. The numbers in our group exploded and we had finally reached out to the young boys in our church. We noticed an increase in numbers, but also lost about four youth that were once very active. Even though pinguard was only used for part of the time, it added a very boring part to the evening. Kids were not surprised and those who did not enjoy it, left. Still today, the impression they have of youth group is ‘pinguard.’
The other thing is to play different types of games. We are blessed with access to the gym, but only use it now about every other week. We also use a mix of powerpoint games, card games, etc. There are benefits to all types of games so take a good look at it and balance it the best that you can.
We do games around tables, in circles of chairs, in the gym, and all around town. Keep it interesting an current and the kids will come.
Make It A Surprise
Do not let the kids know what games you will be playing that week. Some kids show up only for games (which is ok) and if you tell them what’s going on they will make their decision. It takes one week that you planned a game that everyone talks about and they were not there to get them committed to each week.
Also try to change up when you do the games. If you do it at the end of youth group, again, you will have kids only showing up at the end. Plan an awesome game at the beginning of youth group a couple times and they will sure remember to show up on time in the future. Also since you have them there for the second half, plan the prayer time in that section!
If they ask you if you will be playing outside or running around, just tell them you ‘may’ need shorts and running shoes. They will get used to it and show up prepared for anything.
Bigger Games
A few hints for bigger games.
- Keep instructions short and to the point
- Have a demonstration if possible
- Do not force anyone to play
- Test the game beforehand – have youth test it with you!
- Have a ‘just as good’ back-up plan if no one likes your cool game
- Keep the costs low
- YOU pick the teams when necessary and break them up by size and ability
- If two people want to be on the same team let them
- If someone cheats in a game talk to them afterwards about cheating
- Keep records of the games you play, how you played them, and the response you received
- Be sure to remove anything from the room that may break
- Make the kids clean up!
My Top Ten Games
I will not put these in any order and only some of them are available on our site. If I found the game in a book or know that someone else is making money off of it, I try to not to put it on our site.
This list is of games that are great for 10 or more people and have proven to be successful. I have used them several times, with different groups and received the same results.
- The Shoe Game
- Mafia
- Ships and Sailors
- Boppity Bop Bop Bop
- Whap Em’
- Where’s The Leader
- Towel Throw
- Dice Game
- Johnny Whoop
- Signs
Hope that gives you a good start for games!
