Free Games

*Here's a great ice-breaker for your youth group, called Shoe Chat:

1. Split the group into 2 halves.

2. Get each half of the group to line up against opposite sides of the room.

3. Have each student take off 1 shoe and make a pile of their team's shoes in the middle of the room. Each team should have a separate pile next.

4. Relay style, the first person from each team selects a random shoe from the other team's pile and then find the person that shoe belongs to.

5. Once they have found their match, have a question ready so each student in the pair can answer it and get to know each other a little bit better.

6. Have the next player from each team start the same process once the duo before them finds each other.

7. Continue until all players have had a chance to go.

Hope your students enjoy the game!

Submitted by Jason Folkmann

Set Up: Arrange four volleyball nets in a plus sign configuration, and have a team in each quadrant. You then get as big of a ball as you can, and have one side serve to another.

Objective: The teams try and keep the ball from touching the ground by hitting it to the other quadrants.

Rules: Each side can have as many hits as needed to get the ball out of their quadrant. If it does fall in their quadrant, they get a point and the team with the least amount of points wins!

Submitted by Robert Pope

Here’s a free “just for fun” youth group game that encourages students to work together. They will have a blast as they complete each portion of the scavenger hunt.

This game is a great addition to any lesson.

Enjoy!

BLIND TRUST SCAVENGER HUNT

DOWNLOAD PDF OF THIS GAME

SUPPLIES

One of each of these items for each team:

• Blindfolds
• Pen
• Plastic cup
• Plastic spoon
• A Paper flower
• Piece of paper
• Bible
• A penny
• Paper clip

GAME PREP

Before students arrive, place the items (listed above) all over your youth space.

Divide the group of students into teams of two.

Give each team a blindfold.

HOW TO PLAY THE GAME

One person will be blindfolded and collect all of the items for their team.

The other person can see but can’t touch anything.

They must guide their teammate throughout the game.

After each team has collected their items, the blindfolded person will use the piece of paper and pen to draw a picture of any of the items they collected.

Then, the blindfolded person will open the Bible and point to a random verse.

The other person will read the verse out loud.

The non-blindfolded person will write the reference down under the picture drawn on the piece of paper.

The teams will continue drawing, choosing Bible verses, and writing down the reference until all of the items have been drawn.

After the game, have each team share one of their random Bible verses and read it out loud.

End game.

DOWNLOAD PDF OF THIS GAME

Escape Rooms have grown in popularity over the last few years. 

Here, on our main website, is an Escape Room event that’s a great discussion starter on the topic of “Identity in Christ.”

Your students will have fun while learning that they’re wonderfully made, dearly loved, and precious in God’s sight.

View Game Here

Enjoy!

Nick Diliberto, Ministry to Youth

YOUTH GROUP GAME: CUPS UP, CUPS DOWN

Here's a great "just for fun" game for your youth group. It's really quick and easy to setup, and tons of fun.

The game, submitted by Pam Zimmerman, is called: Cups Up, Cups Down.

Place cups in the middle of the room, put half of them upside down and the other half the right way up.

Divide the group into 2 teams and give each team a name (ex: ups or downs). The 'up' team needs to turn as many cups up the right way as possible, and the 'down' team needs to flip them upside down. We did guys versus girls.

When the allocated time limit is over, count all the cups and whichever team has the most turned up their way wins.

Optional: For easy setup, give students the cups beforehand & have them layout the cups on the floor.

Hope your students enjoy it!

Today's youth are expected to be bigger, stronger, faster, smarter, better rehearsed, and more trained than ever before.

I am the parent of three busy teenagers. In addition to a demanding academic load, they're each juggling at least one other activity. Ethan, who is a senior, has to juggle preparing for college and is on the soccer team. Emma is on the cross country team. Joey is on the basketball team, works at Jimmy Johns, and does strength training 3-5 days a week. 

So, I know first hand that today's youth are busy, overcommitted, overworked, and under slept. 

And that's a recipe for stress, anxiety and overwhelm.

Here's a youth group game to help students deal with these issues. 

Usually our games come complete with a full lesson, but this one includes a Bible passage and intro to use as a starting point to creating your own message. 

Enjoy!

YOUTH GROUP GAME ON STRESS & ANXIETY

SUPPLIES AND SETUP

• Paper plate for each student
• Pen for each student
• Set up a table in the room with Post-it notes (broken into small stacks) and pens.

Set up a table in the room with Post-it notes (broken into small stacks) and pens.

HOW TO PLAY THE GAME

I want you to pick out the most stressful day over the past few weeks that you’ve had.

Can you think of one? Yup, I can too.

Now, here is what I want you to do: (Give each person a paper plate and a pencil/pen).

On this paper plate, draw a clock face, and no, not a digital one.

Then, once you’ve drawn the clock, I want you to fill in what you did for each hour of that most stressful day that you thought of just a minute ago.

(Give students 5-10 minutes to complete the activity)

Now, get in groups of 2-3 people and choose one of your clocks to act out in less than 25 seconds – being sure to act out every single activity that was listed.

I will give you 5 minutes to work on your stressful day reenactment.

(Gather the groups together and tell the group to be sure to try to guess as many activities in each groups’ day as possible.)

This should lead to everyone being stressed out!

INTRO - LESSON ON STRESS AND OVERWHELM

Raise your hand if you are now officially stressed out.

Let’s face it: The stress that you face each day is real, isn’t it?

(Tell a personal story from when you were a teenager – how the stress, pace and technology (or lack thereof) made life very different.)

But, things today are different.

The pace is different.

How many times this week have you felt stressed, overloaded, or overwhelmed?

Your schedules are crazy.

The stress is real.

How in the world could you add one more thing to your schedule?

And yet, how many of you listed time alone with God as one of the activities on your calendar?

Here’s the thing: God doesn’t want you to feel guilty if he wasn’t on your schedule.

He wants to offer you rest and peace.

And believe it or not, spending time with God, or as some people call it, a ‘quiet time’ is probably the only thing in this life that can help with the stress and pressure that we all feel.

Read James 4: 8-10.

Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.

END INTRO

YOUTH GROUP GAME ON TEMPTATION

DOWNLOAD THE PDF OF THIS GAME

Bible: Hebrews 3:12 (The Passion Translation) 

Bottom Line: We can encourage each other in the faith as we fight against temptation.

SUPPLIES

• Pool noodle
• Vegetable oil
• Pack of baby wipes
• Bandana
• Painter’s tape
• 3 orange cones

GAME PREP

This game uses vegetable oil, which can leave stains on the carpet.

You can either place a tarp on the floor before the game beings, play the game outdoors, or risk it and clean up after the game is over.

Use two orange cones to mark a starting point for each team.

Use the painter’s tape to create a long line on the floor about 10-feet in front of the cones.

Place the remaining orange cone in the middle of the tape line.

Tie the bandana around the middle of the pool noodle – leave it dangling from the pool noodle.

Cover the entire pool noodle with vegetable oil – this will make it slippery to hold.

Divide students into two teams of equal size and have them form lines behind their team’s cone.

HOW TO PLAY THE GAME

Say: This game is a fun twist on the traditional game, “tug-of-war.”

You have played it before, but I promise you have never played it this way.

Our “rope” will be this pool noodle – it’s a little bit easier on your hands than a rope, but we don’t want to make it too easy for our game.

So, we have covered the pool noodle in vegetable oil to make it a little difficult to handle.

Our group has been divided into two teams.

When I say GO, the first person in each team’s line will run down to the cone and grab one end of the pool noodle.

If you reach the pool noodle before the other team, you can grab it, pull it to your team's side, and that round is over.

The winner of that round will run back to their team and get in line again.

The person from the other team who didn’t reach the pool noodle in time is out of the game and they will go sit down.

If both players run down and grab the pool noodle at the same time, then tug-of-war will begin.

The first person to pull the bandana on the pool noodle over the cone and to their team’s side – wins that round.

The winning team member will go back to their team, and the losing team member will go sit down.

The game is over when there are no players left on one team.

The team with remaining players wins the game.

For each round, I will say GO, so both teams have the same gameplay advantage. 

After the game, allow students a minute to clean their oily hands with baby wipes.

TEACH

Say: Tug-of-war is a game that’s been around for hundreds of years.

From 1900-1920, tug-of-war was part of the Olympic Games.

Believe it or not, it was at the center of controversy at the 1908 Olympics.

Great Britain found a way to give their team an advantage – their team wore enormous, heavy shoes.

In fact, their shoes weighed so much that they could hardly lift their feet from the ground.

In this particular match, they were competing against the United States who protested the unfair advantage.

When the Olympic Committee allowed Great Britain’s team to compete anyway, the United States team withdrew from the competition.

They recognized that it would have been too difficult to win, so they didn’t even try.

The game of tug-of-war is an excellent example of what temptation looks like in our lives.

This struggle exists for every person that has ever walked on planet earth.

Temptation is the desire to do something, especially something that is wrong.

As a follower of Jesus, you have the desire to do what God wants you to do, but the desire to do wrong never entirely goes away.

So, that’s what produces the tug-of-war in our hearts.

Read Hebrews 3:12.

So search your hearts every day, my brothers and sisters, and make sure that none of you has evil or unbelief hiding within you.

For it will lead you astray, and make you unresponsive to the living God.

This verse encourages us to be aware of the tug-of-war that happens in our soul.

And not only to be aware that it's there but to ask God to reveal these struggles to you.

If not dealt with, your sinful nature will lead you away from God.

Ask: So, how are you aware of what is happening in your heart?

How do you know if you are close to God or close to giving in to temptation?

Allow a few responses from students.

One of the keys to being aware of what’s going on in your heart is to know what to do when you are tempted, and even what to do when you give into temptation.

That’s when one of the greatest gifts God has given to help us in our faith comes into play – each other.

Not only do we need others, but we need others to encourage us every day.

Why? Because temptation is tough and it’s even tougher if you try to face it alone – without God’s help and without each other.

The Christian life is not a quick walk in the park.

It is a long-distance marathon, and we need each other to go the distance.

So, we are called to encourage one another daily so that when we are tempted to sin, we aren’t struggling alone.

Think back to the story of Great Britain… in their game of tug-of-war, they came up with a plan that gave them an advantage – heavy shoes.

In the tug-of-war in your soul, your “heavy shoes” are God and the encouragement of others.

With this advantage, when you are tempted, you will be able to overcome and win.

Temptation will never go away, but it is awesome to know that when we are tempted, God will never leave you and neither should those who love and encourage you in the faith.

YOUTH GROUP GAME ON CHOICES

DOWNLOAD THE PDF OF THIS GAME

Bible: Proverbs 2:11

Bottom Line: God can give you discretion, wisdom, and understanding to make the right choices.

SUPPLIES

• List of “Would You Rather?” Questions
• Index cards (one per student)
• Sharpie
• 2 Pieces of poster board

GAME PREP

Use the Sharpie to write the word “SAFE” in large letters on each index card.
 
Give each student an index card to use during the game.
 
On one poster board, write the letter “A.”
 
On the other poster board, write the letter “B.”
 
Choose a space where all of the students can stand throughout the game.
 
Make sure there is also enough space for students to sit down when they are out of the game.
 
Place the “A” poster board on the left side and the “B” on the right side of the room.
 
HOW TO PLAY THE GAME

Say: Today, we’re going to play our own version of the game “Would You Rather?”
 
Each of you have received an index card with the word “SAFE” written on it.
 
I want you to hold onto that card, and I will tell you what to do with it in a minute.
 
I have a list of Would You Rather? Questions.
 
Every time I read a question, I will give you an "A" answer and a "B" answer.
 
When I finish, you will choose your answer and stand near the poster board of the answer you have chosen.
 
Next, I will let you know the predetermined correct answer.
 
Now, you might not agree that the answer is correct, but that’s what has been decided before you arrived here today.
 
If you answered incorrectly, you are out, and you will sit down unless you decide to use your "SAFE" card.
 
If you want to stay in the game, you will bring your SAFE card to me and remain in the game.
 
You should consider how many people are left in the game before you use your card and decide if it’s worth using it.
 
The last person standing is the winner.
 
You can play multiple rounds based on how many questions you have left at the end of each round.
 
The correct answer will be underlined for each question.
 
WOULD YOU RATHER? QUESTIONS

1. Would you rather (A) have super sensitive hearing or (B) super sensitive taste?
2. Would you rather (A) be too hot or (B) too cold?
3. Would you rather (A) be a deep-sea diver or (B) an astronaut?
4. Would you rather (A) be able to fly or (B) be invisible?
5. Would you rather (A) live in a giant desert or (B) in a giant dessert?
6. Would you rather (A) have no eyebrows or (B) only have one eyebrow?
7. Would you rather (A) have a dog that could hum or (B) a cat who could whistle?
8. Would you rather (A) spend the rest of your life being itchy or (B) being tickled?
9. Would you rather (A) be able to change the past or (B) see into the future?
10. Would you rather (A) live without music or (B) without tv?
11. Would you rather (A) eat tacos or (B) pizza?
12. Would you rather (A) get up early or (B) stay up late?
13. Would you rather (A) be able to jump incredibly high or (B) run incredibly fast?
14. Would you rather (A) have many good friends or (B) one very best friend?
15. Would you rather (A) have adventure or (B) relaxation?
16. Would you rather (A) have fame or (B) wisdom?
17. Would you rather (A) be without your phone for a week or (B) without internet?
18. Would you rather (A) be Batman or (B) Superman?
19. Would you rather (A) be the youngest or (B) the oldest sibling?
20. Would you rather (A) be too busy or (B) be bored?
21. Would you rather (A) read a good book or (B) watch a good movie?
22. Would you rather (A) be a kid your whole life or (B) be an adult your whole life?
23. Would you rather (A) be 4’5’ or (B) 7’8”?
24. Would you rather (A) be a villain or (B) a hero in a movie?
25. Would you rather (A) play the piano or (B) the trombone?
26. Would you rather (A) be born with a giraffe neck or (B) a unicorn horn?
27. Would you rather (A) live in the country or (B) live in the city?
28. Would you rather (A) be a huge mouse or (B) a tiny elephant?
29. Would you rather (A) live on Mars or (B) live on the moon?
30. Would you rather (A) spend a day at the beach or (B) a day in the mountains?

TEACH

Say: There were so many choices in the game we just played.

You might not have agreed with what I considered the correct answer, but the point of our game was to demonstrate how the choices you make affect your life.
 
You make over 35,000 choices every day… that’s insane!
 
Researchers at Cornell University have discovered that you make about 226 decisions each day on food alone.
 
Choices always result in consequences… whether good or bad.
 
Some of the choices we make daily affect whether or not we are safe.
 
Think about this…
 
You wear a seat belt when you ride in a car.
 
You put on a helmet when you ride a bike to protect your head.
 
At school, you practice fire drills to ensure you and your classmates know what to do… just in case.
 
Fast-food workers wear gloves and continuously wash their hands to keep from spreading food diseases… well, at least we hope they do those things.
 
When you stop and think about it, safety measures are all around us.
 
Over time, we have learned that wearing a bike helmet reduces your chance of a head injury by 50%.
 
People not wearing a seat belt are 30 times more likely to be ejected from a vehicle during a crash.
 
And washing your hands alone doesn’t keep food safe.
 
Wearing gloves when handling food drastically reduces the chance of spreading germs – it makes a difference.
 
But here’s the thing, you don’t have to do the things I just mentioned.
 
Some of them, you’re supposed to do them, but the choices you make are always up to you.
 
You see, having knowledge and understanding isn’t enough; you have to use the knowledge you have to make the right choices.
 
Read Proverbs 2:11-12.
 
Wise choices will watch over you.
 
Understanding will keep you safe.
 
In some translations of that verse, instead of “wise choices,” they use the word “discretion.”
 
Discretion is having good judgment that causes you to think about the choices you are making… and then, choose the right thing to do.
 
Discretion knows what to do, when to do it, and how to do it when situations come your way.
 
Here’s an example of how “wise choices” or “discretion” will watch over you.
 
Your math teacher hands you a test she has just graded.
 
You realize that you scored 5 points higher than what is written on your test.
 
So, you get up, walk to the front of the classroom and tell the teacher that they don’t know what they’re doing.
 
That would be an example of the wrong choice.
 
Using discretion would encourage you to try a different way.
 
Your teacher hands you the test, you realize the mistake, and decide to talk to her privately after class.
 
Your teacher apologizes, and you express that you are happy that your score was a little better.
 
The first choice would get you in trouble… in fact, it could go badly for you.
The second choice demonstrates that you know how to think about a situation instead of just reacting.
 
And because you have chosen the right response, you are saved from detention, suspension, getting in trouble with your parents, and embarrassing yourself.
 
Discretion has protected you from a negative outcome and harmful consequences.
 
We need discretion to help us make the right choices every day.
 
Think about how many times you have the opportunity to make the right or wrong choices.
 
Someone says something on social media that makes you mad – how do you respond?
 
You can either lie to your parents about something or tell the truth and get in trouble – which choice honors God?
 
Your siblings bother you constantly – do you let it bother you or just ignore them?
 
You can buy something insignificant and use all of your money or save it and get what you really want later – is it worth it to sacrifice now for what you can have later?
 
It isn’t easy to make the right choices.
 
Otherwise, the Scripture we read wouldn’t be in the Bible.
 
God wants us to choose the things He would choose.
 
So, if we ask for His wisdom and understanding and then trust what He tells us to do, we will make the right choices and be protected from the consequences of making bad choices.
 
Begin each day by praying that God will give you discretion, wisdom, and understanding to make the right choices.

YOUTH GROUP GAME FOR BACK-TO-SCHOOL

DOWNLOAD THE PDF OF THIS GAME

Bible: Psalm 121:8 (NLT)

Bottom Line: God is with you wherever you go.

SUPPLIES
 
·     Backpacks (one per team)
·     Juice boxes (one per student)
·     Orange cones
·     Garbage can
 
GAME PREP
 
This game requires a large amount of space and can be played in or outdoors.
 
Divide students into two teams of equal size.
 
If you have more than twenty students, create teams of ten or less, and make as many as you can.
 
Give each team an empty backpack.
 
After determining the number of students on each team, place one juice box for each person on the team inside each backpack.
 
Use cones to designate a start and finish line.
 
From the start to the finish line should be twice the length of a team if they were laying on the floor, side-by-side, in plank position.
 
Place a garbage can at the finish line.
 
HOW TO PLAY THE GAME
 
Say: It’s time to go back to school… not right now, but we’re going to play a game to get us ready.
 
A backpack is vital to your daily school life.
 
Without it, you become that person stumbling down the hallway dropping their books everywhere.
 
So, in this game, your team's backpack is essential.
When I say, GO, everyone on your team will lay down in plank position, side by side, except for the person at the end of your team’s line.
 
The first person in line on each team should be laying on the start line.
 
There should be no space in between each person on your team – you have to squeeze next to each other.
 
The person at the end of your team’s line will grab your team’s backpack, run to the front of their team’s line, open the backpack, and pull out a juice box.
 
They will drink the juice box as fast as they can, put their backpack on again, and dump the empty juice box in the garbage can at the finish line.
 
Then, they will run back to their team, lay down in plank position, take off the backpack and pass it from one person to the next down the line (while everyone remains in plank position).
 
When the last person in line receives the backpack, they will run to the front of the line and the relay race.
 
The first team to cross the finish line with their team’s backpack – wins!
 
If a team finishes all of their juice boxes and still hasn’t reached the finish line, have them continue the relay race with just the backpack.
 
TEACH
 
Say: During a typical school day, your backpack goes with you wherever you go.
 
If you lay it down and can’t find it for even just a few minutes, it’s instant panic – there goes your phone, books, homework, lunch… everything.
 
When you find it again – instant relief!
 
Maybe you have never thought about how important your backpack is, but it is the carrier of everything you need to be successful in school.
 
Your relationship with God and His presence in your life is a million times more vital to your daily life than your backpack, but sometimes we forget that God is with us… all the time, everywhere we go.
 
Read Psalm 121:8.
 
The Lord keeps watch over you as you come and go, both now and forever.
 
This chapter in the Book of Psalms is known as "the traveler's psalm."

In your Bible, there might be a title above this chapter that says “a song of ascents” which means “a song for a journey to a higher place.”
 
Most travel in Bible times was on foot, and people would often walk up to 20 miles a day while on a journey.
 
The roads were dangerous - you could have been robbed, beaten, or even killed while traveling alone or with your family.
 
How comforting it would be during those times to know that God is watching over you now and forever.
 
Life is a journey.
 
From the time you enter Kindergarten until you graduate, you will spend at least 2,340 days in school.
 
So, right now, a large part of your "journey" is happening at school, but you are not on the journey alone because God is with you.
 
God isn't up in Heaven, withdrawn from your life. He is right there with you.
 
So, knowing God is with you should take away your fears and give you faith to be strong and courageous in how you represent God to those around you.
 
You might lose your backpack throughout the day, but you never have to wonder where God is because He is with you.
 
As you walk through your school’s doors every day, remember that you’re never alone.
 
When you pick up your backpack, let that remind you that you carry God with you everywhere you go.
 
And as you journey throughout your school day, you can be bold and have faith because God is watching out for you.
 
God is with you wherever you go.

YOUTH GROUP GAME ON RESPECT

DOWNLOAD THE PDF OF THIS GAME

Bible: 1 John 4:20

Bottom Line: When we respect each other, we honor the One who created us.

SUPPLIES

·     Pack of gum

·     A few pieces of paper

·     Clipboard with paper and pen

GAME PREP

This game requires few supplies and no prep.

Divide students into two teams of equal size and have each team form a huddle.

Give a leader a clipboard with paper and pen to keep score throughout the game.

HOW TO PLAY THE GAME

Say: Raise your hand if you are the best!

Best at what? We are about to find out!

In my hand, I have a list of categories.

When I read one, you will choose one person from your team that you believe would be the best or someone who could win that category.

For example - The tallest person.

You would choose the tallest person on your team to come forward and be measured against the tallest person from the other team.

At the end of the game, the team that has earned the most points wins!

So, let’s get started.

LIST OF CATEGORIES 

·     The smallest shoe size

·     The fastest runner

·     The highest jumper

·     The largest chewing gum bubble

·     The tallest pinky finger

·     The farthest length to throw a paper airplane

·     The longest stare in a staring contest

·     The shortest hair

·     Wearing the most colors

·     The most pictures on their cell phone

·     The fastest talker (have them say their name three times)

Tally the points and declare one team as the winner.

TEACH

Say: When you know someone is really good at something, do you automatically show them respect based on what they can do?

For example, do people respect Lebron James because he’s a great basketball player or because of his admirable character?

Allow a few responses.

Do you respect the person in our game who had the longest pinky finger? Why or why not?

Allow a few more responses.

If I asked you to name people in our community who deserve respect, you most likely would mention those in authority, like: police officers, firefighters, politicians, teachers, a boss, and pastors.

We also know that it’s expected that you should respect parents and elders (people who are older than you.)

Some might say, “I show respect to people who show me respect.”

Raise your hand if you have ever said that before.

But when we take a look at what God says about treating others with respect, we learn that God wants everyone to treat each other with respect… no matter who they are.

None of us are perfect.

If respect is based on whether or not we deserve it, that might change from day to day or even from hour to hour based on the decisions we make.

Some of our actions might be respectable, and some of them are not.

So, what if we respect each other simply based on the fact that we were all created by the same Creator, who made us in His own image?

When we respect each other, we honor God.

Read: 1 John 4:20.

If someone says, “I love God,” but hates a fellow believer, that person is a liar; for if we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see?

Ask: How are “love” and “respect” similar in meaning?

Allow a few responses from students.

So, now the question is… can you love someone without respecting them?

Or can you respect someone that you don’t love?

Dave Willis said, “Show respect even to people who don’t deserve it; not as a reflection of their character, but as a reflection of yours.”

The way we treat others is an outward reflection of what is in our heart.

When God’s love fills your life, you can’t help but love others and put their needs above your own, even if they don’t deserve it.

If you are filled with pride and selfishness, you might believe that people have to prove themselves for you to respect them.

That would mean you are the judge of whether or not someone has demonstrated the qualities of a person who should be respected.

I want to wrap this up by asking you to look around the room.

Do you see someone who has hurt you?

Are you sitting beside your best friend?

Is it possible for you to treat both of those people like God treats each of us?

Yes. You can love others the way God loves us.

He sees us as His creation, and He cares about us.

Ask God to help you see others the same way He sees them.

He can give you unconditional love and respect for others that flows out of your life, and honors Him.

YOUTH GROUP GAME ON MAKING GOOD CHOICES

DOWNLOAD THE PDF OF THIS GAME

Written by Rob Quinn

Bible: Philippians 4:8; 1 Timothy 4:12

Bottom Line: When we fix our thoughts on things that honor God, our choices and decisions will lead to life.

SUPPLIES

• Blindfold
• A Hammer (a giant inflatable hammer works best)
• Tape
• Sheets of Paper and a Marker
• The song "Hammer Time"
• 10 Second Audible Countdown
• Large Space to play the game

HOW TO PLAY THE GAME

Count the number of students who will be playing the game.

Next, on each sheet of paper, write a number, beginning with "1."

On the next sheet of paper, write "2."

Continue, writing numbers on sheets of paper, until the numbers add up to at least the amount of students that are playing the game.

For example, if you have 10 students, then you will have sheets of paper that say, "1," "2," "3,"and "4" = 10.

Use tape to attach the sheets of paper and mark various areas around the room as “safe zones.”

Remember: The numbers on each safe zone show how many students can be in that area at a time.

Make sure there is enough space available for each student to have a spot.

These zones can be as big, small, and numerous as you would like.

Choose one player to be the Hammer:

Blindfold the student and place them in the center of the room with a hammer in hand.

On GO, the remaining students will move around the room trying to decide which “safe zone” they want to choose.

They can only choose an area that is not full.

Play “Hammer Time” as they are moving around.

Give students a 10-second countdown when time is almost up.

At the end of the countdown, the Hammer will point the giant hammer toward any direction they want.

The area closest to where they are pointing is then “hammered” out of the game and must sit down outside the playing area.

Leaders will decide which area is the closest.

Also, anyone that didn’t choose a corner before the hammer was dropped is automatically out of the game.

Play until only one person is left in the playing area and that person then becomes the Hammer for the next round.

Play as many rounds as you want.

TEACH

It was fun to watch how each of you chose differently and at different times throughout that game.

All of you were faced with the same situation, but made different choices because of different reasons.

Let me ask a few questions:

Allow a few responses for each question.

• How many were of out of the game because you didn’t choose an area in time?
• How many felt you should not have gotten out because the hammer was closer to another area?
• How many chose areas because friends were in that area?
• Who decided to go to smaller less populated areas?
• Did anyone get left out of an area because it was filled up?
• How did that make you feel?
• How do you decide what choices to make in life?
• Who makes decisions based on what others on doing? WHY?

In this world, it can feel overwhelming when every choice we make has tremendous outcomes and huge consequences.

Decisions that determine things like:

• Will people like people like me or not like me?
• Will I may be made fun of?
• Will I be bullied?… and on and on.

So, what do we use to help us make decisions and to make good choices?

What reasoning do we use, or better yet, should we use?

Let’s read Proverbs 14:12.

“There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death.”

Do you think this sounds extreme?

I mean... how many choices do you face each day that could lead to death?

If we look through God’s eyes, the correct answer is: many.

When we make decisions that are based on what others think it can lead us to do things that are hurtful to others, ourselves, and our relationship with God.

So, how can we take this information and start making better choices?

Read Philippians 4:8.

And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.

When we fix our thoughts on things that honor God, our choices and decisions will lead to life.

But first, understand that you won’t always make the right choices.

That doesn’t give us an excuse not to try.

It gives us the opportunity to experience the love and grace that God extends to us because He knows what’s in our hearts.

When we fail, God shows us grace.

And as we experience His grace, we grow in our relationship with God and find that it’s easier to make choices that bring God glory.

As a student, believe it or not, you’re learning new things every day... and that doesn’t stop when you become an adult.

Some of you are young believers, and all of this seems new, but whether this is new to you or you’ve followed God your entire life, He loves you the same.

Here’s what 1 Timothy 4:12 says:

Don’t let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity.

God knows the influence you can have as youth in this world.

You can make the choice to go out and use that influence for Him.

Today, you can decide to make decisions based on His love and His glory.

DOWNLOAD THE PDF OF THIS GAME

Written by Rob Quinn. Rob has over 10 years of experience in church ministry. He is married to an amazing woman Jodi, who just so happens to be the Children’s Ministry Director at his church. They have one beautiful daughter Sydni, and an 8-pound attack dog named Lilly.

YOUTH GROUP GAME ON BEING UNIQUE

Bible: Genesis 1:27; Romans 12:2

Bottom Line: God uniquely created each of us, so we don’t need to be like anyone else.

SUPPLIES 

• Stop watch
• Multiple ink pads
• White index cards - two per student
• Tape
• Sticky notes - one per student
• Baby wipes
• Bag of candy for winning team

HOW TO PLAY THE GAME

Divide your group into two equal teams with at least 8 -10 people per team.

For smaller groups, do this as individuals and the “best time” wins.

Before the game, have each student stamp their thumbprint onto two cards.

Put a number on one of the cards and the same number on a sticky note with their name.

Tape the thumbprint card without the number to the student.

Place the sticky note with the number and name to their back so no one can see it.

Have leaders stand behind the students with the sticky notes on their backs.

Now lay the remaining cards out across the room with the fingerprint side facing up – separate each team’s cards.

Teams will play one at a time.

Start the clock and send one player to the pile to grab one fingerprint card.

They will try to match the card to one of the other team’s players, without looking at the sticky note on the player’s back.

Once students choose a player, the leader will either let them know they are correct or incorrect by checking to see if the numbers match.

• If they are correct: Both students sit down and another person from the team takes their turn.
• If they are incorrect: Player will return the card to the pile, sit down, and another teammate will take a turn

This continues until everyone has been matched and is sitting down.

The clock stops as soon as the last person sits down.

The team with the quickest time wins.

TEACH

Say: Congrats to the winning team!

You all did a fantastic job and deserve a prize.

Remember to pass out prizes for the game after the lesson is over.

But first, let me ask you a few questions about the game:

• What was the hardest part of the game?
• Was there a time you thought all of the cards looked alike?
• Did the fingerprints look mostly the same, or were they really different?
• How does it make you feel that no one in this room has the same fingerprints as you?
• Have you ever thought about how different we are from each other?
• Why do we try so hard to be like each other?
• Why are we so different from each other?

Well, that final question is the one we are about to answer.

God, who created the heavens, the stars, the world, light and darkness, all animals and plants – He created you!

Many of you have probably heard that a thousand times, but it matters!

I realize that some of you just want to fit in.

Maybe all you want to do is blend in and not stand out in the crowd.

Or just be anyone else except who you are.

But, here’s what God has to say...

Read Genesis 1:27.

So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.

God created you, and what do we know about what God creates?

Wait for a few answers.

Everything God creates is perfect - because He is perfect.

Now let’s read Romans 12:2.

Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

God uniquely created each of us, so we don’t need to be like anyone else.

In fact, He doesn’t want us to be like everyone else.

God, especially doesn’t want us to be what world tells us to be.

As we allow God to transform us into who He wants us to be, we will see that the things that makes us different are the same things God can use to draw others to Him.

This is what God wants for you – it’s why He created you.

Different and perfect just as He wants you to be.

Close in Prayer.

DOWNLOAD PDF OF THIS GAME

Written by Rob Quinn. Rob has over 10 years of experience in preteen ministry. He is married to an amazing woman Jodi, who just so happens to be the Children’s Ministry Director at his church. They have one beautiful daughter Sydni, and an 8-pound attack dog named Lilly.