Free Youth Group Games — back to school youth group games
YOUTH GROUP GAME ON CHOICES
YOUTH GROUP GAME ON CHOICES
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
- Would you rather (A) have super sensitive hearing or (B) super sensitive taste?
- Would you rather (A) be too hot or (B) too cold?
- Would you rather (A) be a deep-sea diver or (B) an astronaut?
- Would you rather (A) be able to fly or (B) be invisible?
- Would you rather (A) live in a giant desert or (B) in a giant dessert?
- Would you rather (A) have no eyebrows or (B) only have one eyebrow?
- Would you rather (A) have a dog that could hum or (B) a cat who could whistle?
- Would you rather (A) spend the rest of your life being itchy or (B) being tickled?
- Would you rather (A) be able to change the past or (B) see into the future?
- Would you rather (A) live without music or (B) without tv?
- Would you rather (A) eat tacos or (B) pizza?
- Would you rather (A) get up early or (B) stay up late?
- Would you rather (A) be able to jump incredibly high or (B) run incredibly fast?
- Would you rather (A) have many good friends or (B) one very best friend?
- Would you rather (A) have adventure or (B) relaxation?
- Would you rather (A) have fame or (B) wisdom?
- Would you rather (A) be without your phone for a week or (B) without internet?
- Would you rather (A) be Batman or (B) Superman?
- Would you rather (A) be the youngest or (B) the oldest sibling?
- Would you rather (A) be too busy or (B) be bored?
- Would you rather (A) read a good book or (B) watch a good movie?
- Would you rather (A) be a kid your whole life or (B) be an adult your whole life?
- Would you rather (A) be 4’5’ or (B) 7’8”?
- Would you rather (A) be a villain or (B) a hero in a movie?
- Would you rather (A) play the piano or (B) the trombone?
- Would you rather (A) be born with a giraffe neck or (B) a unicorn horn?
- Would you rather (A) live in the country or (B) live in the city?
- Would you rather (A) be a huge mouse or (B) a tiny elephant?
- Would you rather (A) live on Mars or (B) live on the moon?
- 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
YOUTH GROUP GAME FOR BACK-TO-SCHOOL
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.