Free Games

YOUTH GROUP GAME ON PRAYER

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Bible: Psalm 145:18

Bottom Line: When we talk to God, He hears our prayers.

SUPPLIES 

• Bucket
• Pieces of paper with words/phrases (listed below)
• Prize for the winning team

GAME PREP

Divide students into two teams of equal size and have them sit down with their team.

Have a leader on hand to keep time for each round and keep score.

Write down each of the following words/phrases on pieces of paper and place in a bucket:

• Artist
• Mom
• Ironing a shirt
• Bicycle
• Washing a dog
• Riding a motorcycle
• Ice skating
• Scuba diving
• Baking cookies
• Flying a kite
• Fishing in a boat
• Mowing a yard

HOW TO PLAY THE GAME

Say: Today, we have a fun twist on the game of charades.

Call one person from each team to stand with you in front of the students.

In this bucket, I have words and phrases that you will be acting out—just like in charades.

But, we’re going to do a couple of things differently.

First of all, both of you will be acting out the same word or phrase at the same time, so you could actually be helping the other team guess the word.

As both of you are acting it out, both of your teams will be able to guess what the word or phrase is.

Here’s how scoring will go:

If your team guesses correctly in under one minute, you get 5 points.

If you guess correctly in under 2 minutes, you get 3 points.

In you guess correctly in under 3 minutes, you get 2 points.

In 5 minutes or less, you get 1 point.

At the five-minute mark, if no one has guessed correctly, that round is over and no one gets a point.

Here’s a twist: Whatever amount of points your team wins for that round will be deducted from the other team.

If you don’t have points to take away, you will have a negative score.

Oh! And here’s the last twist.

Each of our charades actors will not be facing you.

They will have their backs to the audience!

So, I suggest that both of you use very large motions and your whole body to act out each of these words.

The team with the most points at the end of the game wins!

TEACH

Say: I’m not sure we could have made it more difficult to communicate to each other.

That was really tough!

Especially since you were really trying to get your message through to your team.

Ask: Have you ever had something exciting happen and you are dying to tell your friend, except they won’t text you back or answer their phone?

Allow a few responses from students.

That has happened to me quite a few times and it can be frustrating!

Why?

Because when you want to talk to someone, you expect them to be ready to talk to you in an instant—even if that isn’t a realistic expectation.

But, what we can’t reasonably expect from each other is an actual promise that God gives us. 

Read Psalm 145:18.

“The Lord is close to all who call on him, yes, to all who call on him in truth.”

Our minds can’t fully grasp the fact that the Creator of everything is close to us.

Why?

One reason is because we can’t see Him.

Also, people rarely hear the audible voice of God.

And we can’t physically touch God.

So, it’s not difficult to understand why people question if God can hear their prayers.

Ask: What would you say to someone who questions whether or not God hears us when we pray?

Allow a few responses from students. Share a personal story about a time when God answered a specific prayer that you prayed.

Let’s talk about the second part of that verse, “to all who call on him in truth.”

Have you ever done something nice for your siblings or parents and their response is, “What do you want?”

Your family knows you—the real you.

And when they question your motives, that might mean you have been insincere in the past, so they are expecting that behavior again.

In our prayer life, God wants our sincerity and the truth.

He really knows the real you—your motives and desires.

He just wants you to be sincere.

That means when you pray, don’t try to be someone you aren’t, or use fancy words and showy prayers.

Just talk to God because He wants to talk to you.

Ask: Do you think people try to impress God?

How would it benefit someone to be dishonest in their relationship with God?

Allow a few responses from students.

If we can’t come to God in truth, then we most likely aren’t being truthful in other areas of our lives.

Because there is nothing we can hide from God, we are only deceiving ourselves when we are dishonest with God.

Prayer is an opportunity for us to become the best version of ourselves as we become more like God, and that begins with being authentic when we talk to God.

You see, the act of praying is as simple as just talking to God.

But what it does in us, and how it builds our relationship with God, is deep and has profound results in our lives.

We can develop a closeness with God as we spend time with Him in prayer.

We gain confidence in our faith knowing that God hears and answers us.

So, today, I want to encourage you to remember, when we talk to God, He hears our prayers.

YOUTH GROUP GAME ON FRIENDSHIP

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Bible: Galatians 6:2-3; Matthew 22:37-40

Bottom Line: True friends share joy and pain.

SUPPLIES

• 2 Rolls of paper towels
• 2 Rolls of toilet paper
• 2 Pencils
• 2 Paper airplanes
• 2 Cups—any size
• 2 Plastic forks
• 2 Books
• 2 Styrofoam plates
• 2, 2-liter drinks
• 2 Plastic Bags

GAME PREP

Divide students into two teams of equal size and instruct them to form single file lines.

Give each team a plastic bag containing the following items:

• Roll of paper towels
• Roll of toilet paper
• Pencil
• Paper airplane
• Cup
• Plastic fork
• Book
• Styrofoam plate
• A 2-liter drink

HOW TO PLAY THE GAME

Say: Our game is not about how strong you are, but how well you can balance things.

The first person in your line will be given a plastic bag full of items.

They will take out the items and balance them in their hands/arms.

They can have assistance only from the person standing in line behind them.

When the first person on each team has successfully balanced all the items, the game will begin.

The first person will pass the balanced items to the person in line behind them.

If any items are dropped, then the person that dropped them will place all of the items on the floor and go to the back of their team’s line.

The next person in line will pick up the items, with assistance from the person in line behind them, balance the items, and pass them to the person behind them.

The game will continue until all of the items make it to the last person in line, who will then take all the items to the front of the line.

If they drop any items while walking to the front of the line, they will have to go to the back of the line and try again.

When they make it to the front of the line, they will open the 2-liter drink and fill the cup they were carrying to the top and drink it.

The first team to successfully pass the items, run to the front, pour the drink and drink it, WINS!

TEACH

Say: That game was awesome!

You were great at balancing all of the ridiculous things we gave you to carry.

Imagine how much more difficult that game would have been if we would not have allowed the person behind you to help you out.

We really need each other!

Here’s a random question.

Did you know that a horse can pull about 3 times it’s weight?

Anyone want to guess how much that is?

It’s about 2,500 pounds.

Horses are pretty strong—at least stronger than most of us.

But, listen to this.

In 1924, a pair of Shire draft horses pulled 50 tons—that’s 100,000 pounds or 20,000 pounds morethan the weight of a semi-truck.

That’s absolutely incredible!

And it’s a great example of what we’re talking about today—sharing the load each of us carries.

Read Galatians 6:2 (NLT).

“Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ.”

God desires us to live in community with each other, to have people that we share life with.

It’s His plan.

If you live life all by yourself, you can’t carry someone else’s burdens.

So, let’s agree we need friends in our lives.

And having friends is about more than what you can get out of a friendship—it’s really about what you can give.

Sure, friends are great to hang out with, talk, laugh, and cry with, but it’s more than that.

The verse we just read says that when we care for each other, we “obey the law of Christ.”

What is the law of Christ?

Allow a few responses from students.

The law of Christ is found in Matthew.

Read Matthew 22:37-40 (NLT).

Jesus replied, “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’ The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”

Jesus actually said it’s equally important to love each other as much as you love God.

That’s pretty important!

So, what does it mean to share each other’s burdens?

Allow a few responses from students.

True friends understand that you support each other through joy and trials.

But, sharing someone’s burden isn’t easy—it takes time, effort, and sacrifice.

That’s why after Paul tells us to share each other’s burden, he follows up with this…

Read Galatians 6:3.

If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself. You are not that important.

I want to share an example of extreme selflessness. 

In 2009, Dave Hartstock, a skydiving instructor, was in the middle of a 13,0000-feet-high tandem jump when he realized that neither of his two parachutes would open all the way.

He had jumped out of the plane with Shirley, a grandmother and first-time skydiver, and found himself having to make a really quick and hard decision.

Although his brain was racing and he was panicking, at the last minute, he was able to rotate his body so that he could cushion Shirley’s fall when they hit the ground.

Dave’s quick thinking saved Shirley’s life, but he suffered lifelong consequences of his selfless action.

Shirley made a speedy recovery because of Dave’s sacrifice.

But, Dave is now permanently paralyzed from the neck down and requires help to do everything in life.

When asked if he would still do the same thing after knowing what would happen to him, he said, “Absolutely. Better me than her.”

Dave made that sacrifice, essentially, for a stranger.

Most of us will never have to make that kind of choice for even our closest friends.

What types of burdens do our friends carry that we could share with them?

Allow a few responses from students.

Here are a few reasons why sharing our burdens with each other is important:

1. Sharing our burdens reminds us of the example Jesus set for us as He lived His life on earth.

Jesus traveled from place to place responding to the needs of the people—He was empathetic and caring.

 He even took on the sins of the entire world when He died on the cross—that is the ultimate example of sharing each other’s burdens.

2. Sharing our burdens reminds us to rely on God’s strength and not our own.

Occasionally, in the New Testament, we read that Jesus went away to spend time in prayer with God.

When we share other’s burdens, it’s important to rely on God’s wisdom and strength so we can point our friends to Him and avoid feeling overwhelmed.

3. Sharing our burdens reminds us to look beyond ourselves and care for others.

It’s easy to become self-absorbed and pre-occupied with our own problems—that’s the norm in our culture.

When we focus on caring about the needs of others, we become less selfish and sometimes our own troubles don’t seem as bad.

I want to challenge you to take a step in your friendships toward sharing each other’s burdens.

And, remember that true friends share joy and pain.

YOUTH GROUP GAME ON GOD'S GUIDANCE

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Written by Mike Sheley

Bible: Proverbs 16:9; Psalm 119:105

Bottom Line: God guides us in our everyday life, one step at a time, as we follow Him.

SUPPLIES

• Three “Connect 4” Game Sets
• Three extra sets of checkers that are a different color from the two colors in the Connect 4 sets
  • Most checkers come in black and red
  • Some new game sets for Connect 4 include a yellow set
  • If you need a different color for the third set, you can search Amazon, collect old checkers, or purchase some new ones and use paint to make them whatever color you want
• One, 6 or 8-foot Table
• Six Chairs
• Background Music
• For the lesson portion, you will need pre-printed copies of Proverbs 16:9 and Psalm 119:105.

GAME PREP

Set up a 6 or 8-foot table with three “Connect 4” stands sitting side-by-side.

On each long side of the table, place three chairs - each facing one of the stands.

HOW TO PLAY THE GAME

Divide your group into three teams and have them line-up in three single-file lines.

Let each group know which color checker represents their team.

For this game, the first two people in each line will have a seat at the table.

They cannot sit side-by-side or across from someone on the same team.

The purpose of the game is to connect as many checkers as they can, in a row horizontally, vertically, or diagonally of their color.

Defensively, their goal is to block as many connections from the other two teams as possible.

Players can only use checkers of the color assigned to their team.

When the music starts, they will take turns putting in one checker at a time.

You can only play one checker at a time.

You have to wait for your opponent to drop in a checker before you can add another one.

This all sounds pretty familiar, but, of course, we are spicing things up a bit.

When the music stops, everyone must move one seat to the right.

If you are in the farthest seat on the right, you will go to the end of your team’s line and a new person from your team will take the empty seat on the far left.

When the music begins, play resumes.

At the end of the game, the team that has the most connections of four or more checkers of their color, in a row, will win.

If there is a tie, the one with the longest connection(s) in the tie will be the champion.

Say: Ready? Go!

Have someone play upbeat music in the background.

Randomly stop the music at intervals of 10-30 seconds.

At the end of the game, congratulate your champion!

Remember to look at all three boards.

Whichever color has the most connections of four or more in a row will be your winner.

If there is a tie, then see which one has the longest connection in a row.

TEACH

Say: Many of you have probably played Connect 4 before.

But, I doubt any of you have played it like that!

The easiest round of that game was when you were the first one to play and you could drop your checker anywhere.

A new beginning feels good - the beginning of the year, and the beginning of a new school year are always filled with hope because you have a fresh start.

But, today, we're going to take this opportunity to check-in and see if the steps you are taking in your everyday life lead you towards God’s best for your life.

Hand out the pre-printed copies of Proverbs 16:9 and Psalm 119:105 to the students and ask for a volunteer to read each of the verses when they are to be read during the lesson.

Read Proverbs 16:9.

If I was to summarize this verse I would say, "We can make all the plans we want, but God shows us each step along the way."

So, that makes me wonder: If I want to follow God’s lead in my life, how do I know which steps he wants me to take?

Allow a few responses from students.

Let's think about the game for a minute.

It would have been awesome if before the game started, I had given you a picture  of how the completed stand full of checkers was going to look and you could just drop in your checkers where they needed to go.

And what if I had even shown you where to drop the checkers for each individual round... that would have been more like me helping you one step at a time.

Check out this next verse where we find out exactly how God does this for us.

Have a student read the verse.

Read Psalm 119:105.

The author of this Psalm, or song, in the Bible says that “God’s Word,” or the Bible, guides us.

In this passage, the “lamp” or “light,” is like a modern-day flashlight.

He emphasizes this by saying the same thing a little differently – It’s a “lamp to guide my feet” and it’s a “light for my path.”

Some of us wish God gave us a big spotlight.

Maybe you've started thinking about what you will do someday after you graduate high school.

It would be amazing if God gave us specifics about our future - like telling us what career we should choose, who we should marry, where we should live, etc.

But, here's what God does... He shows you how to live your everyday life, one day at a time.

And as you follow Him every step of the way, He leads you.

Following God’s guidance and making wise choices in our everyday lives is like making connections in the game we played - getting our checkers lined up in a row.

How do you get a long streak of connecting what God wants you to do multiple days in a row?

You spend time in the Bible so that you will be able to see how God is guiding you, one step at a time.

So, remember - God shows us in the Bible how to live our lives one day at a time so that no matter what our big plans are, we’ll live in such a way that we honor God and help others get to know Him.

Let’s commit to spending more time reading the Bible so we can live more days the way God wants us to.

Close in prayer.

DOWNLOAD THE PDF OF THIS GAME

Written by Mike Sheley. Mike is the Middle School Pastor at Mount Pleasant Christian Church in Greenwood, Indiana, where he oversees their ministries for 5th-8th graders.  He’s been in full-time youth ministry over 15 years with most of that time focused on preteens and junior highers.

YOUTH GROUP GAME ON MAKING GOOD CHOICES

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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 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.

YOUTH GROUP GAME ON BEING UNIQUE

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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 THE 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.