Plankton

What you will need: Cups (preferably plastic), water, bowls (2 per team), a timer.

Cost: Less than £5

Each team must line up doing the plank (horizontal with each other). Place a bowl full of water (1st bowl) and some cups at one end of each team’s line & an empty bowl (2nd bowl) at the other end.

When you shout “GO” the player nearest the empty bowl (2nd bowl) must run to the bowl of water (1st bowl), fill up a cup & pass it to the first player in the line (who should be planking). Without stopping their planks, the cup of water must be passed along from player to player to the other end of the line where the last player can get up from their plank, pour the water from the cup into the empty bowl (2nd bowl), run to the 1st bowl & start the process again. As the player runs to the 1st bowl, the rest of the players will need to shuffle down towards the 2nd bowl.  You can time this game to go on for as long as you like, once you shout “STOP” the teams must put down their cups. 

THE TEAM WITH THE MOST WATER IN THEIR 2ND BOWL WINS!!

There are different variations of the plank which players with lower core strength can adapt. I personally am not a fan of planking. I like to add fish to the 1st bowl & have a snack whilst umpiring.

Peace & love,

Nigel x

Gingerbread House Game

What you will need: a gingerbread house making kit (available from IKEA among other shops), icing sugar, sweets (milk buttons, dolly mixtures etc)

Cost: around £5 per kit

Split your group into smaller teams. Usually 5 people per team is the largest number I would use. Provide each group with a gingerbread house kit, a bowl of icing (pre-made) & some sweets for decorating. Give the teams a set amount of time to decorate their houses.

THE TEAM WITH THE BEST LOOKING HOUSE WINS!

An optional prize for the winning team is that they are allowed to smash the worst looking house. Or everyone else’s houses. Which then lends itself to everyone scoffing on the broken houses. I always go with this option.

Peace & love,

Nigel x

Duck Duck Goose: Extreme Outdoor Edition

What you will need: A large building that people can safely run around.

Cost: Free

Exactly the same as Duck, Duck, Goose, only there is a building in the middle of the circle.

Peace and love,

Nigel x

Who's Changed Their Shoes?

What you will need: Space to stand up in. Players who are all wearing shoes.

Cost: Free

A simple, yet effective game that I sadly can't join in with as I don't wear shoes. 

One person will leave the room whilst the remaining players decide on two people to swap shoes with each other. Once the swap has been made the player outside is called back in & must work out which two players have made the swap. This can then continue for as long as you wish.

Peace and love,

Nigel x

The Teeth Game

What you need: 0

Cost: Free

This game requires everyone to be in a circle. Each person chooses an animal & an action to go with that animal. One person will start by saying their animal outloud with their action, but without showing their teeth as they speak. They then select another player’s animal to pass the ‘go’ onto by saying that player’s animal & performing the animal’s action. EG: “Squid to Dodo”. That player then repeats their own animal & action, then another animal to pass the ‘go’ onto and so on and so forth. Players must not show their teeth, nor are they allowed to point. If a player shows their teeth the other players are allowed to shout (without showing their own teeth) “TEETH! TEETH!” and by pointing with their elbows. If someone points with their hands then the other players may shout “POINT! POINT!” etc etc. If a player violates the no teeth & no pointing rule they are elimated. 

THE LAST TWO REMAINING PLAYERS WIN!!

Peace and love,

Nigel x

Too Little Too Late

What you need: 0

Cost: Free

This game can be played over & over until you run out of themes, which is neigh-on impossible. Have everyone sat in a circle-ish arrangement, once you have picked a theme (EG: Animals) choose someone to start. The person starting must say an object/animal/mineral/etc that goes with the chosen them (EG: Giraffe), moving clockwise each person takes it in turns to say another object. Each object must be smaller than the previous object but not TOO small. EG: “Giraffe > Horse > Dog > cat” is good, but “giraffe > cat” is too big of a jump. If someone takes too large a jump or hesitates then everyone must shout “TOO LITTLE TOO LATE!”

You can choose to eliminate players or to change theme when this is shouted.

This sounds easy, but the harder the theme the more challenging it gets.

Theme suggestions:

-  Cars

-  Containers

-  Buildings

-  Fruit

-  Food

-  Animals

-  Office equipment/stationary

-  Dogs

As you can see the options are endless, I’m going to go & bake a soufflée now.

Peace and love,
Nigel x

Let Them Eat Cake

What you need: Some medium sized cakes

Cost: Less than £5

The youth group should be divided into teams of 4-5. You should have bought enough cakes to have one cake for each team. You can buy value Victoria Sponges cheaply in most large supermarkets. Bear in mind when you buy your cakes whether there are any nut/dairy/gluten allergy sufferers in your group. When you say ‘go’ the teams must race to be the first to eat their cakes (no utensils are to be provided. Cakes must be eaten ‘caveman style’). 

WHICH EVER TEAM FINISHES THEIR CAKE FIRST WINS!

Peace and love,
Nigel x

The Frozen Peas Game

What you need: Cups, frozen peas and kitchen scales (optional)
Cost: 80p

Divide the group into teams. Give each member of your youth group a cup. Take your bag of frozen peas, open it, and pour the peas on the floor. If you spin on the spot whilst you do this, the peas will spread out further. When you say ‘go’ the players have race to collect as many peas as possible in their cups.

When all of the peas have been collected (and you’ll need to check this if you meet in a hall where people might get upset at finding peas everywhere) measure out which team has the greatest amount of peas. This is when having a set of kitchen scales might be useful as you can easily prove which team has collected the most peas. 

WHICH EVER TEAM HAS THE MOST PEAS WINS!

Peace and love,
Nigel x