What you will need: a stopwatch and props such as a phone, glasses, a tissue, some paracetamol, keys and a hat
Cost: nothing (just ask people to bring these objects from home, they'll get them back unharmed at the end!)
Bop-It is everyone's favourite so we've taken it to a new extreme and invented HUMAN Bop-It!
Everyone stands around in a circle, with one person in the middle surrounded by different objects on the floor.
We used a phone, a pair of glasses, a tissue, some paracetamol, some keys and a hat but you could potentially use anything!
Everyone in the circle then takes turns to shout out commands and the person in the middle must follow these.
For example "Lock It!" would mean the person must pick up the keys and do a locking action with them.
We made all of our commands rhyme just so it would be trickier for the person in the middle so here they are:
"Top It" - Person must pick up the hat and put it on their head
"Cop It" - Person must pick up the phone and pretend to dial 999 and call the cops (well, we call them police in England but that didn't rhyme)
"Pop It" - Person must pick up the paracetamol packet and PRETEND to "pop" the pills
"Snot It" - Person must pick up the tissue and pretend to blow their nose
"Spot It" - Person must pick up the glasses and put them on
When the person has done the action, they put the prop back down and immediately do the next action that has been commanded.They must try to keep up with everyone's commands as they speed up and if they hesitate for too long or pick up the wrong object then they're out!
Everyone takes turns one by one to have a go in the middle and the person who lasts the longest wins!
If you are playing with a younger group of people, you could make the commands more literal for example "Phone it" and "Wear it".
Peace & Love,
Nigel x
Tuesday, 23 July 2013
Signs
What you will need: concentration from your young people!
Cost: nothing!
This game is a bit trickier than others but once you get the hang of it, it's a lot of fun!
Everyone sits around in a circle and one by one comes up with an action or sign that is theirs and shows this to the group. For instance, it could be doing a wave action with your arm, but the more subtle the sign is the better, so signs like scratching your head are really good! Also, they need to be silent for the game to work so no clapping or funny noises unfortunately.
Then one person is nominated to stand in the middle of the circle. As they close their eyes, someone sitting in the circle is chosen (by silently pointing, not saying their name, so the person in the middle doesn't know who has been chosen!) to be the first player and have the control of the game. The person in the middle is then allowed to open their eyes.
The game begins when the first player "receives" the control of the game by doing their own sign. Then they have to pass the control on to another player by doing their sign (this is the tricky bit as you need to try to remember everyone/most people's signs so you can pass it on to them!)
But they must do all of this without the person in the middle noticing them doing it!
When someone's sign has been done, they automatically have control of the game and have to "receive" it by doing their action, then pass it on by doing someone else's and this process repeats again and again.
The aim for the person in the middle is to try and work out who has control of the game by catching them doing either their own or someone else's sign.
But when a player has done another person's sign, they cannot be caught anymore as they have already passed on the control and it is in the hands of the new person.
There is no limit to how many times a person can have the control, and the game can potentially go on forever if no-one is ever caught! But when they are found out by the person in the middle, it is then their turn to be in the centre of the circle.
Peace & Love,
Nigel x
Cost: nothing!
This game is a bit trickier than others but once you get the hang of it, it's a lot of fun!
Everyone sits around in a circle and one by one comes up with an action or sign that is theirs and shows this to the group. For instance, it could be doing a wave action with your arm, but the more subtle the sign is the better, so signs like scratching your head are really good! Also, they need to be silent for the game to work so no clapping or funny noises unfortunately.
Then one person is nominated to stand in the middle of the circle. As they close their eyes, someone sitting in the circle is chosen (by silently pointing, not saying their name, so the person in the middle doesn't know who has been chosen!) to be the first player and have the control of the game. The person in the middle is then allowed to open their eyes.
The game begins when the first player "receives" the control of the game by doing their own sign. Then they have to pass the control on to another player by doing their sign (this is the tricky bit as you need to try to remember everyone/most people's signs so you can pass it on to them!)
But they must do all of this without the person in the middle noticing them doing it!
When someone's sign has been done, they automatically have control of the game and have to "receive" it by doing their action, then pass it on by doing someone else's and this process repeats again and again.
The aim for the person in the middle is to try and work out who has control of the game by catching them doing either their own or someone else's sign.
But when a player has done another person's sign, they cannot be caught anymore as they have already passed on the control and it is in the hands of the new person.
There is no limit to how many times a person can have the control, and the game can potentially go on forever if no-one is ever caught! But when they are found out by the person in the middle, it is then their turn to be in the centre of the circle.
Peace & Love,
Nigel x
Food In A Bottle
What you will need: lots of different food items and some empty drink bottles (preferably 1 litre ones)
Cost: About £5
You will need lots of different food items, and before the game begins they need to all be allocated a certain amount of points depending on their size, for example a grape would be 2 points, however an apple would be 10 points and a loaf of bread would be 50 points. The youth group are unaware of how many points each food is worth.
The youth are split into two teams and given thirty seconds to collect as much food as possible from the middle of the room where all the food is laid out. They are also allowed to "steal" the other teams' food items.
After this thirty seconds is up, the teams then have 5/10 minutes (depending how much food you have) to stuff as much food as possible into their empty water bottle.
At the end of this time, someone counts up all the points that both teams collected with their food (the WHOLE food item must be inside the bottle for the points to counts, for example a half loaf of bread will score NO points!)
The team with the most points WINS!
Make sure you either play on a hard surface that can later be cleaned, or you put down bin bags as this game can get messy!
Peace & Love,
Nigel x
Cost: About £5
You will need lots of different food items, and before the game begins they need to all be allocated a certain amount of points depending on their size, for example a grape would be 2 points, however an apple would be 10 points and a loaf of bread would be 50 points. The youth group are unaware of how many points each food is worth.
The youth are split into two teams and given thirty seconds to collect as much food as possible from the middle of the room where all the food is laid out. They are also allowed to "steal" the other teams' food items.
After this thirty seconds is up, the teams then have 5/10 minutes (depending how much food you have) to stuff as much food as possible into their empty water bottle.
At the end of this time, someone counts up all the points that both teams collected with their food (the WHOLE food item must be inside the bottle for the points to counts, for example a half loaf of bread will score NO points!)
The team with the most points WINS!
Make sure you either play on a hard surface that can later be cleaned, or you put down bin bags as this game can get messy!
Peace & Love,
Nigel x
Human Knot
What you will need: an enthusiastic youth group!
Cost: nothing!
This is a really fun, easy and most importantly free game!
Everyone stands in a circle, crosses their arms over and holds hands with someone not next to them.
The aim is then for the group to untangle themselves without letting go of each others hands!
It may take awhile for them to work it out, and sometimes it is impossible but it's definitely a good laugh and will keep your youth group entertained for a good few minutes!
Peace & Love,
Nigel x
Cost: nothing!
This is a really fun, easy and most importantly free game!
Everyone stands in a circle, crosses their arms over and holds hands with someone not next to them.
The aim is then for the group to untangle themselves without letting go of each others hands!
It may take awhile for them to work it out, and sometimes it is impossible but it's definitely a good laugh and will keep your youth group entertained for a good few minutes!
Peace & Love,
Nigel x
Spegtacular
What you will need: Pegs - lots of them! And a stopwatch of some sort
Cost: Under £5 for pegs
This is a game our youth group did every Friday for months just because it's so hilarious both to play and watch!
Two brave volunteers sit at a table, which is covered in pegs, at the front of the room The contestants then have 1 minute to clip as many pegs to their body as possible.
Pegs clipped to the face are worth 3 points, pegs clipped to any other (appropriate) flesh on the body are worth 2 points, and pegs clipped to clothes/hair are worth 1 point.
Pegs must remain clipped on and not fall off until the assistant takes them off as they are counting the points.
The person with the most points WINS!
You could also make this a leader board game, with different people competing each week and an overall leader board that records everyone's scores and gets added to each week. This adds healthy competition and at the end of the term you'll have an overall spegtacular winner!
(Be careful to warn your young people as pegs clipped to sensitive parts of the face tend to sting quite a lot by the time the minute is over!)
Peace & Love,
Nigel x
Cost: Under £5 for pegs
This is a game our youth group did every Friday for months just because it's so hilarious both to play and watch!
Two brave volunteers sit at a table, which is covered in pegs, at the front of the room The contestants then have 1 minute to clip as many pegs to their body as possible.
Pegs clipped to the face are worth 3 points, pegs clipped to any other (appropriate) flesh on the body are worth 2 points, and pegs clipped to clothes/hair are worth 1 point.
Pegs must remain clipped on and not fall off until the assistant takes them off as they are counting the points.
The person with the most points WINS!
You could also make this a leader board game, with different people competing each week and an overall leader board that records everyone's scores and gets added to each week. This adds healthy competition and at the end of the term you'll have an overall spegtacular winner!
(Be careful to warn your young people as pegs clipped to sensitive parts of the face tend to sting quite a lot by the time the minute is over!)
Peace & Love,
Nigel x
Forehead Orange Pass
What you will need:
2x orange
Cost:
Under £1
Divide your youth group into two teams.
Within these teams, players must pair up with someone of similar height.
Half of the pairs in the team stand at one end of the hall, and the other half of the pairs at the other end.
The first pair in each team have to race to the other side of the hall, whilst balancing an orange between their foreheads.
If the orange drops, they must start their run again!
When they get to the other side, they hand the orange to the next pair waiting and they must do the same.
So it is a relay race with a twist!
The first team to have all their pairs complete the race WINS!
Peace & Love,
Nigel x
2x orange
Cost:
Under £1
Divide your youth group into two teams.
Within these teams, players must pair up with someone of similar height.
Half of the pairs in the team stand at one end of the hall, and the other half of the pairs at the other end.
The first pair in each team have to race to the other side of the hall, whilst balancing an orange between their foreheads.
If the orange drops, they must start their run again!
When they get to the other side, they hand the orange to the next pair waiting and they must do the same.
So it is a relay race with a twist!
The first team to have all their pairs complete the race WINS!
Peace & Love,
Nigel x
Friday, 25 January 2013
Twin or no twin
What you will need: pictures of twins and not twins (can be found easily on Google images)
Cost: Free
This is a video game!
A video/slideshow is made up of pictures of twins and people who look like twins but aren't related at all.
After each couple is shown, the young people decide whether they think the people are twins or not and then run to the corresponding side of the room.
The video then reveals whether the people are twins or not.
THE PERSON WHO GETS THE MOST RIGHT WINS!
Peace & Love,
Nigel x
Cost: Free
This is a video game!
A video/slideshow is made up of pictures of twins and people who look like twins but aren't related at all.
After each couple is shown, the young people decide whether they think the people are twins or not and then run to the corresponding side of the room.
The video then reveals whether the people are twins or not.
THE PERSON WHO GETS THE MOST RIGHT WINS!
Peace & Love,
Nigel x
Pick and Choose
What you will need: a variety of random objects, a filming device and a film editing program
Cost: Free
This is a video game!
Four random items are laid out on a table, labelled A,B,C,D. Someone is filmed sitting behind the table and hovering their hand over the items. Eventually they pick an item and hold it up to the camera. This is then repeated for 4 more rounds with different objects (or a different picker but the same objects).
The video of this is played at the youth group. When the person's hand is hovering over the items, the young people must quickly decide which item they think the person will choose. Then they run to the corresponding corner of the room (either A,B,C or D). Whoever guesses wrong is eliminated and the remaining people compete in the next round until only 1 person remains and they are the winner!
Peace & Love,
Nigel x
Cost: Free
This is a video game!
Four random items are laid out on a table, labelled A,B,C,D. Someone is filmed sitting behind the table and hovering their hand over the items. Eventually they pick an item and hold it up to the camera. This is then repeated for 4 more rounds with different objects (or a different picker but the same objects).
The video of this is played at the youth group. When the person's hand is hovering over the items, the young people must quickly decide which item they think the person will choose. Then they run to the corresponding corner of the room (either A,B,C or D). Whoever guesses wrong is eliminated and the remaining people compete in the next round until only 1 person remains and they are the winner!
Peace & Love,
Nigel x
Cool or Not Cool
What you will need: imagination
Cost: nothing!
Before the session, one youth leader is asked whether they think certain things are cool or not cool (for example a dog in a dog costume, or perhaps something more controversial!).
The youth must then guess what they think the leader answered and they then run to the corresponding side of the room (one is cool, the other is not cool). When everyone has guessed and is standing at one end of the room, the youth leader reveals what their answer is. If you get the answer wrong, you’re eliminated. This continues until there is one person left and they are the winner!
Peace & Love,
Nigel x
Cost: nothing!
Before the session, one youth leader is asked whether they think certain things are cool or not cool (for example a dog in a dog costume, or perhaps something more controversial!).
The youth must then guess what they think the leader answered and they then run to the corresponding side of the room (one is cool, the other is not cool). When everyone has guessed and is standing at one end of the room, the youth leader reveals what their answer is. If you get the answer wrong, you’re eliminated. This continues until there is one person left and they are the winner!
Peace & Love,
Nigel x
Guess Who
What you will need: objects from the youth leaders
Cost: Free!
We use this game as a way of introducing the young people to the youth leaders.
Youth leaders each bring an odd/funny object that they own. These are put randomly on chairs with the leaders each standing behind a chair. The youth indicate whose object they think belongs to who by cheering. Once all of the objects are paired up with a youth leader, the leaders then move around so they are standing behind the item that they own (if the young people guess whose is whose correctly then the leaders will not need to switch places at all!). Then the leaders explain the story behind why they have their odd object.
THE PERSON THAT GUESSES THE MOST RIGHT WINS!
Peace & Love,
Nigel x
Cost: Free!
We use this game as a way of introducing the young people to the youth leaders.
Youth leaders each bring an odd/funny object that they own. These are put randomly on chairs with the leaders each standing behind a chair. The youth indicate whose object they think belongs to who by cheering. Once all of the objects are paired up with a youth leader, the leaders then move around so they are standing behind the item that they own (if the young people guess whose is whose correctly then the leaders will not need to switch places at all!). Then the leaders explain the story behind why they have their odd object.
THE PERSON THAT GUESSES THE MOST RIGHT WINS!
Peace & Love,
Nigel x
Get the Keys
What you will need: a set of keys, chair, blindfold and torch
Cost: nothing as all the items needed can be found around the house!
This game is played in the dark. One person sits in a chair, blindfolded on one end of the room. Under the chair are a set of keys.
The rest of the youth group line up on the other end of the room and when they are picked by the leader (who picks between 1 and 3 people each time), they must try and get the keys from under the chair as quietly as possible. If the person in the chair hears someone trying to get the keys, they must flash the torch onto the person. If a person is caught out before they are back at the other end of the room with the keys, they have to go back to the beginning and wait for another turn.
THE PERSON WHO GETS THE KEYS BACK TO THE STARTING LINE WITHOUT GETTING CAUGHT WINS!!!
Peace & Love,
Nigel x
Cost: nothing as all the items needed can be found around the house!
This game is played in the dark. One person sits in a chair, blindfolded on one end of the room. Under the chair are a set of keys.
The rest of the youth group line up on the other end of the room and when they are picked by the leader (who picks between 1 and 3 people each time), they must try and get the keys from under the chair as quietly as possible. If the person in the chair hears someone trying to get the keys, they must flash the torch onto the person. If a person is caught out before they are back at the other end of the room with the keys, they have to go back to the beginning and wait for another turn.
THE PERSON WHO GETS THE KEYS BACK TO THE STARTING LINE WITHOUT GETTING CAUGHT WINS!!!
Peace & Love,
Nigel x
Cow Pat
What you will need: newspaper/something similar
Cost: nothing (unless you have to buy newspaper but this is very unlikely!)
Everybody
is in a circle holding each other's arms. In
the middle of the circle you have newspaper which you
can't step on or touch at all otherwise you're out. The aim
of the game is to pull people onto the newspaper and be the last one left.
Each time a person is taken out you remove a
piece of newspaper until you have only a few pieces left in. Make sure that the
game doesn't get too rough as it can involve quite a lot of pushing and
shoving!
THE LAST TWO PLAYERS BOTH WIN! (because 1-1 fighting is just too violent!)
Peace & Love,
Peace & Love,
Nigel x
Baton Ball
What you will need: 1x ball, 2x batons (can be made out of newspaper), something to mark out goals
Cost: under £2 (for cost of newspaper)
The youth group is split into two teams.
In the middle of the room there is a ball and two batons. At each side of the room there are two goals. Teams stand at opposite ends of the room.
When the game begins, someone from each team runs to the right wall, then all the way to the left, then back to the middle where the ball and batons are. They then pick up their teams baton and to score a point, they hit the ball into their team’s goal. When a player has taken a shot at the goal, they run back to their team and the 2nd player on their team has their turn and so on until the time runs out.
THE TEAM WITH THE MOST POINTS AT THE END OF THE RELAY WINS!
Peace & Love,
Nigel x
Cost: under £2 (for cost of newspaper)
The youth group is split into two teams.
In the middle of the room there is a ball and two batons. At each side of the room there are two goals. Teams stand at opposite ends of the room.
When the game begins, someone from each team runs to the right wall, then all the way to the left, then back to the middle where the ball and batons are. They then pick up their teams baton and to score a point, they hit the ball into their team’s goal. When a player has taken a shot at the goal, they run back to their team and the 2nd player on their team has their turn and so on until the time runs out.
THE TEAM WITH THE MOST POINTS AT THE END OF THE RELAY WINS!
Peace & Love,
Nigel x
The Sweetie Game
What you will need: a packet of sweets or small items (enough for 3 for each person)
Cost: approx. £3
Everyone
gets three small items (something like marbles, but sweeties which are perhaps more fun!)
Each person must keep all three in one hand, with your arm
behind your back. You can't close your hand, you have to keep it open with the items/sweets on display to everyone else.
Then it's like a big game of chase - you try and collect as many sweets from
other people's hands, (but it's tricky because they are trying to get yours
too)
Play as long as u want, and whoever has most sweets at end WINS!!!
Dishes and Domes
What you will need: small cones (the ones used for PE lessons at school, that can stand upside down- like a bowl)
Cost: nothing, unless you need to buy the cones but most youth groups will have some lying around!
Get your youth group to split into two teams - one is dishes and the other is domes.
Cost: nothing, unless you need to buy the cones but most youth groups will have some lying around!
Get your youth group to split into two teams - one is dishes and the other is domes.
Place all the cones out in an open space, with equal amounts of upright (dome) and
upside down (dish)
The young people are then given 1 minute (or however long the youth leader decides!). Each team simultaneously tries to get as many of the cones facing their way up (either upright - dome, or upside down - dish)
THE TEAM WITH THE MOST CONES THEIR WAY UP WINS!!!
Peace & Love,
Nigel x
Peace & Love,
Nigel x
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