http://churchworthy.com/Latest Gamesen-usTue, 20 May 2025 19:16:40 +0000http://churchworthy.com/games/bombs-away/A twist on dodge ball that works in small spaces, with small groups, and with kids of any age! Gather at least 3 soft foam balls. It's best to have half as many balls as you have players, but as long as you have 3 you can make it work. The balls _will_ be thrown at people, although they won't be flying across the room as fast as they do in a dodgeball game. In a pinch you could use the paper snowballs from our [snowball fight game](https://churchworthy.com/games/indoor-snowball-fight/). Have the children (and staff!) line up in two parallel rows, facing the same direction, shoulder to shoulder, with a gap of about 6 feet between the two rows. You should end up with all the people in the back row facing the backs of the people in the front row. Change the distance of the gap depending on your age group - closer together for young'uns, further apart for older kids. If you don't have enough balls for half the group, only have as many people in the front row as there are balls. It's okay to have more in the back row than the front. We like to start out with all of our junior leaders in the back row, and the kids in the front. Hand each person in the front row a ball. While still facing forward, they have to lob the ball backward over the head in an attempt to hit one of the people in the back row. The back row cannot move! They must stand still and take the hit if it comes at them. But they _can_ catch a ball, in which case they switch places with whoever threw it. If kids are not able to catch the balls you can randomly have the rows switch (or just turn around!) to give everyone a chance to be the bomber and the bombed. No one ever gets "out" in this game, which means kids are always participating and never sitting bored on the sidelines! If you have a competitive group you could try to keep score of hits, but our kids are usually satisfied just to play it.http://churchworthy.com/games/bombs-away/http://churchworthy.com/games/guess-who/This simple icebreaker game plays great with new groups, or with particularly creative and silly kids who will take a liking to doing funny voices. Pick 1 guesser to start. Blindfold them, or face them against a wall so they cannot see the rest of the children. The other kids in the room must keep quiet. Pick another child, and have them stand directly behind the guesser. They then must say, "Guess who it is!" They should not yell in the guesser's ear! They can use silly voices to try to mask themselves. Some younger children find it difficult to come up with a silly voice on their own, so before beginning the game you might give them some simple examples and let them test them out. Lower your voice to a deep tone, make it really high pitched, talk quickly like a chipmunk, or super slow motion. The guesser gets 1 guess. If they get it wrong, the other person says "Guess again!" Whether they guess right or wrong, we usually stop after the second or sometimes the third guess depending on the group size, then we move on to another guessee.http://churchworthy.com/games/guess-who/http://churchworthy.com/games/candle-shooter/Another classic minute 2 win it game, this time involving fire and water guns. Kids will have a blast! Light a candle and set it at the end of a long table. The tall, taper style candles work best, but if you are using a large, powerful water gun you might need a stockier candle that won't get knocked over with the force of the water. Have a filled water gun at the other end of the table. Choose a kid and have them line up and hold the water gun. If possible play classic Western gun fight music. When you say "draw!" they must shoot the candle with the water gun until it goes out. You can time the children to have a minute 2 win it style game, or split them up into groups and have multiple shooting ranges setup to make it a race. If needed set some towels or a plastic tarp up around the table. Unless you're using massive Super Soakers the area should not get too wet. Smaller single hand water guns with only a finger trigger can work, but you'll need smaller candles and a shorter table. Mid-sized pump actions will work the best for this game.http://churchworthy.com/games/candle-shooter/http://churchworthy.com/games/human-burrito-race/This hysterical competition has its roots in youth camps, but it plays well as a Minute 2 Win It race. Wrap your friends or leaders up in a blanket like a burrito! Split the children into teams. You must have 1 large blanket or large, soft carpet for each group. Set the groups up near a starting line, and have a finish line designated for them. Each team will have 1 person that will be burritoed. This should generally be an older kid or a junior leader, and you should ensure they are not claustrophobic before they get bound up in a blanket. The person being burrited will lay down on one edge of their blanket or carpet with only their head sticking out. Instruct the children to *not* cover their head. When the "go" signal is given, the kids must roll the person up in the blanket. When they're completely rolled up, they must *carefully* but quickly drag or carry them to the finish line. The first team to reach the finish line and unroll the burrito wins. Instruct the kids how to gently and carefully get their burritoed person to the finish line. Assign leaders to help them if you are dealing with mostly younger children. Be sure not to bounce their head on the floor or any objects. So long as their entire body stays wrapped up tightly they should avoid any rug burns from being dragged.http://churchworthy.com/games/human-burrito-race/http://churchworthy.com/games/balloon-volleyball/Balloons are a great alternative to traditional game balls when you're working in smaller spaces or with younger children. While balloon volleyball is a softer and gentler version of the real thing, it's no less intense when you have competitive children! This game works best in smaller spaces. Setup a "net" using any objects available. Chairs or benches are often the easiest and closest at hand. Split your teams between the two sides, trying to keep them even based on age and competitive level. Then let the balloons fly! This is a great one to get junior leaders involved with. Just ensure that they don't completely take over the game and let the children play too. We usually play 1 or 2 versions of the game depending on the group of kids we have. 1. Try to keep the balloon in the air for as long as possible. Count 1 point every time the balloon crosses the net. This is a fun collaborative version of the game that can teach teamwork. 2. Volleyball "lite". Each team is trying to get the balloon to hit the floor on the opposite team's side. You can implement a hit limit rule if you'd like - maximum 3 or 5 hits on one side before it must cross the net. Since it's a balloon it's a little harder to control this, especially if you have younger children who don't fully understand the game. If you have a larger or an older group, slowly introduce more balloons to make the game more challenging.http://churchworthy.com/games/balloon-volleyball/http://churchworthy.com/games/straw-races/This simple and wacky racing game can get quite competitive. Each child is given a straw, and competes to be the quickest to blow a ping pong ball or balloon to the finish line. 1. Mark a start and a finish line on the floor. 2. Give each child a straw. Bendy straws work best, although we like to let them figure out the best way to utilize them. 3. Pair children up to race against one another, or split them into two teams and have the teams race 1 competitor at a time. 4. Lay a ping pong ball or a balloon on the starting line in front of each kid. 5. The kids must get in position to blow the ball from the starting line to the finish line. 6. Kids cannot touch the ball with their hands. They can hold the straw to help direct the flow if they would like to. 6. First to the finish line is the winner. If you have a larger space, let more than two kids race together at the same time. This leads to more children overlapping one another and getting tangled up, which is half the fun! We've played it in both small and large spaces, and each presents its own challenge for the kids.http://churchworthy.com/games/straw-races/http://churchworthy.com/games/go-reverse/This simple game is a great no-prep option when you need to burn a few minutes between activities. It's a twist on the classic Red Light, Green Light, but it has many different variations that make it more entertaining. The game works better in a medium to large room, but we have played it in our small room by making some limitations as noted below the instructions. 1. Have the children line up, side by side, facing across the room toward a leader. 2. The leader will call out either "Go!" or "Reverse!" 3. On "Go!" the children take one step forward, whatever direction they are facing. 4. On "Reverse!" the children do a 180 degree turn in place. They are now facing the opposite direction. 5. If "Go" is said they will now take one step toward the starting line. 6. The first player to reach the finish line wins. While the core of this game simply rewards children who can take the largest step, we often combine it with other game ideas to make it interesting. Our favorite variation combines it with [The Sun Shines On](https://churchworthy.com/games/sun-shines/). The leader picks an attribute or characteristic - say anyone wearing blue, or anyone who likes Finding Nemo - and then combines it with "Go!" or "Reverse!" Only children for whom the attribute applies follow the direction. Everyone else stays put. To make it more fair, have the leader turn away from the players or have them blindfolded so they cannot pick out attributes for specific players. We prefer to play it with eyes open so we can give some of the younger kids who are falling behind a little nudge if needed. One other version of the game combines it with Simon Says. Instead of having an open-ended game of Simon Says, there are now only two choices between "Go!" and "Reverse!" To throw the kids off we'll often immediately repeat the action ("Simon Says 'Go!' Go!") but they only move on the first one. Or we'll throw them for a loop by modifying the word ("Simon says 'Goat cheese!'" or "Simon says 'Reverberate!'").http://churchworthy.com/games/go-reverse/http://churchworthy.com/games/indoor-snowball-fight/What kid (or adult!) doesn't enjoy a snowball fight? This is a particularly great opening game when you have a energetic group with some energy to burn. It's a great, safe alternative to a real snowball fight, with many different variation opportunities. Each snowball is made by balling up a sheet of paper, then wrapping it in packing tape. They are soft, cheap, and they fly well over short distances. How many you need to make depends on the variation of the game you play and the size of your group, but as cheap as they are it's a good rule of thumb to begin with 3 per child so there are always snowballs flying around. Since they're wrapped in tape they are nearly indestructible, and they're not likely to break a window! We usually split the children into two roughly equal teams, form a dividing line, and let them have at it! Add in chairs and benches and other obstacles for the kids to hide behind. We don't set a lot of rules and let them run in "chaos mode" until they start to get tired or it's time to begin the service. This is also a great game for small spaces! Variations: ## Dodgeball The paper snowballs make a great ball for dodge ball for younger kids. Older kids might find it too easy to catch them and dodge them, but if there are enough of them flying around that is not a problem. The balls are so light that children often don't feel them and don't realize they are hit. It's good to have a referee watching each team to call the children out or to settle disputes. ## Hot Snowball This variation adds some order to the chaos. Draw the dividing line as usual, and place all the snowballs on the line. Split the children into two evenly matched teams. Have a watch ready to go. When you say, "go!" the kids will attempt to grab and throw the snowballs to the opponent's side of the line. The goal isn't to hit the other kids, but to simply keep their side clear of snowballs while moving as many as possible to the other side. 60 second matches are usually a good length here. After you yell, "stop!" all the snowballs are collected on each side and counted. The team with the fewest snowballs gets a point.http://churchworthy.com/games/indoor-snowball-fight/http://churchworthy.com/games/rock-paper-scissors-hula-hoop-race/An active twist on a classic childhood game! We've incorporated rock-paper-scissors into several of our games, but this is one of the best we've come across. 1. Lay out the hula hoops in a line. They don't have to be perfectly straight - it's more fun if they zig-zag - but there should be only one clear path through them. Each hula hoop should be within hopping distance of the one before and after it. 2. Split the kids into two teams and have them lineup on opposite sides of the path. 3. When you say "GO!" the first player on each team must begin *hopping* through the hula hoops toward the other side. 4. When players meet in a hula hoop they must have a rock paper scissors showdown to determine who continues on. 5. The losing player exits the path and goes to the end of their line, and their next teammate in line immediately begins hopping through the path. *It's important that the children are watching their teammate and jump in as soon as the battle is lost so they can prevent the other team from moving as much as possible!* 6. When one player reaches the other side, pause the game and give that team a point. 7. After points are scored, play continues.http://churchworthy.com/games/rock-paper-scissors-hula-hoop-race/http://churchworthy.com/games/sun-shines/This is a great game that kids of all ages can enjoy! It takes just a few minutes to setup, and game play can last 3 minutes or 30 minutes. Have the group stand in a circle, but pull one person out and have them stand at the center of the circle. Use masking tape or pieces of paper to mark every person's spot in the circle. The person in the middle is "it." They have to make a statement beginning with "the sun shines on" - for example, "the sun shines on anyone wearing tennis shoes" - and then everyone to whom that statement applies must run to swap places with someone else. At the same time, the person in the middle is trying to claim an empty spot in the circle. Whoever does not find a spot in the circle is now in the middle and is "it." Game play continues until you run out of time. Hint: some of the smaller children might need help coming up with a statement. They tend to get trapped into physical characteristics - if the previous person said "anyone wearing blue" they will say, "anyone wearing red." Older children will have more fun once they realize they can use less concrete examples and say things like, "anyone whose favorite Star Wars villain is Darth Vader" or "anyone who has ever been swimming in the ocean." Hint: every once in awhile it's a good idea to switch everyone up. We do this in a fun way by choosing obvious characteristics - anyone with hair, or anyone with two legs, and so on. **Make it relevant!** This game is easy to adapt to almost any lesson you're teaching by simply changing the "sun shines on" line. For example, if you're teaching a lesson on forgiveness the line could be "Jesus forgives everyone who..." (It also can lead to some funny or embarrassing statements from some of the kids!)http://churchworthy.com/games/sun-shines/http://churchworthy.com/games/montana-sam-and-raiders-lost-ark/Grab your fedora and your whip and buckle in for a puzzling adventure! In this game the children collaborate with one another to solve a mysterious puzzle and get to the prize at the end of the dungeon. Stepping stones mark our hero's path through a dangerous, booby-trapped dungeon. Only 1 path allows the hero through unharmed. One wrong step and you're done for! Children must work together to traverse the path 1 at a time, memorizing the correct - and the incorrect - steps. It never fails to keep the children engaged, all while promoting teamwork and problem solving. This game lends itself to story telling. If you have a particularly creative leader they can weave a tale of action and suspense as the children are attempting to capture the treasure. 1. Cut out about 16 "stepping stones" from construction paper. These can be cut freehand into rough stone shapes. Brown, gray, or black paper look the best. Use more steps for a more difficult and longer game, or fewer steps to keep it easy for younger children. 2. Tape the stepping stones to the floor. They should form a rough path from the entry point to the prize at the end of the tunnel. Every stone should be within stepping (not hopping!) distance from 2 or 3 other stones. 3. Grab a piece of paper and draw out the one true path through the maze. Starting with 16 stones you should have between 6-9 steps from beginning to end. Make the path zigzag, go sideways, or even make it back track for a trickier maze! 4. Have the kids line up and attempt the maze one at a time. They must always start at the entry point, and take one step to another stone. The bigger kids will want to hop across stones, so remind them that the correct path is within reach for even the littlest guys. Everyone not going through should be watching closely so they can remember the correct path! 5. As the child steps to each stone they should pause for a moment. You then tell them if that was the correct next stone, or if they fall into the bottomless pit! We find it is significantly more entertaining to use a sound effect toy to tell them they're out. Otherwise you can be creative and make up a silly reason for why they are "out." 6. If they step to the correct stone they can continue on. If they make an incorrect step, the child goes back to the end of the line and the next kid begins from the start of the maze. 7. This is where it's important for the children to be watching and remembering the correct path. Remind them that this is a **collaborative game** where everyone can share in the prize. They are not competing against each other, but working together. Allow them to help each other remember the path through the maze. 8. At the end of the maze is the prize! But it can only be obtained after the correct path has been taken. We used a giant Easter egg full of candy that could be shared with everyone. When playing this game, it took the children a few minutes to realize that not only did they have to step on the correct stones to get through the maze, but **they had to step on them in the correct order**. To make the game easier for a younger group you could rescind this rule and only make them find the correct stones. You could also remove incorrect stones (they "fall into the pit when stepped on") to make it quicker for them.http://churchworthy.com/games/montana-sam-and-raiders-lost-ark/http://churchworthy.com/games/verse/Knowledge building version of the classic basketball challenge game Horse. Game play is exactly like Horse, except when a player misses a shot in Verse, they are given a chance to quote their favorite Bible passage to avoid picking up a letter. Alternatively, the game organizer chooses verses for the children to recite.http://churchworthy.com/games/verse/http://churchworthy.com/games/horse/Classic basketball challenge game for two to a dozen players. Players shoot in order of youngest to oldest. The first basket scored sets the game, the next player must score a basket from the same position on the court. If the consecutive player(s) miss, they earn a letter of the game title. When play rotation returns to the original scoring player, they must repeat their shot. If they succeed, they shoot again from a new position on the court, gaining an extra turn. If they fail, game play repeats. The game title can be changed from Horse to Pig, Cat, or any word you choose in order to adjust play length. When a player picks up the entire title, they are out until the game is over. Game play ends when there is one player remaining.http://churchworthy.com/games/horse/http://churchworthy.com/games/sardines/Two great twists on a classic game of Hide-and-Seek! Version 1: Divide into groups of three or more children. One group is "it" and the remaining groups hide, but each group must remain together. The first group found will be "it" next, but if all groups return to base, the seekers will remain "it" for up to three rounds. Version 2: One child is picked to be "it" first, but in this version they hide! The remaining children have to seek "it", and join in their hiding spot. The last last child to join will be "it" next. If the selected to be "it" is not found in a predetermined time; ie 10 minutes, they must be "it" for up to three rounds.http://churchworthy.com/games/sardines/http://churchworthy.com/games/plain-sight/This is a wonderful game that helps children to learn a Bible verse, while encouraging teamwork and collaboration. It makes an excellent object lesson! Divide a memory verse into separate words or sections and write them on an index card. (This is most fun if each word of the memory verse is written on its own card, but you must have enough kids for that.) Then tape a card to each kid's forehead without letting him or her see what word it is. Instruct the kids not to tell anyone what word is on their forehead. Without help from one another, they must figure out what word is on their own head. Then have them line up in proper order word-for-word (again without help). When done, have them do the activity again, but with help from one another. The point is that **it is easier for us to reach our goals (to live like Christ) with the help of our friends and loved ones**.http://churchworthy.com/games/plain-sight/http://churchworthy.com/games/candy-bar-jump/This is an easy object lesson for a message about sharing, teamwork, or being neighborly. Children try to get the candy bars, but they can only reach them by working together! Tape candy bars high on the wall, out of reach. Ask each participant to try to reach it without using anything to stand on, or without help from another person. The kids will try to reach the candy by jumping. After everyone has had a chance, ask them to try again by lifting one another. With the help of one person, they may be able to reach the candy. With the help of two people, they should be able to easily reach the candy. The point is that it is easier for us to reach our goals (to live like Christ) with the help of our friends and loved ones. Encourage the children to not only share the candy with those who helped them reach it, but with the entire group.http://churchworthy.com/games/candy-bar-jump/http://churchworthy.com/games/talent-ball/This is a small, touching game for close-knit groups. What it lacks in excitement it makes up for in self-confidence! Have the group sit in a circle on the floor or in chairs. The leader begins with a demonstration by holding the ball and selecting a member of the group to talk about: "Whether you know it or not, your talent is ___________________________. I can see God using your _____________________." The leader then passes the ball to the person to which he/she was referring. Only after the ball is passed is the identity of the subject revealed. The person to whom the ball was tossed must then select someone to speak about and pass the ball again. Only after every person has been selected may a person be chosen again. You can use any object for this game - it could be a ball, or a balloon, or just a small object that can be tossed short distances.http://churchworthy.com/games/talent-ball/http://churchworthy.com/games/simon-says-mary-contrary/A classic party game that younger children never get sick of! Mary Contrary adds a level of complexity and confusion to an otherwise straightforward game. 1. Line the children up, side by side facing a leader. 2. The leader then tells the group to do something. 3. If the leader prefaces the statement with, "Simon says..." then the kids must actually do it. But if this is left off, 4. If a kid does an action that was not prefaced by "Simon says..." they are out for the round. 5. They have to continue doing the action until Simon says to stop. This can be a fun way to combine actions, like rubbing their head while standing on one foot. Don't forget to tell them to stop! Mary Contrary variation 1. Play Simon Says as usual, except add a second leader giving commands. This person is "Mary Contrary" or "Barry Contrary" if it's a male leader. 2. When Mary Contrary gives commands, the children must do the opposite. So "hop on your right leg" becomes "hop on your left leg." 3. If they do the wrong thing, or do an action when not prefaced by, "Mary Contrary says..." they are out for the round. Alternate idea for Mary Contrary: instead of having a Simon and a Mary Contrary, you have *only* a Mary Contrary. In this version, if you just say, "Mary says..." they have to do the command, but if you say, "Mary Contrary says..." then they have to do the opposite. Starter command ideas for the game: - hop on your right leg - scratch your nose - wave at the person on your right - give a thumbs up - make a peace sign with your fingers - stick out your tongue - wink with your left eye - say "humuhumunukunukuapuaa" - beat your chest like an ape - pump your fist - spin around twice, clockwise - grab your right foot with your left hand - yell like Tarzan - bow or curtsy - put your right hand in, put your right hand out - shake it all about - do the sign language, "I love you" - pretend to brush your hair - say, "arrr matey!" - play air guitar - jump as high as you can - rub your tummy and pat your head - waddle like a penguin - give your best puppy dog eyes - tick your neighbor - yawn like you're bored - hug yourself - take 2 and a half steps backward - kiss your elbow - do your best evil laugh - leap like a frog - look up - point to your right leg - clap three times - put your hands on your hips - reach for the sky - do the robot - freeze - do the wiggleshttp://churchworthy.com/games/simon-says-mary-contrary/http://churchworthy.com/games/-down/Up-Down is a simple, no-prep that's great for small groups in a classroom setting. Requiring only a single coin to play, it can be used as a 60 second intro game, or as a time filler while waiting for the pastor to finish his sermon. 1. Split the children into two teams on opposite sides of a table. 2. Give a quarter to one team. Any coin will work, but a quarter is best because of its size and heft. 3. The team with the quarter passes it back and forth to each other while the other side counts out 10 seconds. They can use any methods or trickery to pass the quarter around in an attempt to fool the other team, including pretending to pass it, or hiding their hands under the table. 4. After the counting team gets to 10 they shout, "Up!" At that, the team with the quarter must all raise their hands up with their fists closed. The quarter should now be hidden in someone's hand. 5. The leader on the counting team then shouts, "Down!" All the players with their fists in the air must now slap their hands on the table, palm down. The quarter should be under someone's hand. 6. The counting team has been watching and listening for the quarter. They discuss among themselves about where the quarter is, then the leader states their guess. 7. If they guess correctly, they take the quarter. If incorrect, the other team continues on with it. We like to swap it after 3 incorrect guesses. Fun idea: you can easily create a simple points system for this game to make it more interesting. - 3 points for a correct guess - 2 points for guessing the wrong hand of the player with the quarter - 1 point for guessing the player on either side of the person with the quarterhttp://churchworthy.com/games/-down/http://churchworthy.com/games/three-kind/A raucous party game for larger groups of all ages. This simple game lets kids do one of their favorite things ever: be as loud and unruly as they possibly can! 1. Print out a word list and cut up each word. The words are in groups of three of a kind - three objects that go together. For example, lion, tiger, and jaguar are all 3 big cats. 2. Mix up the words in a large bowl or a bucket. 3. Let each kid pick a word, but not look at it yet. 4. After everyone has their word, they all go to a big open area. We like to call, "mix it up!" and let them move around and jumble together for 30 seconds or so. 5. When everyone is ready, yell "go!" to start the game. They can then look at their word. 6. Their goal is to shout out their word as loudly as they can, and try to find their partners. 7. They don't automatically know what the theme is - so they are trying to listen to what everyone else is shouting out to find who could be their partners. 8. Once three of a kind have found each other, they have to run to a designated leader and say in unison, "we are three of a kind!" 9. Don't stop after the first team is finished! Let the game continue until all groups have been found. This game works best with really large groups of kids that are 8+ years old. Younger kids tend to get swallowed up in the chaos, but you can separate the younger guys into a smaller group to let them have their own game. With kids under 8 you could still have fun with as few as 9 people. | Lion | Tiger | Jaguar | |-----------------|--------------|----------------| | Peanut | Almond | Walnut | | Red | Blue | Green | | Mario | Luigi | Toadstool | | Shirt | Pants | Shoes | | Circle | Square | Triangle | | Pizza | Pasta | Hamburger | | Cucumber | Celery | Carrot | | Necklace | Bracelet | Ring | | Jacket | Coat | Hoodie | | Football | Baseball | Soccer | | Canada | Mexico | Spain | | Cat | Dog | Fish | | Xbox | Playstation | Switch | | Dr. Pepper | Coke | Root Beer | | Mansion | Castle | Palace | | McDonalds | Burger King | Chick-Fil-A | | Math | Science | Social Studies | | Neice | Nephew | Cousin | | Summer | Winter | Spring | | Captain America | Thor | Iron Man | | Jealous | Angry | Happy | | Toy Story | Finding Nemo | Frozen | | Venus | Jupiter | Pluto | | Rose | Lily | Daisy |http://churchworthy.com/games/three-kind/http://churchworthy.com/games/heads-up-seven-up/With zero setup time, and no props required this classic elementary school game is a terrific time-filler that kids never fail to love. This is also a teacher favorite as it's one of the quietest and tamest games we have discovered! 1. Choose seven children to come to the front of the room. If working with smaller groups you can choose as few as 3 children, and no more than half the group. We've made this game work with only 7 people total. Don't be afraid to involve the leaders! 2. Everyone else puts their head down on their chair, with one of their thumbs sticking up. They must close their eyes and not peek! 3. The students that are "it" walk around the room, and each tags 1 person by gently pressing their thumb down. Let them get creative by being stealthy, or stomping around to cause confusion. 4. When they have each tapped the thumb of 1 person they return to the front of the room and the leader calls, "heads up, seven up." 5. All the kids can now open their eyes, and the selected children stand up. There should be the same number of kids selected that there are children that are "it." 6. Go through all the selected children 1 at a time and let them make 1 guess as to who picked them. You can go in any order, but we like to generally go oldest to youngest so the younger kids have an easier choice. 7. If they guess correctly, they switch spots with the person that is it. 8. After everyone has guessed, heads down and start again! Helpful hint: sometimes kids can be cliquish and choose only their friends, leaving other people out. If we see this happening we like to "change it up!" and choose an entirely new group to be up front so that everyone gets a chance.http://churchworthy.com/games/heads-up-seven-up/http://churchworthy.com/games/david-and-goliath/Using newsprint, draw a giant and tape it to the wall. With one handkerchief, blindfold a child. With the other handkerchief and a large paper ball or soft rubber ball, create a sling and “stone.” Give the blindfolded child the sling and stone, spin him around repeatedly. Stop with the child facing the giant, and let him sling the stone at the giant. Mark the spot where the stone lands with a sticker with the child’s name on it. Repeat with next child. The child who slings a stone closed to giant’s nose wins.http://churchworthy.com/games/david-and-goliath/http://churchworthy.com/games/bible-dominoes/With masking tape and permanent marker, write out a memory verse, and word-by-word, tape it to a set of dominoes. Write is out as many times necessary to cover each domino with a word. Then play dominoes by having each child randomly draw seven tiles. In turn, each child may attempt to lay down the next word of the verse. If they do not have the word, they must pick up dominoes from the common pile one at a time until they draw the word and play it. The first child to use all of his dominoes wins. Alternatively, the child with the least dominoes after the verse is completed wins.http://churchworthy.com/games/bible-dominoes/http://churchworthy.com/games/bible-trivia-twister/Using the game “Twister” the player who spins must answer correctly answer a Bible Question. If they answer correctly, they do not have to complete the play by moving a hand or foot into position. If they answer incorrectly, they must follow the instructions on the Twister Spinner. The last kid standing (who doesn’t fall) wins.http://churchworthy.com/games/bible-trivia-twister/http://churchworthy.com/games/wheel-bible-fortune/Choose a Bible Memory Verse, for example John 3:16. Write part of the verse on a white board, covering each letter with a sticky note. F _ R G _ D S _ _ _ V _ D T H _ W _ R _ D Have the kids sit in a circle, one of them holding a Bible. When you say, “GO,” the Bible will be passed from child to child until you say stop. The person holding the Bible at stop will then get to call out a letter of the alphabet. If he or she guesses a correct letter, you will uncover the letter or letters. The child then has 10 seconds to guess the phrase before the Bible is then passed on to another child.http://churchworthy.com/games/wheel-bible-fortune/http://churchworthy.com/games/fishers-men/In this fun game of tag, the Fisherman is it. Everyone else is a fish. When the fish get tagged, they have to follow the fisherman, from behind, holding onto his or her shoulders, until every child is tagged, and everyone is in line behind the fisherman. This game works best with a time limit and a confined area.http://churchworthy.com/games/fishers-men/http://churchworthy.com/games/bible-tic-tac-toes/This game for children is simple and has two variations. It is perfect for children who are familiar with Bible stories and are of reading age, but it can be played by even younger children. Create a tic tac toe grid on the floor with masking tape. Cut out nine Xs and nine Os. Divide the kids into two teams, one team is X and the other is O. One at a time, each team throws the bean bag into an empty square. It the bag lands in an empty square, they have a chance to put down their X or O by answering a Bible trivia question. Like tic tac toe, the first team to fill three squares in a row wins. If the bean lands in an occupied square: - If the bag lands in a square occupied by their own marker, the opposing team may knock them out of that square by correctly answering a question. If the opposing team correctly answers the question, then they may try to answer a second question to capture the square. If the team incorrectly answers either question, the first team maintains the square. - If the bag lands on a square occupied by the opposing team’s marker, then the team that tossed the bag gets the chance to knock the opposing team out of the square by successfully answering a question. If they correctly answer the question, then they may answer a second question and capture the square for themselves. If the team incorrectly answers either question, then the opposition maintains the square. - If the tossed bag lands on an unoccupied square, the team gets the chance to capture the square by answering a bible trivia question. If they do not correctly answer the question, then it is the next team’s chance to toss the bag. - If the bag is tossed out of bounds, it is the next player’s turn.http://churchworthy.com/games/bible-tic-tac-toes/http://churchworthy.com/games/egg-spoon/In this race, kids must run from point A to point B carrying a hard-boiled egg in a spoon without dropping it. If dropped, the racer must start over at the beginning. A relay race with two different teams works best. Substitute any seasonal or fun item for the egg. - plastic eggs filled with candy for Easter - mini Christmas ornaments - Halloween candy - water balloons in the Summerhttp://churchworthy.com/games/egg-spoon/http://churchworthy.com/games/noahs-animals/This cute game is perfect for toddlers up to 9. Simply tell the story of Noah and the ark, while choosing kids to represent the animals. They are to act like and sound like the animals. The most fun can be had with lions, tigers, bears, monkeys, kangaroos, elephants, birds, and snakes.http://churchworthy.com/games/noahs-animals/http://churchworthy.com/games/3-legged-race-twist/This is an ordinary three-legged race, with one leg of each participant tied loosely together, but with a twist. The legs are tied left to left, which puts one of the kids facing backwards. Create a race area with two different goals. Once the runners reach the first goal, then the other child must run backwards. Be sure to encourage them to work together, take their time, and not topple one another.http://churchworthy.com/games/3-legged-race-twist/http://churchworthy.com/games/crackers/This is a simple game, and maybe a little disgusting. Kids love it. It can be played in any room or outside, with at least three or more kids. Make peanut butter sandwiches of two saltines with peanut butter between them. Overload the peanut butter. Stack the cracker sandwiches on a table. Each child must put one or two sandwiches in his or her mouth and chew. The first kid to be able to swallow the crackers and whistle clearly is the winner. Have plenty of drinking water on hand, and towels for cleanup.http://churchworthy.com/games/crackers/http://churchworthy.com/games/gaga-ball/This is a fun update to dodge ball that has grown quite popular. It's fast paced and high energy - great for wearing kids out! While dodge ball favors aggressive, athletic players, gaga ball adds enough randomness that even weaker players can often win. This is best played with a bouncy kickball, but a foam ball can be used for younger kids. Traditionally played in an octagonal pit, it's easy to setup a course using standard fold up tables. Lay them on their side, table top inward, and pull the legs out to prop them up. 1. Everyone jumps into the pit to start, with a hand on the wall. 2. A leader or referee throws the ball up in the air in the middle. 3. If it's a bouncy ball, everyone yells GA on the first two bounces, and GO on the third bounce, at which time they can leave the wall and game play begins. 4. If using a foam ball that doesn't bounce, the referee can yell GA-GA-GO to time the start. 5. It's every man for himself. Hit the ball, but don't catch it, don't throw it, and don't kick it. 6. If the ball touches you below the knees, you're out! Leave the course immediately. 7. Any hit above the knees or below the face is fair. 8. Use the walls wisely, and don't be afraid to leap over the ball! 9. If the player leaves the arena, the player who hit it is out. Some variations on the rules: - If the ball is a pop fly, another player can catch it to get the hitter out. We've found this leads to too much debate over what is a pop fly and what is not, so we leave it out. - A player cannot 'double hit' the ball. After hitting it, another person must touch the ball before the first player can hit it again. - Throw a second or even a third ball in the pit. This is a great way to speed up a game if it's coming to a standstill.http://churchworthy.com/games/gaga-ball/http://churchworthy.com/games/can-can/A wild and rowdy youth group favorite! This high energy game is a the spiritual successor to the classic Red Rover, now with even more potential for scraped shins and bruised ribs. Don't play this on a hard surface! 1. Place a large, empty garbage can in the middle of the play area. If no trash can is available, any large object that won't hurt a player when they slam into it should work. 2. Everyone gathers in a circle around the garbage can and joins hands. 3. If playing with a group larger than 20-25 people it is best to break into multiple circles. 4. All the players now try to yank others into touching the garbage can while avoiding it themselves! Anyone who touches it is out. 5. If a player loses grip on their neighbor's hand, both people are out. 6. It's good to call a short timeout any time someone gets out so they can safely leave the course and everyone else can catch their breath. You can add a little more excitement to the game by using stacks of toiler paper rolls in the center instead of a garbage can. This makes it easier to determine when someone is out. Turn it into a fun Summer game by using a kiddie pool filled with water in the center!http://churchworthy.com/games/can-can/http://churchworthy.com/games/tell-truth/A fun game of lies! Three contestants are trying to convince the rest of the group that they are what they say they are, but only 1 is sworn to tell the truth. Based off the popular game show but made into a party style game. 1. Choose three contestants. These should be older kids, or leaders, that are quick-witted and able to spin a good story. 2. Choose an attribute that only applies to 1 of the contestants, or a story of something that happened to them that most people don't know. The weirder the better! This will make the game more fun and engaging, and illicit many silly questions. Some ideas and suggestions are below. 3. This contestant is now sworn to telling the truth. The other 2 contestants can take a few minutes to find out details about the attribute or event so that they can convince the rest of the crowd that they are telling the truth. 2. Tell the crowd about the event and introduce the contestants one by one using a game "announcer." 5. The rest of the crowd participates in asking each contestant a question to try to figure out which one is telling the truth. If working with a small group, you can pick 3-4 kids to be the question askers. Otherwise split them up into teams that come up with questions. 5. Each question asker or group goes through and asks questions about the contestants and the chosen event. There is a lot of room to improvise here, but generally try to allow each one to ask 1-2 questions, so that each contestant is answering 2-3 questions. 6. After the questions are asked, each kid or group gets to guess which person is telling the truth. 7. The announcer then says, "will the real [attribute] please stand up?" The contestants can make a show of standing or sitting to make it more dramatic. Suggests for attributes or events that make for a good story: - a favorite fictional character - a trip to Disney world - a popular food that one of the contestants hates - a unique hobby that they participate in - an award that they won at schoolhttp://churchworthy.com/games/tell-truth/http://churchworthy.com/games/sticky-balloon/A quick and fun party game. 1. Divide children into teams. Each team should have no more than 9-10 children. 2. The team chooses one player to be their "sticky figure." Ensure this person is not jumpy or afraid of balloons popping! 3. The rest of the team wraps tape around the sticky figure, sticky side out. Use duct tape or packing tape. 4. They then have five minutes to blow up as many balloons as possible and stick them onto their stick figure. 5. After time is up, a leader can count the balloons by popping them one at a time.http://churchworthy.com/games/sticky-balloon/http://churchworthy.com/games/chin-relay/A simple relay game with no setup required and very few props. This could be played in a Minute 2 Win It style, or as a team relay. Use wet sponges to turn this into a Summer game! 1. Place balls or balloons on the floor together. Any number can work, but we usually go with 5 or 6. The balls do not have to all be the same, so long as they can be held between a child's chin and chest. 2. The goal is for the child to pick the balls up using their chins. 3. They then run the ball or balloon that they picked up and drop it in a bucket. 4. Do this relay style for teams, 1 on 1 races, or as a Minute 2 Win It game.http://churchworthy.com/games/chin-relay/http://churchworthy.com/games/pictionary/A classic party game where children try to guess what is being drawn. Best done on a chalkboard or a whiteboard, but you can do it on a big piece of paper. Use sidewalk chalk to turn it into a fun outdoor game! 1. Pick 1 person to be the drawer for this round. 2. Whisper an object to draw in their ear. 3. The other kids shout out trying to be the first to guess what is being drawn. 4. Alternatively, split the kids up into teams and give the drawer for each team the same object. Sample objects to draw: - animals (lion, dog, zebra, whale, narwhal, etc.) - food (cupcake, pizza, apple, spaghetti, etc.) - identifiable famous people or characters (Abe Lincoln, Spongebob, Blackbeard, etc.) - buildings (Eiffel Tower, Empire State Building, Leaning Tower of Pisa, etc.) - sports (soccer ball, baseball bat, helmet, etc.) - household items (toothbrush, soap, deodorant, etc.) - outdoors (trees, the sun, mountains, etc.) - weather (snow, tornado, earthquake, etc.) - clothing (shoes, tuxedo, pocket watch, etc.)http://churchworthy.com/games/pictionary/http://churchworthy.com/games/scatterball/A fun variation on dodge ball! This game can be played with only 1 soft foam ball, making it a fun alternative to a large dodge ball game. It's every man for himself, and since players are never fully out, they don't get bored sitting on the sidelines. 1. Everyone stands in the middle with a hand on the ball. 2. The leader shouts, "scatter!" and all the players run off. 3. The ball is then tossed into the air. 4. From here out, dodge ball rules apply. Try to chuck the ball at a player. If they are hit, they're out. If they catch it, you are out. 5. **The player holding the ball can take a maximum of 2 steps.** If they step further than that they must drop the ball and go out. 5. When a player goes out, they simply sit down where they are at. They can still snag balls that are roll to them on the ground, allowing them to rejoin the game. 7. Last person standing wins. Throw in more than 1 ball for larger groups.http://churchworthy.com/games/scatterball/