Spud - This game only requires a ball, ideally a small one such as a tennis ball, and it should be played

outdoors. Each player is assigned a number. Then the leader throws the ball high into the air and shouts the number of one of the players; this player must catch or retrieve the ball, while the other players scarper as quickly as possible. When the player has the ball in his grasp, the other players must stop moving. S/He then attempts to hit another player with the ball. If s/he succeed, the player who was hit gains a 'spud'. If s/he miss, then s/he gets a 'spud'. The game then begins again with the leader throwing the ball up for another player. The player with the fewest 'spuds' at the end is the winner.

Dodge Ball - this is one of the games that teens seem to love the most. It is very simple, and again, it only requires a ball, though as this is usually played indoors, a soft, large ball is best. The teens must simply try to avoid being hit below the knee with the ball (usually the leaders get to do the throwing!). There is almost as much fun to be had in watching the game being played as in playing it, so you needn't worry too much about those who are out of the game early on.

Not in My Half! - the simplest of games, again, but exhilarating and fun nonetheless. Divide the hall/space into two, or even four, depending on the size of your group, and split your teens up into two teams. You can then use beanbags or rolled up paper balls which must be spread out in each half of the room. On the leader's signal, each team must attempt to get rid of all their beanbags into the other team's half. This goes on for as long as you wish, but both teams must stop dead when you give the signal - if they don't, award penalty points. The winning side is the one with fewest beanbags left. Related on Youth Group Games...
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Dunk it! - you'll need a large field or sports hall for this game. Split the group into two teams. At each end of the field/hall place a waste paper bin, the target is for one team to dunk the ball into the other team's bin. The ball can be thrown, passed, kicked and bounced. Players can also run with the ball. If the player is tagged by the other team they must drop the ball. If the player can not move any further they must drop the ball. When the ball is dunked into their opponent's bin the player must shout 'dunk it!' for it to count. The first team to dunk the ball wins. On Safari - give each person the name of a different animal e.g., lion, hyena, elephant. Make sure that only they know the animal they have been given. Make sure that you have a least three of each animal (depending on group size). Spread the group out so they are each in their own space, then on your signal each person must make the noise of the animal they were given. The first group to get all of their animals together and sit down wins.

Quiet Games

Scissors - teens love games which play with one's preconceptions, and this is a classic example. All it requires is a pair of ordinary scissors. The group sits in a circle. The leader then hands a pair of scissors to the person on his left and says 'Crossed' or 'Uncrossed'. The leader should show clearly whether the scissors are closed or open as he does so, but shouldnt actually say anything about this. This process then continues, with the leader either confirming the announcement (e.g., 'Yes, they're crossed'), or corrects the player (e.g., 'don't be so silly, they're clearly uncrossed!'). The 'secret' behind the game - which teens often take a little while to figure out - is that it depends on whether the person's legs are 'crossed' or 'uncrossed'! If you want, you can make it even more difficult by referring instead to the legs of the person receiving the scissors, or simply to the leader's legs every time.

I Went to Camp - another deceptive quiet game, where the leader starts by saying "I went to camp and I took a/an [Object]." The next player then has to repeat the phrase with another object, at which point the leader tells the player whether they can take the object or not. The 'secret' is that the object has to start with the same letter as the speaker's name. Variations include the first letter of the name of the person sitting to your left, double letters (e.g. spaghetti, banner, ball) etc.

Who am I? - this game is fun for kids of any age. You'll need a pack of post-it notes and a pen. Write down the name of a famous character or celebrity on individual post it notes - enough for the size of your group - and stick them on the player's forehead so everyone can see them except for the person it's stuck to. Each person the gets to ask a "yes" or "no" question to the group about who they are. The person who guesses right first is the winner.

There are many other games which work very well with teens between 12 and 15 years old. For example, any sort of wide game played in an open space or in the woods at night is guaranteed to go down a treat; similarly, activities such as movie nights, cooking sessions or even make-overs work well. Yes, even boys tend to muck in with that last one! Experiment with your youth group and see what excites them; think about giving them a chance to think up some ideas of their own, too. But most importantly: have fun! Older teens require a leader with nerves of steel and a sharp mind. They're people on the cusp of adulthood, who think they know it all, and they are usually just dying to catch you out. That means, as a leader, that you must be prepared, and have games and activities which grab their attention from the word go. Thankfully, though, there are resources at hand: this article will provide you with some games which are guaranteed to get 16-18 year olds involved in a positive way. Active Games Of course, all age groups love a wide game, but the unique thing about this age group is that they are usually much more trustworthy when it comes to 'rough and tumble' games. They also have the intellectual capacity to deal with the most complex forms of the wide game. This means that you can think up as many variations as you like.

One great version is Capture the Flag in which each team has two separate areas to defend their base, and their 'jail', in which the opposing players remain captured. Players can be freed from the jail and then have a free walk back to their own bases, but the person who freed them is taking a huge risk by doing so! The object of this particular wide game is of course to grab the flag which flies in the opposing team's base and bring it back safely to your team's base. There are many other variations on the wide game theme of course; be inventive, and come up with different ways to define objectives for each team. Related on Youth Group Games...
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Other active games can also be extremely popular with teens of 16-18. The key thing is to be imaginative and to think outside the conventional; kids of that age will usually be involved in local clubs if they are into specific sports such as football or cricket, so you need to find ways of building on the skills they have in those areas, and also introducing interesting twists. One example of such a hybrid is 'Croccer', which is like Kwik Cricket but played with a baseball bat and a rugby ball. All the same rules apply - you can be out bowled or caught, and each team bats for a specific time before swapping over. The leader can also avoid accusations of bias by bowling for both sides. The satisfying smack of baseball bat on rugby ball is hard to beat, and the peculiar bounce of the rugby ball evens up the fact that it is hard to hit long distances. Another great game to play with this age group is Aussie Rules with a huge exercise ball in a wide open space; again, the thump of trainer on plastic is a hilarious sound, and the game often descends into anarchic scenes of amused teens piled up in a struggle to get to the oversized ball. These games allow teens who are often in the middle of stressful educational situations to let their hair down and relax. Other Games 16 to 18 year olds tend to be capable of more intellectual, strategic games than younger children. You can take advantage of their mental ability by setting them tough challenges for those rainy days when the group has to stay indoors. Some great games can be played with pen and paper, such as the Dictionary Game (which involves making up bogus definitions for outlandish words), Pictionary or Poetry Consequences. Similarly, you can give the teens tougher games such as building carriers for eggs which can be dropped from a certain height, using only materials such as newspapers, pipe cleaners and glue;

or even building a tower from newspaper and sticky tape. Whichever team builds the tallest tower wins. The really important thing to remember is that these are people who are nearing adulthood. They are beginning to understand the responsibilities of maturity, and that realisation may scare them a little. As a youth leader, your job is to tread the fine line between patronising them, and giving them a chance to express the last vestiges of their childhood before striking out on the road towards sophistication. These games should help you toe the line, and you may even have a little fun into the bargain! Children learn by playing, and youth groups can aid childrens learning by introducing them to a world of fun, educational games that teach them how to better get along with others, respect other peoples differences, and understand the importance of teamwork. Games that are designed for certain age groups can also help kids learn basic life skills they might not already know, or help them to improve upon and reinforce those skills they are just learning, or have recently learned. These can include everything from cooking simple meals to gardening to carpentry and sewing work. Blogger Sheri Kruger writes that its important to teach children life skills, no matter what their age. In fact, it's one of the best ways to prepare them for life, she believes. Teaching practical life skills and philosophies are important parts of developing our children into well rounded and happy adults, she writes. Skills Kruger thinks every child should know before they leave home include everything from meal planning and food shopping to typing with two hands to knowing the consequences of drink driving. They should also know how to change a car wheel, read food labels, and how to build fun things from scratch, such as making a simple kite and a putting together a basic gokart. Junior Games Younger children are still making sense of the world, and learning the basics of getting along with others independently, without parental supervision. Here are some great games for children aged 8 11: 1. Nutrition Mission Many kids think they know about healthy eating but do they really? Ask children to make a healthy eating lunchbox or dinner plate, using a combination of different foods you present on a poster, white board or chalkboard. Discuss the pros and cons of different foods, and explain the food groups. Fun facts can help bring the message home: did you know, for example, that a can of Coca-Cola contains the equivalent of ten sugar cubes, or that the strawberry flavouring used in fast food restaurants to flavour ice cream and shakes contains more than 50 different chemicals? 2. Empathy Central

Break children up in pairs, write down different situations on cards, and give them ten minutes before they have to act out the scenario before the group. Situations can include a grandparent who has died, a child who has failed an exam, the parents of a best friend who are getting divorced. Teaching about empathy is one of the most important life skills a child should learn. Once they have this understanding and a genuine desire to relieve others pain it will make them better people, Kruger writes. Related on Youth Group Games...
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3. No Man is an Island Break up into small groups, then tell the children their task is to research an island they know nothing about. Is it receptive to them, or hostile? Should they build a bridge to reach it, or a wall to protect themselves? Make a list of the pros and cons, then construct the model from paper or clay, or do junk modelling. Later, discuss their rationale. If there is someone we know little or nothing about, how do we treat them? Early Teen Games Children this age are going through enormous changes, both physical and emotional, and often their feelings are all over the place. Help the 12-15-year-olds in your youth group learn more about this stage in their lives with these fun games, which should help put at least a few things into perspective. 1. What Makes Me Angry Everyone gets angry, but learning what triggers your anger and why can help. Have the youth group members write down a list of ten things that annoy them, from minor irritants such as someone clipping their fingernails in class to major disruptions. Then ask them how they react to the triggers, and whether their solution is a good one. Then, discuss. For example, is physically lashing out ever a practical solution? What about screaming or yelling? Anger is a normal human emotion that can stimulate people to engage in constructive acts, or lead to destructive behaviours, writes John R. Charlesworth Ph.D. in Helping Adolescents Manage Anger. Frequently anger problems first become apparent during an adolescents school years. 2. Shhhh! Kids break up into peers and have to find out three things that are new and interesting about the other person but without speaking. They then have to tell the group what three things they have discovered - or think they have. Great way to teach both teamwork, and the importance of body language. Often, we tell others a lot more about ourselves than we might think

Kids today are pressurised from a myriad of different sources, and often saying no is definitely the way to go. How can this be done firmly and effectively? Ask the kids to volunteer different scenarios where they might feel pushed into something trying drugs, drinking alcohol, cheating on an exam, lying to parents (this will depend on the nature of your own youth group). Then have them act out the right way and the wrong way to say no to peer pressure. Having fun with serious topics can often be an effective way to get your message across. Games for Older Members Youth group members of this age are about to embark on an entirely new adventure in life. Many are finishing their education and will move on to supporting themselves and living independently. These games for 16 18-year-olds will help them think about what will eventually be expected of them in the big, brave world. 1. Getting that Job Job-hunting has a vocabulary that can be unfamiliar to a coddled teen, so set up a mock job market where the best applicant wins. Teens will learn to scour newspapers and websites to see what jobs are on offer, put together CVs and have fake interviews. Get together an interview panel to see who is the most convincing applicant and to help others improve their employment chances next time. 2. Brilliant Budgeting Have each youth group member make a list of expenses they think theyd have if they lived on their own. Youd be surprised how many think rent and food are their only expenses! Talk about what theyd really need food, rent, gas, electricity, water, incidentals, transport etc. Best budget the most realistic one - wins a prize. 3. A Moral Dilemma Many teens have yet to come across a real moral dilemma in their lives, and are unsure about how theyd react when push comes to shove. Break up into two groups and plan a debate that will really question their ethics and morals, with half an hour to prepare. Sample questions could be: Should parents have control over their teens sex lives and Is euthanasia ever justified? Tailor questions to your own youth group for best effect. Why Learn Life Skills? Helping children and teenagers develop into responsible, caring adults should be the goal of everyone who educates children, be they youth group leaders, teachers or even parents. Learning how to manage money and work, knowing how to do mundane daily chores and being able to communicate effectively with bosses, colleagues and friends are all skills every adult should have already mastered long ago. Thats why learning them as children is so important.

Clever youth group leaders realise the importance of teaching life skills, and therefore incorporate them into their members' weekly activities as something fun that is eagerly anticipated. Everyone has their own definition of adult success, whether it means making tonnes of money or just being happy. But one thing we all have in common is this: without mastering the right life skills, success is a long way off. Imaginative play is greatly underestimated in the lives of our children. Scientific research has proved that children who are given myriad opportunities to participate in unstructured, imaginative activities grow into well-adjusted adults. Teenagers, who are notoriously difficult to pull away from their Playstations, Wiis, computers and Nintendos, need imaginative games more than anyone. So much of their lives, both in school and after school, is centred around competition, so using their imagination gives them a unique chance to escape from the confines of both school and peer pressure. Teenagers who are not actively encouraged to make full use of their imagination may some day lose the ability to use it at all. Imaginative youth group games for teenagers can stimulate their brains and encourage their creativity, helping them to become healthy adults. Picture This! Here is an unusual take on the scavenger hunt, which allow teens to make use of their creative abilities as well as their photographic talents. Each team is given a watch, a digital camera and a list of items they have to hunt down and photograph, such as teacup, old sock, round ring and "rubber duck". Or you could make it more imaginative, with "something green from nature", "something over 6ft tall" etc. Give the teams a specific length of time to complete photographing as many items as possible, after which they have to return regardless of whether they have completed the task. The team that has taken pictures of the most items wins. Related on Youth Group Games...
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Encourage each team member to be as creative and imaginative as possible in deciding which photos to take their choices may surprise you. Less obvious photos get extra points, so watch out for the unexpected... Record Breaker The idea of this game is to set as many records as possible but they all have to be wild and wacky. Ideas can include memorising a list of household items, bouncing a basketball the longest period of time, blinking the fastest or burping the loudest it's all up to the teens themselves to use their imaginations and get creative. It's important to have a good mix of records based on different qualities - endurance, stamina, intellect, strength to make sure that nobody feels left

out. Everyone is good at something, even if that means balancing a spoon on their nose for seven minutes. Make an afternoon or evening of this game with silly prizes and an even sillier awards ceremony. Keep track of the records so that next year you can compare with the previous year. If this becomes an annual tradition and it certainly will you're certainly on to a winner. Celebrity Head Write down the names of 25 popular celebrities your teens will be familiar with on pieces of paper that attach easily to paper headbands. The person who is wearing the paper headband should not be allowed to see what is written on the paper. Choose three teens to sit in front of the group wearing a headband. They then have to ask the other kids questions about their celebrity, but only ones which can be answered yes or no, such as Am I blond? or Did I star on Big Brother? or Am I a footballer? Once they get a no their turn is over, and it's time to move on to the next player. The teen who guesses their celeb first wins. This is a good game to encourage teens to think outside the box, and to help them build confidence in front of a group. It also helps them to build their self-esteem directly in front of their peers, which is an invaluable life skill for now and future. Improvise Away Here's an improvisation game that really gets the laughs going great as an icebreaker game or with teens who know each other well. Write several famous lines or phrases on individual pieces of paper, then place them in a hat or box. Have two, three or four teens stand in front of the group, with one choosing a phrase. Then time them to act out a scene for at least three minutes, starting with that particular phrase. Not only does this game get teens' imaginations going, it also allows those who normally are a bit shy about joining in have the chance to take part. A clever youth group leader will make up teams of shy and less shy teens, to make sure that everyone has a chance to give it their all. If you want, you can also have them dress up for extra effect. Teens learn about themselves and others, and often set the foundations for their future life, through using their imagination. Youth group games which encourage them to do exactly this can be both fun and educational why not give them a try? Every child has their own special skills and talents, and making the most of them can benefit both them and society. You can't lose if you plan youth group games and activities built up around the children's strengths and they'll benefit as well! Athletic Skills

Being athletic is considered a must in today's society, but not everyone is up to the task. Children with poor athletic skills often suffer rejection by their peers, so helping them find a sport they enjoy and one that will make them more capable - can be a youth group lifesaver. Traditional outdoor sports These are the most obvious games to improve athletic skills, from football to cricket to archery, as well as traditional playground games such as dodgeball. When weather permits these are great, but include some non-competitive games as well. Marbles, anyone? Indoor or Outdoor Rounders A game of rounders gets everyone involved and helps to improve bowling, batting and catching skills as well as giving kids a run around. Use a softer ball if kids aren't used to the hard variety and either a rounders or cricket bat will do. This is a game that can be played indoors in the church or community centre hall for example, but with tennis table bat and ball instead to avoid breakages. 7Ball Another great indoor sport, requiring thick markers, three dustbins and seven tennis balls. Arrange bins in a row facing the players. Decide where a throwing line is, move the bins seven feet away and mark it. Kids take turns getting the balls in the bins and score points. As they improve, so do their confidence levels.

Artistic Skills
Playing games which encourage children's artistic expression is important, especially for kids who like crafty activities more than anything else. Here are just a few to get their artistic juices flowing...

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Live Sculpture - Get in a load of cheap or inexpensive art supplies, such as clingfilm, aluminium foil, fabric scraps, sequins, old feather boas etc. Then divide the children into groups of three, with one child designated as the living sculpture. The team that makes the best artistic expression in the allotted time wins a silly prize. Toilet Paper Outfits - Partner everyone up and give them each several (cheap and recycled) loo rolls. Then time them to make the most creative outfit in five minutes, judged by their peers. Pre-teens in particular love this one! Night at the Museum - Pick a topic and have the children in the youth group create their own museum around that theme. Then plan an evening, or afternoon, for parents and other invited guests to admire their work. Serve refreshments and make a party out of it!

Intellectual Skills

Brainy kids will love these games and hopefully so will everyone else...

Poetry Night - Both younger and older children love poetry as a way of expressing themselves. Encourage this self-expression by staging an evening or an afternoon where they can read their masterpieces out loud in front of their peers. You can include song lyrics as well for teens. Interview Me - Have each child write the names of five people they would love to interview on five scraps of paper: David Beckham, Hannah Montana or even Gordon Brown. Then they pick scraps of paper and take turns being the interviewer and the interviewee. Later they will have to present their findings to the entire group. A great way for children to collate their thoughts and perfect their writing and speaking skills.

Social Skills
Learning to be an active and productive part of society is something all children need to learn and games which reinforce cooperation, sharing, tolerance, empathy, listening and friendship are invaluable. Here are just a few games to set your youth group members off to a good start:

Ball of Emotion - Buy at least 20 inexpensive coloured balls and write a specific emotion on each one, such as happy, angry or scared. Divide the children up in groups of ten and have them pick a ball, one at a time, and act out the emotion. You can also play catch in a large circle with the balls, the person who drops the ball has to act out the emotion written on it. A great icebreaker. Five Alive - Ask youth group members to divide themselves up into groups of five, then ask them to write down their five best traits. When they're done, they take turns reading them aloud, with no comments allowed. When everyone is finished the lists are open to discussion. Youth leaders can ask why we are proud of who we are, and whether we should be shy in revealing too much. My Beautiful Life - Divide children into pairs, and have them tell the most exciting story from their own life. It could be about a recent camping trip, the time they went on the world's highest roller-coaster, or when they were in a car accident. Then they recount the other's story to the group, after which each one is voted on to get an award (every story wins). These can be Most Exciting Theme Park Experience, Scariest Outing or Messiest Weekend anything goes!

You can't go wrong when planning youth group games and activities that play up a child's specific skills set. These games are not only fun but educational, and will reinforce those who already have accomplished certain skills, as well as help those who are still working on them. Adventure games provide a mainstay for active kids. Whether they involve going on a real or make-believe adventure or simply taking part in games that require a specific level of bravery, they are sure to be incredibly popular among youth group members of all ages. Attack of the Aliens Scared of the dark? You can't be with this game. The goal is to find the (human) ray guns while avoiding capture by aliens. Divide the group into two teams of equal sizes, with two children as ray guns and two as aliens.

Seal off an area for prisoners, then let the guns hide and send the aliens away. Finally, let the other children loose to find the guns before they get caught. The only way to catch an alien is to be holding onto one while touching a ray gun but the guns can run around as much as they wish. Best played in a large darkened room, such as a school basement area or church crypt, or even in the evening, if possible. Warning: not a great one for very young children. Capture The Flag...with Water Bombs For kids who seem to revel in getting wet, this is a definite winner, especially when it's hot out and everyone needs to cool off. Divide the kids into two opposing camps and have each group fill up the same number of water balloons. If you want, you can set a scenario beforehand: one team is the Monster Maniacs who recently escaped from prison, pitted against Outrageous Ogres determined to take over the world. This adventure is best played in swimming costumes. Related on Youth Group Games...
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Snakes, Spiders and.. Bats? Intrepid members of youth groups love creepy crawlies, so why not spend an afternoon exploring the most revolting, disgusting and slimy insects and reptiles the natural world has to offer? Some zoos will happily send a member of staff to a youth group on an educational visit, bringing with them snakes, toads, tarantulas and other repulsive animals. Make a game of it by seeing who can be the bravest and time the children to see who can hold the wombat, stroke the slug or play with the cockroaches the longest. Contrary to popular belief, both boys and girls love creepies. Yuck! Adventure Activities When time and budget allow, some adventure activities can be planned for special days out. Ones that have been proven to be especially popular include:

The Great Outdoors. Hiking, walking, fishing and even camping are fantastic adventure activities enjoyed equally by (most) boys and (most) girls. Fun on Wheels. This can include go-karting, cycling, tank driving and quad biking, with many activities on offer for children as young as five. Children learn important skills while learning to interact with others, often in a team environment. Wonderful Water. Sailing, rafting, swimming just jump in! Some children will enjoy these adventure experiences so much they may even become a lifelong hobby. Circus Skills. Many skills can be learnt in a circus workshop day course often on your own youth group premises. They include juggling, bungee-jumping, trapeze arts and more, and teach kids not only concentration but balance, self-awareness and retention.

Paintballing. Not just for corporate big-shots anymore, with discount prices usually available for youth groups. Encourage young imaginations to go wild as they plot together to capture the enemy during this action-packed paintballing adventure day.

Adventure games and activities are fun for children of all ages, and encourage both their imaginations and their physical abilities to develop and flourish. Perhaps even more importantly, they will have a great time playing these games and hopefully you will too! Wide games are an essential part of any youth group leader's armoury. From complex wide games with lots of preparation, to simple games with little to no set-up time, wide games are almost always enjoyable for all concerned. They help youth of various ages to learn skills and have fun into the bargain. This article will discuss some different variations on the wide game. Simple Wide Games The most simple form of a wide game is very easy to set up. Divide the youth into two groups. Each team should then build a small circular base which constitutes the area they have to defend. Each team's aim is to get as many people into the opposing base as possible. The way that players are caught can vary depending on the size of the area you are playing in, and the age and maturity of the youth involved. If it's a large area, and the youth can be trusted to keep their heads, the best way of playing is to give each player a 'life' - usually a piece of wool tied round their wrist. They can only mount attacks on the opposition base when this 'life' remains intact; if an opposing player snaps it or steals it, they must return to base and get another one. The winning team is the one with the most players in the opposing base. If you are playing in a smaller space, or with less mature youth, you may want to turn the way players are captured into a version of Tag, so that you can monitor their behaviour more easily. If you wish to make the game more complex for an older youth group, consider turning it into a 'Capture the Flag' type game, where each team has a small object in their base that the other team must steal and bring safely back to their own base before being caught. This makes the game much more strategic, based not only on speed and power but on timing, decoys and sleight of hand. Youth groups typically enjoy these games very much. Related on Youth Group Games...
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Another alternative is to play a version whereby the object of the game is to capture as many opposing players as possible. This means each time a player is captured, they must return with their captor to the latter's base, where they must wait to be rescued. Team mates can rescue

players by tagging them, but of course this is a great risk, involving going right up to the enemy base. The winning team is the one with the most opposing players imprisoned in their base. Complex Wide Games There are many more complex variants on the wide game theme for different youth groups. One excellent version combines the wide game with another well-known game, "Elves, Wizards and Giants". This one is great for a youth group of varying sizes and ages, as it removes the need for physical contact. In this game, the youth are given a token along with their 'life' which bears either 'Elf', 'Wizard' or 'Giant' on it. The game is the same as the first game described, but instead of wrestling or tugging to win the life band, the youth can compare their tokens. Giant beats Elf, Elf beats Wizard and Wizard beats Giant. The loser must return to their base and get another 'life'. You can make this game a test of memory by only allowing each player the same token throughout, so that they build up a picture of which players are which characters, or you can allow them to swap tokens so that they can take their revenge on someone who won their 'life'. There are many other variants on these games, and one of the benefits of the wide game is its versatility. Be imaginative in how you set up the games, and your youth group will love to learn to play whatever mad inventions you dream up. Of course, you should make sure that everyone is kept safe, so don't push the boundaries too much. But most of the time, youth groups will love the freedom and the competition involved in wide games. Have fun! Funny games are a great way to break the ice with youth groups, but they are also an excellent tool for maintaining a positive and congenial atmosphere within an established group. This is an important thing to strive for, as children are liable to join social cliques if left to their own devices, which will have a fragmenting effect on the interaction of the group as a whole. Funny games help to foster an environment where everyone is equally respected and valued, paradoxically, by giving everyone opportunities to laugh at each other; humour has that strange effect of building people up by poking fun at them. The funny games listed here are mainly 'upfront' games; that is, games which are played in front of the audience, so they are excellent as ice breakers but also very good for pre-talk sessions or for introducing members of staff. Barnyard This is a funny game which involves a large amount of noise, and usually, hysterical laughter. Set-up involves choosing farm animals and making small cards. The number of animals you choose will be the same as the number of teams. You should also over-cater; e.g. if you expect 35 kids, make 40 cards in groups of ten. Each group of ten cards will have a particular animal written on it (so you might have 10 chicken cards, 10 cow cards, 10 donkey cards and 10 pig cards). When the children arrive, they receive a card which they must keep secret from their friends. When everyone has a card, you give a loud signal which signifies that the animals must find each

other by the use of their particular noises! So the cows moo, the donkeys neigh, the pigs snort, etc. The winning team is the one that is complete in the fastest time. This is a great game to play and you can also use the teams for other games later on, saving you the trouble of having to come up with any other innovative ways to make up the teams. Related on Youth Group Games...
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Clap This is a much funnier variant of the old Hot/Cold game, where the audience must tell a volunteer how close he or she is to achieving something by varying the volume of their clapping. It is a much more sophisticated game, however, because the audience is able to be much more specific in their hints to the volunteer, so the activity you choose for the volunteer can be made proportionally harder. For example, you might wish to make the volunteer do a press-up, or pick their nose, or perform a handstand. This is, of course, a very loud game, so you may want to play it very quickly between other activities - it doesn't repeat very well! Air Guitar Contest This is one to be done before an audience - it's a great way to introduce any new leaders you might have, and often becomes a sort of initiation ceremony. The equipment required extends to a CD player and a famous rock song with a solo in it - something by Eric Clapton or Guns 'n' Roses usually works well. Then you ask for two volunteers, or two leaders to step forward and show the audience their air guitar skills. The audience then votes for the winner based on their moves, entertainment value and hilarity. You will find that after a couple of performances, the number of volunteers from the audience will suddenly sky-rocket! Celebrity Impersonations This is a funny game which showcases the talents of the youth group. When the children arrive, ask each of them whether they'd be prepared to take part in a little game. The game pits the impersonation skills of the kids against the leaders, so you'll need to check who is willing to participate from the adults, too. Then the fun comes in the people that they have to impersonate think male leaders impersonating the Queen, or female children impersonating Brad Pitt or Arnold Schwarzenegger. Once again, the audience decides who the winner is by their applause. If you really want to go to town, you could even provide some props and a selection of clothes for the contestants.

Hopefully you, and your youth group will enjoy these funny games. Don't be afraid to go all out - kids love displays of over-the-top humour and outlandish behaviour, so make sure everyone who plays the games is encouraged to really express themselves and hilarity will follow! Card games, at first glance, would not seem ideal for youth groups to play. One tends to associate card games with groups of four or fewer, rather than big group gatherings. However, there are a surprising number of card games which are playable with larger groups, and this article will explain just a few of the possibilities. While these particular games do not necessarily have the finesse and skill of Whist or Bridge, they are great fun and will appeal to all ages. Spoons

Equipment - enough spoons for everyone in the group, minus one; dessert spoons are best. At least one deck of cards, and possibly two (depending on group size). Set-up - sit in a circle with the spoons within reach of every player. If this is not possible, spread the spoons around the room in such a way as to offer an equal chance to every player of grabbing one. Each player is given four cards with the dealer keeping the remainder face-down. Objective - each player must attempt to get a run of numbers (i.e. 2, 3, 4, 5) or a set of 4 cards (4 aces, 4 eights, etc). Play - the dealer picks up a card and decides whether they want to keep it. If they do, they must discard another card and pass it to the next player. While that player is perusing the card, the dealer must pick up another card. This goes on until everyone is looking at cards at the same time. If a player is slow, a pile of cards will start to develop next to them! It pays to be quick. Related on Youth Group Games...
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When someone has the correct cards, they must shout 'Spoons!' This heralds a mad grab for the spoons, with one unlucky player left out! (One is removed after each round.) The game then continues until the final, climactic battle between two people for one spoon . After that, everyone comes back into the game and gets another chance to be Spoon Champion! Chicken Feed

Equipment - one or two decks of cards, as old as possible. This game can become quite boisterous!

Set-up - the dealer sits with his or her back to the group with a duplicate pack of cards. The other decks of cards are spread out face-up on the table-top or on the ground in the middle of the players, who are arranged in a circle. Objective - to obtain the highest number of cards. Play - the dealer calls out a card. The players must then search for it on the table, and drag it back to their place by the sole use of their forefinger. Ripped cards are void, so the best way to win is to let players have cards they reach first and concentrate on grabbing the next one. As you can imagine, however, it takes most kids quite a while to realise this! Anyone using more than their forefinger to obtain cards should sit out a round or two. This is a great, competitive, fun card game.

Here is a list of some other popular card games you may be able to play with your youth group, particularly if they are a slightly smaller group:

Cheat Chase the Ace Racing Demons

We hope you enjoy playing these card games for youth groups. They are a good mixture of intelligence and fun. They can also be useful fillers for small gaps between larger games requiring more equipment. However you use them though, we're sure that youth groups of any age and size will enjoy playing them! There are so many ball games available to youth groups, and it is obvious why that should be. Ball games, perhaps more than any other type of game, teach children so many skills, aiding their development hugely. This article will give leaders an insight into just a few of the myriad of options available. Dodgeball There are several different versions of this very popular game. Many will be aware of the film based on the sport, but it can be difficult to play a game with that many rules with a group of unruly children. A simplified version of the game involves choosing two or three volunteers who will be the throwers. These children have to try and hit all the other children with the ball (try and buy a soft, large one, rather than a hard one). Whoever gets hit has to either sit out or join the throwers (depending on the size of your youth group's venue). This is a fun, frenetic ball game which is guaranteed to tire the kids out - try playing it at the end of an evening to prepare them for going home! Crab Football This ball game teaches children to play with a modicum of strategy and discipline, by testing their ability to maintain their position and ration their energy. It has the same rules as regular football - but with a twist. Each player must prop themselves up by their hands as well as their

feet, in the manner of a crab. This leads to a very amusing spectacle with children scuttling around trying to keep up with the ball! This is also an easy game to referee because the ball moves around quite slowly. Related on Youth Group Games...
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Danish Longball A renowned classic, this ball game works well with any number of people, and is great for large groups in a big open space. It is a mixture of different sports, but it most resembles baseball and cricket. Split the children up into two teams; these teams take turns batting and fielding. The field itself is a 'wicket', as in cricket, and then a large square which you can mark out alternatively just let everyone know its boundaries beforehand. At the other end of this square is a 'safe zone' for the batting team. The object for the batting side is to hit the ball far enough to make it to the 'safe zone' and back. If they wish to stop in the 'safe zone' they can then run back while the next batter is playing. Each batter fully 'home' scores one point for their side. However, the fielding side's object is to eliminate the batters. This can be done in one of three ways: a fielder can catch the ball on the full, the batter can hit the ball outside the square on the full, or the fielders can hit the batter with the ball. Fielders are not allowed to move with the ball; they must pass it to a better-placed fielder. Each team should either bat till they are all out, or (if the teams are very large) for a certain amount of time. Each team should bat 3-5 times each remember to keep count of the score! This ball game teaches all sorts of skills - hand-eye coordination, teamwork, strategy, positioning and awareness. It is also extremely popular with youth groups of all ages, appealing to their sense of competition and their sense of pride - as a good hit will not only get them back 'home', but could help lots of others in the team get back 'home' too! We hope you've enjoyed reading about these ball games, and that they are helpful for you as you seek to lead your youth group. Murder Mystery games have been firm favourites with youth groups for decades. This is no surprise, with their mixture of suspense, thrills, deceit and danger. However, such games often take a large amount of time and money to prepare, as anyone who has hosted one in their own home will surely know. This article will discuss the full-blown murder mystery games, but it will also take in a couple of easier options for the struggling, cash-strapped youth groups leader along the way. Mafia This has to be the most famous of all Murder Mystery games, and one of the most simple to set up, requiring no equipment other than a couple of sheets of paper and a pen. There are also

dozens of variants which allow youth leaders to set up the game based on the number of people present. Here is the simple outline of the game: Set-up: Depending on the size of the group, you will need to decide how many members of the Mafia there are going to be. Usually for a small group one is sufficient, but if there are more than 10 or so, you'll probably need two. You will also need to appoint a detective. The rest of the group are 'villagers'. The best way to dole out these separate jobs is to write letters on scraps of paper to be placed in a hat, and have each child take one piece of paper out and read it secretly. When everyone knows what their 'role' is, you can collect up the pieces of paper again for the next round. Related on Youth Group Games...
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How to Play: the leader acts as a narrator. You can make this narration as exciting or as simple as possible, depending on how creative you're feeling, but the first round would follow these lines: "As everyone falls asleep, the Mafia, and only the Mafia, awake! (The Mafia must then silently choose a victim to 'murder'.) Then the Mafia go to sleep. Now the Detective awakes! (The Detective silently chooses someone to investigate. The narrator must tell the detective, silently, whether that person is a Mafioso.) Then the Detective falls asleep... Now, everyone in the village wakes up!" At this point The narrator must inform everyone of the murder of one of the villagers. Now comes the interesting part: the group must discuss between themselves who is likely to be the Mafia, based on who was murdered and who looks shifty. You will need to limit the time for these discussions as they tend to go on for a long time! Eventually the group must nominate at least one person to defend themselves against the accusation that they are a murderer. Often there will be more than one nomination. After they have defended themselves for a short time, the group must vote on who they think is guilty - that person is then sent away and executed. This process then repeats itself until the Mafia either kills everyone, or until the group successfully accuses the Mafia - the Detective will obviously have a massive role to play in convincing the others to vote for the right person. Although this game takes a lot of explaining, children absolutely adore playing it, and even though it can take a long time, it almost always satisfies all the players. Even if you are 'killed' in

an early round, it is still most amusing to watch the squirming of other players, and to hear the heated arguments that arise over who should be executed next. Wink Murder This is obviously a much simpler game than Mafia. However, it is a lot easier to play with young children and takes a lot less time to play. One player in the group is assigned the role of 'murderer', and must kill as many people as possible by winking at them, while the group's job is to successfully identify the killer. The correct way of doing this is for one person to accuse the murderer and another to second the accusation. The chief enjoyment of this game is watching the kids milk their deaths - some incredible acting abilities are likely to be showcased at this point! There are many other murder mystery games, but these are the easiest games to play in regular youth group sessions. There is also the option of doing a special murder mystery party, but that requires much more equipment, preparation and cost; the Internet has many useful tips and tricks for setting up such an event. Hopefully the games mentioned here will give you some ideas for your own games and events! What is it about summer? There's something in the air which makes the heart sing, and the world seems fresh and new. For youth group leaders, however, the prospect of several unruly children, freed from their burden of arduous education, with plenty of light and space in which to run around, may be slightly less appealing than a sunny beach and a cold drink. Never fear, though: this article will furnish you with some summer games designed to appease those energetic children in a seasonal fashion. Summer Games Surely one of the most important things to do in summer is to get out and enjoy the long days and the warmth of the sun. Allied to this is the fact that children these days are increasingly shunning their need for exercise and activity for entertainment relayed through a screen of some kind. It is your job, then, as a youth group leader, to provide some seasonal games which will bring summer to life. Here are some ideas for games to be played in summer time:

Summer Olympics - this requires a lot of forward planning, equipment and space, but it's well worth your while. You should organise several events based on real athletics events, but perhaps with a twist - for example, a relay race can become a 'Suitcase Relay' where each runner has to wear ludicrous clothes as they run. Another good option are water-based games such as the one which requires teams to fill up a bucket as quickly as possible - by filling a cup/jug from one full bucket, passing it backwards above and over their heads and then emptying it in the bucket behind them. Similarly enjoyable, especially in hot weather, is Water Bowling; fill large bottles with water and set them up a certain distance from each other (leaving the lids off), then get teams to attempt to knock over the oppositions' bottles and empty the bottles. You can

either play until the bottles are empty or measure the amount of water left after a certain time. The Olympics can also be a good idea for arts and crafts, as each team can have the opportunity to create their own flag, name and outfits, and then you could even have an opening ceremony where they sing an anthem of their own choice! Duck, Duck, Goose and Duck, Duck, Drip - most youth group leaders are familiar with the first of these games, as it is a staple of youth groups across the world. However, there is a little known summer variation which can really help to cool people down as well as warming them up! Instead of tapping each player on the head, the person walking around the circle must drip water from a cup onto each person's head, until they empty it completely onto the person who they have chosen to chase them! Watermelon Games - this might cost a little much for some youth groups' finances, but there are a surprising number of ways to use watermelons, and youth groups can frequently eat a large amount of the resulting mess! These games can range from the sublime (Watermelon Helmet Contest - where teams craft headgear out of the fruit) to the ridiculous (Watermelon Seed Spitting Contest - need one say more?). Another good one is a version of Water Bowling, the game described earlier; instead of making it a team game, fill up some 2-litre bottles with water and have players or teams bowl melons at them to knock them over. Bonus points if a bottle is split.

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As you can see, there are a huge variety of summer games for youth groups to play. Hopefully these have given you a lot of ideas for next summer. Don't forget to plan well in advance, and always have a couple of easy, no-equipment games handy if you have a little extra time. Also, remember to keep your youth group well hydrated with the sun beating down. Otherwise, enjoy playing these summer games - and check out our Christmas/winter games when the darkness is looming! While children of all ages love to play games, they appreciate even more an activity where they actually learn something. Sometimes the educational aspect is so subtle the kids don't even realise they are getting a bit of education while they play. At other times learning is the focal point of the game. The key is to make it fun. Most learning games help foster a child's intellect, but some can help them learn social, physical and other skills as well. The important thing is to combine entertainment with education but keep it light. One tip is to let the youth group children be your guide, and to plan a variety of learning games based on their own specific interests and ideas. Here are a few to get you started... Memory Game

Brain training has become popular in recent years, and for good reason. Studies have shown that young people who make as much use of their intellect as possible now will be keener to keep on learning in later life. This deceptively simple game teaches children to pay attention to detail and to organise their thoughts two skills that will certainly help them along the road to adulthood. Get a tray, board or even a piece of cardboard and place on it 8 20 objects, from teacups to thimbles to cuddly rabbits (the number of objects should depend on the ages of the children). Have a team of three-five kids study the objects for up to one minute, then take them away, out of sight. The winning team is the one which remembers the most. Harder than it sounds! Related on Youth Group Games...
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Spelling Bee Many kids love to spell, and many also love to show off. This fun game can give those brainy kids a chance to do both and hopefully encourage others to take an interest in spelling as well. The key is to pass out words beforehand, and let the children in the youth group take them home and practise. Remember, while some children will adore taking part in a spelling bee others will balk at the very idea, so make it optional. Once they have properly revised for the bee, stage a mock event where they dress up in formal clothes and take part. Kids who don't want to test their spelling themselves can be presenters and side acts. Let everyone ham it up and have a great time! And don't forget to serve refreshments and make funny trophies... Seeing Eye This fun games teaches young people not only the value of cooperation, but also helps them learn how to give directions and speak so that other people can easily understand them. First of all, plan a simple obstacle course without the children seeing what you're up to. This could entail sitting in succession on two chairs, walking around a table, jumping off the edge of a climbing frame, crawling through a large cardboard box and over a rolled-up carpet to finally land on top of a desk. Then divide the children into pairs, placing a blindfold on one. The child without the blindfold will then have to guide the other child through the obstacle course, using only verbal commands. You can time how long it takes kids to finish the obstacle course to determine who is the winner. You'll be surprised at how much hilarious confusion will result! Name That Tune

It doesn't matter if a child is musical or not everyone can recognise a popular tune when they hear it. This fun learning game can be played using a variety of rules, from simple to extreme. You can hum the tunes, bring snippets along on a CD, or let the kids make things up as they go along. If you have a portable keyboard, some drums, a guitar or even a harmonica or triangle, that's even better. You can even theme this game according to the season, with Christmas carols, songs about rain, beach songs, summer tunes etc. For older kids, extra points are added for naming the correct recording artist. Younger children can rely on nursery songs.Learning games can teach young people not only more about themselves, but can also help them get interested in a specific subject or even foster their love of learning in general. They're a great way for young people in youth groups to pick up a bit of education - and actually have fun while they're at it. One of the most important things a youth group aims to do is to allow young people a place to be themselves. However, if a group is particularly small, people may feel that there is too much pressure on them to reveal personal information about themselves. Thats why ice breakers and other games are so important; they relieve any sense of pressure, but at the same time they enable people to express themselves and to learn about others through play. This article gives various examples of good ice breakers for small groups to play. Fabulous Flags This game suits any age, but its likely to be best for older children and teens. Very simply, each person is given materials to draw a flag that represents their personality. So for example, someone who enjoys sport and music might draw a football and a guitar. Once everyone has drawn their flags, come together to discuss each flag and to learn about the other people in the group. You could then add all the flags to create a single large flag representing the group as a whole this also allows any new members in the future will have the opportunity to add their own flag. Related on Youth Group Games...
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Two Truths and a Lie This game certainly suits small groups, and is suitable for people of all ages. Players sit in a circle, and are told to think of three statements about themselves. Two must be true, and one must be false hence the name of the game! Each person then reveals their statements to the group. The object of the game is for the group to try to figure out which statement is untrue. You can choose to add an incentive by offering prizes to those who successfully dupe the group! This game is a great one to play with a new group of people as it shares a lot of information quickly. React and Act

Sometimes its good to play more active ice breakers as opposed to quiet games. This game is a great one for people getting to know each other as it helps people to lose their inhibitions. Each player writes down an event on a piece of paper. Encourage each player to be creative! Once everyone has written an event down, the paper should be put in a bag, and the players divided into two teams. Each member of one of the teams then chooses a piece of paper from the bag. When the leader of the group shouts Go! they have to act out whatever is on their piece of paper, without revealing the event explicitly. After a little time (maybe 30 seconds, or a minute), the other team has to try and guess each of the events that were being acted out in front of them. After theyve tried to guess all of the events, the teams swap around so that the guessing team becomes the acting team and vice versa. This is a very humorous game and can often lead to great moments of hilarity! If you wish, you can also make it competitive by keeping score of correct guesses on either side. There are many other great ice breakers available to small groups, but hopefully these will have the right effect on your own group. Its important to play games together so that young people have a chance to express themselves in a relaxed way, and these games should help you to do that. Good luck! Ice breakers are very useful for every youth group leader. They help to establish a sense of routine if people have been coming for a while, and if the group is relatively new or meeting for the first time, a great way to learn about each other is to play games with one another. This article discusses ice breakers which work well with particularly large groups of people. "Rock, Paper, Scissors"-style Games Everyone is familiar with these games, which makes them ideal for fast, amusing ice breakers with large groups. There are two well-known variations on the rock, paper, scissors theme: "Ape, Girl, Man" and "Elves, Wizards, Giants". In both cases, you should eliminate the losers of each contest until you have a winner. In the first version of the ice breaker, Ape beats Girl, Man beats Ape, and Girl beats Man; in the second version, Elves beat Wizards, Giants beat Elves, and Wizards beat Giants. People should make up their own actions for each character - this leads to some real hilarity! These are great ice breakers because they require no set-up, and they're over quickly, so people who are knocked out early won't be too upset. Balloon Game This unfortunately requires quite a bit of preparation, but it is worth it for the amusement of watching people play the ice breaker. Each person has a balloon on a string tied to their ankle; the string needs to be fairly long, at least a couple of feet. The object of the game is then for each person to try and pop everyone else's balloon, while simultaneously keeping theirs safe. This is one of the great ice breakers for big groups because the action is frenetic and often you will end up with very unlikely winners. Be careful where you play it though - if you're not on the ground

floor of the building, the people beneath you aren't likely to enjoy ice breakers like this too much! Related on Youth Group Games...
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I Am This is a game which tests both the vocabulary and helps people to learn about each other. It's very simple and non-competitive; everyone has to think of adjectives to describe themselves. But here's the catch: the adjectives must start with the same letter as their name. For example, "I am troublesome Tom" or "I am elegant Emily". Depending on the average age of your group, you might be surprised at the ingenuity and the word power of the people playing this ice breaker. It can also be good to test the memory by playing again at the end of the session; instead of coming up with new names, ask each player to try to remember someone else's adjective and name. This really helps to familiarise people with others in the group. Here are some other ice breakers which work well with large groups:

Crash! - Everyone moves around the room freely until the leader shouts a number. Everyone must then try to get into groups of that number as quickly as possible. Whoever fails is out. This is easily varied based on different categories such as heights, shoe sizes, left-handed/right-handed, etc. Line Up - Similar to Crash, but less frenetic. Sort the people into groups of 5-10. Then the first group to arrange itself correctly according to the category shouted by the leader wins the round. There are many different categories that work very well; just make sure that they can line up easily. That is, don't shout something like "political views"! Who Am I? - This is one of the all-time, hands-down, classic ice breakers for any number of people. This requires a little preparation: you must write the names of some celebrities and famous people on cards, which will be pinned on the back of each person who enters. The children must then ask each other questions to work out who they are. Once they find out, their card will be pinned on their front. If you like, you can get them to pretend to be that person for the rest of the session!

Hopefully these ice breakers will give you plenty of ideas for your youth group. Ice breakers are a great way of helping people to get to know each other. Enjoy playing these ice breakers with the children in your youth group! Ice breakers are designed to create a welcoming, open atmosphere. It is an important asset of successful youth groups that they are able to make their members feel at ease, relaxed and

comfortable with their peers. Ice breakers can really help to generate that response, as well as often helping people get to know each other. A group of five to ten people can sometimes be harder to deal with than a larger group. It is more likely that someone new will feel somewhat ostracised if the group is already close-knit; it can also be hard to play active games with a small or a medium-sized group as the difference in sporting ability and athleticism is likely to be more pronounced. However, it is not a lost cause by any means! This article explores just a few of the ice breakers likely to work well with medium-sized groups. Giants, Wizards, Elves This is one of the most popular ice breakers in existence. A large-scale version of the popular playground game Rock, Paper, Scissors, it never fails to create hilarity and enjoyment for people of any age. First you should split the group into two teams of equal size. Then, explain the different actions for each character. Giants stand on their tip-toes and growl menacingly; Wizards crouch slightly, wave their fingers, and shout a magical word; Elves crouch down to the ground, cover their ears, and make high-pitched screeches. If people wish to practice these actions for a while, let them it will certainly feel like the room is warming up! Related on Youth Group Games...
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Each team should separate into different parts of the room, to confer between themselves as to what character they will play. When they have decided, they should line up opposite each other, about five feet apart, and then the leader should shout, Three, two, one, GO! At this point, each team acts out the character they have chosen. The team which wins should attempt to tag or grab as many of the losing team as possible; these players then join the winning side for the next round. The end of the game happens when there is no one left on the losing side. Giants beat Elves, Elves beat Wizards, and Wizards beat Giants. You can make up your own reasons for why this should be! This is a fantastic game to play and a real favourite with many youth groups as it involves no preparation or equipment. It also allows everyone to let their hair down without any risk or undue embarrassment! Telephone Charades

This is another hilarious ice breaker which can either be played as one group in front of an audience, or as a team game. It operates very much like Chinese Whispers, except that it is played with charades rather than with the voice. Beforehand the youth group leader should prepare some funny actions to be acted out. The groups should stand in a line, and the first person in the line should act out the situation to the second person. This proceeds on down the line, until the final person has to guess what is being acted out. The result is usually humorous because the performance of the situation will vary significantly based on each persons interpretation so at the end, it might bear very little resemblance to the first act! If playing this ice breaker as a team game, the winners will be the people who get closest to the original answer so leaders may have to step in to judge on marginal decisions. Shared and Unique This is a much calmer ice breaker, designed for medium sized groups who are yet to get to know each other very well. It is an activity where people can get to know each other in a low-pressure way. Split the group up into smaller groups of four or five people. Then each group should brainstorm traits and qualities that the entire group share. This really emphasises a sense of unity and a common bond between kids who may not naturally identify with each other. The second half of the activity builds on this bond and asks the children to reveal more personal information about themselves things that they regard as unique to them, rather than to the group as a whole. Of course, there are many other ice breakers that are great for medium-sized groups to play. The three mentioned here are, however, some of the best. We hope you enjoy playing these games with the young people at your youth group. When starting a youth group, it is very important for the kids who come along to get to know each other. One of the biggest problems for leaders occurs when children become marginalised or isolated from the rest of their peers for one reason or another. Get-to-know-you games allow young people to learn about the other members of the group in a relaxed, communal way, where no one is left by the wayside. This article explores just a couple of the many get-to-know-you games available to youth group leaders. Who Done It? This is a great game to play with a new group who are unfamiliar with each other. Assuming you have a small to medium sized group (maybe 5-10 people), everyone can play; if you have a particularly large group it may be worth choosing some volunteers. Each player should write down something they have actually experienced or done on a piece of card tell them to ensure the fact is as silly or as unbelievable as possible. Sentences such as I bought some milk once would be too boring; were looking for things like I once went bungee-jumping!

Once everyone has written down their sentence, collect the cards in, shuffle them and redistribute them. Each player then reads out the sentence they have been given and guesses who done it?. If they guess correctly, the person should have a little time to tell the story. This frequently leads to gasps of astonishment, as well as some hilarity in certain cases! Games like this one really help children to learn know that everyone is unique, and capable of achieving special things. Related on Youth Group Games...
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Superlatives Get-to-know-you games come in all shapes and sizes, and this one is no exception. This game is great to play with youth who are unfamiliar with each other as it relies on their ability to work as a team and to put their new knowledge to good use. The game simply requires teams to line up in order according to certain commands from the leader of the group. This means it needs no equipment and it can take as little or as much time as you like. The leader should prepare a few categories beforehand, such as height, birthday month or shoe size. When you have chosen the teams (which should be fairly small between 5 and 10), you can shout out the category. The teams scramble to get into order, often frantically shouting questions and answers to each other. This can be quite noisy but the desire to win will ensure the racket doesnt last too long! When a team finishes they should sit down and raise their hands. When all the teams are finished, the leader should check that the winning team is in the correct order; if they are not, then the next team to sit down in correct order is the winner of that round. Once the teams learn to use what they know about each other, you can introduce variations such as a no-talking rule. This tests the players memory and their ability to communicate using gestures so from being a very noisy game, it will suddenly become very quiet! This is one of the great get-to-know-you games because it combines knowledge, memory and teamwork. There are lots of great get-to-know-you games which can be found elsewhere, but hopefully these two will provide you with some good ideas for games which help youth group members to learn more about their peers. It is important to know, however, that not every game will work equally well, so be prepared to change your mind and go with a different game if the kids dont enjoy the one you chose originally. Enjoy these get-to-know-you games, and hopefully the children will know each other much better very soon as a result! Children who love to read often feel connected to each other as if by a special bond. And what better way to encourage this love of literature than to make this bond even tighter?

With so many children's books and children's authors popular these days, finding kids who have a special book or writer in common is much easier than you might think. With some of the games listed below members of the youth group will have to be divided up into certain groups, such as Harry Potter experts or Jacqueline Wilson fans. Other games will suit any child who loves to read, regardless of what he or she will have read. If they are not familiar with a certain book or author, the games will definitely encourage them to develop an interest. As you will no doubt discover, a youth group trip to the local library might be next... Test Your Trivia Divide up into groups of story, character or author fans perhaps four to a group, depending on how many children there are in total. Tell them to go home and bone up on their chosen character etc, and be prepared to return the following session with as much information as possible. Kind of like Junior Mastermind only the subject is always books, and children compete in groups. During the next session, ask the children a set of questions based on their chosen topic (you might want to have some of the other kids help make a list). The team that answers the most correctly wins a prize it could be home-made ribbon or trophy. This is a great game to help stress the importance of teamwork. Story with Style Pick a story with which all the children are familiar, such as The Three Little Pigs. Then ask the first child to pick a book style: choose from romance, adventure, thriller, autobiography etc. The group leader starts by telling the story as it is in the original at least the first few scenes. The first child has to then continue in the style they have picked - which should change the story immensely. Related on Youth Group Games...
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As the action progresses and the story unfolds, all children should stick to the new style as much as possible while keeping the characters as close to the original as possible. The idea is to develop a new slant on an old theme and the results should be hilarious. Watch the Story Grow Here is a great game to encourage younger children to start writing stories on their own and make them realise that it's not as easy as it sounds! Everyone gets a blank piece of paper, which

they are asked to fold horizontally at least eight times. Have each person write the same short sentence on the top of the paper something like He loved to eat spaghetti, but one day his fork took on a life of its own and... The paper is then folded so that the line cannot be seen and passed to the person on the right. He or she will then write one sentence continuing the action, then fold and pass the paper again. When the paper is full and there is no more space, have fun reading the stories out loud to each other. A great game to improve not only writing skills but also team-building, creativity and a sense of pure silliness! Brilliant Book Maker This is fun yet deceptively simple. Give each child 20 small squares of paper and ask them to write five different nouns on five squares, five different adverbs, five different verbs and five different proper nouns. Mix the nouns, proper nouns etc in separate piles, then have each child pick from the pile so they have 20 different squares in all, five from each of the four categories. Then they have to start writing, using up every square. If you really want to go to town, the children can make book bindings from cardboard and add illustrations to the stories so they are, in effect, creating their own books with the help and word advice of their friends. What they come up could surprise you... Pirate Pictionary If you came to a foreign land where nobody spoke your language, how would you make yourself understood? Give the kids a list of pirate words plank, hourglass, pirate, hook, treasure and have them act them out with their hands. For a slightly different take on the same theme, ask the children to choose characters from their favourite books and act them out. Harry Potter fans, for example, might choose the words wizard, Quidditch, Hogworts, Hedwig, prisoner. You can do the same with any book at all. Children who adore books are lucky indeed, but any child can be encouraged to cultivate a love of reading. Hopefully, these games will both reinforce avid book-readers in your youth group, while helping entice those who aren't as literary to become more involved with the written word. In any case, everyone will have fun! Word games are an important way of helping children to develop their communication skills in a relaxed, enjoyable way. Moreover, most word games will also force kids to rely heavily on memory, logic and vocabulary in a fast-paced environment completely unlike the often dull classroom at school. What's more, they usually do not require any set-up or equipment, meaning they can be played at any time and for any length of time. This article will discuss some of the word games available to youth group leaders which have proved particularly popular with children of all ages. Twenty Questions

This game of logic and memory is one of the most popular word games. A simple question and answer game, it involves one volunteer choosing a person, an object or (if your youth group is particularly intelligent) a plant or even a place. The object of the game for the group is simple: figure out what the volunteer is thinking of in twenty questions. For the volunteer, the object is to keep the answer from the group for as long as possible. It sounds easy, but the group can only ask closed questions that can be answered with a straight 'Yes' or 'No'. The children will quickly cotton on to the fact that the game is made substantially easier if you ask questions which tell you as much information as possible. Ghost This is a word game which rewards patience, creativity and a large vocabulary. It works best in small groups of no more than five people, but you could also play it as a team game where each team can confer before making their play. The object of the game is to avoid completing a word. The game is played by each person or team naming a letter. Related on Youth Group Games...
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They must have a word in mind when they do so, however, as other players can challenge if they think that the letter named makes it impossible to create a word. For example, if one player started with 'Z' and the next player said 'X', it would be very unlikely that they had a genuine word in mind. Of course, sometimes it is worth making up a plausible move, rather than simply accepting that you have lost the round - and often people do not challenge dubious moves! Superghost This works exactly the same as Ghost, but rather than simply adding letters to the end of the word that is being created, you can also add letters to the beginning of it. This makes the game a lot more subtle, as well as more difficult, so you may want to start off by playing the normal Ghost and see how your youth group responds to the intellectual demands of the game. It is great fun to play with language, however, and you may find that the children are very positive about this game once they have played it a couple of times. Other Word Games There are so many word games available that it really depends on your youth group's age and intellectual ability to choose the right one for them. Here is a small list of other word games that they may enjoy playing.

Cheddar Gorge - this functions like Ghost, but instead of adding letters to avoid forming a complete word, each player adds a word and tries to avoid making a complete sentence.

Teapot - this involves one player or team replacing homophones with the word 'teapot' to create bizarre-sounding sentences. The object of the game for the other players is to guess the word that has been replaced. For example, if a player said "Tom ate some teapot chocolate biscuits on the teapot" the word might be 'plane'. The Green Glass Door is a word game where a player already familiar with the 'trick' gives clues to other players about what belongs behind the 'green glass door'. Words that have exactly 2 duplicate letters belong inside the green glass door, so a typical clue might be that 'Behind the Green Glass Door, you can go to classes at school, but not courses at a university'. This is a great word game to play as it often completely foxes the kids, and teaches them the value of lateral thinking.

Hopefully these word games will stimulate the mind as well as being great fun for all who play them. Enjoy playing word games with your youth group! Team building is something that a youth group can really help to teach young people. Whats more, the opportunity to play games offers many ready-made situations where teamwork is essential to victory or success and success is a big incentive for kids to work together. By using team building activities and games, then, youth groups can have a really significant impact on childrens lives. This article will discuss some of the games that have been successful for team building in the past. Principles for Team Building There are some important principles to remember about team building activities. First of all, they usually require at least two teams, as the name suggests, but occasionally you might choose to divide everyone into pairs or other small groups. The key principle here is that you, as the leader, should be the one to decide the teams. There are many different ways of doing this, but it is essential that the children should feel accepted. How many of us have had the unfortunate experience of being the last to be picked by the captain of a team? A simple numbering system will avoid the pitfalls of allowing the children to pick their own teams, meaning that you wont need to comfort any child who feels rejected by their peers. Team Building Games Some of the best team building games and activities are very simple. For example, All Aboard, a well known team game, requires each team to occupy a certain space. This could be a broadsheet newspaper, a marked-out area, or a childrens play hoop. However, as soon as theyve managed to succeed, the space diminishes in size, so that the task becomes harder. This is a great game to play with new groups of people, as well as with groups who are already familiar, as it requires trust and a willingness to help each other out. Related on Youth Group Games...
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Another good game to play to establish trust between team members is Blindfold Maze. In this game, you should construct a simple, safe obstacle course. Half the team should then be blindfolded, and the other half should guide them through the course. This obviously leads to a certain amount of confusion both because of the childrens blindness, and because of the tendency of the guides to offer conflicting advice! Particularly mature children will often work this out for themselves and appoint one spokesperson for the guides, while the blindfolded children often line up in single file and put their hands on the shoulders of the person in front. Another example of a team building game you might play to enhance communication skills is the Helium Stick. This does not involve any expensive equipment, but only a long, thin stick. Each team should line up in two rows, with each row facing the other. Then the stick is placed on their extended index fingers which should be at the same height, so that the stick is horizontal and everyone is touching the stick. The challenge is for the teams to lower their stick to the ground first without pinching the stick, and with everyone continually touching it. However, this is easier said than done! Quite often you will find that the stick floats upwards, rather than moving downwards, hence the name of the game! For younger children, the patience and slowness of movement required to successfully lower the stick to the ground may be a little too difficult, so a time limit may have to apply, along with a judgement call if neither team has succeeded. Conclusions Of course, there are hundreds of other team building activities and games you can play, but hopefully the three examples given here have helped to stir up some creative ideas for your youth group. Always remember as a leader that it is your responsibility to ensure that no one is left behind from a team, and no one is marginalised; thankfully a childs sense of justice, whether at work or at play, is often stronger than an adults might be. Heres to many successful team building activities in the future! One of the best ways to develop friendships with people is to play games. This is widely recognised as a truth, hence why so many companies pack their employees off to do teambuilding activities or paint-balling once a year. However, the difference between youth groups and businesses is that children are almost always much more willing to let people into their world, and much less willing to prejudge people. This means that when youth groups play friendship-building games, they are much more likely to have a pronounced effect on group dynamics, and ultimately that they will indeed increase the number of positive relationships in the group. Here, then, are some good games and activities with which youth groups can build friendships. Trust Games Everyone has probably gone through the trust game where one has to fall backwards into the arms of one's peers. The idea of this is to instil a sense of trust by showing that the people around

you will take care of you and lift you up when you need to be supported. Although the premise of the game is good, and the reactions of participants tend to be quite strong, this particular game has become slightly clichd. Thankfully, though, there are other trust-based games which are effective in encouraging friendship. One such game is the Control Tower game which sees one member of the group blindfolded and their partner guiding them through an obstacle course. When they have successfully reached the end of the course, roles are swapped and the course changed. This is very good for establishing communication and friendship, as well as creating a fun and competitive atmosphere. Another more difficult trust-based game is the Body Lift. This involves teams of eight to ten people, and should only be played with a mature and trustworthy group. Each group chooses one person at a time and lifts him or her up over the heads of the group. The person should be held there for however long you deem appropriate, and then lowered back to the ground very carefully. The person in question should relax and close his or her eyes. It is helpful for the leader to command each group to do everything at the same time, as otherwise communication can break down, and this can lead to dangerous situations. After each person is lowered to the ground, it can be interesting to ask them questions about their experience and how their opinions of their peers may have changed, though this should only be done if you are an excellent judge of the atmosphere and the honesty of your youth group's members.

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Silly Games These tend to work best with younger children, but they can occasionally also be used with older kids and teenagers. One great silly friendship building game is a version of Musical Chairs with a difference. Instead of removing a player and a chair from the game each time the music stops,

only remove a chair! This eventually means that the group will end up having to squeeze onto one chair, of course. Make sure the chairs you are using are sturdy, and also try to ensure that the group is not too big as even the strongest chair will struggle under the weight of 15 overgrown teenagers! This will definitely break any lingering ice between members of the youth group as it is in their interests to help each other not to get crushed. Another silly game to play with a new group is Silent Interviews. This is very much like a game of Charades, except it involves imparting rather more information, so it can be quite hilarious to see the frantic acting of the children. Split the group up into pairs and have each pair tell each other three things about themselves - but without speaking. When they have had enough time to give it a good go, bring everyone back into the group and have each person introduce their partner, and the things they learned - or at least the things they think they learned! This game reveals interesting facts about each person and helps to build bonds between peers in a very fun, relaxed way. Physical Games Games that require children to get up close and personal are fantastic ways to build friendships, or to build upon relationships that already exist. It's hard to remain a distant acquaintance with someone when you've had your elbow in their neck, or your knee embedded in their armpit! Physical games help break down boundaries, both metaphysical and otherwise, and the bonus is they're also great fun. The Human Knot is one such example of a game that requires everyone to get relaxed and silly. Six to 12 group members stand in a circle, then have to hold on to another member's hand - but not someone standing either directly to their right or left. This game requires a lot of cooperation and is a great team-building exercise. Best of all, the hilarity that ensues is unimaginable!The Obstacle Course is another fun game that challenges children both mentally and physically. Get a group of three children to make a makeshift obstacle course, using a piece of chalk drawn on cement. For example, they may draw a box that someone has to jump in five times, then a circle they have to stand in and turn around ten times. They then have to walk backwards on a thin line, stopping in a drawn square where they have to shout "Duck!" Kids will have great fun both designing the course and completing it. Learning Can Be Fun Never forget that a good game is a great way of building friendships between people. But also make sure that the way you lead the games is both fair and firm; the most likely way for a friendship game to go wrong is if people feel that they have been dealt with unjustly, so concentrate all your efforts on being a just referee, and you won't go far wrong. Here are some simple tips to make sure your games are as successful as possible:

Make sure you emphasise cooperation over anything else. Competition should take the back seat as winning shouldn't be the end goal

Take time to pair up children who complement - and can learn from - each other. Don't always put best friends together, as making new friends is all part of the game Keep all games easy to manage, with clear steps that aren't hard to follow. When children are desperately trying to understand what's going on they're not having fun Talk about the games afterwards, subtly emphasising the social skills inherent in each one. Youth group members who learn without realising it are the real winners

Here's to many happy friendships as a result of your leadership! Between the ages of 5 and 15, boys and girls spend the vast majority of their time in single sex environments, rather than mixing freely with the opposite sex. For youth group leaders, then, the concept of the mixed gender youth group is a difficult one to administer, given that it is somewhat unknown to its members, and therefore their reactions are likely to be more pronounced than one might originally expect. Some experts suggest that the behaviours boys and girls bring to mixed gender situations are likely to be exaggerated versions of parental behaviour. What sort of activities, then, should leaders use to bring the genders together in a positive way? Challenge the Norms One of the simplest things to do is to subvert the youth group's expectations of masculinity and femininity. For example, you could have an activity where the boys have to cook food in the kitchen while the girls construct a bridge from materials you have prepared. After the activity is over, ask the group for their reactions to the topsy-turvy nature of what they have done, and how it makes them feel about their own gender. Some mixed gender youth groups have even produced questionnaires which have asked boys and girls whether they associate certain words with their own gender, such as 'think logically' or 'be emotional'. The responses from these questionnaires can often be surprising, either for their uniformity or occasionally for their challenge to convention. Again, there is a possibility that you may want to ask the group to comment on their responses after they have filled in the questionnaires. You can tailor the questionnaires to suit the age group you are dealing with. Related on Youth Group Games...
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Separate the Genders This is a great way of showing the children how different the two genders can be in their approach to a given task. For example, many games call for teams to make use of various materials and pieces of equipment given to them to construct a certain object, for example, something which will withstand a certain amount of punishment. With parental permission, try

videoing the different teams at work, and after the game is over, watch the video back with the whole mixed gender group. You will often find that the differences between the teams' methods are very pronounced, so much so that the children will notice them without prompting. Ask them open questions such as "What do you feel the girls did differently?" or "Do you think the boys worked together?" Often you will find that girls operate more as a discussional collective, with equal responsibilities and authority, while the boys quickly adopt a top-down structure, with a leader at the top delegating tasks to others. Allowing the separate genders to see the differences between them makes friendships more likely as they begin to see how men and women can complement each other. Other Activities The sign of a great mixed gender activity is that everyone feels completely comfortable with what is going on. For this reason, seasonal activities such as bonfire/fireworks nights, Christmas parties, or summer-themed games days work very well as they give everyone a chance to enjoy themselves. It is important to have a good mix of competitive and team-building games so that everyone feels catered for, and if you have a leadership team that is dominated by one gender or the other, consider bringing in more leaders so that you have a representative balance of leaders for both genders. Mixed gender groups may seem difficult, but if you act with common sense and grace, you won't go too far wrong. Enjoy helping your youth group to establish friendships and connections! We all remember how it felt to be a teenager, standing nervously on your own in the middle of the school disco or a friend's living room, hearing conversation all around you and feeling that familiar sense of dread. For some youth leaders, this is how it feels to be leading a youth group! Perhaps that's a little bit dramatic, but there can be no doubt that for many youth group leaders, the question of gender plays a massive part in the worries and stresses that arise. This article discusses some of the approaches one can adopt in answer to the difficulties of mixed gender groups. Patience One key attribute of a successful leader of mixed gender groups is the ability to be patient. In nine out of ten awkward mixed gender situations, a willingness to listen will go a long way to alleviating the problem. If the kids in your group know that you are happy to hear them open up and reveal their problems, whatever they might be, then they will increasingly take you into their trust; eventually, the security that your friendship brings will mean that they do not need to test it any more. Related on Youth Group Games...
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Patience is also a definite virtue when tempers flare for whatever reason: that priceless ability to keep one's head when everyone else is losing theirs will stand you in good stead as you deal with the issues that a mixed gender group will throw up. Humour Another essential tool when dealing with mixed gender groups is humour. If you didn't think you were a comedian before becoming a youth group leader, you'll certainly become one soon enough - whether you know it or not! As a youth group leader you have to be prepared to take the rough with the smooth, meaning that sometimes the joke will be on you. But more importantly, knowing when to slip in a dry comment or defuse the situation with a joke can really help. Often, humour can serve as a way of turning something around and making a person think again, and that is a key approach when tempers and hormones are raging; the ability to make people realise they are going too far, without angering them further, is priceless. Decision-making This is something that comes with practice, but it is probably the most important of all the skills a youth group leader needs when coping with mixed gender groups. Sometimes you have to acknowledge that no amount of humour or patience will suffice to deal with the situation, and instead you have to make a hard decision. Occasionally that will mean making someone sit out from a game, or banning them from a certain treat; other times it will mean deliberately segregating the gender groups and giving them a chance to cool down by doing something different. Only you will know what the right decision is, based on your own knowledge of your particular youth group's needs; hopefully this will have helped you to become a more precise evaluator of circumstances, and of the possible remedies to the problems you are facing. Running a mixed gender youth group is a mixture of bravery, skill, humour and luck, but most of all perseverance, so keep at it! We all remember how it felt to be a teenager, standing nervously on your own in the middle of the school disco or a friend's living room, hearing conversation all around you and feeling that familiar sense of dread. For some youth leaders, this is how it feels to be leading a youth group! Perhaps that's a little bit dramatic, but there can be no doubt that for many youth group leaders, the question of gender plays a massive part in the worries and stresses that arise. This article discusses some of the approaches one can adopt in answer to the difficulties of mixed gender groups. Patience One key attribute of a successful leader of mixed gender groups is the ability to be patient. In nine out of ten awkward mixed gender situations, a willingness to listen will go a long way to alleviating the problem. If the kids in your group know that you are happy to hear them open up

and reveal their problems, whatever they might be, then they will increasingly take you into their trust; eventually, the security that your friendship brings will mean that they do not need to test it any more. Related on Youth Group Games...
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Patience is also a definite virtue when tempers flare for whatever reason: that priceless ability to keep one's head when everyone else is losing theirs will stand you in good stead as you deal with the issues that a mixed gender group will throw up. Humour Another essential tool when dealing with mixed gender groups is humour. If you didn't think you were a comedian before becoming a youth group leader, you'll certainly become one soon enough - whether you know it or not! As a youth group leader you have to be prepared to take the rough with the smooth, meaning that sometimes the joke will be on you. But more importantly, knowing when to slip in a dry comment or defuse the situation with a joke can really help. Often, humour can serve as a way of turning something around and making a person think again, and that is a key approach when tempers and hormones are raging; the ability to make people realise they are going too far, without angering them further, is priceless. Decision-making This is something that comes with practice, but it is probably the most important of all the skills a youth group leader needs when coping with mixed gender groups. Sometimes you have to acknowledge that no amount of humour or patience will suffice to deal with the situation, and instead you have to make a hard decision. Occasionally that will mean making someone sit out from a game, or banning them from a certain treat; other times it will mean deliberately segregating the gender groups and giving them a chance to cool down by doing something different. Only you will know what the right decision is, based on your own knowledge of your particular youth group's needs; hopefully this will have helped you to become a more precise evaluator of circumstances, and of the possible remedies to the problems you are facing. Running a mixed gender youth group is a mixture of bravery, skill, humour and luck, but most of all perseverance, so keep at it! Our society is a melting-pot of different cultures, ethnicities, and backgrounds. We see this in the newspapers and on TV every day, and worryingly, we see the negative results of a lack of

integration and tolerance. The main reason for this fear and unwillingness to find common ground is almost always ignorance about other cultures. At first glance youth groups have little to do with this, but they can actually perform a vital role in cultural conditioning; by playing cultural games, we can educate children, helping them to learn about other cultures and people groups. Say Hello This is a very good icebreaker game, but it can also be used at various times or as a regular cultural game in particularly ethnically varied youth groups. The group must simply attempt to say 'hello' in as many languages as possible. If this is too simple, you can make it competitive by splitting the group up into teams; similarly, if 'hello' gets a little boring, try other phrases such as 'goodbye', 'my name is...' or 'I am ... years old'. One way of maintaining interest is to play at every session, but to encourage children to learn new phrases and greetings for next time. You could have a running chart of which team or child is doing best at learning different cultural facts. If your youth group is made up of particularly young children, consider reading out 'hellos' from a list of different languages and asking them to guess which countries they come from. Related on Youth Group Games...
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What's In a Name? This is another cultural game which helps children to learn about other ethnicities and cultures, and to embrace different backgrounds. Again, it is a very simple cultural game - you could either sit in a circle, or split the group into pairs and have each partner report back on their colleague. Children should ask each other questions about the origins of their names, and what they mean. In younger groups, this may require some help from you in the shape of a baby names book which will have many definitions and explanations of the meanings of different names. This is one of the best games for establishing respect between cultures and allowing the children to develop their communication skills. World Meals This is a fascinating cultural activity which gives the children valuable insight into the privileges of Western culture, and the difficulties that other countries and people groups face. The World Meal is a small amount of rice and beans which demonstrates the typical calorie intake of the average person in the average country. This will also open the kids' eyes as to just how much

food is available to the rich countries, and hopefully instil a sense of injustice at the immense disparity. This cultural activity can also be repeated - one youth group session could involve the children cooking the meal for their families, for example. In this way the message can be spread wider than just the kids who attend the group. Cultural Intelligence Test This can be made into a competitive cultural game, or it can be done as a group activity. It is a well-known fact that Western intelligence tests rarely take account of different cultural backgrounds or ethnicities - one of the main reasons why those of different ethnicity often struggle in our education system, despite no lack of ability. In this game, you should research some intelligence tests based on different cultures; for example, have a test based on Jamaican patois language, or the names of some traditional North Indian dishes, and see how well the children cope with the difficulties which ensue. This helps children to develop a sense of respect for other cultures, which are just as advanced as their own, but in a different way. Traditionally, spring is a time of rebirth and new beginnings. For children, however, spring is simply a time of warm, sunny weather and plenty of outside activities to keep them entertained. When the weathers nice, youth group leaders should have no difficulty thinking of fun, seasonal games to keep the kids happy. But if you want to try something a little bit different, these games and activities are sure to fit the bill. Traditional Games All too often we forget the traditional games of our youth, which were popular for a reason. Why not write down a list of games on separate scraps of paper, then have the children pick them out one by one from a hat and play them together as a group? Games can include:

Tag. Great way to get rid of pent-up energy, before embarking on a quiet activity. Musical statues. All you need is some music for this one. Musical chairs. Easy to plan if you have enough chairs available - difficult without them! Water balloon toss. Just make sure the children have a change of clothes, or swimming costumes. Capture the flag. Make the rules more complicated for older children.

Themed Picnic Every child loves a picnic, but themed ones are even better. Here are a few guaranteed to keep the members of your youth group busy:

Teddy bears picnic. Great for younger children. Have them bring their favourite cuddly toy on a picnic that will involve some themed food, such as teddy bread crisps and honey biscuits. Can be a full lunch or just a snack. Board games. Children are asked to bring in their favourite board games, then take them with you on a picnic. Encourage children to try games theyve never played before. Hint: Check the weather forecast beforehand so the games wont get soggy! Go international. Ask each child to bring a dish from their own home country or that of their parents, be it England, Bangladesh or the USA. Supply plates, cutlery and cups, and start sharing. Every child will be expected to make a short talk about the food they have brought. Hawaiian luau. Great for older kids. Ask each child to bring in a sandwich and something tropical, whether its a mango, a carton of pineapple juice etc. Hold a Hawaiian picnic, with limbo games (all you need is a broomstick) and a Hula dancing competition. Ask them to bring along beach towels for authenticity.

Choosing Time Children love having a bit of free time to do what they want, but often they need a bit of encouragement. Choosing Time combines the best of both worlds. Related on Youth Group Games...
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Place fun outdoor toys in the youth group garden or nearby park: hoola hoops, skipping ropes, coloured pavement chalk, Frisbees, jacks, bouncy balls etc. Then give the kids an hour and let them roam from activity to activity. Youll be surprised which toys they gravitate towards! Daffodil Crafts Daffodils are a symbol of spring, so why not encourage children to make daffodil arts and crafts? These crafts are fun and good for both older and younger children alike. Perfect for when those April showers make an appearance

Daffodil magnets. Take orange clay or plasticine and make six daffodil petals, which you shape together. Next, make a flower centre from orange clay. Put in middle of daffodil and let dry, then attach a magnet to the back with a hot glue gun. If you make a few daffodil magnets four or five you can put them into a small gift box to make a great Mothers Day present. Daffodil paintings. Using yellow (washable) poster paint, have each child dip in the palm of their hand, then place on paper four times, with the handprints overlapping. These are the daffodil petals. Net, dip the hand in orange paint and press on the paper with spread fingers, overlapping the petals, to make the daffodil centre. When dry,

outline the petals with black pen, and draw or paint on a green stalk. Great project for younger kids. Bunch of daffodils. Paint a small egg carton with orange poster paint and leave to dry, then cut out the six egg compartments. Cut out six corresponding flower shapes from a piece of yellow card, then glue to centre of shapes. This will make the trumpet part of the daffodil. Tape a green straw or long green piece of cardboard to the back of each flower, then put inside a vase, which is a tube of rolled-up green card. Alternatively, make one large daffodil and glue to card to make a lovely spring greeting or Easter card.

Spring is a wonderful time for children to enjoy the outdoors as much as possible. When its a bit rainy, however, there are also many wonderful spring-themed crafts which can keep children busy inside. Make the most of this season, either inside or out in the fresh, spring air. When most people think of Easter these days, it's a fact that the vast majority will think of chocolate as the defining element of that holiday season. Possibly, some will think of spring and new life; still fewer will think of the real reasons why Easter has been a part of the Western calendar for such a long time. However, for a youth group leader trying to think of some effective games and activities for the group to play and do around Easter, the first of these concerns will be foremost in their mind. With all that chocolate being consumed, it's even more essential that kids are given the chance to play games which link into the season, but also burn off some of those calorific treats! Easter Egg Hunt This is of course the best known game for children to play at Easter, combining the rampant consumption of chocolate with some good old-fashioned intellectual and physical exercise. It is also extremely versatile, and easily adaptable to the needs of different youth groups. If the weather is poor, it is easy to do a small-scale version with mini-eggs indoors, or if you have a large group and it's sunny, you can go outdoors. The clues can also be made as difficult or easy as you like, or if the space is small you can just let each group search randomly for the "treasure". All the eggs should be collected and brought back to the starting point so that the winning team can be identified, and perhaps given another (small) prize! Related on Youth Group Games...
Card Games for Youth Groups Murder Mystery Games for Youth Groups Funny Games for Youth Groups Ball Games for Youth Groups Cultural Games Summer Games for Youth Groups

Easter Egg Bowling This needs some preparation, in the form of several hard-boiled eggs (one for each child present), and the purchase of one large chocolate Easter egg. The children must prepare their eggs by decorating them in a unique style with paints, pens or whatever else is to hand. Then the chocolate Easter egg must be placed a reasonable distance from the children (this will vary

depending on age) and each child must attempt to 'bowl' their egg as close to the Easter egg as possible without touching or moving it. Whoever gets closest wins the egg. You may want to consider having some other chocolate treats as smaller prizes for the other kids. Egg Rolling This is a classic English Easter pastime, still practised in many small villages across the country. Again, it requires hard-boiled eggs - you could even use the same ones as were used in the Egg Bowling game earlier. The game is usually played on top of a hill, and the winner is the one whose egg rolls furthest, but it can be adapted for youth groups' facilities, too. One popular variant is to play the game indoors, and to attempt to roll the eggs between two goalposts; you could give each child five attempts and see who has most success. You can have a tie-breaker from increasing distances if more than one child gets the highest total. Bunny Relay This requires very little preparation - you will only need two large paper eggs for each team. This is a simple relay race with an Easter twist. Each player must cross the room by only stepping on the eggs. The method for this is to step onto one, and then put the other one in front, so that you can step onto it. Of course, this takes longer than one might think at first glance! The winning team is the one whose players all manage to cross the room first. Players can bring back the eggs for their team mates once safely across the room. There are many other Easter games for youth groups to play, but these are the most obviously seasonal, and they are most enjoyable too. Other examples of Easter games include the egg-andspoon race and Bunny Hop. Have fun playing these Easter games with your youth group! You might be forgiven for thinking that winter is the most difficult season for youth groups due to the inclement weather and the lack of daylight. Cooped up indoors, away from the bitter cold, it is hard to generate the sort of energy that usually characterises youth group games and activities. However, help is at hand. One of the best ways to put the pep back in the youth group's step is to play seasonal games with them, and in winter, that means Christmas games! Dressing Up Games One of the best ways to get into the Christmas spirit is by playing dressing up games. One very popular Christmas game, therefore, is the Santa Dash. You'll need to provide Santa outfits (one per team), chocolate bars (one per team) on a plate with a knife and fork, and several dice (one for each team). The object of the game is to be the first team to eat the entire chocolate bar, but for this to happen, a chain of events must occur and recur several times. Namely, each person in a team attempts to roll a six. When a six appears, the player must hurry to the Santa outfit and put it on

as fast as possible, then run over to the chocolate and eat it with the knife and fork (easier said than done!). However, by the time they've done this, another team member may have rolled a six, which means they have to swap. As you can see, it is often a hilarious game, with Santas frantically rushing around and chocolate-stained beards aplenty. Related on Youth Group Games...
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Another great dressing up game for Christmas time is the Suitcase Relay. This again requires some preparation: you'll need to bring a suitcase for each team, full of oversized winter clothes. Each team lines up in a row, and on the leader's whistle/word, the first player must open the suitcase and put on the clothes. They must then run to the end of the hall and back and re-pack the clothes in the suitcase for the next player. The winning team is the first to have all its players complete the course and successfully re-pack the suitcase. Silly Games

The Organic Christmas Tree - Provide each team with Christmas decorative materials, such as tinsel, baubles, and a star for the top of the tree. Then explain that instead of decorating a tree, they'll have to choose one of their team-mates to 'be the tree'. This is usually quite amusing as often teams will squabble over who gets to do it - the antithesis of an adult's reaction! Teams should decorate their team mates, as well as they can, in the Christmas spirit. Leaders can then judge the decorations and award points or prizes. If you want to make it extra hard, have each team make up a song or jingle about their tree, too.

Carol Relay - this may sound like an energetic Christmas game, but in fact it's a musical one. There's nothing like a good sing-along in winter time, and carols are an important part of Christmas tradition for many children. The game is very simple: each team must sing a carol. If necessary you can provide lyric sheets. However, here's the twist: each word must be sung by a different player. The easiest way to organise this, of course, is to stand in a circle, or a line, but many teams do not work this out until quite late on in the piece! Leaders can give points and prizes depending on which team sings their carol best.

Duelling Carols - another variant on the Christmas carol theme. Divide the group into three or four teams. Then give each team a short time to come up with as many Christmas carols as they can, which they should write down. After a few minutes, reconvene the group, and each team must take turns to sing a carol from their list. If the carol is on another team's list, they do not receive points; if the carol is only on their list, the team receives 100 points.

Teams should mark off carols as the game goes on. The team with the most points at the end wins, though you should make sure the other teams receive some Christmas prizes too! Even though winter can be somewhat depressing, hopefully a good number of Christmas games and winter activities will stave off the feelings of cold and isolation that can beset everyone around this time. The important thing is to keep the energy levels up as much as possible by playing games that keep the children's spirits up. The games found here will certainly help you in this difficult task!

Free team building exercises

The fun has just begun!
Free team building exercises can save you a bundle over the cost of a professional team building kit! The exercises below can help you improve your team's communication and performance, leading to greater productivity and a more relaxed, happy group. The five free team building exercises are simple and can easily be incorporated into a quick biweekly meeting, especially in small business settings.
1) Truth and Lies:

Each person in the group must think of three statements that tell the group about themselves only one should be true, and the other two, lies. Each member has a turn to present their three statements, and the rest of the group must decide which are lies and which is the true statement. This is a great icebreaker, and makes the group confer as a team to come to agreement.
2) Name Game:

Have everyone sit around a table and start with a randomly selected person. Hand them a card with the following printed on it: My name is ----, I wish it was ----, my favorite food is ----, the best thing about me is ----, and in the movie 'The Wizard of Oz' I would play the part of ----. The point of this game is to build trust and let each member of the team open up a little so the others can understand them better.
3) Birthday Lineup:

Tell everyone the next assignment is to line up according to month and day of birth. Then announce they cannot speak. This will result in some creative problem solving as they figure out how to determine everyone's birth date without speaking. Some will try to use hand signals like

in charades to count off months and days; others may realize you never said they couldn't write it down, and will scrounge for paper and pen.
4) Cross the Line:

Create a line, and select two people, placing one on each side of the line. Explain that they both may lecture, plead, argue, lie, bribe or trick the other person to try and convince them to step across the line. Every few minutes, ask one or the other team member if they are convinced, and if they will cross the line now; which adds to the tension. This creates the opportunity for learning the lesson that giving in may be the fastest route to success for example, one person may figure out that making a bargain to cross the line in exchange for the other person also crossing it is the fastest way to resolve the issue after all, it was never said that crossing the line first causes one party to lose.
5) Catch the Cats:

Beanie babies work well for this exercise. Stand everyone in a loose circle, and toss a cat in the mix. Anyone who catches it should immediately launch it across the circle. Add cats at intervals, and see how many the group can handle and for how long before they drop one. Everyone will have to pitch in and help. These free team building exercises can help you to develop your team into a smoothly working group. Respect and acceptance of each other will be strong between team members, and you can expect a better working environment.

Fun team building games

Fun team building games bring all the members of your group together in a non-threatening stress-free situation where they can learn to work together for a common goal or simply just get to know each other better. Games can encourage people to step out of their comfort zone, since everyone else is doing it too. Three wonderful games are listed here that range from individual exercises to ones which emphasize teamwork. All of these team building exercises can be done during work hours as a quick training session. Lions, Tigers and Bears - Oh My!: This is a great icebreaker game. Divide the room into two teams, and have six cards filled out - two each with the designation Lions, Tigers or Bears. Tigers beat lions, bears beat tigers, and lions beat bears - just like rock, scissors, paper. Lions roar, tigers growl, and bears whuffle. Each team leader draws a card, and holds it up so only their teammates standing behind them can see. The teams should be facing each other in lines, about five feet apart. On the count of three,

each team acts out their animal, and the winners try to tag the losers before they reach a taped line on the ground five feet behind them. Ties mean nothing happens. The team wins that has the most members when a predetermined time period is up. Heads Up - Pass it On!: Have two teams line up facing each other. At the end of the double line, place a chair with a ball or other object on it. On the other end, have a referee flip a coin and show it privately to the two people heading up the lines. If it is tails, count silently to ten and try again; heads, each leader should squeeze the hand of the person next to them, and that person will squeeze the hand of the person next to them, and so on. The person at the foot of the line, once they receive a squeeze, will grab for the ball on the chair. A point is scored for the team grabbing the ball. The referee must show the coin after each grab; if it is not heads and someone grabbed the ball, a point is deducted from that teams score. Play to ten or twenty points, depending on time constraints. Copycat!: This is a hilarious game guaranteed to break the ice. One person is selected to be the guesser, and leaves the room. The rest of the group selects a leader. They all sit in a circle, facing the center. The leader starts a simple motion, and the others follow suit. This can be clapping hands, swinging a foot, snapping fingers, nodding head, rubbing tummy, patting shoulder - any small action. The guesser returns and is stood in the center. Every little bit, the leader changes the movement, and the others copy him or her. The guessers job is to figure out who the leader is. Once they guess it correctly the leader is the new guesser, and the group picks a new leader. These fun team building games can loosen up your group and get them in the right frame of mind to talk about how teamwork theyve learned can be applied in the workplace.

Free team building games

Free team building games can be found in many places, but the best are gathered here for you to easily access. Team building games make for a tighter, more cohesive group and establish trust. Games are a safe, simple way to get people to step out of their comfort zone and work with other people. Three excellent games follow that emphasize teamwork and which can be tweaked if necessary to accommodate the space and time constraints.

Human Pretzel: This works well for around ten people a circle can be up to 15-20, but larger groups than that should split into two groups of people. All team members should face the center of the circle, standing shoulder to shoulder. Each person should lift their left hand, and take the hand of someone standing across the circle from

them. Then each person must use their right hand and join with another person also standing far away. Then they must figure out how to untangle the resulting pretzel without anyone letting go. This requires excellent thought and communication skills and a healthy dose of teamwork. Desert Island: Have each person list two things they would take with them if they knew they would be stranded on a desert island. List all the items on a large dry erase board, and split the team into two groups. One should come up with ways the items will help them survive, and the other team should come up with possible situations that might occur, and demand to know how they could be solved. This game really translates well to real life situations when all possible aspects of a problem must be looked at and solutions found for all contingencies. Trading Up: This game is designed to be played in a setting where there are many people. It can often be done in an office, with different teams performing at different times. Pass out a paper clip to each player. Let them know they must ask people in the office to trade them something for their clip, and it must be 'better' than a paper clip. Ask them to keep 'trading up' over a predetermined period of time say 30 minutes. At the end of that time, each team shows off their accumulated loot. After all teams have had a turn at the game, a winning team is chosen based on best, most valuable items, and MVPs for each team are chosen as well. Give extra points for items gathered that can be used together such as pen and paper, staples and stapler, etc. All of the free team building games are only a glimpse into the fun activities you can plan to increase team work within your group and raise morale. If you set aside a special time monthly or biweekly to work with your group(s), you will see the levels of trust and acceptance between team members increase. Your team will be more responsive to training and better at working together to complete tasks and decipher instructions.

Corporate Team building Exercises

Corporate team building exercises are valuable tools to use for team training and development . When you start putting a team together, you have to find the most qualified person for each job and sometimes personalities clash or egos get in the way. A roomful of people working towards a common goal doesnt automatically equal a team. They have to work in tandem, or the process can take forever. Imagine a team of horses trying to pull a plow - if one goes fast and slightly to the right and the other goes slow and slightly to the left you get the picture. Everyone needs to pull together (and in the same direction) for any serious ground to be covered.

This means that your team members need to get to know each other - and not at a cocktail party. Each member of the team needs to have respect for all the other members, and a spirit of trust must be established for optimal results. Developing the team mind can quickly and easily be achieved by activities and games designed to improve communication, increase trust and build relationships between the different members of the team. The main focus behind team building activities is to construct a functioning group that can effectively work together to achieve goals on a daily basis. There are numerous team building approaches; some prefer to hold group seminars or training classes or workshops on team building. Unfortunately, many people find this method boring and there is little if any information retention, because no-one has actually shown the team members how to work together. Another option is to hire a company that specializes in developing and setting up corporate team building retreats. This can be effective, but costly for small companies and difficult for employees to attend. Sometimes you can simply find your own plans and set up a team building weekend or even hold sessions during regular work hours instead. This is a good option for small businesses or ones which attempt to respect the fact that their employees have lives outside of work. Managing an in-house team building program can be complex, but the returns are worth it. By creating your own plan, you can incorporate targeted activities that deal specifically with your situation and allow more flexibility than a generic program designed by a third party. All you have to do is carve out the time, select a venue and decide which exercises and games will work best for your group. Corporate team building exercise, activities and events should put people into new, challenging and fun situations. You want maximum interaction between the team members, and a mixture of group, split team and one on one exercises to help each team member learn to work with every other person on the team. This way, they will learn flexibility and also become more accepting of mistakes in others as they realize they too are not perfect. Strengths and weaknesses will be uncovered and recognized, and plans can be made for improvement. From there, improving the quality of the team as a whole will follow as a matter of course.

1. Trust Walk Activity

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This activity is recommended for teenagers aged 14 and up, but it can also be suitable for slightly younger children as well. All you need for the activity are blindfolds, and the recommended setting is any area without dangerous obstacles. Put members of the group in pairs; one person is the navigator and the other is blindfolded. The navigator should not touch his or her partner, but the blindfolded member should rely on direction solely from verbal cues. The players learn about

teamwork, being responsible for another's well being and how to rely on another person.

Have You Ever

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Set up chairs in a circle but keep the number of chairs one less than the number of players. One player stands in the middle of the circle and ask the question, "Have you ever...?" This player should ask a question about something he or she has done to see who else has done this as well. You may want to set boundaries about what types of questions can and cannot be asked. Everyone who has done the activity asked in the question has to get up and change seats with someone else, and the person in the middle also grabs a seat. One person is left standing to ask the next question. This is a good game to learn what everyone has in common. Sponsored Links

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Broad Jumps
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Draw a beginning line, or lay it out with tape, and have the smallest or youngest member of the group run to it and jump over it. Keep the beginning line marked and then mark where the first person landed. Have everyone else in order of height or age jump across it. As each member jumps, move that second line up to match where they landed. By having the smallest or youngest jump first; he can see his or her contribution to building the foundation. By having the oldest or tallest jump last, he can see how he contributes to furthering the group without bullying or bossing anyone around. Encourage everyone to cheer on each member.

He Said She Said

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Have your group members sit in a circle and give each one a pencil and a sheet of paper. Each person should write the first line of a story and then pass his paper to the person on the right, who writes the second line of the story. This continues until each person gets their original paper back. At the end, have everyone read the stories aloud to the group. This activity promotes creativity and letting down guards to share and be silly.

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Activities in Trust-Building
By Brian Birmingham, eHow Contributor

Trust is the basis for many close relationships.

Trust-building activities are most often utilized in organizations that require bonding, such as camps, community organizations and various teams. This is because trust activities let us know that we can rely on the other people in our group and blindly put our trust into them. There are several activities that can improve trust building.
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1. Mine Field
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Place several large objects across a large field. Objects can include rakes, large rocks, holes, trip ropes or anything else your mind can imagine. Pair off into teams of two. Each team will have one blindfolded person and one guider. It is up to the guider to verbally guide the blindfolded team member through the obstacle course without hitting any of the objects.

Trust Fall
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In this activity, one person is the faller, and the other members are the catchers. The faller will stand on a slightly elevated surface with his back facing the catchers. The faller will then fall straight backward and rely on the others to catch him. Each member should take a turn falling, proving that everyone can trust each person on the team. Sponsored Links

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Forrest Activity
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Pair off into teams of two. One team member is blindfolded; the other is the guider. The guider will verbally and physically guide the blindfolded team member to a certain tree and then back to the starting position. Once they are back at the starting position, the blindfolded team member will remove the blindfold and remember the direction of the team member as he tries to find his way back to the tree.

Blind Drawing
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Pair off into teams of two. One team member will get a photo of a person or object; the other member will get markers and paper. Without showing the photo, the team member with the photo has to describe it as best as he can so the other member can draw it. This will also work on communication to share visions and ideas.

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Trust Building Experiential Activities

By Krystal Miller, eHow Contributor

Build trust with blindfolded activities.

Trust building experiential activities help people develop openness, understanding, mutual respect and trust. Trust building activities also build teamwork and communication skills needed for everyday life. Prepare activities for use at home, school, church or any organization to build trust.
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1. Human Spring Activities

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Each player must select a partner. Ask each pair to stand facing each other with their hands in front of them and their palms facing outward. Tell them to stand about a foot apart. Both people fall forward together, catching themselves in the middle with their hands. After they catch themselves, they must spring back up to a standing position without losing their balance. Make the activity more challenging by having the players stand farther apart or on one foot. This activity teaches players how to trust one another by knowing they will always catch each other in the middle.

Blindfold Activities
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Ask each player to select a partner. Have one player in each pair wear a blindfolded. The player who can see takes her partners hand and walks with her in a large, open area. After they walk for about one minute, have the partners skip, then jog and then run. The blindfolded partner must trust her partner while doing these activities. Rest for 10 minutes, and then have the partners switch blindfolds and do it again. Another idea is to have the partner verbally command the blindfolded partner across an obstacle course of soft item. Alternatively, make it a race by having several blindfolded players on the obstacle course at once while their partners verbally guide them to the finish line. The team who successfully completes the course first wins the game. This teaches players to work together and trust one another. Sponsored Links

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Trust Fall Activities

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Divide players into groups of three. One at a time, each player must fall backwards into the arms of the other two players. Allow each person in the group a chance to fall. Keep doing this activity with different players in each group to build trust between all the players. With a large group, have everyone walk around the room. At anytime, a player can yell, Falling! The player will immediately start to fall backwards. The other players must catch him. If two people yell at the same time, the group has to make sure to catch both players. Another variant is to have one player stand on a platform, and then fall into the arms of his peers. The platform should be about shoulder height to the players standing on the ground.

Other Activities
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Form a tight circle, with each player facing the back of the player in front of her. When you say "Sit," all players must try to sit in the lap of the player behind them. They must trust the player behind them will be there when they sit down. If they fall or the activity does not work, have them keep trying. Another variant of this activity is to split the players into pairs, and ask one partner to sit in a chair, while the other partner stands 10 feet in front of her with his back turned. The standing partner must close his eyes, while the sitting partner verbally guides him to sit in her lap. Switch partners regularly to encourage the entire group to trust one another.

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Trust-Building Activities for the Classroom

By Catherine Copeland, eHow Contributor

There are many ways to incorporate trust-building activities into your classroom.

As many teachers know, it is important for students in a classroom to learn to trust each other and the teacher. One way to build trust in your classroom is to do trust-building exercises. These exercises are short, quick and fun games. These activities are simple and easy to incorporate into regular classroom activities.
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1. Mine Field
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Mine Field is a common trust-building activity that helps students develop trust and communication skills. The teacher will create a course with "mines" throughout it. The mines can be anything from fixed furniture to balls and toys.

The students work in pairs. One student is blindfolded so he cannot see, and he is not allowed to talk. This student must go through the minefield. The other student can see and talk but cannot enter the mine field. She must guide the student who is blindfolded through the mine field by giving him verbal instructions. The object is to get through the zone without hitting a mine.

Trust Lean
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For this activity, students of similar sizes pair up. One student becomes the faller, while the other one steps in as the catcher. The idea is to lean back and learn to trust that the catcher will in fact catch the other student. Students often find a hard time trusting this much, and attempt to catch themselves. It is ideal to have the partners switch positions so each can take a turn in the different roles.

Body Surfing
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This is a game better suited for outdoors, or in a gym with mats. While one person kneels as the surfer, the rest of the class lays down on their stomachs, with their faces down and arms outstretched. The surfer must yell "surf's up," and those on the ground will begin to roll their bodies. The surfer, on his knees, is pushed to the end of the line.

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Team Building Trust Activities

By Jessica Bold, eHow Contributor

Building trust within a group or team is important, especially if the group is required to work together to solve problems or reach a common goal. Trust building activities can be used in the workplace among colleagues, sports teams or even small groups during a week long summer camp. Regardless of the type of team you are on, a team trust building activity can be a great way to build confidence and camaraderie among all team members.
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1. Willow in the Wind

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Trust is at its highest when your sight is taken away. During the Willow in the Wind activity, one member of a team is placed in the middle of a small, tight circle consisting of the remainder of the group. The middle person stands with their feet together, arms crossed over their chest and eyes closed. The group around this person must be prepared to catch them by having their arms outstretched with elbows locked and one foot in front of another. When the person in the middle is ready to fall, he says so. The members of the circle must acknowledge this to ensure everyone is alert and ready. Then, the middle person will lean in any direction against pairs of hands and be passed around the group. After a few minutes, the person in the middle opens his eyes and stands up. Then someone else replaces the person in the middle, who then joints the circle, and the activity is repeated. In order for this activity to work, everyone must stay positive and remain alert, as mocking someone who is fearful or dropping someone who is putting their faith in you to catch them does not facilitate trust.

Slice 'n Dice

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Slice 'n Dice is best used with a large group of around 20 or more. Start the activity by forming two equal lines, with everyone facing one another, creating a long corridor. Each person puts their arms straight out in front of them and should intersect at the hands of the person directly across from them. The first person in the line will come off the line and walk through the corridor (left or right side, it is up to the group to decide who goes first). As he goes down the corridor of people, everyone will raise their arms to allow him to pass and then immediately lower them. Once the first person is at the end of the line, they join in again and stick their arms out for the next person. Set a visual mark, like the fifth person in line, to signal the next person to begin walking down the corridor. As everyone gets more confident, people may walk quickly or even run down the corridor, trusting that everyone will raise their arms to allow them passage. To add another dynamic to the activity, have the group lift their arms up and down in a chopping motion, only stopping to allow the walker or runner through.

Trust Walk
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If you have a large, open area available for use, like a field or open parking lot, try a trust walk. Each participant will need a blindfold and if using a parking lot, a few obstacles like plastic, orange cones are helpful. This activity may be facilitated in various ways, beginning in pairs. Each pair will take turns verbally leading their blindfolded partner through the open area. Once everyone is

comfortable, try increasing the size of the group to one leader and two blindfolded teammates. The trust walk is not to be rushed, as forgetting to mention a hole in the ground or a curb to your blindfolded charges can lead to injuries and will not allow for trust to be built.

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