youth group problem solving games

Inspiration & Information for Self-Improvement

37+ Team Building Games for Teens (Cooperative)

Team building activities are a great way for teenagers to develop cooperation and unity while having fun. With over 37 team building games available, there are plenty of options for teens to enhance their social skills. These cooperative games promote communication, trust-building, and problem-solving among teenagers.

Key Takeaways:

• Team building games provide an opportunity for teenagers to develop essential social skills.
• Cooperative games promote communication, trust-building, and problem-solving among teenagers.
• There are over 37 team building games available for teens to choose from.
• Engaging in team building activities can foster stronger relationships among teenagers.
• Team building games create a positive and inclusive environment for teens to thrive.

Table of Contents

Outdoor Team Building Games for Teens

Outdoor team building games provide an exciting opportunity for teenagers to engage in collaborative activities while enjoying the great outdoors. These games not only promote teamwork and communication but also encourage physical fitness and healthy competition. By participating in outdoor team building games, teens can develop essential skills that are vital for their personal and social growth.

One popular outdoor team building game for teens is “Capture the Flag.” This game requires two teams to strategize, communicate, and work together to capture the opposing team’s flag while protecting their own. It promotes teamwork, leadership, and strategic thinking as well as physical endurance and agility.

Another thrilling outdoor game for teens is the “Obstacle Course Challenge.” This game involves setting up a course with various physical challenges and obstacles that the teams must navigate. It requires coordination, problem-solving, and effective communication to successfully complete the course. The Obstacle Course Challenge not only builds teamwork and resilience but also encourages teens to push their boundaries and overcome obstacles.

Engaging in outdoor team building games not only helps teenagers develop important skills but also allows them to connect with nature, enjoy physical activity, and foster a sense of adventure. These games create memorable experiences and strengthen bonds among teens, making them an ideal choice for group activities and youth programs.

Virtual Team Building Games for Teens

As technology continues to advance, virtual team building games for teens have become increasingly popular. These games provide a unique opportunity for teenagers to connect and collaborate with their peers from any location. Whether they are playing online scavenger hunts or participating in virtual escape rooms, these activities foster important skills such as communication, problem-solving, and teamwork.

Virtual team building games not only bring together teenagers with common interests but also allow for the exploration of diverse perspectives and ideas. Through these interactive experiences, teens can learn how to navigate virtual platforms while honing their digital communication skills. Additionally, these games can be a great way for introverted teens to feel more comfortable interacting with others in a virtual setting.

“Virtual team building games have been a game-changer for our group of teenagers. It’s amazing to see how they collaborate and problem-solve online, all while having a blast!” – Mark, Youth Group Leader

By engaging in virtual team building games, teenagers can develop valuable skills that will benefit them in various aspects of their lives. From school projects to future careers, the ability to effectively communicate and work together in a virtual environment is increasingly important. These games provide a safe and supportive space for teens to practice these skills while having fun and building connections.

So, whether it’s through online scavenger hunts, virtual escape rooms, or other virtual team building activities, teenagers can enhance their social skills, problem-solving abilities, and teamwork through engaging and interactive experiences.

Trust Building Games for Teens

Trust building games are an essential component of team building activities for teenagers . These games are designed to enhance communication, build trust, and foster stronger relationships among teens. By participating in trust-building exercises, teenagers develop important skills such as empathy, reliance on others, effective communication, and teamwork.

One popular trust-building game for teens is the Blindfolded Obstacle Course. In this game, participants are blindfolded and must navigate through an obstacle course with the guidance of their teammates. This game requires clear communication and trust in their team members to successfully complete the course. It helps teenagers understand the importance of effective communication and trusting others.

Another trust-building game for teens is the Trust Fall. In this game, participants stand on an elevated surface with their backs to their teammates and fall backward, trusting their teammates to catch them. This game fosters trust, as participants rely on their team members to support and catch them. It also helps teenagers overcome fear and develop trust in others.

The Importance of Trust Building Games for Teens

Trust building games are crucial for teenagers as they navigate through the challenges of adolescence. These games provide a safe and supportive environment for teens to build trust, improve their communication skills, and develop stronger relationships with their peers. By participating in trust-building activities, teenagers learn to rely on others, effectively express their needs and concerns, and create a sense of unity within a team.

Engaging in trust-building games is an invaluable experience for teenagers, helping them develop essential life skills that will benefit them in various aspects of their lives. These games create a sense of camaraderie, encourage open communication, and foster a supportive team environment. By participating in trust-building activities, teenagers can cultivate a strong foundation of trust, empathy, and effective communication that will serve them well throughout their lives.

Icebreaker Games for Teens

Icebreaker games are a fantastic way to kick off a team building session or any group activity for teenagers. These games are designed to break down barriers, foster communication, and create a comfortable and inclusive environment for teens to interact with one another. By encouraging conversation, laughter, and getting to know each other better, icebreaker games help teens feel more at ease in group settings.

One popular icebreaker game for teens is “Two Truths and a Lie.” In this game, each teenager takes turns sharing three statements about themselves – two of which are true and one that is a lie. The rest of the group then has to guess which statement is the lie. This game not only helps teens learn more about each other but also encourages active listening and critical thinking as they try to spot the lie.

Another fun icebreaker game for teens is “Human Bingo.” In this game, each teenager receives a bingo card with different traits or experiences written in each square. The goal is to mingle with the group and find someone who matches the description in each square. By engaging in conversations and discovering commonalities, teens are able to connect with their peers and build new friendships.

Go back to the top

Fun Team Building Games for Teens

Team building games are not only a great way for teenagers to bond and develop important social skills but can also be a lot of fun. Incorporating games into team building activities adds an element of excitement and engagement, making the experience enjoyable for all participants. Here are some fun team building games for teens that are guaranteed to create a positive and entertaining atmosphere.

Minute to Win It Challenges

Minute to Win It challenges are fast-paced, high-energy games that require participants to complete a task within a minute. These games test teenagers’ speed, agility, and problem-solving skills, while also promoting teamwork and communication. From stacking cups to balancing cookies on their foreheads, these quick challenges are sure to bring lots of laughter and friendly competition among teens.

Pictionary Relay

Inspired by the classic game of Pictionary, Pictionary Relay takes the fun to the next level. Divide the teens into teams and provide each team with a whiteboard and marker. One member from each team starts by drawing a word or phrase given to them. Once their team guesses correctly, the next player grabs the marker and continues the chain, racing against the other teams. This game not only encourages creativity but also strengthens communication and teamwork skills.

Scavenger Hunt

A scavenger hunt is a classic team building game that never fails to entertain teens. Create a list of items or clues that the teams need to find within a specified time frame. The teams must work together, solve puzzles, and search for the items, challenging their problem-solving and teamwork skills. Scavenger hunts can be hosted both indoors and outdoors, allowing for flexibility and creativity in planning.

These fun team building games for teens offer the perfect combination of enjoyment and skill development. Whether it’s the adrenaline rush of Minute to Win It challenges, the creativity of Pictionary Relay, or the exciting adventure of a scavenger hunt, these games create memorable experiences and foster teamwork, communication, and problem-solving skills among teenagers.

Youth Team Building Games

Youth team building games provide a fun and engaging way for teenagers to develop essential skills while building relationships and fostering teamwork. These games not only promote cooperation and communication but also encourage problem-solving and decision-making abilities. By participating in youth team building games , teenagers can enhance their social skills while having a great time.

One popular youth team building game is the “Human Knot.” In this game, participants stand in a circle, reach across and hold hands with two different people across the circle. The challenge is for the group to untangle themselves without letting go of each other’s hands. This game requires coordination, communication, and teamwork to successfully solve the puzzle and achieve the goal. Through the “Human Knot,” teenagers can learn the importance of working together and supporting one another.

Another exciting youth team building game is “Pipeline.” In this game, participants work together to transport marbles from one point to another using only pipes and funnels. The objective is to create a system of connected pipes to successfully transfer the marbles without them falling out. This game requires strategic thinking, collaboration, and problem-solving skills. “Pipeline” encourages teens to communicate effectively and delegate tasks, ultimately strengthening their teamwork abilities.

Participating in youth team building games not only helps teenagers develop important skills but also creates a positive and inclusive environment for them to thrive. These games promote friendship, trust, and mutual respect among participants. By engaging in team building activities, teenagers can enhance their social interactions and build stronger relationships with their peers.

Ready to Have Fun and Grow Together

Fun team building games for teens are a fantastic way to bring young people together in an enjoyable and interactive setting. These activities foster camaraderie, empathy, and mutual understanding, while also cultivating critical life skills. By engaging in youth team building games, teenagers can develop their teamwork, communication, and problem-solving abilities, setting them up for success in their personal and professional lives. So gather your group and get ready to have a blast while building bonds and sharpening skills!

Communication Games for Teens

Effective communication is a crucial skill for teenagers to develop as they navigate their way through social interactions and build relationships. Communication games provide a fun and engaging way for teens to hone their communication skills while enjoying group activities. These games encourage clear and concise communication, active listening, and the ability to relay information accurately.

One popular communication game for teens is “Telephone.” In this game, participants form a line or circle and one person whispers a message to the person next to them. The message is then passed on from one person to another until it reaches the last person, who says the message out loud. This game highlights the importance of effective communication and the challenges that can arise when information is not conveyed accurately.

Effective communication is a crucial skill for teenagers to develop as they navigate their way through social interactions and build relationships.

Another engaging communication game for teens is “One-Word Story.” In this game, participants sit in a circle and take turns adding one word to a story. Each person must listen carefully to the words spoken before them and contribute a word that keeps the story flowing. This game emphasizes the importance of listening skills, as participants need to stay engaged and build upon the words shared by others to create a coherent story.

By participating in communication games, teenagers can improve their verbal and non-verbal communication skills, learn to express themselves clearly, and develop empathy towards others. These games provide a safe and supportive environment for teens to practice their communication skills and gain confidence in expressing their thoughts and ideas.

Engaging in communication games not only improves teenagers’ ability to express themselves effectively but also enhances their understanding of others and promotes healthy and positive communication within a group setting. These games can be incorporated into various settings, such as school, youth group gatherings, or family activities, to foster stronger relationships, teamwork, and empathy among teenagers.

Team building games for teens are a fantastic way for young individuals to develop essential life skills while having fun and building lasting relationships. Whether it’s engaging in outdoor activities, virtual games, trust-building exercises, or icebreakers, these games offer a wide range of options to cater to teenagers’ diverse interests and preferences.

By participating in team building activities, teenagers can enhance their communication, problem-solving, and teamwork skills. These games foster a sense of unity and cooperation, allowing teens to work together towards common goals and develop a strong sense of camaraderie. Moreover, team building games create a positive and inclusive environment that encourages teens to step out of their comfort zones and connect with their peers.

With the variety of team building games available, teenagers have the opportunity to explore their strengths, improve their weaknesses, and discover new talents. These activities not only promote personal growth but also provide valuable life lessons that can benefit teens in various aspects of their lives, such as school, sports teams, and future careers. So, whether it’s a fun outdoor challenge, a virtual adventure, or a trust-building exercise, team building games for teens offer an exciting and rewarding experience.

So, why wait? Encourage your teenager to engage in team building games and witness the positive impact on their social skills, confidence, and overall well-being. Whether it’s through laughter-filled moments or overcoming challenges together, these games provide a platform for teens to learn, grow, and thrive.

What are team building games for teens?

Team building games for teens are activities that promote cooperation, communication, problem-solving, and trust among teenagers while having fun.

How many team building games are available for teens?

There are over 37 team building games available for teenagers to choose from, providing a wide range of options for enhancing their social skills.

What skills can teens develop through outdoor team building games?

Outdoor team building games help teenagers develop skills such as teamwork, communication, strategic thinking, physical fitness, and healthy competition.

What are virtual team building games for teens?

Virtual team building games for teens are activities that are played online and allow teenagers to connect with their peers from anywhere, fostering collaboration, problem-solving, and communication skills in a virtual setting.

What are trust-building games for teens?

Trust-building games for teens are designed to enhance communication and build trust among teenagers. These activities require teens to rely on each other and communicate effectively to succeed, fostering stronger relationships, empathy, and teamwork.

What are icebreaker games for teens?

Icebreaker games for teens are activities that help break the ice and create a comfortable environment for teenagers to interact with each other. These games encourage conversation, laughter, and getting to know each other better, promoting inclusivity in group settings.

What skills can teens develop through fun team building games?

Fun team building games for teens promote teamwork, communication skills, problem-solving, and decision-making, all while providing an engaging and entertaining experience.

What are youth team building games?

Youth team building games are specifically designed for teenagers to develop essential skills while having fun. These games require collaboration, problem-solving, and communication, fostering leadership qualities, teamwork, and decision-making skills among teens.

What skills can teens improve through communication games?

Communication games for teens promote effective communication skills, requiring clear and concise communication, active listening, and accurate relay of information. These activities help teenagers improve their verbal and non-verbal communication skills.

How can team building games benefit teens?

Team building games can benefit teens by enhancing their social skills, fostering stronger relationships, and creating a positive and inclusive environment for personal growth and skill development.

Related Posts

41+ Words That Start with Kn- (Complete List)

187+ Popular Medieval Names (1300s-1500s) [Male, Female, Peasants, Surnames]

Leave a reply cancel reply.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

• Meet Danielle
• Disclosure & Privacy Policy
• Bible Lessons
• Christian Books
• Teens & Tweens
• Summer Together
• Thanksgiving
• Board Games
• For Families
• Halloween Printables
• Thanksgiving Printables
• Christmas Printables

57 Insanely Fun Indoor Games for Youth Group

Looking for something to keep your younger kids and teens entertained and busy during summer break? Here are some simple, easy games and activities that can be done indoors with minimal preparation. Most of these activities require very little space, so they’re perfect for small groups at a youth ministry or large gatherings of youth leaders at youth camps. And best of all, these fun indoor games they can also be played at home!

It can be difficult to find easy games to play indoors, especially when you have a large group of kids. Sometimes the best option is to choose a few simple games that everyone can participate in. classics like tag or hide-and-seek can be fun for all ages, and more creative games like charades or Pictionary can also keep kids entertained. If you want something that will challenge kids mentally and physically there are some fun options you will see here. 

For less active games you can try arts and crafts projects or board games. Kids can make their own pizzas, build towers out of marshmallows and toothpicks, or play a cooperative game like Chutes and Ladders. If you have a group of older kids, they might enjoy playing cards or learning magic tricks.

Either way here is a list of activities for an indoor group of youth for you!  

Games for Teenagers Indoors 

There are a lot of games for younger children, but not enough games for teens. This is because teens might want to do more active things, like sports. I did some research for you and it turns out there are some fun games that they might want to try! 

Some popular indoor youth group activities include card games, board games , and video games. Teens also enjoy activities like arts and crafts, cooking, and watching movies. Check out these fun youth group games below. 

Teens like card games because they can be mentally stimulating. Games like Taco vs. Burrito can test a person’s ability to be quick and read other players, while games like solitaire can require strategic planning. Many card games also require players to remember the order of cards in their deck or discard pile, which is a skill that can be useful in other areas of life. These games also create bonding between team members.  Here is a list of the top rated games and few we play at home that I personally know are GREAT! 

– Taco vs. Burrito 

– Taco, Goat, Cheese, Pizza 

– Poetry for Neanderthals 

– Moose Master 

– What Do you Meme Family Edition 

Outdoor Activities to Play Inside When its TOO HOT! 

There are a number of outdoor games that can be played indoors when it is too hot to be outside or on rainy days.  Games like frisbee, football, and basketball can all be played indoors with minimal adjustments. All you need is a little bit of space and the ability to keep the ball from bouncing off of walls or furniture. If you have a large indoor space, you can even set up a makeshift course for an obstacle course race.

Some other indoor youth group activities and games that can be played indoors and with smaller groups include:

– Sports Ring Toss 

Ring toss is a game where you throw a ring around a pole to score points.

– Bean Bag Toss

Bean bag toss is a game where the goal of the game is to throw a bean bag at a target and try to score points. The next player repeats the same steps. 

– Ladder Ball

Ladder ball is a game where you throw a ball that is connected to another ball by a rope at a ladder. Depending on where it lands you will score different points. Turn goes to next person then repeat. 

– Cup stacking

 This is a game where you have to stack cups into a pyramid. It is really challenging and requires coordination.

-Hula hooping

 See how long you can keep the hula hoop around your waist. This activity is good for cardiovascular health and also works on your core muscles.

– Indoor volleyball

You will need a volleyball net and a ball. You can set the net up in a doorway or between two pieces of furniture.

– Jump rope

This is a great cardio workout and you can do it anywhere.

– Ping pong

Ping pong is a classic game that can be played indoors. All you need is a table, net, and paddles.

Yoga is a great way to relax and get some exercise. There are many different types of yoga, so there is something for everyone.

Other Well Known Indoor Youth Group Games and Activities

Sometimes teens just want to play well known games. They might not be interested in learning new games or trying something different. These games below can almost guarantee some fun and the bonus is adult leaders wont have to teach anyone how to play! 

– Giant Jenga  

– Golf Pong 

– Magnetic Darts 

– Capture the flag

– Hopscotch

– Tag

– Hide and seek

– Tug of war

Board games

Board games can be a great investment because you will use them often. Many board games are designed for two or more players, so they can be enjoyed with friends and family. Some popular board games include Monopoly, Scrabble, and Yahtzee. These games can be enjoyed by people of all ages, so they are perfect for family game night.

They can also be enjoyed by teens at different skill levels. Games like Monopoly can be perfect for teaching kids about financial planning and strategic thinking, while games like Scrabble can help improve vocabulary and spelling skills. There are also many cooperative board games that can be played by large groups, which can promote teamwork and communication. Here are some examples,

– Monopoly

– Scrabble

– Risk

– Chess

– Checkers

– Clue

– Sorry!

– Battleship

For more strategy games like Risk check out these awesome games! 

Video games 

Let’s be honest when we hear the word “video games” we all inwardly cringe. As a parent we are usually trying hard to find ways to keep our kids off of video games! It seems like it can be isolating and consume too much of our child’s time. However, this really depends on a couple different things.

First, there are video games you can pick that have a set time limit o finish a game. Once the times up you can have your kids move unto something else. Another thing is that there are LOTS of video games that are multiplayer. These can be very social and interactive with the people around you. Video games can even be a fun way for teens to connect and have some friendly competition with friends and family.

Teens can gain a lot from playing the right video games, including skills in strategic thinking, quick thinking, and problem solving. Video games can also help improve memory and concentration. cooperative games can promote teamwork and communication skills. 

Here are some video games that are less isolating and more social as mentioned above. 

– Mario Party

– Mario Kart 

– Carnival Games 

– Instant Sports 

-Mario and Sonic Olympic Games

Arts and crafts 

Arts and crafts can be a great way for teenagers to express their creativity. It can also be a fun way to spend time with friends. There are many different arts and crafts activities that a youth group that is indoor can do. This includes painting, drawing, sculpting, and origami.

Some popular choices for paintings include acrylics, watercolors, and oil paints. For drawing, pencils, charcoal, and pastels are some common options. Sculpting materials can include clay, wood, metal, and glass. I have linked some great art supplies below if you click on the link! 

– Painting

There are many different types of paints that kids can use to paint their pictures. Some popular types of paint include acrylics, watercolors, and oil paints. Kids can experiment with different colors and techniques to create beautiful paintings.

– Drawing

Many teens like to draw things that are important to them. This can include their favorite animals, people, places, things, and more. Drawing is a great way for teens to express their creativity and think of new creative ideas. 

– Sculpting

Sculpting is a great way for teens to express their creativity. They can use different materials to create their sculptures, including clay, wood, metal, and glass. Sculpting is a great way to spend time with friends or family and it can be a lot of fun.

– Origami

Origami is a great way for teens to express their creativity. They can use different colors and patterns to create beautiful origami projects. Origami is a great way to spend time with friends or family and it can be a lot of fun.

Cooking 

Cooking is another activity that can be enjoyed by teens indoors. It can be a great way to bond with friends or family, and it can also teach valuable life skills. Teens can learn how to follow recipes, measure ingredients, and cook food safely.

Cooking can also be a creative activity. Teens can experiment with different ingredients and flavor combinations to create their own unique dishes.

– Baking

There are many different things that teens can bake. This can include cakes, cookies, pies, and breads. Things such as this don’t require much supervision which can teach independence as well. 

– Cooking

Cooking is a great way for teens to learn important life skills. They can learn how to follow recipes, measure ingredients, and cook food safely. Cooking can also be a creative activity. Teens can experiment with different ingredients and flavor combinations to create their own unique dishes.

– Recipe Experimentation

Recipe experimentation is a fun way for teen to try new things in the kitchen. They can experiment with different ingredients and flavor combinations to create their own unique dishes. This can be a great way to learn about food and cooking. Teen can also share their recipes with friends and family, and see what they think. Recipe experimentation can be a fun and delicious way to spend time with friends or family.

As you can see, there are many different activities that teens can do indoors. These activities can help improve memory and concentration, promote teamwork and communication skills, and be a great way to express creativity. So next time your teen is looking for something to do, consider one of these indoor

Exercise 

Exercise is another great choice for indoor activities a youth group can participate in. indoor activity for teenagers. It can help them stay healthy and fit, and it can also improve their mood and concentration. Teens can find new ways to exercise by exploring different activities and sports.

Making time for exercise can be difficult, but it’s important to be intentional about it. Here are a few tips for making time for exercise.

– Make a schedule and stick to it. This can help ensure that you make time for exercise each week.

– Find activities that your kids enjoy. This can help make exercise

Some popular exercises for teenagers include running, swimming, weightlifting, and yoga.

– Yoga

Yoga is a great way for teens to exercise. It can help them improve their flexibility, strength, and balance. 

– Pilates

Pilates is another great way for teens to exercise. It can help them improve their flexibility, strength, and balance. Pilates can also be a great way to relax and de-stress.

– Cardio

Cardio is a great way for teens to exercise. It can be done by running, walking, biking, swimming, and more.

– Running

Running is a great way for teens to exercise. This can help them improve their heart health, and it can also help them lose weight. Running can also be a great way to relieve stress.

– Swimming

Swim ming is a great way for teens to exercise. Plus, it will keep them cool during the hot summer months. 

– Weightlifting

Weightlifting is a great way for teens to exercise. It will improve their strength, and it can also help them build muscle. Weightlifting can be done with weights, or with bodyweight exercises.

Indoor Activities for Youth Groups Ages 10 and Below 

There are many different activities that little kids can do indoors. Some popular choices include coloring, painting, drawing, and playing with dolls or action figures.

Physical activity is also important for kids, even if they are indoors. They can burn off energy by jumping on a trampoline, playing tag, or doing an indoor scavenger hunt.

Arts and crafts projects can also be a great way for kids to express their creativity. Some easy crafts that kids can do include making homemade cards, painting rocks, or decorating picture frames.

Cooking can also be a fun activity for kids. They can help measure ingredients, mix them together, and decorate their creations.

There are many different activities that kids can do indoors. These activities can help them stay healthy, fit, and creative. 

1. Balloon volleyball

This game is similar to regular volleyball, but instead of using a ball, you use a balloon. You can either blow up your own balloons or use beach balls. If you’re using beach balls, make sure they’re not too big or they won’t fit through the net.

2. Balloon target practice

 Hang a piece of paper or a poster on the wall and see who can hit it with a balloon. You can use different-sized balloons for different points, or you can have a prize for whoever gets the most hits.

3. Hot potato

This is a classic game that can be played with any number of people. It is also one of the best party games if you have a lot of kids.  All you need is a potato (real or fake) and some music. Play the music and pass the potato around the circle. When the music stops, whoever has the potato is out. The last person standing wins!

4. Minute to win it

This is a game where you have to complete a task in a minute or less. There are lots of different tasks you can do, and you can make up your own or find some online. 

5. Scavenger hunt

This is one of the best team building activities for larger groups. You can either hide things around the room or give everyone a list of items to find. The first person or team to find all the items wins!

6. Musical chairs

This is another classic game that’s easy to play indoors. Set up chairs in a circle and have everyone walk around them. When the music stops, everyone has to sit down in a chair. The person without a chair is out and you remove one chair from the circle. The game keeps going until there’s only one person left!

7. Simon says 

This is a classic memory game that can be played with any number of people for simple indoor fun. The object of the game is to follow the Simon’s directions, but only when Simon says “Simon says” first. If you do something without hearing “Simon says” first, then you’re out! Simon says always guarantees a good time! 

8. Dice games

 There are lots of different dice games that can be played indoors. A few ideas include:

– Yatzee

 This is a classic game where you have to roll 5 dice and try to get different combinations, like a full house or a straight.

– Farkle

 This is a simple game where you roll 6 dice and try to get as many points as possible. The catch is that you can only score points if you roll certain combinations.

– Tenzi

 This is a fast-paced game where everyone gets 10 dice and tries to roll the same number. The first person to do it wins!

9. Card games

There are lots of different card games that can be played with a deck of cards. A few ideas include:

– Go Fish: This is a classic game for kids where you have to collect sets of 4 cards.

– War: This is a simple game where you compare the values of your cards and the person with the highest card wins.

– Crazy Eights: This is a fast-paced game where you have to get rid of all your cards by matching the number or suit of the card on the table.

10. Charades

This is a classic party game that can be played with any number of people. One person acts out a word or phrase while the others try to guess what it is. The first person to guess correctly gets a point. The person with the most points at the end of the game wins!

Now Go Have Some Fun! 

These are just a few ideas for indoor activities that kids can do . For more ideas, you can check more of my most recent posts on fun activities for kids. Or my Pinterest account where you will also find great ideas to keep your kids busy. 

Do you have any other games or activities that you enjoy doing indoors? Share them with us in the comments below!

20 Best Team Building Games For Youths: No Equipment Needed

Team building is the process of bringing together a group of people to work collaboratively and effectively towards a common goal. For youths, team building is an essential activity that can help them develop crucial skills like communication, problem-solving, and leadership. By participating in team building games, young people can learn to work together, develop trust, and improve their overall performance as a team.

Below, we’ll share 20 of the best team building games for youths that don’t require any equipment. These games are perfect for youth groups, sports teams, summer camps, and any other situation where you want to bring young people together to learn and have fun.

Note that we’ve divided the games into five distinct categories. So whether you’re a teacher, coach, camp counselor, or youth group leader, these team building games are sure to be a hit with your group.

Let’s get started!

A. Communication and Trust-Building Games

Effective communication is an essential skill for any team, and these games are designed to help young people develop better communication skills while also building trust and cooperation.

1. Two Truths and a Lie

This classic icebreaker game is a great way to get to know your team members better. Each person shares three statements about themselves – two true and one false. The rest of the group has to guess which statement is the lie. Here are some great examples to get your team started.

2. Human Knot

In this game, the group stands in a circle, and everyone reaches out to grab someone else’s hand. Then, without letting go, the group has to untangle themselves into a circle again.

3. Back-to-Back Drawing

In pairs, one person is given a picture to describe to their partner, who has to draw it without seeing the original image. This game is a fun way to practice clear communication and active listening.

4. Minefield

This game requires a bit more space and preparation, but it’s worth it for the lessons in trust and communication it provides. Set up a “minefield” of obstacles like cones, chairs, or other objects. One person is blindfolded and has to make it through the minefield with the help of their teammates’ verbal guidance.

Playing these games will help young people learn how to listen actively, communicate clearly, and trust their teammates. These skills are essential for any team to function effectively and can be applied in all areas of life.

B. Problem-Solving Games

These games are designed to challenge young people to think creatively and work together to find solutions to problems.

5. Group Juggle

In this game, the group stands in a circle and tosses a ball or object around. Each time someone catches the ball, they have to say the name of another person in the group before tossing it to them. This game is a fun way to practice quick thinking and adaptability.

6. Blindfolded Obstacle Course

Set up an obstacle course with objects like cones, chairs, and tables. One person is blindfolded, and their teammates have to guide them through the course without touching them. This game requires clear communication, trust, and problem-solving skills.

7. The Perfect Square

In this game, the group has to work together to create a perfect square using only a rope or string. The catch? They can’t talk or communicate in any way except through gestures and body language.

8. Tower Building

Give each group a set of materials like straws, tape, and paper cups, and challenge them to build the tallest tower they can. This game requires creativity, teamwork, and problem-solving skills.

As you can see, these skills are valuable not only in the context of team building but also in school, work, and everyday life.

In the next section, we’ll explore outdoor adventure games that challenge young people to step outside their comfort zone and push themselves to new heights.

C. Outdoor Adventure Games

These games are designed to challenge young people to step outside their comfort zone, push themselves to new heights, and have fun in the great outdoors.

9. Capture the Flag

This classic game is a great way to get young people running around and working together to achieve a common goal. Divide the group into two teams and give each team a flag to defend while trying to capture the other team’s flag.

10. Orienteering

Orienteering is a great way to build navigation skills and get young people exploring the outdoors. Set up a course with checkpoints and give each group a map and compass to navigate their way through the course.

11. Scavenger Hunt

A scavenger hunt is a fun way to get young people exploring the outdoors and working together to solve clues and find hidden objects.

12. River Rafting

If you have access to a river, river rafting is a thrilling outdoor adventure that requires teamwork and communication. Young people can work together to navigate the rapids and make it safely down the river.

Playing these games can help young people develop a sense of adventure, build teamwork and communication skills, and gain confidence in their abilities. Plus, spending time in the great outdoors has numerous physical and mental health benefits, making these games a win-win for everyone involved.

Next, we’ll explore games that focus on leadership development and encourage young people to take on leadership roles within their teams.

D. Creative Thinking Games

These games are designed to encourage young people to think outside the box, come up with innovative solutions, and flex their creative muscles.

13. Storytelling Circle

In this game, one person starts a story and then passes it on to the next person, who adds their own twist to the tale. This game encourages young people to think creatively, use their imaginations, and collaborate with others to create a cohesive story.

14. Pictionary

Pictionary is a classic drawing game that challenges young people to think creatively and communicate their ideas visually. Divide the group into teams and give each team a list of words or phrases to draw. The first team to guess the correct answer wins the round.

15. Word Association

In this game, one person says a word, and the next person has to say a word that is related to it. The game continues in this way, with each person saying a word that is related to the previous one. This game encourages young people to think creatively, make connections between seemingly unrelated concepts, and think on their feet.

16. Building Bridges

Give each group a set of materials like popsicle sticks, paper clips, and rubber bands, and challenge them to build a bridge that can support a certain weight. This game encourages young people to think creatively, problem-solve, and work together to achieve a common goal.

In the final section, we’ll wrap up the article and provide some key takeaways for anyone looking to organize team building games for young people.

Related: Stranded in the Desert: How to Survive with Nothing

E. Physical Challenges

These games are designed to get young people moving, challenge them physically, and build their endurance and strength.

17. Obstacle Course

Set up an obstacle course using cones, hurdles, tires, and other materials. Divide the group into teams and challenge them to complete the course as quickly as possible. This game encourages young people to work together, communicate, and push themselves physically.

18. Tug-of-War

Tug-of-war is a classic game that requires strength, endurance, and teamwork. Divide the group into two teams and challenge them to pull the other team across a designated line.

19. Relay Races

Relay races are a fun way to get young people moving and challenge them physically. Divide the group into teams and set up a relay course with different challenges, such as jumping over hurdles or crawling under a net.

20. Balloon Pop

In this game, each person ties a balloon around their ankle, and the goal is to pop other people’s balloons while protecting your own. This game requires quick reflexes, agility, and physical dexterity.

Playing these physical challenges can help young people develop their physical fitness, endurance, and teamwork skills. These games are also a great way to encourage young people to get outside, enjoy the fresh air, and have fun in a healthy and active way.

To conclude, when planning a team building event for young people, it’s important to choose games that are appropriate for their age and skill level. You also want to make sure that the games are safe and that all participants feel comfortable and included.

Here are some key takeaways to keep in mind when planning a team building event:

• Choose games that are appropriate for the age and skill level of your participants
• Ensure that all games are safe and that participants are supervised at all times
• Encourage communication, teamwork, and problem-solving throughout the games
• Celebrate success and encourage positive feedback among participants

Share this:

Leave a comment cancel reply.

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

15 Problem-Solving Activities for Kids & Teens: Critical Thinking

What is one of the most important skills all students must learn? Is it math or coding? Reading? Writing? While all these skills are indeed vital to success, the one skill that underlines all disciplines is problem solving. All lines of work need great problem solvers to find tomorrow’s solutions, and students of any age can be honing their problem-solving skills. Check out some of these fun problem-solving activities for kids and teens below!

Problem-solving activities for elementary school kids (ages 5-10)

From traditional paper-and-pencil activities to online tools, below are some great activities for kids ages 5-10.

1. Coding Courses for Kids

It’s never too early to start learning the foundational concepts of computer programming! There are a number of courses appropriate for young students to start building their problem solving skills, including the award-winning Scratch Ninja course . For the uninitiated, Scratch is a user-friendly colorful drag-and-drop coding tool developed by MIT for making awesome games and animations while learning important coding logic. Or, for students who are visual learners, try a Minecraft Redstone Engineering course to find out how to build awesome inventions! There are many free coding classes to start with, to find your child's interests.

2. Tower Building

Turns out that kindergartners might be better engineers than grownups (at least according to this experiment)! The challenge was as follows: given 20 pieces of spaghetti, a yard of tape, and a yard of string, build the tallest possible tower that can support 1 marshmallow on top. After various groups of people tried it from Stanford and other universities, kindergartners ended up beating them for creating the tallest tower. Challenge your student to see how tall they can make their tower too!

3. Crosswords

Whether taken out of the newspaper or off of the web, crosswords are a useful logic puzzle for kids to work on. Crosswords encourage students to use context clues, as well as their reasoning skills by eliminating possible options as they progress. Plus, it’s easy to vary the difficulty of the puzzles, as well as find fun, themed crosswords for different holidays! There's even a Thanksgiving crossword for your student to try.

4. Jigsaw Puzzles

There’s nothing like a good, ole’ fashioned puzzle to challenge the mind. Each person takes a different approach to puzzle solving, whether they organize their pieces first, find all the corners, or do something totally different. Exploring different strategies for solving puzzles is an effective introduction to independently creating strategies for problem solving. This is a solid choice for students who are visual learners.

An age-old classic, LEGOs are a fantastic way to combine creative skills with problem solving. Students need to follow sequential steps and visualize to create their LEGO designs. It’s even better when students go beyond the kit instructions to create their own LEGO build, as students will have to learn to utilize limited resources while coming up with a structured plan for designing their idea. LEGO Mindstorms is a popular starting point.

Problem-solving activities for middle school tweens (ages 11-13)

Middle schoolers (ages 11-13) will want to be challenged more with their activities, and these are some effective activities for encouraging growth.

6. Middle School Coding Courses

By the time they reach middle school, students will be ready to take on more advanced coding concepts, regardless of their prior coding experience. For those who have no prior coding experience, the Accelerated Scratch course is an excellent option, as it will introduce students to basic coding concepts while allowing them to make their games and animations. Students with some prior coding experience may want to try the Minecraft Code to Mod course, builds upon basic coding concepts like loops, conditionals, and more while building students' creativity and critical thinking.

7. Birthday Ordering

An activity commonly done at summer camps, the silent birthday lineup is an excellent problem-solving activity for groups. The goal is for students to line up in chronological order based on their birthdays, without talking at all. Working in total science requires students to think outside the box to accomplish their goal, and to prioritize teamwork. Try timing the students to see how quickly they can get it done, then let them reflect on the activity afterwards to see what strategies worked and what didn’t.

8. Event Planning

Have students plan their own event, like a fundraiser, a social, or a competition for their coding club . This will require students to collaborate by delegating tasks, coordinating supplies, budgeting, and more. Even planning something as simple as a pizza party still requires some logistical planning, and students will benefit from struggling through the process. Plus, they can get to enjoy the results of their work when the event finally arrives!

Arduino circuit boards are an excellent choice for children interested in engineering. Because Arduino is widely-popular, there are countless tutorials demonstrating its capabilities, such as creating a controller, custom RGB lighting, robotics, or more. Once students learn the basics, they can use Arduino boards to come up with creative solutions to their own problems. This is an excellent idea for highly-motivated kids who like to work by themselves.

Sudoku is an excellent number puzzle and a great problem-solving exercise. It requires students to evaluate multiple possible options as they try to fill in the puzzles, so students need to be able to create an organized approach to be successful. There are various difficulty levels for sudoku, so students can start easy, then advance as they become proficient at solving the puzzles.

Problem-solving activities for high school teens (ages 14+)

High school (14+) is a good time to incorporate group work into the activities, as students will need to learn to work collaboratively for their future in college and beyond.

11. Coding for Teens

Once reaching high school age, students are ready to tackle the complexities of text-based coding. This is where students can focus on their interests, whether it be web design , AI, app design , and more. Create & Learn’s Python for AI course is a good option, as Python is one of the most widely-used programming languages in the world. Students interested in game design might try the Roblox Studio course , which teaches students how to program their own Roblox games (or try the Beginner Roblox Game Coding course if they have limited previous coding experience.)

12. Robotics Club

Many different school programs offer robotics teams and robotics competitions , using tools such as VEX robotics . Robotics is a great way to combine computer science, mechanical engineering, and problem-solving skills. If there is no robotics team at your student’s school, consider trying a robotics kit such as the Makeblock mBot Ranger .

13. Egg Drop

This classic experiment is a lot of fun for students, and makes for a good competition as well. Students must build some sort of structure that will prevent an egg from breaking when dropped from a certain height (like the top of a staircase). It works best when students are restricted with the resources they can use; for instance, define a “ budget ” for parts that they can’t exceed, or give everyone the same materials to work with .

14. Debate Club

Whether deciding public policy or the best ice cream place in town, having the ability to engage in meaningful debate is critical. Debate forces students to self-analyze, listen, and think critically before making decisions. These skills benefit students’ futures by making them strong, independent thinkers. Check out these speech and debate competitions . And here are some tips for starting a debate club .

15. Science Fair

Science fairs pose an excellent opportunity for exploring the scientific method, both through creating personal projects and checking out other students’ presentations. By encouraging students to come up with their own projects, they must identify some question or problem and find a way to solve it. This can be the most challenging kind of problem-solving, as it requires the student to take initiative in finding their own ideas, but also can be the most rewarding. Try the Google Science Fair Competition .

Enjoy problem-solving activities for kids

And there you have it: problem-solving activities for students from elementary through high school age. Of course, there are many more ways to build critical-thinking abilities like problem-solving. For more ideas, check this list of awesome after-school enrichment activities !

Written by Create & Learn instructor Dominic Occhietti. Dominic is a graduate of Michigan State University, where he studied music performance and computer science. He thoroughly enjoys teaching, whether that be coding classes, French horn lessons, or even downhill skiing lessons!

You Might Also Like...

15 Best Online Coding Platforms for Kids

After-School Program Curriculum Ideas

• 1-800-565-8735
• [email protected]

22 Unbeatable Team Building Problem Solving Activities

Problem-solving is a critical skill for professionals and with team building problem-solving activities, you can sharpen your skills while having fun at the same time.  

Updated: March 1, 2024

In the professional world, one thing is for sure: problem-solving is a vital skill if you want to survive and thrive. It’s a universal job skill that organizations seek in new potential employees and that managers look for when considering candidates for promotions.  

But there’s a problem. 

According to Payscale, 60% of managers feel that new grads entering the workforce lack problem-solving abilities – making it the most commonly lacking soft skill.  

Problem-solving skill needs to be practiced and perfected on an ongoing basis in order to be applied effectively when the time comes. And while there are tons of traditional approaches to becoming a better problem-solver, there’s another (much more interesting) option: team building problem-solving activities. 

The good news? This means learning and having fun don’t have to be mutually exclusive. And you can create a stronger team at the same time. 

16 In-Person Team Building Problem Solving Activities for Your Work Group  

1. cardboard boat building challenge, 2. egg drop , 3. clue murder mystery, 4. marshmallow spaghetti tower  , 5. corporate escape room, 6. wild goose chase, 7. lost at sea  , 8. domino effect challenge, 9. reverse pyramid  , 10. ci: the crime investigators, 11. team pursuit, 12. bridge builders, 13. domino effect challenge, 14. hollywood murder mystery, 15. code break, 16. cardboard boat building challenge, 6 virtual team building problem solving activities for your work group  , 1. virtual escape room: mummy’s curse, 2. virtual clue murder mystery, 3. virtual escape room: jewel heist, 4. virtual code break  , 5. virtual trivia time machine.

• 6. Virtual Jeoparty Social

There are a ton of incredible team building problem solving activities available. We’ve hand-picked 16 of our favorites that we think your corporate group will love too. 

Split into teams and create a cardboard boat made out of just the materials provided: cardboard and tape. Team members will have to work together to engineer a functional boat that will float and sail across water without sinking. Once teams have finished making their boats, they will create a presentation to explain why their boat is the best, before putting their boats to the test. The final challenge will have teams racing their boats to test their durability! Nothing says problem-solving like having to make sure you don’t sink into the water!

Every day at work, you’re forced to make countless decisions – whether they’re massively important or so small you barely think about them.  

But your ability to effectively make decisions is critical in solving problems quickly and effectively.  

With a classic team building problem solving activity like the Egg Drop, that’s exactly what your team will learn to do. 

For this activity, you’ll need some eggs, construction materials, and a place you wouldn’t mind smashing getting dirty with eggshells and yolks.  

The goal of this activity is to create a contraption that will encase an egg and protect it from a fall – whether it’s from standing height or the top of a building. But the challenge is that you and your team will only have a short amount of time to build it before it’s time to test it out, so you’ll have to think quickly! 

To make it even more challenging, you’ll have to build the casing using only simple materials like: 

• Newspapers 
• Plastic wrap
• Rubber bands
• Popsicle sticks
• Cotton balls

Feel free to have some fun in picking the materials. Use whatever you think would be helpful without making things too easy! 

Give your group 15 minutes to construct their egg casing before each team drops their eggs. If multiple eggs survive, increase the height gradually to see whose created the sturdiest contraption.  

If you’re not comfortable with the idea of using eggs for this activity, consider using another breakable alternative, such as lightbulbs for a vegan Egg Drop experience. 

With Clue Murder Mystery, your team will need to solve the murder of a man named Neil Davidson by figuring out who had the means, motive, and opportunity to commit the crime.

But it won’t be easy! You’ll need to exercise your best problem-solving skills and channel your inner detectives if you want to keep this case from going cold and to get justice for the victim.

Collaboration is critical to problem solving. 

Why? Because, as the old saying goes, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. This expression reflects the fact that people are capable of achieving greater things when they work together to do so. 

If you’re looking for a team building problem solving activity that helps boost collaboration, you’ll love Marshmallow Spaghetti Tower.  

This game involves working in teams to build the tallest possible freestanding tower using only marshmallows, uncooked spaghetti, tape, and string.  

The kicker? This all has to be done within an allotted timeframe. We recommend about thirty minutes.  

For an added dimension of challenge, try adding a marshmallow to the top of the tower to make it a little more top heavy.  

Whichever team has the highest tower when time runs out is the winner! 

If you’ve never participated in an escape room, your team is missing out! It’s one of the most effective team building problem solving activities out there because it puts you and your colleagues in a scenario where the only way out is collaboratively solving puzzles and deciphering clues.  

The principle is simple: lock your group in a room, hide the key somewhere in that room, and have them work through challenges within a set time frame. Each challenge will lead them one step closer to finding the key and, ultimately, their escape.    

At Outback, we offer “done-for-you” escape rooms where we’ll transform your office or meeting room so you don’t have to worry about:

• Seeking transportation for your team 
• Capacity of the escape rooms  
• High costs 
• Excessive planning  

That way, you and your team can simply step inside and get to work collaborating, using creative problem solving, and thinking outside the box.   

In this smartphone-based scavenger hunt team building activity , your group will split into teams and complete fun challenges by taking photos and videos around the city. Some examples of challenges you can do in this activity are:

• Parkour:  Take a picture of three team members jumping over an object that’s at least waist-high.
• Beautiful Mind:  Snap a photo of a team member proving a well-known mathematical theorem on a chalkboard.
• Puppy Love:  Take a photo of all of your team members petting a stranger’s dog at the same time.

It takes a ton of critical thinking and problem-solving to be crowned the Wild Goose Chase Champions!

Can you imagine a higher-pressure situation than being stranded at sea in a lifeboat with your colleagues? 

With this team building problem solving activity, that’s exactly the situation you and your group will put yourselves. But by the time the activity is over, you’ll have gained more experience with the idea of having to solve problems under pressure – a common but difficult thing to do. 

Here’s how it works. 

Each team member will get a six-columned chart where: 

• The first column lists the survival items each team has on hand (see the list below) 
• The second column is empty so that each team member can rank the items in order of importance for survival  
• The third column is for group rankings  
• The fourth column is for the “correct” rankings, which are revealed at the end of the activity 
• The fifth and sixth columns are for the team to enter thee difference between their individual and correct scores and the team and correct rankings 

Within this activity, each team will be equipped with the following “survival items,” listed below in order of importance, as well as a pack of matches:  

• A shaving mirror (this can be used to signal passing ships using the sun) 
• A can of gas (could be used for signaling as it could be put in the water and lit with the pack of matches) 
• A water container (for collecting water to re-hydrate ) 
• Emergency food rations (critical survival food) 
• One plastic sheet (can be helpful for shelter or to collect rainwater) 
• Chocolate bars (another food supply) 
• Fishing rods (helpful, but no guarantee of catching food) 
• Rope (can be handy, but not necessarily essential for survival) 
• A floating seat cushion (usable as a life preserver)  
• Shark repellant (could be important when in the water) 
• A bottle of rum (could be useful for cleaning wounds) 
• A radio (could be very helpful but there’s a good chance you’re out of range) 
• A sea chart (this is worthless without navigation equipment) 
• A mosquito net (unless you’ve been shipwrecked somewhere with a ton of mosquitos, this isn’t very useful) 

To get the activity underway, divide your group into teams of five and ask each team member to take ten minutes on their own to rank the items in order of importance in the respective column. Then, give the full team ten minutes as a group to discuss their individual rankings together and take group rankings, listed in that respective column. Ask each group to compare their individual rankings with those of the group as a whole. 

Finally, read out the correct order according to the US Coast Guard, listed above.  

The goal of this activity is for everyone to be heard and to come to a decision together about what they need most to survive.  

If your team works remotely, you can also do this activity online. Using a video conferencing tool like  Zoom , you can bring your group together and separate teams into “break-out rooms” where they’ll take their time individually and then regroup together. At the end, you can bring them back to the full video conference to go through the answers together. 

Many problems are intricately complex and involve a ton of moving parts. And in order to solve this type of problem, you need to be able to examine it systematically, one piece at a time.  

Especially in the business world, many problems or challenges involve multiple different teams or departments working through their respective portions of a problem before coming together in the end to create a holistic solution. 

As you can imagine, this is often easier said than done. And that’s why it’s so important to practice this ability.  

With a collaborative team building problem solving activity like Domino Effect Challenge, that’s exactly what you’ll need to do as you and your group work to create a massive, fully functional chain reaction machine. 

Here’s how it goes. 

Your group will break up into teams, with each team working to complete their own section of a massive “Rube Goldberg” machine. Then, all teams will regroup and assemble the entire machine together. You’ll need to exercise communication, collaboration, and on-the-fly problem solving in order to make your chain reaction machine go off without a hitch from start to finish. 

Being a great problem-solver means being adaptable and creative. And if you’re looking for a quick and easy team building problem solving activity, you’ll love the reverse pyramid. 

The idea here is simple: break your group out into small teams and then stand in the form of a pyramid.  

Your challenge is to flip the base and the peak of the pyramid – but you can only move three people in order to do so.  

Alternatively, rather than doing this activity with people as the pyramid, you can do another version –  the Pyramid Build  – using plastic cups instead.   

This version is a little bit different. Rather than flipping the base of a pyramid to the top, you’ll need to build the pyramid instead–but in reverse, starting from the top cup and working down. 

With this version, you’ll need 36 cups and one table per group. We recommend groups of five to seven people. Give your group 20 to 30 minutes to complete the activity. 

To get started, place one cup face down. Then, lift that cup and place the subsequent two cups underneath it. 

The real challenge here? You can only lift your pyramid by the bottom row in order to put a new row underneath – and only one person at a time can do the lifting. The remaining group members will need to act quickly and work together in order to add the next row so that it will balance the rest of the pyramid. 

If any part of your pyramid falls, you’ll need to start over. Whichever team has the most complete pyramid when time runs out will be the winner!  

The value of being able to approach problems analytically can’t be overstated. Because when problems arise, the best way to solve them is by examining the facts and making a decision based on what you know. 

With CI: The Crime Investigators, this is exactly what your team will be called upon to do as you put your detective’s hats on and work to solve a deadly crime. 

You’ll be presented with evidence and need to uncover and decipher clues. And using only the information at your disposal, you’ll need to examine the facts in order to crack the case. 

Like many of our team building problem solving activities, CI: The Crime Investigators is available in a hosted format, which can take place at your office or an outside venue, as well as a virtually-hosted format that uses video conferencing tools, or a self-hosted version that you can run entirely on your own.  

Each member of your team has their own unique strengths and skills. And by learning to combine those skills, you can overcome any challenge and solve any problem. With Team Pursuit, you and your team together to tackle challenges as you learn new things about one another, discover your hidden talents, and learn to rely on each other.

This team building problem solving activity is perfect for high-energy groups that love to put their heads together and work strategically to solve problems as a group.

Collaborate with your colleague to design and build different segments of a bridge. At the end, see if the sections come together to create a free-standing structure!   

Together as a group, see if you and your colleagues can build a gigantic “chain-reaction” machine that really works!

In smaller groups, participants work together to solve the challenge of creating sections of the machine using miscellaneous parts, and at the end, you’ll have to collaborate to connect it all together and put it in motion.

The case is fresh, but here’s what we know so far: we’ve got an up-and-coming actress who’s been found dead in her hotel room following last night’s awards show.

We have several suspects, but we haven’t been able to put the crime on any of them for sure yet. Now, it’s up to you and your team of detectives to crack the case. Together, you’ll review case files and evidence including police reports, coroners’ reports, photo evidence, tabloids, interrogations, and phone calls as you determine the motive, method, and murderer and bring justice for the victim.

You’ll need to put your problem-solving skills to the test as you share theories, collaborate, and think outside the box with your fellow investigators.

Using Outback’s app, split up into small groups and put your heads together to solve a variety of puzzles, riddles, and trivia. The team who has completed the most challenges when time is up, wins!

Can you stay afloat in a body of water in a boat made entirely of cardboard? Now that is a problem that urgently needs solving.

With this team building problem solving activity, you and your colleagues will split into groups and create a cardboard boat made out of just the materials provided – cardboard and tape.

Team members will have to work together to engineer a functional boat that will float and sail across water without sinking. Once teams have finished making their boats, they will create a presentation to explain why their boat is the best, before putting their boats to the test. The final challenge will have teams racing their boats across the water!

If you and your team are working remotely, don’t worry. You still have a ton of great virtual team building problem solving options at your disposal.

In this virtual escape room experience, your team will be transported into a pyramid cursed by a restless mummy. You’ll have to work together to uncover clues and solve complex challenges to lift the ancient curse.

You’ve probably never heard of a man named Neil Davidson. But your group will need to come together to solve the mystery of his murder by analyzing clues, resolving challenges, and figuring out who had the means, motive, and opportunity to commit a deadly crime. 

This activity will challenge you and your group to approach problems analytically, read between the lines, and use critical thinking in order to identify a suspect and deliver justice.  

If you and your team like brainteasers, then Virtual Escape Room: Jewel Heist will be a big hit.  

Here’s the backstory.

There’s been a robbery. Someone has masterminded a heist to steal a priceless collection of precious jewels, and it’s up to you and your team to recover them before time runs out.

Together, you’ll need to uncover hidden clues and solve a series of brain-boggling challenges that require collaboration, creative problem-solving, and outside-the-box thinking. But be quick! The clock is ticking before the stolen score is gone forever.

With Virtual Code Break, you and your team can learn to be adaptive and dynamic in your thinking in order to tackle any new challenges that come your way. In this activity, your group will connect on a video conferencing platform where your event host will split you out into teams. Together, you’ll have to adapt your problem-solving skills as you race against the clock to tackle a variety of mixed brainteaser challenges ranging from Sudoku to puzzles, a game of Cranium, riddles, and even trivia. 

Curious to see how a virtual team building activity works? Check out this video on a Virtual Clue Murder Mystery in action. 

Step into the Outback Time Machine and take a trip through time, from pre-pandemic 21st century through the decades all the way to the 60’s. 

This exciting, fast-paced virtual trivia game, packed with nostalgia and good vibes, is guaranteed to produce big laughs, friendly competition, and maybe even some chair-dancing. 

Your virtual game show host will warm up guests with a couple of “table hopper rounds” (breakout room mixers) and split you out into teams. Within minutes, your home office will be transformed into a game show stage with your very own game show buzzers! 

And if your team loves trivia, check out our list of the most incredible virtual trivia games for work teams for even more ideas.

6.  Virtual Jeoparty Social

If your remote team is eager to socialize, have some fun as a group, and channel their competitive spirit, we’ve got just the thing for you! With Virtual Jeoparty Social, you and your colleagues will step into your very own virtual Jeopardy-style game show—equipped with a buzzer button, a professional actor as your host, and an immersive game show platform! Best of all, this game has been infused with an ultra-social twist: players will take part in a unique social mixer challenge between each round. 

With the right team building problem solving activities, you can help your team sharpen their core skills to ensure they’re prepared when they inevitably face a challenge at work. And best of all, you can have fun in the process. 

Do you have any favorite team building activities for building problem-solving skills? If so, tell us about them in the comments section below! 

Learn More About Team Building Problem Solving Activities  

For more information about how your group can take part in a virtual team building, training, or coaching solution, reach out to our Employee Engagement Consultants.     

Subscribe To Our Newsletter

And stay updated, related articles.

18 Incredible Virtual Trivia Games for Work Teams

29 Spring Team Building Activities to Help Shake Off the Winter Blues [Updated for 2024]

32 Online Office Games to Re-Energize Your Remote Team

75 Fun Youth Group Games, Activities and Event Ideas (Indoors and Outdoors)

In need of some different ideas for games, activities and events for your youth group? Here we give you 75 different fun and entertaining things for your group to do.

1. The Cat Chases the Mouse

Materials Needed: This is a simple game of passing one item to the next student. There is a surprise element. There are two objects moving at the same time. The person to get caught with both items loses. All you need is a stuffed cat and mouse and someone to play the music.

How to Play:

• You will need to purchase a stuffed cat and mouse, or it could be a stuffed dog and cat.
• Ask your students to sit in a circle. Give the mouse to a student on one side of the circle, and the cat to someone on the opposite side.
• A youth worker will play a song on a guitar or piano at a normal speed to start. Then they alternate fast and slow speeds to make the game great fun.
• The students pass the mouse and the cat around the group at the same speed as the music. They repeat this until the cat catches the mouse.
• The student left holding the mouse when the cat catches it is out.
• You can devise a fun game for the losers that makes them feel a little less like losers.

2. Who Will Be Left Holding the Bag?

Materials Needed: This is a game that is very simple to adapt to the size of your group. You will have objects that the youth will need to do something with before passing it on to the next person. When the music stops, the person left holding the object loses. All you need is an object to pass and someone to play the music.

• You can choose any object for the students to pass, but they must do something with the item before passing it to the next person. For example, if using a scarf, they wrap it around their neck once and then pass it to the next person. It could be a large children’s ring, and each student must put the ring on their finger before giving it to the next person. A bucket would also work. They would need to stand up and turn in a circle, then sit down and pass the bucket to the next person.
• One of the youth workers will sit with their back to the group and play a song on the guitar or piano. They will set the speed at which the game moves.
• The key to the fun is that they must do something with the object before passing it on, and everything must move to the speed of the music.
• At the end of the game, the music suddenly stops. The last person holding the object is out.

3. Trivia 2.0

Materials Needed: This game is a unique way to play classic trivia. It is fun but also helps make sure they remember the lessons you just covered. You will need craft paper or poster board, markers, a printer, tape, and index cards.

• Draw an easily identifiable image on a large sheet of craft paper or poster board.
• The drawing could be a Bible scene, Moses, the Mona Lisa, a Christmas tree, a dog, etc. It should be something recognizable.
• If you are not artistic, you can print a large image or a Bible verse on several 8 ½” x 11″ sheets of paper with a section of the picture on each sheet.
• Attach the drawing or printed images on the wall.
• Make numbered sheets and use them to conceal the drawing.
• Write corresponding numbers on the back of index cards, and then write trivia questions based on your current lessons on the front side of the card.
• Divide students into teams, and each team will take turns drawing a number. If they answer the trivia question correctly, they get to remove the matching number over the image on the wall and guess the drawing or scripture.
• The questioning continues until they reveal enough of the picture, and someone guesses what it is.

4. Peter’s Sword Play

Materials Needed: This game serves no purpose but to have fun and make a big mess. Who knew aluminum paper and whipping cream could be so much fun? This is a fun and messy game. All you need to start your organized chaos is balloons, whipping cream, aluminum foil, and fishing line.

• You will want to play this game in a space that is easy to clean.
• Fill portions of large-sized balloons with whipping cream and hang them from the ceiling or a tree limb outside.
• Hang the balloons with string or fishing line. The string or fishing line allows the balloon to move freely and adds a little more challenge to the game.
• Give the students a time limit to design and construct a sword out of aluminum foil.
• When time is up, blindfold the students and line them up in front of a balloon.
• Yell “start,” and the first to pop their balloon with their sword wins.
• Assign leaders to help determine the winner.

5. Name That Story

Materials Needed: This is an interesting way to test the Bible knowledge of your group. All you will need is a printer, some Bible story photos, paper, index cards, and a bucket or hat.

• Print Bible story images from the internet and assign each photo a number.
• Write the corresponding numbers on index cards, fold them and place them in a bucket or hat.
• Each student will have a turn to draw a number from the bucket, and then you will show the student the corresponding photo.
• If they can tell you what Bible story the photo represents, they get to keep the slip with the number.
• If they guess wrong, return the number to the bucket.
• When they have identified all the photos, the person with the most index cards wins the game.
• You could play this game for fun or use it as a review time at the end of a series of lessons.

6. Wrap Your Mummy

Materials Needed: There is no spiritual lesson with this game; it is just crazy fun. All you need is some toilet paper or crepe paper. If you want to play this regularly, purchase material to cut in strips in and use in place of the paper.

• Divide students into small groups and give each group several rolls of toilet paper or crepe paper.
• Each group chooses a mummy, and the elected mummy stands still while their teammates roll them up.
• In place of paper, you could also use fabric purchased in the clearance aisle of your local sewing store. You cut the fabric into long strips and use it in place of the paper.
• For an added element of fun, have props to put on the mummy once they finish wrapping.
• When all teams finish their mummies, award prizes to the first to complete their mummy and the most creative mummy.

7. Tennis Bible Trivia

Materials Needed: The object of this game is to have the most tennis balls in your basket at the end. Where is the catch? They are throwing the tennis balls from across the room. All you will need are enough tennis balls and baskets for the size group.

• Divide students into teams and give each the same amount of tennis balls.
• Ask each person a Bible trivia question. For each correct answer, they throw a tennis ball into a round laundry basket across the room.
• If the ball remains in the basket, it counts as a point for their team. If it bounces out, it does not count.
• At the end of all the questions, the team with the most balls that stayed inside their basket wins.

8. The Photo Puzzle

Materials Needed: With very little prep time, you can apply a lesson on God as the creator and designer of all things. All you will need is large-sized balloons and magazine photos or photos printed off the internet.

• Take a full-page magazine photo (or printed photo) and tear it into random, jagged pieces.
• Insert the pieces into a large deflated balloon. Then blow the balloon up and shake things up.
• Divide students into small groups, and each group chooses a balloon.
• Assign a time limit and give a warning as the end is getting close.
• The game begins when the groups burst their balloons, then they try to put the photo back together.
• The first team to put the picture together wins.

9. The Great Balloon Race

Materials Needed: This may be the only time that static electricity is a welcomed thing. The object of the game is to get a balloon to stick to your clothes and walk across the room without it falling off. All you will need is a lot of inflated small-sized balloons and enough baskets for each team.

• Determine the number of players you will have and get enough small balloons for each.
• You will also need enough laundry baskets for each team.
• Each player has a turn at rubbing a balloon on their clothes to build enough static electricity for it to stick to them.
• Then they walk over to the laundry basket without the balloon falling or them holding it in place.
• If the balloon falls off, the player can reapply and start again from that spot.
• Once they make it to the basket, they put the balloon in their team’s basket, and the next player can then start their turn.
• The winner is the team with the most balloons in their basket.

10. The Great Detective Game

Materials Needed: The best part of this game is that there is no prep time. All you will need is a table and some items from the students. Your detective will investigate the missing item and guess who the thief is.

• Ask for everyone to put some personal items on a table. It could be things like sunglasses, a watch, keys, a hairbrush or comb, a pen, chewing gum, etc.
• Ask for a volunteer to be the detective. Allow them a few minutes to look at the objects on the table, and then they will leave the room.
• Another volunteer will choose an item from the table and conceal it in their pocket, purse, or somewhere in the room.
• Now the detective returns and must first determine what is missing from the table and then who took it.
• Once they guess which object is missing from the table, they then interrogate the other students to discover the thief.
• Allow your detective a set number of questions based on the group size and assign a time limit for each round.
• The questions should lead them to who took the item. For example, is the thief a boy or a girl? Tall or short? Hair color, wearing red or blue, etc.
• They interrogate the students until they guess who took the object, have used all their questions, or until time runs out.

11. Will You Pass Me a Balloon, Please?

Materials Needed: A water balloon relay race is a fun summer game to play. All you need is small or medium size water balloons and enough shovels for each team. For obvious reasons, play this game outside on the playing field or grassy area.

• Fill your balloons partially with water, and you want them jiggly.
• Give each team a shovel. You could also use gardening shovels, spades, or plastic shovels from a children’s beach set, all of which will work.
• Divide your teams into two groups and station them across from each other. If possible, have the same number of players on each side.
• Give the first player a shovel and place a water balloon on the shovel.
• They must then take the shovel and balloon as quickly as they can to their team member across from them, and this continues until every person has had a turn.
• The first team to pass the shovel and balloon to all the team members wins.
• If they drop the balloon, they must return to the starting point and begin again.

12. A Fun Twist on Story Time

Materials Needed: This is a good idea for an icebreaker game. All you need to play this game is a good imagination and some index cards.

• Create several good story beginnings and write them on index cards.
• Read the opening line of a story and choose the first youth to say the next part. For example, you say, “Bob, the clown felt a little sad.” The chosen student then says, “So to cheer himself up, he went into town.”
• That student chooses the next person to continue the story. They may say, “While in town, Bob saw Clarice, the clown. It surprised him to see her standing where she was.”
• That student then chooses another student to say the next part.
• You can decide when to end a story and move on to another one.

13. Escape Room Bible Trivia

Materials Needed: As far as youth group games go, this one certainly is unique and offers a fun time! It requires a little more prep time, but you will not need any additional games for the night you use this one. You can make this into a trivia night event or maybe use it as part of your youth camp. All you will need is adult leaders, index cards, props, and paper.

• If your church is big enough, choose different Sunday school classrooms for each escape room. If too small for this, prepare several areas of the church to use for the escape area.
• Assign at least one leader to each room. They administer the questions or tasks to each team that enters.
• Divide students into teams, and they choose an escape room to start with.
• In the chosen room, the youth leader will administer biblical trivia questions, or they could hide an item in the room that correlates with a Bible story (child’s boat, a walking stick, etc.). It could also be a Pictionary-type task where one team member must draw a picture of a bible subject, and the others guess what it is.
• Your escape rooms can be as fun and crazy as you like.
• When each team completes the question/task in a room, they win a token with the room number on it. If they cannot complete the task, they move to the next room and do not receive a token.
• Once all teams have attempted each room, the end the team with the most tokens wins.

14. Ping Pong Darts

Materials Needed: This is a simple game, only needing just a little preparation. All you need to play this game is poster board or cardboard, ping pong balls, and some index cards.

• Design duct tape dartboards with some tape sticky side out.
• Put it on the ground, at an angle, and not flat.
• Use duct tape to put a line a few feet away from the board.
• Assign a leader to keep score.
• Put some duct tape, sticky side out, on each ping pong ball.
• Divide your group into teams and give them enough ping pong balls for each player.
• Based on your number of players and allotted time, assign the number of chances each person gets to toss their ping pong ball at the target.
• You can divide your board into point sections like a dartboard and keep score that way. Or you can assign a point value to each ball that sticks and count how many are on the board after each team member has their turn. The group with the most points wins.

15. Fall Pumpkin Relay

Materials Needed: Pumpkin spice is all the rage once fall arrives. Now pumpkin relay races will be the new game to play. All you need is a large grassy area and enough pumpkins for each team. This is a hysterical game to watch, and everyone will enjoy playing.

• Divide a playing field or grassy area into lanes. They need to be wide enough that a participant can roll their pumpkin easily.
• Purchase enough pumpkins for your teams to each have one.
• Get equal-sized and shaped pumpkins so that each team has the same chance of success.
• Put half of a team on one side of the lane and the other half opposite them.
• The object of the game is to roll a pumpkin to their team member across from them as quickly as possible.
• The teams roll a pumpkin back and forth until all team members have had a turn.
• The first team to finish the relay wins.

16. It’s Raining Pennies

Materials Needed: It’s raining, it’s pouring pennies! This is such a fun game as the youth try to get all their pennies into the boot. All you will need to play this game is several dollars’ worth of pennies and enough rain boots for each team.

• Set up some rain boots along the wall with plenty of space between each boot.
• Divide your youth into teams and give each team the same number of pennies.
• They should work together to determine the best way to pitch the pennies into their boot.
• Mark starting points at the same distance from each boot and let the pitching begin.
• Each team member should have the opportunity to throw their pennies.
• Once all the youth have tossed their pennies, the winning team is the one who has the most pennies in their boot.
• Alternatively, you could use a bucket, an opened umbrella, or a can.

17. The Quickest Hands Win

Materials Needed: This is a great icebreaker game as the youth get to know each other by working together. All you will need is several decks of playing cards and tables.

• Get a set of playing cards for each team and put a pack on each table.
• It would be a good idea to cover your tables if they are slick.
• Divide your youth group into teams and assign a table to each.
• The first team who successfully builds a card house with the most cards wins.
• You can award a special prize to the team who uses all their cards.

18. Hit the Cans

Materials Needed: This is a simple carnival game adapted to be played inside and with teams. To play, you will need to collect several clean, empty aluminum cans of the same size and ping pong balls for each team.

• Assign a point value for each can.
• Recruit a leader to be a scorekeeper.
• If possible, recruit a leader for each location to restack the cans.
• Set up a pyramid of cans on a table or the floor for each team and mark starting points at the same distance for each.
• Give a ping pong ball to each team member. Each person steps up to the line and throws their ping pong ball, trying to knock the cans down.
• At the end of each turn, record the score, and then the next youth takes their turn.
• Once every person has had their turn, you can tally the score or do another round. The one with the most points wins.

19. Water Pitcher Relay

Materials Needed: For this fun classic game, you will need enough plastic water pitchers, round tubs, and plastic buckets for the number of teams you will have. Play the game is outside on a playing field or grassy area in the summer.

• Divide your students into teams.
• The first person for each team will start by running across the field to the round tub and filling their water pitcher. Note: the water pitcher can be as small or big as you want.
• They must get back to the other side as quickly as possible to empty their pitcher into the bucket. They then pass their pitcher on to the next person in line.
• You could add some fun by putting objects in the middle of the path and asking them to circle around it going and coming back.
• The first team to fill their bucket wins.

20. A New Take on the Memory Game

Materials Needed: Remember playing the memory game when you were young? You tried to remember where you saw the matching card. This is the same concept, but biblical. You will need to locate giant large playing cards, removable tape, a stopwatch, or use your phone, and two each of printed Bible images.

• Take the large playing cards and tape the printed images on the face of the card.
• Mix them up and place them face down on a table.
• Assign a time limit for each turn and time each student.
• Each youth will come up and try to find all the matches in the quickest time.

21. Bowling Alley Fun

Materials Needed: Turn your youth room into a bowling alley. All you will need is tennis balls, tape to divide your lanes, and aluminum cans.

• Purchase enough tennis balls for each team.
• Collect enough clean aluminum cans to use as bowling pins. You can fill the cans with sand or pebbles to make the game a little harder.
• Recruit leaders to help keep score for each team.
• Each student gets two chances to know all their cans down.
• Assign the starting score of 50 points for each turn. Deduct 10 points for each of the cans that remain upright.
• The team with the most points wins.

22. Harvest Hay Maze

Materials Needed: Take advantage of the late summer hay harvest by setting up a challenging hay maze. All you will need is several square hay bales and a lot of volunteers to help set the maze up. You could do this as part of a fall festival.

• Locate a friendly farmer who will loan you a trailer full of hay bales.
• Draw your complicated maze on paper for that the volunteers can see the design they are working toward.
• Recruit adult leaders to set up the maze. Bribe them with food, and you will get more to help.
• Set a timer and have the youth start one at a time. Once one is halfway through the maze, start the next player.
• The person who gets through the maze the quickest wins.

23. Dunk the Youth Pastor

Materials Needed: Your youth will line up for an opportunity to play this game, so you should brush up on your Bible trivia. You will need a dunking tank, proper attire, and a towel. The towel is in case you miss a question.

• Ask the senior pastor to write bible questions on index cards, don’t peek.
• Each youth gets a turn at asking you, the youth pastor, a question.
• Each wrong answer results in a turn, hopefully, to dunk you.
• This is a fun summer game that would be great for use with your youth Vacation Bible School.

24. Pictionary Bible Fun

Materials Needed: This is the classic game of Pictionary but with trivia questions. Youth will attempt to draw a subject good enough for their team to guess the correct answer. You will need whiteboards, markers, and index cards for the trivia question.

• You will choose your own trivia questions or facts and write them on an index card.
• The best way to select your subject is to base them on the previous month’s or quarter’s lessons.
• Set up enough whiteboards for each team.
• Divide your youth group into teams.
• Give the first player of each team a trivia subject to draw.
• Have your youth leaders keep track of the teams who successfully guess their subject. The team with the most completed trivia questions wins.

25. Pin the Answer on the Map

Materials Needed: All you will need to do this fun question-and-answer time is a map of biblical Israel, pushpins, and a list of geographical questions.

• Prepare a list of questions on biblical geography. You should have a well-balanced list of questions, from easy to hard. Here is an example: Question: Where did Jesus walk on water? Answer: The sea of Galilee. Administer the questions according to the student’s biblical knowledge. Easier for those newer to the faith and harder for those who have been in church for a long time.
• Place your map of Israel on a bulletin or corkboard. Provide enough color-coded pins to cover all your questions. You should have a different color for each team.
• Divide your group into small teams. Every student should answer a question.
• If the student answers the question correctly, they get to put the pin on the map at the location they answered. If they answer incorrectly, the question goes back into the mix.
• Once the students have answered all the questions, the one with the most pins on the map wins.

26. Guess Who

Materials Needed: This is an easy way to just have some fun. All you need are chairs arranged in a circle, a piece of paper and some tape.

• Choose one student to leave the room. They will be the ones asking questions.
• Choose a student to be it and tape a sign that says “I am it” on the back of a student.
• All remaining students in the room will sit in a circle.
• The student outside now returns to the room blindfolded and enters the circle. They question the other students to determine who “is it.”
• Assign a time limit on the questioning.

27. The Pyramid Game Show

Materials Needed: This is a fun take on the pyramid game show that has been famous for decades. You will give your teams random words on index cards, and they describe the word to their teammate without saying the word. To play this timed game, you will just need index cards and chairs.

• Choose two students to start the game. They sit in chairs facing each other.
• Give one of the students some index cards with random words written on them.
• Assign a time limit to the game.
• Start the timer, and the person holding the cards says words that will lead the person opposite of them to guess the correct word.
• The team wins if they can get through all the words given to them. If they lose, they are out. If they win, they wait for a playoff.
• Once all the teams have had a turn, you take all the winners and start the process all over again to pull out the next group of winners.
• Now, do a playoff round. The team to guess the greatest number of cards wins.

28. Pick Your Box

Materials Needed: This is based on the millionaire game that was popular a few years ago. All you need are some cardboard boxes, balloons, treats, candy, and a special gift.

• Get a large selection of cardboard boxes and write large, bold numbers on one side with a marker.
• Fill each box with something. It could be a box of balloons (they escape when they open the box), or it could have some candy or treats. Every box should have something inside, but one should have a special gift. Maybe a gift card to Sonic or another favorite local spot. Create a list of trivia questions that are a review of material you have studied over the past few months. You should also include some basic questions to use if you have new members in your group.
• Set up your room like a game show set. Organize the boxes on tables, and have the youth leaders bring the boxes to the students.
• Line up the students and start the game. You go until someone gets the box with the special gift.
• A student must win an opportunity to open a box. Start by asking the first student a trivia question. If they answer the question correctly, they get to choose a box.
• You go until someone gets the box with the special gift.

29. Help Me, Who Am I?

Materials Needed: This is a fun twist on how to play a question and answer game. All you will need is super sticky post-it notes and markers.

• Write the name of famous people with a marker on an index card. You can choose biblical characters, or movie stars, authors, or all these mixed.
• Have the room set up so that you have chairs in groupings of two, facing each other. Have enough chairs for all the youth to sit in.
• Divide your youth group into sets of two and put tape on the index cards, and tape it to their foreheads. They cannot see what’s on their card but can see what’s on the card every person in front of them.
• The students take turns asking questions about who the person is that trapped to their forehead. They cannot see what’s on their forehead, only what’s on the person’s forehead in front of them. Set a time limit and then say start.
• They take turns asking questions. They ask questions until they have both identified the famous person written on the sticky note on their forehead.
• This continues until all the students have had a turn or until time runs out.
• The quickest score wins.

30. Crazy Fun Relay Game

Materials Needed: This is the craziest relay game you will ever play. You will set up stations with objects and instructions. The players run to the object, do what it says, and back to the start line. You will need several crazy props and even crazier instructions.

• Example : The index card states that they must put the firefighter pants on and run back across the field to the next team member. They take the pants off and give them to the next player, who puts the pants on and runs back over to the station. Now that team member is in play. They must choose the next station to play, and it is the bucket. The instruction is to put the bucket on your head three times, turning in a circle. And they take the bucket to the next team member, who returns it to the station. The next member chooses the baby stroller station. The note says that they must push the stroller as quickly as possible around all the object staging areas. These are just some examples – you can be as creative and fun as you want to be.
• All the teams will play simultaneously, so it will be chaotic fun!
• A team is out when each member of the team has completed one of the staging areas.
• The game is over when all teams have finished or until your set time is up. At each station, you will have an index card telling the students what they have to do with the item.

31. Silly Scavenger Hunt

Materials Needed: This game will be a scavenger hunt around the church. You can play inside or outside. All you will need are index cards and several crazy items to hide.

• Start by locating some hysterically funny items. These may be white elephant gifts you received, or they could be things you have purchased at a local thrift store. They can be a souvenir spoon from a strange place, a homemade ashtray, a coffee mug with a funny saying on it, just really anything that you find bizarre or just hysterical.
• Hide each item somewhere around the church, outside or inside. As you hide the items, stop and write a clue card.
• Give each team a set of clue cards.
• Assign a time limit to the game, and the team who finds the most objects wins.

32. Guess the Youth Group Member

Materials needed: In this game, you request for your students to make a list of interesting facts about themselves, and others guess who the fact belongs to. All you need to prepare is some index cards and pens.

• Give each student an index card and a pen, and ask them to write an interesting fact about themselves. They should write something that other students do not know and include their names.
• Collect all the cards from the students.
• You then play the game show host and read the interesting facts that were provided and ask the students to guess who it is.

33. Is It True or Is It False?

Materials Needed: This game will test how well your youth know each other. Have each youth write five things about themselves. Ask them to mix the things up by having things that are true and things that are made up.

• Make a simple sheet for each student. Make sure they write their name at the top. All you need to have is the numbers one through five with lines next to them for them to write on.
• Give each student a sheet of paper and instructions to write five things on their paper. The items they write can be true or false.
• Collect the sheets from each student.
• Read the student’s name and ask the others to respond if the items you read are true or false.
• You can have a prize for any student who fools everyone, and no one guesses correctly.

34. Cupcake Decorating Contest

Materials Needed: For this game, all you will need is cupcakes and supplies to decorate them with.

• Purchase or bake enough cupcakes for each player to have one. You will want to have extra in case there is a visitor.
• You also need plenty of decorating supplies. Be creative and come up with some ingenious decorations for them to use. We may need to make them yourself.
• Create a list of prize categories. Some examples could be most creative, most colorful, craziest, or most artistic. Have a prize for each category.
• Recruit enough judges for each category. Possibly two or three.
• Assign a time limit for the decorating.
• Yell, “start” and let the mayhem begin.

35. Jenga Trivia

Materials Needed: Your students will be brushing up on the Bible knowledge to play this classic game with a biblical spin. You will need several Jenga games and quite a few trivia questions.

• Set up several tables with Jenga towers.
• Create a large number of trivia questions.
• The object of the game is to answer the trivia question correctly. If you answer the question correctly, you are safe and do not have to remove a piece of your tower.
• If you answer your question incorrectly, then you must remove a piece from your Jenga tower.
• The last tower standing wins the game.

36. Speedy Yahtzee Tournament

Materials needed: This is a perfect game for a youth camp or lock-in night. All you need are several Yahtzee games and scorepads. They will have a crazy time.

• Collect enough Yahtzee games for each one of your groups.
• Divide your youth group into small teams.
• You will start each group playing their games simultaneously. They must move fast.
• You will have a playoff where the winners of each table then play each other. You can do your playoff one-on-one. If your group is larger, set your tables up with multiple winners in the second round.
• The winners of the second round well then play each other for the third round. This continues until you’re down to two players.
• The last two players square off against each other to see who the Yahtzee grand champion will be.
• Make a cheesy trophy to give to the winner.

37. Catch a Water Balloon

Materials Needed: This game is best played outside. All you will need to start the fun is a bunch of water balloons.

• Purchase enough balloons for your group.
• We will need two plastic laundry baskets or buckets. They will keep their water balloons in one and an empty one on the other side for them to fill.
• Divide your students in half, and then line them up, facing each other on the grassy field.
• The object of the game is to toss water balloons from one player to another. If someone successfully catches the water balloon, they can put it in that team’s basket.
• At the end of the game, the most water balloons in the basket wins.

38. What Comes Next?

Materials Needed: This game is a twist on the classic Bible drill. It is a game for everyone. All you need is to make sure you have enough Bibles for each youth.

• The students start with their Bibles closed. Then you give them the name of the book of the Bible you will read from and tell them what the radius is. For example, you plan to read starting in John 14:10. Then you would tell them you are reading from John 13, 14, or 15.
• Assign a time limit for each reading.
• Then someone says “start,” and you start reading from John 14:10, and they get to open their Bibles. They will search the three chapters to find where you are reading.
• Once they determine where you are reading, they should start reading with you. This shows they have found the correct place.
• This game helps your students learn to move easily through the Bible on their own.

39. Pass the Egg

Materials Needed: To play this game, use plastic Easter eggs. All you need to do is divide your youth into teams and let the fun begin.

How to play:

• Have enough plastic Easter eggs for each team member to have a turn. You want the eggs to be empty, so they are harder to keep on the teaspoon.
• You will need an egg carton for each team and some spoons. Place the egg cartons on a table.
• Divide your youth group into teams and give each team an egg carton, eggs, and spoons.
• The object of the game is to transfer all the eggs by spoon to the egg carton without dropping or touching with their hands. A youth leader places the egg on their spoon to start them off. If they drop the egg en route to the table, they return and start again.
• Assign a time limit and let the students start.
• The first team to fill their carton wins.

40. Is It Frisbee Golf, Horseshoes, or Both?

Materials Needed: This is a fun combination of classic games to play outside or indoors. All you will need are paper plates, a large paper towel roll, and a sturdy base.

• Collect enough paper towel rolls for each team.
• Purchase enough paper plates for each youth to have a shot at the target. Cut a hole out of the center large enough to fit easily over the paper towel roll.
• Purchase enough paper plates for each player to be able to have a shot at the target. Cut a hole out of the center large enough to fit easily over the paper towel roll.
• Assign a point amount to each plate and have enough team leaders to keep score.
• Divide your youth group into teams and start the game.
• Each youth should have the opportunity to toss their paper plate at the target, trying to get a ringer.
• You can play a quick round and give each student two chances to through their plate, or they can have several runs at it.
• The most points wins the game.

41. The Flying Saucers

Materials Needed:  You will need paper plates, string, some chairs, and ping pong balls.

• You will string your targets across an open space and will be moving. Play the game inside or outside.
• Cut holes in the center of your paper plates, and punch two holes on the top edge of the plate and then two more on the bottom edge of the plate.
• Use the string to thread through the plate on both sides. String 4 plates across with 12 inches between each plate.
• Next, tie one side of the strings (top and bottom) to the back of a chair. Then, tie the other side’s strings to a different chair back. Next, stretch the string tight so that the plates are flat. Your target is now ready. Repeat until you have enough for each team.
• You can play this game in two ways. First, have the plates running horizontally, and the object of the game is to toss 4 ping pong balls through the holes in each of the plates. The second way to play is to align the plates vertically (like skeeball) and assign points to the plates. The plate furthest from the student would get the most assigned points and the one closest to them the least points.
• Assign youth leaders to help with keeping score and a runner to bring the ping pong ball back to the next player.
• The game continues until all the youth have had a chance to toss all their ping pong balls.
• The team with the most points wins the game.

42. Button Up

Materials Needed: Locate several very large shirts, one for each team.

• The object of this crazy game is to see which team can put the shirt on and off the quickest.
• Assign youth leaders to each team to ensure they adhere to the rules.
• The rule is to put the shirt on and button it all the way up. Then, unbutton and give the shirt to the next player on your team.
• The team with the quickest time wins.

43. Bowling with Bottles

Materials Needed:  You will need a bunch of empty 2-Liter soda bottles, dirt or stand to partially fill the bottles, and enough round balls for each team. You will also need to mark your lanes with wide strips of plastic or chalk for outside. Inside, you can use tape.

• Fill your bottles partially with dirt or sand. Put enough in to make them hard to knock over, but not too hard.
• Assign point values to each bottle and youth leaders to keep score.
• Divide your students into teams and start the fun.
• Each team member has 2 turns to knock all the bottles down.
• The most points wins.
• This is a fun game of bowling that is easy to make a bowling alley.

You can play this game in a gymnasium or large room inside, but it is most fun outside because the ball goes a little crazy.

44. Ice Breaker Game

Materials Needed:  You will need a poster board, colored pens, and an empty soda bottle.

• Draw a large circle on the poster board. Divide into sections like a pie and color each square. Write a get-to-know-you question in each square. For example: Tell me about your favorite trip? What is your favorite dessert? Do you have any pets?
• Put the soda bottle in the center to use as a spinner for your wheel.
• Ask your kids to sit in a circle. If the group is too big, make enough poster boards to divide your group into smaller groups.
• One player spins the bottle. They ask a student they do not know the question the bottle stops on.
• There is no win or lose to this game. It will help your youth to get to know each other.
• You can even shuffle the players after half of the assigned time has lapsed.
• This is a great game to play in the fall when there are a lot of new students entering the group. It is simple to design using a poster board and a 160z soda bottle.

45. Continental Chess

Materials Needed:  You will need craft paper or poster boards, markers, tape, and missionary instructions.

• Label the continents and countries.
• Write instructions on the index cards like: Your church has sent you to work as a missionary in South America. The student will move to the South American continent. The next student gets a card that says: You have finished your work in Russia and now are going to work in Australia. That student will move from Russia to Australia.
• You should also include “go home” for stateside cards. This will cause the player to leave the game.
• You should add information to each card about the location and their spiritual condition.
• Repeat continents and instructions with the fun potential of getting too many kids on one continent at the same time, and they can’t step off into the ocean.
• Keep track of whose turn it is by writing the names of the students on a whiteboard and assigning a leader to put a mark by each name as you give an instruction to move.
• You move them with the instruction cards until they get the return home for a stateside visit card.
• You could play this game often and mix continents and countries, continents only, metropolitan cities, unreached people groups.
• This is fun to play and can introduce your students to missionary work around the world.
• This is a chess game on the floor. You will move your students around from one continent to another. The game will help your youth learn about spiritual needs in other parts of the world, and it is fun.

46. Leaves of Thanks

Materials Needed: You will need a large number of varied sizes of fall leaves (either real or fake), butcher paper, sharpies, markers, tape or staplers to attach the leaves, and bible verses.

• Write a title like Falling into Thankfulness on a large piece of craft butcher paper and add your church name and identify that it is from the youth group. The size of this paper will correspond to the size of your youth group, but it should be a big sign.
• Prepare bible verses on gratitude written on slips of paper for each student.
• Give the students a scripture paper, a sharpie, and several leaves.
• Instruct them to write simple reasons on the leaves for which they are grateful. You and your youth workers should keep in mind that not all the students will have happy home lives, so be prepared to help these students find reasons to be grateful.
• Have the students take their leaves over to the large white paper and attach them wherever they want.
• Each student should also write the scripture verse you gave to them.
• Praise the students for their choices of why they are grateful.
• Encourage the students to always search for reasons to be thankful.
• Display the completed sign in the church. You can use it as a decoration for a Thanksgiving Fellowship event or a community meal. Alternatively, you can donate your beautiful sign to a nursing home or a children’s hospital.
• Your leaf gathering will help bring color to this fall activity. The activity will provide a fun way to apply a Bible study on being thankful.

Teaching your youth the art of gratitude will help shape them into happier people, no matter the circumstances. This activity will be a fun time for your group, and it will be a great way to teach them to recognize things to be grateful for and express gratitude to the Lord.

47. Love for Seniors

Materials Needed:  You will need sheets of colored stiff paper or card stock, various colors of markers, stickers, pens, scissors, glue, tape, glitter, sticky notes, or index cards.

• Request a list of your most isolated senior adults from the church office. Write their names on sticky notes or index cards and place them in the center of each table.
• Divide students into small groups, pray for them, and ask them to make cards for the people named on the sticky notes or index cards at their table.
• An alternative option for youth in the older age group is to provide greeting cards.
• The older students write personal messages to the people they choose.
• Gather the cards and envelopes containing the names and mail them.
• For an added step of service, your group could also deliver the cards to each person.
• This activity is a great way to apply lessons on loving and caring for the vulnerable in our society with very little expense. It is easy to forget the seniors because many are no longer able to attend church.

This activity will teach your youth about a precious part of your church family and bless many of your senior adults.

48. Cookie Love

Materials Needed:  You will need cookies (homemade or store-bought), small paper bags for the cookies, colored pens, Bible verses, and scripture stickers (optional).

• Prepare a lesson demonstrating the love of Christ for the outcasts of society. To do this, coordinate the best time to donate cookies to your local food kitchen or homeless shelter.
• Buy or bake a large number of cookies and buy cookie bags. The students will decorate the small paper cookie bags with Bible verses. Choose verses that talk about the love that God has for us and how He sees and hears us when we call out to Him for help.
• To fill the bags, the students should wash their hands or use gloves. They fill the decorated bags with cookies.
• If you prefer to seal the bags, you can use scripture stickers.
• Arrange a time for the youth to serve the cookies at a local shelter if the group is old enough. If your group is too young to go to a shelter, you could pray over the cookies together. You and your youth workers can deliver the cookies.

This activity is a great application for lessons on how to love people who are often neglected. The youth will learn about others in the world who are living in difficult places and how much they need to hear that God loves and sees them. Cookie bags are a fun way to spread God’s love to the needy. You will also challenge your students to serve.

49. Adopt a Needy Nursing Home

Materials Needed: You will need construction paper, glitter, glue, scissors, pastor boards, markers, tape, string, etc.

• Locate a nursing home in a needy part of town and obtain permission from the director to decorate their facility for Christmas.
• Spend time over several youth group meetings making decorations. You can make snowflakes to hang from the ceiling, Christmas posters, Christmas scriptures, etc.
• Choose a night to take the decorations and decorate the facility. Involve as many as possible in this activity, including any of the youth group’s family members. There are many good ways to make this a big event.
• You can decorate the facility and have a Christmas party complete with music and a lesson on Christ.
• You could also adopt the residents and have each student and their family bake their person a Christmas treat.

This activity will introduce the concept of being the hands and feet of Christ and bless some of the most vulnerable in our society. It will teach your youth that simple acts of love can make a huge impact. It will require a lot of help from adult leaders and will require more of your time. The actual expense will depend upon the size of the activity you choose. You could quickly adapt this activity to Easter.

50. Painting with a Purpose

Materials Needed:  You will need paint, paintbrushes, and the materials to paint insides or outsides of homes such as drop cloths and painter’s tape.

• Request a list of the elderly or single parent church members from your deacons/elders. They will know who in your church membership needs some help with painting.
• Maybe your church does not have anyone who needs help. If so, research agencies working within your community and see if you can help them. For example, Good Samaritans, The Salvation Army, or your city’s senior citizen center.
• Once you have obtained permission from the person who needs help with painting their home or another project, you can move ahead with planning the project. Announce the activity to your group as part of a lesson on serving those in need.
• If your church does not have the funds to purchase paint for the project, you can let your youth plan great ways to raise the money. Maybe through events like a car wash, bake sale or raking leaves, etc.
• Recruit as many youth workers and parents as possible to help supervise this event.

There are always those around us who need a little help around their homes. This activity will bond your group as they learn to work together to accomplish something great. It will engage your youth in the community around them, and with just the expense of the materials.

51. Agape Notes

Materials Needed:  You will need some paper with the pre-printed verse, pens, and envelopes.

• At the beginning of the week of Youth Camp, introduce the kids to Agape Notes challenging them to write as many Agape Notes to other campers, counselors, staffers, etc., as possible. Make sure the kids understand that the object of the activity is NOT who RECEIVES the most Agape Notes, but who WRITES the most Agape Notes.
• Every camper has an envelope with their name on it, and people can deliver Agape Notes to their envelope.
• Your youth ministry supplies the notepaper. Each Agape Note starts with a pre-printed quotation from the Bible verse Philippians 1:3, which reads, “I thank my God every time I remember you.” Students are encouraged to write a note of encouragement to another camper, counselor, staffer, etc., and let them know how much they care about them.
• Our culture can be excessively harsh in judging others. In place of tearing others down, this activity teaches your kids to look for, appreciate, and express gratitude for the good in those around them.

Agape Notes is a great youth camp activity that requires almost no expense. Agape is a Greek word that means unconditional love. There are four words in Greek that we translate into love in English:

1. Storge = general affection (such as loving Twix candy bars.), 2. Phileo = brotherly love (This is why Philadelphia is called the city of brotherly love.), 3. Eros = romantic love, and 4. Agape = unconditional love.

52. How Can I Pray for You?

Materials Needed:  You will need poster board, colored pens, a writing pen, index cards or a pad.

• Enlist enough parents and youth leaders to work with each student.
• Choose a safe outdoor shopping mall or another shopping venue.
• Make poster board signs that say, “How Can I Pray for You?”
• It may be a good idea to provide a list of questions to help guide the conversation.
• Once in the shopping area, divide students up and assign parents and youth leaders to work with them.
• Each small group can set up somewhere and wait for people to read their signs and approach them. However, the best way is for each group to walk up to people and explain that they are from your church’s youth ministry and would like to pray for them.
• Designate one person from the team to write down the prayer request, and if the person allows, pray for them on the spot.
• Your follow-up time for this outing should be to pray for each name the group collects.
• You will be amazed at the number of strangers who will share their hurt and concerns with you. Equally, you will be surprised at how thankful they are that you prayed with them.

With very little expense, this activity will teach your youth that there are many lost and hurting people in need of prayer. Prayer should always be our first resource when helping others. However, for many, it is the only way we can help. This activity will give your students a small opening into the lives of others that we would never get otherwise.

53. Adopt a Stranger

Materials Needed:  You will need paper or poster board, tape, markers, a color printer, or a place to print color photographs.

• E-mail a note to all the parents explaining the activity and purpose. Ask your youth to take random photos of strangers with their phones when out in public places. Note : The trick is for them to be candid shots, and the person does not know that they are taking the photo. There should be no contact between the students and the strangers!
• They then text or e-mail you the photos they have taken.
• You will design a frame of bible verses that will go around the edges of each 5 ½ x 8 ½ photo page (2 frames to a page).
• Below the photo space, add a paragraph with the following list of questions:

1. How many people do you pray for each day? 2. How many people are paying for you? 3. Perhaps the person in this photo is not saved and does not know how to pray. 4. Maybe no one ever prays for them. 5. Can you imagine how that feels? 6. Would you be the one to pray for them?

• Then add the photos to your document and print or print several pages with the frame and attach the photographs to them.
• Mix the photos up and give them to the youth group to help them learn to be led by the Lord to pray for strangers.
• Alternatively, you could make one large scripture frame sign on a poster board or craft paper. Put all the photos on the sign with the list of questions and pray for a few people each time you meet.
• Teaching your youth how to pray for people they do not know will have an unknown but beautiful impact.

The Lord knows their names and cares for each person in the photographs. He will hear the prayers prayed on their behalf. You will not know how many marriages are rescued or how many souls are saved. Pray for the unknown and expect the Lord to move powerfully.

The fruits of this activity are exponential as your youth ministry impacts the community. The illustration is to care and pray for those we do not know. You will need very few supplies to bring the prayer project together.

54. Notes of Random Kindness

Materials Needed:  You will need notecards, envelopes, and pens.

• Teach a lesson on kindness, using the many scriptures that demonstrate the random acts of kindness of Christ. Note how his actions led to blessings, healings, and salvation. Your application to this lesson is to have your youth group write random notes of kindness.
• Pray and ask God to guide their words to encourage those who will receive them.
• As they write their notes, ask the students to pray for the person who will receive the card.
• Once the cards are complete, they will take them to the next church worship service and hand them out to random people. The object of the activity is to give the cards to people they do not know.

This activity will teach your youth to understand that God guides our words and actions so that we can be instruments of blessings in His hands. It allows your youth to discover the blessing of God’s leading as they seek to deliver encouragement to those who need it, and all it takes is a little time, effort, and paper.

Many people around us put on a good face while in public. However, inside, what they are in desperate need of is encouragement. People in our church family are carrying huge burdens every day, and we will never know.

55. Working for a Good Cause

Materials Needed: You will need teamwork and energy.

• Choose an agency that works with high-risk families for your youth ministry to partner with on this project. Your students could choose to bless a struggling single mom, a homeless family living in a shelter, or children in a local orphanage.
• The youth group will work together to raise funds for their special project. Raising funds can be great fun for your group! You will find your students full of great ideas. You can hold a car wash, dessert auction at the Thanksgiving Fellowship, sell baked goods, etc.
• As your youth work together to raise money, they not only build relationships, but they tell others about their project. Their story will raise awareness for the agency or home and encourage those listening to do more for the needy.
• Once the students raise enough funds, pray together on how the Lord wants you to use the funds. You could purchase a Christmas meal for your family, Christmas gifts for the orphans. Perhaps you could gift diapers, school clothes, or supplies for children in need, etc. In reality, because of the tremendous needs, the possibilities on how to serve are numerous and various.

The purpose of this activity is to teach your kids to work together as the body of Christ. It will teach them that with just a little effort, they can meet many needs through prayer and teamwork. They will also learn to be led by the Lord in their service. If they pray and work together, there is nothing they cannot do with the Lord’s help.

56. Mission Not Impossible

• Check to see if your church/denomination has an agency that sends missionaries overseas to do God’s work. If your church or denomination does not have a sending agency, pray and research other sending agencies and choose one.
• Request a list of missionaries and where they are working. Take a little bit of time to pray over the list and ask the Lord to lead you to the person or persons who most need a touch from Him.
• Once you have chosen a person or family for your youth group to adopt, you can introduce the new project as an application for lessons on the first missionaries, their journeys, and how the early church supported their work.
• This project should be a long-term project providing many opportunities for your youth to support and pray for the missionaries.
• Raise funds to send Christmas gifts. Send cards for birthdays and just for encouragement.
• Work together to find good ways to let your missionaries know that someone at home cares and is praying for them.
• Ask the missionaries to send your group regular e-mail updates. Reading their updates will help your group pray for them and learn many new interesting facts. It also will help them see that even though they are on the other side of the world, they can be a part of the missionary’s work.
• Help your students learn how they can partner with overseas missionaries, and the desire to be a part of God’s work may stay with them for the rest of their lives.

With little effort, you can introduce your youth group to what God is doing around the world. Instill the concept of working together to extend the Kingdom of Christ while they are still young, and the impact will be exponential.

57. Packing for Jesus

Materials Needed:  You will need teamwork and energy.

• Prepare lessons on show the early church served the needy and use this activity as an application.
• Research local food kitchens you might partner with and set up a time to tour their facility.
• After choosing an agency to work with, schedule a time for your group to help pack their holiday meal boxes.
• You could use the youth group to organize a food drive to help the kitchen with supplies to put in the boxes.
• During the Thanksgiving and Christmas season, food kitchens are busy boxing up the holiday meals that they will be handing out to the families in need. This is a wonderful time to introduce your students to serving the needy.

Working in a food pantry will be a lot of fun for your youth, who all love to be active and serve. Allowing your kids to become a part of a local food kitchen helps them see how God uses His children to bless those in need.

58. Notes for Children’s Hospital

Materials Needed:  You will need notecards and colored pens or pencils.

• Choose a fundraising activity to help provide the funds to purchase small stuffed animals to send to your local children’s hospital.
• Your youth group can write or create cards of encouragement for the children. Choose scripture references for your youth to include in the cards. The sick children could use some scripture to remind them that the Lord loves and cares for them.
• Organize a time to take the stuffed animals and cards to the local children’s hospital or children’s ward.
• You and your youth leaders can deliver the card and gift, or if your youth are older, they can go with you.
• Your kids can also send special gifts and cards for Christmas and Easter.

Many children and youth are fighting grave illness, and hospitals and doctors are all the life they know. Teach your youth group how to help lift the spirits of these children, and you will also be modeling empathy on of the many gifts Christians use to imitate Jesus.

These activities will also teach your children the blessing of serving the sick and hurting. Working with sick children can be a long-term project for your youth.

59. Military Encouragement

Materials needed:  Notecards, colored pens, gift boxes or treats of some kind like cookies.

• Advertise in the church bulletin to see how many church members have family serving in the armed forces. Pull together a list to use for your activity.
• Your youth group can put together gift boxes for those connected to your church and send them regularly.
• The youth should also be encouraged to write notes of encouragement to the servicemen and women.
• If your church family does not have anyone serving, you can contact the closest Military Base and see if they will allow you to bless some of their servicemen and women.
• Your youth group could bake cookies and other treats and deliver them to the base.
• Another way your student can serve is to write cards to soldiers on the local base.
• Divide the base into groups, for example, new recruits, singles, families, units, or officers. Your group can alternate writing notes of encouragement to the groups each month or quarter. This way, the youth group will eventually have prayed for and encouraged everyone serving at the base.

A good thing to remember is that many servicemen and women are not Christians. Your youth group praying for and encouraging them may be just the open door they need to turn to Christ.

Freedom to have church and choose what we believe has not and does not come free. Our military men and women help maintain our freedom to choose and to help others in need. Your church may have members who are serving or loved ones serving in the military. Utilize your youth group as instruments of blessings for our brave men and women who serve in the military.

60. Singing for Christ

Materials Needed:  You will need teamwork and some decent singers.

• You can have a large group of youth sing at all different types of events. They will have fun performing doing pop-up singing in outdoor shopping areas. Maybe they could sing at church BBQs, fellowship meals, orphanages, children’s wards, cancer hospitals, or many more.
• During Christmas time, they can go caroling. Choose neighborhoods around the church and hand out goodie bags with the church’s information.
• Invest a little bit of time teaching your youth group meaningful songs, and then let them be a bright light in a dark world.

People love to hear youth performances. Taking your youth group out for singing provides opportunities to share Christ through song.

61. Storm Relief Mission Project

Materials Needed:  Construction supplies such as lumber and paint, transportation, knowledgeable adult supervision.

• Locate a relief agency or church in an area that has been affected by a storm and take your youth to help rebuild the damaged area.
• Use funds from your Youth Ministry budget to cover the lumber and paint supplies.
• Alternatively, you can check with your church office to see if other funds are available for you could use for this work project or if a local company is willing to donate or sponsor supplies.
• Check with the church or agencies to see if there is a place to house your youth while there.
• Reserve transportation to and from the trip.
• Recruit the proper adult leadership to help.

Young people are a boundless supply of energy, and they love to serve. This type of mission trip is popular among the youth. It is also an effective way to teach them to be the hands and feet of Christ.

62. Vacation Bible School at Local Orphanage

Materials Needed:  You will need supplies to run a Vacation Bible School.

• Arrange a Vacation Bible School for a local orphanage using your church’s leftover VBS supplies and your youth group.
• Purchase any missing VBS materials to supplement any missing items. Suppliers of VBS supplies have materials available to purchase for a while after summer.
• A way to make sure your event is a success is to recruit youth to help serve in the church’s VBS. They will then be ready to lead at your orphanage event.

Putting on a VBS at an orphanage is a beautiful way to bring Christ into the lives of children who have very little hope and engage your students in the needs of others.

63. Progressive Dinner Nights

Materials Needed:  You will need three homes for hosting various parts of the dinner.

• Send an e-mail to the parents looking for homes to host a party night. The progressive dinners could even become a regular part of your ministry plans.
• Choose three homes to host an appetizer party, dinner party, and dessert party. The first home will provide an appetizer and a fun game for the youth. The second home will provide the main meal, a devotional time, and games. The third home will offer a dessert, followed by more youth games and prayer to finish the evening.
• It would also be a good idea to do the parties in themes, such as Mexican night, Christmas, Thanksgiving, etc.

Progressive dinners for adults have been around for years. However, you can plan a progressive dinner designed specifically for your students. You can use the homes of the youth’s parents or the homes of the youth leaders.

64. Christian Concert Outing

Materials Needed: You will need money for concert tickets, transportation and adult supervision.

• Many Christian artists perform in churches. Research some of the popular artists and check their websites for their tour schedules.
• Check to see if there are any group discounts to help lower the cost.
• Many of your kids will not have the money to pay for their tickets, so look for scholarship opportunities to ensure all can participate.
• Arrange transportation, either a bus or, if your group is small, you can use some of the cars belonging to the adult leaders.
• Recruit enough adult leaders to chaperone.

Christian concerts are an absolute favorite for many. There is something unique about the experience. It is unlikely they will forget the outing. Your prayer should be that this concert will be a pivotal event for your kids, one which solidifies their faith as they see so many other young people worshiping the Lord.

65. Zoom Movie Night

Materials Needed:  You will need a movie on a DVD or through a streaming subscription, a place to watch the movie with your group, and snacks.

• Choose a suitable DVD for you to watch together.
• Make sure you do not need a license to show the movie.
• Handle the movie night the same as if you were doing a Bible study time. Provide snacks and make it fun.

Using a Zoom movie night is an easy way to keep your youth connected. Frequently, it is hard for youth to get to spend time together. Reasons could be weather-related or, it could be pandemic-related. However, the fun does not have to stop for your youth group.

66. Youth Group Ski Trip

Materials Needed:  You will need money for a ski trip, appropriate clothing and ski equipment, and adult chaperones.

• For this type of outing, you will want to plan your trip well in advance. Purchase your trip and book your cabins or other accommodations early because they are reserved very early.
• Select the more spiritually advanced from your group to do devotions while there.
• You will also need to secure enough youth leaders to help chaperone.
• Many of the youth cannot afford a trip of this nature. Solicit scholarships from the church membership and plan fundraising activities to help cover the costs.
• Involving the youth in fundraising activities and devotion responsibilities will help them feel ownership of the trip.

A ski trip will be a great opportunity to have focused time with your students. It will be easier to spend time with your group every day there because they will be away from the distractions of home.

67. Pop-Up Events with Youth Games

Many churches do pop-up events for small children, but your pop-up events would take place in the neighborhoods where your youth live.

Materials Needed:  You will need materials/internet to send an invitation to people in the neighborhood, board games, carnival games, popcorn, hotdogs, drinks you would find at a carnival, and goody bags.

• Solicit youth group families to host the events in their neighborhood. The parents and, if necessary, other youth workers would help the youth with the event.
• Center the whole pop-up event around youth activities. Board games, carnival games, popcorn, and hotdogs are sure to bring the youth in the surrounding area to your event.
• Create an invitation to the pop-up event and have your youth and adult workers pass them out in the area.
• Put together goody bags for your event. These will be a great way to introduce your youth group and church.

A youth pop-up event will be fun for your students. It is an opportunity to intentionally work toward reaching the youth in the surrounding neighborhoods of your church.

68. Build Your Own Pizza Night

Are you looking for a great way to get your group back together after a long summer? Holding a pizza night will be a temptation that most could not resist.

Materials Needed:  You will need materials/internet to send an invitation to your youth group, someone’s kitchen, pizza dough, pizza sauce, cheese for your pizza, and various toppings.

• Create an invitation to invite your youth group and ask them to bring a friend.
• Locate a kitchen to use, either in your church or the home of a church member.
• Purchase various types of toppings, dough, and be sure to purchase enough so that every taste can be satisfied.

A build your own pizza night is a simple way to get your kids back through the doors and prayerfully bring new youth into the youth group.

69. Missions Prayer Evening

This event will be the first time for many of your kids to pray for other areas in the world. When we pray for the lost and suffering of this world, the Lord allows us a glimpse into His heart.

Materials Needed:  You will need some world maps, black markers, paper, and pens.

• Purchase some world maps and section them off with a black marker.
• Divide the students into small groups and assign youth workers to each group.
• Make a list of interesting facts for each section of the maps. Also include fact sheets about the countries and their spiritual condition.
• Each small group should work together to write a list of prayer requests for their assigned map section.
• Call everyone back together as a large group and pray for all the requests.
• You could invite some students to share what they learned.

It is exciting to think that if your group is big enough, you can pray for the world in just one night!

70. Movie Night in the Park

Movies in the park, what great fun for your youth group! Your movie night will provide a perfect avenue to invite their friends.

Materials Needed:  You will need a projector, DVD player or any other streaming device, a projector, a king-sized sheet hung from two trees or two net frames for sports like soccer or volleyball, blankets and snacks.

• Ask the students to bring blankets and snacks.
• Check to see if permission from the city authorities to use the park.
• Create an invitation for your students to invite their friends. Many young kids would never attend a church meeting, but maybe they would come to a movie in the park
• Create an invitation to invite visitors to your youth group and church.
• You will need a lot of youth workers and parents for this event.

71. Diaper Donation and Fundraiser

This is an incredible way to bless your local refugee agency or Christian clinic. They tirelessly work to help women find ways to keep their babies or assist them with putting their babies up for adoption. Many young women would welcome a gift, and the agency could use any funds you raise.

Materials Needed:  You will need materials to make diaper trees, bags for bagging the completed diaper trees, and pizza for the volunteers.

• If your church does not have an affiliation with a local clinic or agency, check around and find one to partner with.
• Plan an event at your church that will center around raising funds and collecting boxes of diapers to donate. You can use new baby bottles to hand out in a church service for raising money. People will fill them with cash or checks and bring them back to the church on a specified day as an offering for the clinic.
• Collect the donated diapers and plan a pizza night for your youth.
• Purchase materials to make diaper trees out of the donated diapers and bag them like a gift. These decorated bags will make a beautiful gift for the clinic to give to the new mothers.
• If possible, the youth should be involved in the presentation of the funds and gifts. Taking part in the gift presentation makes all their hard work quite satisfying.

72. Volunteer Day at a Refugee Agency

Many agencies are working to help refugees assimilate into our culture. There are many beneficial ways that your youth could be a part of their ministry.

Materials Needed:  You will need transportation and food for a meal together.

• Set up a tour of a local agency to observe all the services that they offer to refugees. Look for areas where your youth can volunteer for the day, or possibly you could do it monthly. A good possibility is to help with afternoon tutoring or ESL classes.
• Arrange transportation to the agency.
• Plan a meal after the event to debrief.

When we teach our students to serve while still young, God will use their service to shape them into His instruments. Serving others is an experience that will stay with your kids for the rest of their lives.

73. Welcome Teams for Refugees

God says in Acts 17:26 that He is who moves the boundaries of people so that perhaps they will seek Him. Involving your youth in serving vulnerable members of our world population will help them see that some need prayers and help. Additionally, the Lord may use this event to call some of your youth into the ministry.

Materials Needed:  You will need basic household items and furniture.

• Locate your local resettlement agency. They can provide training for you and your kids.
• A welcome team helps a refugee family by preparing their new home for their arrival. The welcome team collects household items and furniture the family will need to start their new lives. You can involve the whole church in the provision of goods. They can donate dishes, microwaves, towels, etc.
• If you are still short items for the home or apartment, going to garage sales is a perfect way to find the missing pieces. Youth, their families, and your leaders can all be involved in scouring local garage sales for the items you lack.
• Divide into small teams and have your list separated to give each group a section. You can treat the outing like a scavenger hunt, and the first ones back will win.
• You will need the help of the youth and adult leadership to prepare the refugee’s new home with all the items you have located for the family.
• After the family arrives, your youth group can still be involved with the refugee family. They can help with tutoring the refugee children or spend time with the family playing games, etc. Additional time with the family will require parental permission, and all visits will require supervision.
• Reach out to your local resettlement agency and join God in His great global movement of people.

74. Hike a National Park

There is so much emphasis on our digital life in our culture. Take some time to unplug from all the distractions that come from technological lives. Set up a camping trip at a national park or some other camping area and make a memorable event that your youth will not forget.

Materials Needed:  You will need money for the trip, appropriate footwear and supplies, and adult chaperones.

• Recruit enough adult works to keep the students safe.
• Arrange transportation.
• During the day, take short hikes with your youth and discuss the many signs of God’s creative hands, which will be all around.
• Back at the camp, settle back in for the night with a meal around the fire and end a devotional time encouraging them to set aside time to seek God.

We all hear God better when we take time away from distractions, and the youth need it more than ever. Perhaps this will be the first time they experience the closeness of God as He woos them to be set apart for Him. This trip will be an incredible opportunity to see Him work!

75. Plan a Road Trip to a Youth Conference

What an exciting road trip when you are going to a conference! Load up your youth group and take them to a youth conference to be recharged and refreshed. How often do we need this as adults? If adults need spiritual uplifting from time to time, imagine what our youth need.

Materials Needed:  You will need funds for a trip, transportation and adult chaperones.

• Obtain the needed transportation to take your students on a much-needed road trip to recharge their spiritual batteries.
• Locate a ministry with a youth conference scheduled for your area and purchase tickets to the event for your youth.
• Most youth conferences offer package deals that will include housing accommodations. If not, make suitable arrangements for your group.
• Recruit plenty of adult workers to ensure the safety and well-being of your students.
• Plan for nightly devotion times with your group.
• If your budget can not cover the trip costs, prepare fundraising activities to cover the cost. If traveling is out of the question, almost everything is being live-streamed.
• Host a watching event at your church and invite all the youth from your area. It will be a mini Youth Conference, and it will encourage the kids as they see others their age seeking God.

Our youth are facing challenges and stresses every day that we never had to handle. Give them a break from the sometimes toxic culture we live in and help them learn how to focus on Christ.

We hope there are some fun activities and ideas here to help your youth group pray together and stay together!

• Group Games

35 Fun Youth Group Games to Play

Kids enjoy nothing more than being part of a group with their friends, and any good youth group needs games that can enhance their enjoyment.

It is important to have a variety of games for all occasions and for all times of the year so that you are well prepared. That is where we’ve got you covered.

Learn the rules and set up instructions for games ideal for outdoor settings and also indoor group games for those days when the weather turns a little nasty. 

There are also youth group games that act as ideal icebreakers for when a group meets for the first time, helping to counteract those initial nerves members may feel.

Read on and get all the information that you need with our list of some of the best youth group games to introduce to any club.

See Also: Ultimate Games Gift Ideas Guide | Indoor Youth Group Games | Fun Scavenger Hunt Games

1. CUP STACK RELAY

2. table topics, 4. spontuneous, 5. scatterball, 6. the tangled chain, 7. one night ultimate werewolf, 8. captain’s orders, 9. team architect, 10. guess the person, 11. water sponge, 12. scavenger hunt, 13. penny chinny, 15. seated basketball, 16. fricket, 17. water balloon toss game, 19. crossnet, 20. bocce ball, 22. four square game, 23. horseshoes, 24. mummy wrap game, 25. stuck in the mud, 26. spec tennis, 27. fruit salad, 28. egg drop game, 29. spikeball, 31. cornhole, 32. pickleball, 33. ladder ball, 34. oven mitt unwrapping game, 35. tetherball, 35 youth group games.

Game Objective: Complete the relay successfully by completing it before the other team.

Number of Players: 16 – 30 players, even number for 2 teams.

Length of Play: 10 – 15 minutes.

What You’ll Need: 30 cups, 15 for each team, and a large table to stack them.

How to Play:

• Line up the 2 teams in 2 separate lines in front of a table that has 15 cups ready to stack.
• Start the game, the first 2 players rush over to the table and stack their 15 cups in a pyramid fashion as quickly as they can.
• When the 1st player finishes their pyramid, the 2nd player in the line then needs to put all of the cups back into a stacked pile.
• Once the 2nd player has finished, the 3rd player builds the pyramid back and this continues until all players from a team have completed their task.
• The team whose final player completes their task first wins the game. 

Game Objective: Remember the most facts about your teammate after 5 minutes.

Number of Players: 4+, as long as there is an even number.

Length of Play: 20 – 40 minutes.

What You’ll Need: A set of table topics cards.

• Divide up all players into pairs, and hand each player 3 table topics cards each.
• Players have to read to their teammate the question written on the card and remember what the answer is.
• Give all players a 5-minute time limit to ask the questions.
• Once the time is up, players need to relay back to the rest of the group the answer that their teammate gave.
• If it matches the answer that the teammate says, then that player gets a point.
• Mix up the teams so that players get a chance to speak to everyone in the group
• Once everyone has spoken to all members of the group, then count up the points and declare the player with the most the winner.

Buy it: Buy Table Topics with different conversation topics from the Table Topics store.

Game Objective: Correctly guess the object, place, or person by deciphering the clues that are on the game board.

Number of Players: 2-12 players.

Length of Play: Around 40 minutes.

What You’ll Need: Concept board game set.

• Set up the game board and hand out all players a game reference card for them to refer to throughout the game.
• Everyone playing is one team, and they try to score as many points as possible by working together.
• Players take turns to form their concepts when it is their go, choosing either an easy, medium, or hard variety.
• That player then begins to place pieces on the pictures on the gameboard that illustrates their chosen concept.
• After a piece gets placed on the gameboard, the other players can attempt to guess what the concept is.
• Give points based on how quickly someone can guess the answer. 4 points if 1 game piece gets used, 3 points for 2, 2 points for 3, and 1 point for all 4.
• At the end of the game, note down the score that the group has achieved and put it in a table for other groups to compete against. 

Buy it:  Buy Concept from its developers Asmodees’s store page.

Game Objective: Get to the end of the board first by gaining points by singing a song with a certain lyric in the song.

Number of Players: 4-10 players.

Length of Play: 30 – 45 minutes.

What You’ll Need: Spontuneous game set.

• Before the game starts, have all players write down single words from songs they know to write on a hit-list, these are trigger-words.
• Nominate one player to start the game. That player reads out one of their trigger-words for the other players to think of a song in the time limit containing the word as lyrics.
• First-person to be able to sing a song with those lyrics gets to roll the dice to advance on the gameboard.
• If no players can think of a song, the person who named the trigger-word must sing their song which inspired the word, rolling the dice if successful.
• When advancing around the board, players may land on a music note which requires a player to pick up a card and complete a challenge.
• The first player to reach the end has to complete a challenge, once they do so then they become the winner of the game.

Buy it: Spontuneous comes with the game board needed to play, including a timer.

Game Objective: Be the last player standing at the end of the game.

Number of Players: 10 – 30 players.

Length of Play: 20 – 30 minutes.

What You’ll Need: 2 soft foam balls, a large space to play.

• Line up all players in the middle of the gameplay area in a line and throw the 2 game balls in opposite directions. Blow a whistle to start the game.
• Scatterball is all vs all, so players grab the ball and try to hit others to eliminate them.
• Once holding the ball, a player can only take 3 steps before throwing the ball.
• A player hit with the ball is out, or a player whose throw gets caught is also out.
• If a player gets eliminated from the game, then anyone who they have eliminated can rejoin the game. This includes players caught out.
• Once there is only one person left as everyone else gets eliminated, they win the game.

Game Objective: Two teams compete to untangle themselves first.

Number of Players: 20 – 30 players.

Length of Play: 5 – 10 minutes.

What You’ll Need: A space big enough to play.

• Separate your group into 2 teams and have them both form a circle to begin.
• Have players stand close enough together so that they can join hands with 2 people on the other side of the circle, 1 hand each.
• Once both sides have joined hands and get mixed up, their goal is to get into a line with only 2 people breaking the chain so they form a line.
• If the chain gets broken by more than 2 people, the offending team has to re-link up again in the same way that they originally linked up.
• Once one team has managed to stand in a line all facing the same way, then they are the winners of the game.

Game Objective : Work out which player is the werewolf before the end of the game.

Number of Players: Up to 10 players.

Length of Play: 10 minutes per game.

What You’ll Need: One Night Ultimate Werewolf game set, a timer.

• Shuffle and hand out the role cards to players, ensuring that the villagers and werewolf cards are in play.
• Once players have their roles, they must keep them a secret. There should be 3 remaining cards for potential later use in the game.
• There are 2 phases during the game – night and day.
• During the night phase, all players shut their eyes and one by one open them to fulfill what their role requires them to do.
• During the day phase, everyone can discuss what happened to them during the night to gather information. Although players don’t have to tell the truth.
• Day phase lasts for 5 minutes, after this time all players must vote on who they think the werewolf is.
• If they guess correctly, the villagers win. If they do not, the werewolf wins.

Buy it:  Start your own One Night Ultimate Werewolf adventure by purchasing the game set.

Game Objective: Be the last player to successfully carry out the captain’s orders.

Number of Players: 5 – 30 players.

What You’ll Need: A large space to play in.

• Before you start, nominate one kid to be the captain. If you’re playing with a younger children’s group, get yourself or another adult to be captain.
• Start by lining up all the other players in a single file line in front of the captain.
• The captain will need to come up with several different actions that everyone has to follow, or words they have to shout out.
• The captain will do the action or say the word/phrase, the last player in the line to successfully follow the captain is out.
• This continues until there is only one player left, who wins the game and becomes the captain next with their own words/actions.

Game Objective: In teams, build a contraption that fulfills a specific purpose with assorted items.

Number of Players: Even numbers for 2 teams, around 20 players.

What You’ll Need: A selection of random materials such as cardboard tubes, pipe cleaners, popsicle sticks, duct tape, anything you can find lying around, tape, and scissors.

• Divide your youth group into 2 teams and give both teams an equal number of assorted materials.
• Set both teams a task that they will have to complete, such as creating a bridge that can hold a book and they can only use the materials to complete the task.
• Give the teams a 15-minute time limit to build and test their contraptions.
• After 15 minutes, teams must stop working on their contraptions no matter the state that they are in.
• Test the contraptions, and judge which team has managed to fit the original specification the best. That team wins the game.

Game Objective: Correctly identify the person written down with the clues given to gain points.

Number of Players: 8 – 16 players.

Length of Play: 10 – 20 minutes.

What You’ll Need: Optional list of pre-written famous age-appropriate people. 

• Divide the group into 2 – 4 teams and have every player write down a list of 10 famous people.
• Teams take it, in turn, to have one of their players describe the people written down on their list without naming the player by name.
• Each player gets a 2-minute time limit to give their teams hints about the people on their list, with a point given for every correct answer.
• Deduct a point every time a player giving clues says the name written on their list.
• Once all players have had a go reading from their list, count up the number of points achieved.
• The team that has accumulated the most amount of points at the end is the winning team.

Game Objective: Be the team to fill their bucket up the most at the end of the game.

Number of Players: Around 10 – 30 players.

What You’ll Need: Per team – empty bucket, a bucket filled with water and sponges.

• Divide up the players into teams of no more than 5 players each, give each team their own sponge and buckets with one filled with water.
• Have teams stand in a line, one behind the other with an empty bucket at the back and the water bucket at the back of the line.
• Start the game, players need to move water from one bucket to the other using only the sponge.
• Every player must touch the sponge while transporting at least once, so players cannot skip others in the queue.
• Give players 10 minutes to attempt to carry as much water as possible.
• After the time limit is up, measure how much water each team has managed to transport.
• The winners are the team with the most water in their bucket.

Game Objective: Find items on a list and use them to complete tasks at the end of the game.

Number of Players: 4 – 20 players.

What You’ll Need: Scavenger Hunt game set, plus a large outdoor or indoor space to hide the items.

• Divide players up into pairs and give them a list each of which displays various items for them to find.
• Once the items get found, confirm that they have the correct items and give them a challenge card.
• The challenge card will give the team a task involving the items that players collect.
• The first team who is able to complete their assigned task wins the game.

Buy it: Either come up with your own challenges and items or get inspiration with the Scavenger Hunt game .

Game Objective: Be the last player with a penny on their chin at the end of the game.

Number of Players: At least 6 players, as many as possible.

What You’ll Need: A penny or coin for every player.

• Start by giving out all players a penny to balance on their chin, once all players have confirmed that they are ready the game begins.
• Players have to knock the penny off of other players’ chins while still keeping theirs balanced.
• If a penny falls off a player’s chin, that player is out of the game.
• The last player who still has their penny still on their chin at the end of the game is the winner.
• Ensure that players are sensible with their actions. If anyone gets over excited when knocking off pennies get disqualified from further games. 

Game Objective: Avoid being the player who knocks over the tower while pulling out a game piece.

Number of Players: Up to 20 players.

Length of Play: 10 – 30 minutes.

What You’ll Need: Jenga set.

• Stack all the blocks with 3 blocks on each level alternating the way that they get laid.
• Once stacked, the game starts with one played removing a block from the structure and placing it on top of the tower.
• Players must pull a block from the middle of the structure, they cannot take one from the top.
• Once a player pulls a block that causes the structure to fall, they get eliminated and the game starts again without the offending player. 
• This continues until there is only one player who hasn’t knocked the tower over, who ultimately wins the game.

Buy it: Choose the version of Jenga that best fits your youth group, with regular Jenga or giant versions available.

Game Objective: Be in the team that scores the most baskets by the end of the game.

Number of Players: Even numbers of players, around 8 per team.

Length of Play: 30 minutes.

What You’ll Need: A chair per player, a basketball or equivalent, a basket or equivalent and a large space to play.

• Divide players up into 2 teams of equal skill levels, make sure each player has a chair.
• Seated basketball is in 5 minute quarters, with time for players to discuss tactics before each quarter.
• Before the 1st quarter, nominate a team to place their chairs in whatever position they would each like first.
• The second team then places their chairs in response. Once a player has placed their chair, they cannot move it until the quarter is up.
• Teams attempt to score baskets from the position that they’ve placed their chair until the quarter has finished.
• After the quarter is up, teams come together to discuss where to move their chairs
• Alternate which team sets their chairs first, do this for 3 more quarters.
• Once the 4 5-minute quarters finish, count up the baskets scored with the team scoring the most winning the game.
• If the scores are level, have a penalty shootout where players place their chair to have a free shot on goal in a sudden-death style.

Game Objective: Set up cups on several poles to start. With a frisbee, attempt to hit the cups off of the poles. Take it in turns to do this, with a point given every time a player knocks a cup off of a pole. Most points once players knock the off wins the game.

Number of Players: 8+, either play in teams or individually.

How to Play: Learn the Fricket rules to gain tips and tricks for gameplay.

Game Objective: In a group or a circle, throw a water balloon underarm to another player while trying to avoid bursting it when catching. If the balloon bursts, the player who gets wet is out provided the initial throw is underarm and fair. The last player to avoid getting wet is the winner of the game.

Number of Players: Unlimited provided you have enough water balloons. 

How to Play: Check out our guide to the water balloon toss game .

Game Objective: Played in teams or individually. Klask requires players to land the ball in your opponent’s goal to score a goal. The first player who is able to get to 6 points wins the game.

Number of Players: 2 – 4, so your youth group can play in a tournament.

Length of Play: 5 – 10 minutes per game.

How to Play: The Klask rules are simple but make sure everyone understands before playing by reading our guide.

Game Objective: Score points by eliminating other players by serving a ball that your opponents cannot return. 4 players start in a quadrant and knock a ball between them until someone drops the ball and lets it hit the ground. The offending player is out and gets replaced by a new player. Each time a player causes a mistake they gain a point, first to 11 points wins the game.

Number of Players: 4 – Unlimited.

Length of Play: 15 – 30 minutes.

How to Play: Crossnet rules have a knockout style system so that everyone gets a go, have a look at additional rules though.

Game Objective: Get your team’s bocce ball to the Pallino closer than the other team to score points. Teams take it in turns to roll a ball to the smaller ‘jack’ to get it as close as possible. Once all players have thrown their ball, then points get given out depending on how close each team’s ball is to the jack. After 4 frames, count up the points and the team with the most points wins.

Number of Players: 8 players in 2 even-numbered teams of 4.

How to Play: Have a look at our guide to the Bocce Ball rules for more instructions on scoring.

Game Objective: Score points by throwing a flying disc into a kan to score points. Played in teams, players take it in turns to throw the disc, getting points depending on where the disc enters the kan. The first team to reach exactly 21 points wins the game.

Number of Players: Played in a team of 4 each.

How to Play: Read about the KanJam rules in our comprehensive guide.

Game Objective: 4 players start in a squared grid with the rest standing in a line. The 4 players in the grid bounce a ball into the other segments. If a player misses the ball, they are out and the next player in line replaces them. Play continues until there is just one player left in the square.

Number of Players: At least 4 players, but better with more.

How to Play: Learn the Four Square rules which include tips on the best ball to use for the game.

Game Objective: Agree on a total score to achieve before the game begins. Players compete by throwing a horseshoe onto a stake and gaining points depending on which stake gets hit. The player or team who gets the most points once they throw all horseshoes win the game. 

Number of Players: 4 players played in teams of 2.

How to Play: There are specific Horseshoe game rules to follow including a specific scoring system. Read our guide before playing.

Game Objective: Divide players up into two even teams. Give each team a couple of toilet rolls each and have them nominate a player each to be the mummy. Play a Halloween themed song and give teams the duration of the song to wrap up their mummies. Once the song ends, judge which team has the better mummy.

How to Play: Have a look at the additional rules to the Mummy Wrap game .

Game Objective: Divide all players up into 2 teams. One team is ‘it’ and the other team avoids getting tagged. The game has a 5 minutes time limit. If a player gets tagged, they stand still with their legs slightly apart. If a teammate crawls through their legs, that player becomes unstuck. If all players are stuck before the time limit, the tagging team wins. If not, the team getting tagged wins.

Length of Play: 5 minutes per game.

How to Play: Get more information on the Stuck in the Mud game by reading our comprehensive guide.

Game Objective: Score points during the game to win enough to win a set. Win enough sets and win the match. In teams of 2, players rally a ball on a court until a mistake gets made which gives the other team a point. Players alternate who hits the ball back in a quick question.

Number of Players: 4 players played in pairs.

How to Play: If you’re still wondering ‘what is spec tennis’ , learn more with our guide to spec tennis.

Game Objective: Play until only one player is remaining in the game. All players start by sitting on a chair in a circle, and one player in the middle without a chair. Ask a question, and anyone who answers ‘Yes’ has to move chairs. The chairless player is out of the game.

Number of Players: 6 – Unlimited.

How to Play: See our Fruit Salad game guide for further instructions.

Game Objective: Build a contraption with household items that will protect an egg from falling from a great height. Divide up players into 3 or 4 teams and give them assorted random items. Set a 15-minute time limit to build a safety harness for an egg. After the 15 minutes is up, drop the egg to see which survives. Any team whose egg survives the fall wins.

Number of Players: 6+ players needed.

Length of Play: 20 minutes.

How to Play: Check out our Egg Drop game guide for more tips on playing.

Game Objective: Get to 21 points before the other team by scoring points. Score points by bouncing a ball on a trampoline so that your opponent misses the ball and cannot return it. Once one team gets to 21 points with 2 clear points, then they are the winners.

Number of Players: 4 players, 2 teams of 2.

Length of Play: 30 – 60 minutes.

How to Play: Read the Spikeball rules for more information on the game.

Game Objective: Score points by using a skittle to knock over other skittles. Each skittle has a number and players have 3 turns to try to knock over as many skittles as possible. After each turn, count how many skittles players knock over and add that to the player’s score. At the end of the game, the player with the highest score wins.

Number of Players: 2 – Unlimited.

Length of Play: 15 – 20 minutes.

How to Play: Check out the Molkky rules to learn how to set up the game.

Game Objective: Pitch a cornhole bag into a hole or onto the board to score points. Teams take it in turns to throw their cornhole at the board. Points get scored depending on where the cornholes are at the end of each round, with the highest-scoring team winning the game.

Number of Players: 4 players in 2 teams.

How to Play: Check out our guide to Cornhole rules to get the lowdown on how to play.

Game Objective: Players in teams hit a ball over the net to score points. Teams volley a ball between each other trying to force a mistake. Once a team makes a mistake, the other team gets awarded a point. The first team to reach 11 points wins the game.

Number of Players: 4 players in teams of 2.

How to Play: Have a look at our guide on how to play Pickleball .

Game Objective: In teams, players throw the game’s bolas around highly valued rungs to score the most points. Teams can also cancel out their opponents’ scores with some throws to limit their scores.

Number of Players: 6 players, 3 teams of 2 players each.

How to Play: Read our guide on the Ladder ball rules .

Game Objective: Unwrap the most presents while wearing oven mitts. The person who unwraps the most presents at the end is the winner.

Number of Players: Unlimited.

How to Play: Catch up on the Oven Mitt Unwrapping game rules .

Game Objective: Strike a ball around a pole by hitting it past your opponents. Once the ball reaches all the way to the top, that player or team wins.

Number of Players: 2 – 6 players.

How to Play: Check out the Tetherball rules to get all the knowledge on how to play.

W rap Up – Other Kinds of Group Games

If you’ve made it this far, then you should have found the ideal game to introduce to your youth group no matter the circumstances.

Whether you have a large or small group, there are plenty of activities that you can suggest which are not only fun but will develop different skills.

If you’re looking for guides for a certain age group, then be sure to have a look at our guide to group games for preschoolers and for group games for teenagers.

If your youth group is on the smaller or larger side, then have a look at our guides to big group games and small group games for potentially further inspiration for games.

There is an almost unlimited number of games that you can introduce, so read our guides so that you can pick your favorites.

Article by:

Check out other games:.

• 4/11 Clanalpine Street, Mosman, NSW, 2088, Australia
• +61.2 90576425
• Privacy Policy
• Affiliate Disclosure
• FTC Disclaimer

As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases

17 Fun Problem Solving Activities for Kids

There might be affiliate links on this page, which means we get a small commission of anything you buy. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Please do your own research before making any online purchase.

As a child, I would spend hours putting together puzzles… whether it was 3-D puzzles or figuring out a crossword. I also loved it when teachers would give the class an open-ended question and we had to work in groups to figure out the answer in our own way.

Even something as simple as playing checkers with my brothers gave me the chance to use strategy as a way to win the game. I honestly believe that it’s so important for kids to solve problems at a young age, as it helps them think critically and outside the box.

Table of Contents

So, Why Is It Important To Teach Kids Problem Solving?

I think these kinds of activities are so important for kids to do because it helps them learn how to think analytically and solve problems on their own. It's a great way to get kids to use their imaginations and be creative.

Rote memorization simply does not have the same effect. This type of learning is great for learning facts like historical dates, but it’s not going to help kids figure out how events in history happened and the results.

We take these problem-solving skills into college, the workforce, and travel . My ability to problem solve since childhood has certainly got me through many sticky situations while in a new city or country.

Additionally, problem-solving helps children learn how to find creative solutions to challenges they may face both in and out of the classroom . These activities can also be fun and used in cohesion with school or playtime.

17 Fun Problem-Solving Activities for Kids

1. marble mazes.

This activity was selected because it requires them to think spatially. Spatial learning will benefit kids when they start driving, riding a bike, playing sports,etc.

To do this activity in its simplest form, you will need a piece of paper, a pencil, and some marbles. First, draw a maze on a piece of paper using a pencil.

Make sure to create a start and finish point. Then, place the marbles at the start of the maze. The goal is to get the marbles from the start to the finish by tilting the paper and using gravity to guide the marbles through the maze.

Another example of a marble maze can involve using toilet paper rolls taped together to create a three-dimensional maze. The larger the maze, the harder you can make it.

Check Price on Amazon!

If you are not into the DIY method, you can always buy a toy maze on Amazon. A good 48 piece puzzle is the Melissa & Doug Underwater Ocean Floor puzzle.

2. The Tower Challenge

Building a tower gives kids the chance to think about gravity, structure, and balance.

To do this activity, you will need some building materials like legos, blocks, or even toilet paper rolls. The challenge is to see how high they can stack the materials without the tower toppling over.

This can be done individually or in teams. An activity like this is good for younger kids and is the building block to learning about harder topics like engineering.

3. The Egg Drop Challenge

The egg drop challenge helps kids learn how to engineer a solution that prevents something from breaking. It requires them to think critically about which materials will best protect something fragile like an egg when dropped from a height.

To do this activity, you will need some eggs and various materials such as straws, cotton balls, bubble wrap, etc. The goal is to construct a device that will protect an egg from breaking upon impact.

This can be done individually or in teams . Teams can even have a competition for the best egg drop device.

As children begin handling, shopping for, and cooking their own food, activities like this will help them understand how to handle breakable items like bottles, eggs, delicate fruit,.etc. Ideally, this is best for age groups 8 and up.

4. The Penny Drop Challenge

This activity was selected because it requires kids to think about physics and how different materials affect sound.

To do this activity, you will need a penny ( or another coin), a cup, and various materials such as paper towels, cotton balls, etc.

The goal is to drop the penny into the cup without making any noise. Begin by placing different materials into the cup and then drop the penny into it. The children should also drop the penny from different heights into the same material to see if/how the impact from a higher drop affects sound.

Group kids into teams or let them try it on their own.

Kids should make note of what type of sounds are made when the penny hits different materials. This is a great activity for kids who are interested in science and physics.

5. The Balloon Race Challenge

This activity was selected because it helps kids learn about aerodynamics and Bernoulli’s principle . It also requires them to think creatively about how to design a balloon-powered vehicle.

To do this activity, you will need balloons, straws, masking tape, and markers. The goal is to design a balloon-powered vehicle that can travel a distance of at least 10 feet. Kids can begin this activity by sketching out their designs on paper.

After they have a basic design, they can begin building their vehicle from various materials. Then kids can explain why they think the balloon traveled or did not travel as far as it did.

6. The Marshmallow Challenge

Marshmallows are not only delicious, but they are also soft and malleable. So kids can have fun using it for some construction projects.

This activity was selected because it requires kids to think creatively about how to build a structure using limited materials. It also helps them learn about engineering and work as a team.

To do this activity, you will need marshmallows and spaghetti noodles. The goal is to build the tallest free-standing structure possible using only marshmallows and spaghetti noodles. If you don't have spaghetti noodles, use something similar like pretzel sticks.

You may even want to establish certain rules like each team can only use a certain number of marshmallows or noodles. A time limit can also make it more fun and challenging.

For more fun activities, check out our post on problem solving exercises for team building .

7. The Balloon Pop Challenge

If you remember your childhood, you probably remember popping balloons for fun at times. But this activity is different because it requires kids to use strategy and critical thinking.

This activity was selected because it helps kids learn about patterns and problem-solving. It is also a lot of fun for kids who like popping balloons. The goal is to create a device that will allow them to pop a balloon without using their hands.

To do this activity, you will need balloons and various materials such as straws, string, paper clips, etc.

8. Picture Pieces Puzzle Game

As mentioned earlier, puzzles are a great pastime – especially in childhood. Kids must think critically about how to put the pieces together to create a certain picture. It also helps them learn about shapes, colors, and other concepts.

You can take a medium to large picture and cut it into pieces. If you have younger kids, you may want to make the pieces larger. However, if you have kids closer to the 8-11 age range, you should be able to provide a challenge and make the pieces smaller.

9. Copy the Block Model

For this challenge, you can build a model out of blocks for the kids to copy. Put kids into groups and make sure each group has the same number of blocks you used for your model.

Make your model block as simple or complex as needed for your child's age group.

Set a time limit and make sure each group starts at the same time.

10. Team Scavenger Hunt

A scavenger hunt is great for kids because they have to search for items and use investigative skills. It is also a lot of fun and can be done both indoors and outdoors .

To do this activity, you will need to create a list of items for the kids to find. The items can be anything from common household items to things you would find outside.

These types of activities can also revolve around a theme like a holiday, movie, or book. For example, if the kids are fans of “Harry Potter” you can make a list of items to find that are related to the movie.

11. Obstacle Course

This activity requires kids to think creatively about how to get from one point to another while maneuvering around obstacles. If you have outdoor space, this can be done with common objects such as hula hoops, cones, etc.

If you don't have access to an outdoor space, you can use common household items to create an indoor obstacle course. For example, you can use chairs, blankets, pillows, etc.

Begin by setting up the course and then timing each child as they complete it. You can also have them race against each other to make it more fun.

Obstacle courses are also great because kids get to be physically active while they are thinking critically.

12. Reading Storybooks

There are many great benefits for kids that read storybooks.  One of the excellent benefits is the ability to problem-solve.  When they read the stories in the books, they see scenarios that cause them to be attached to the various characters they read about. 

So, when they encounter a real-life problem, it is often productive to ask a child how their favorite character would solve that problem.  Your kids can also be encouraged to come up with various options and possible outcomes for some of the situations they may encounter. 

This not only helps kids solve various problems but become more independent as well. 

13. Ask Them Open-Ended Questions

A good way to improve a child's ability to think critically and creatively and improve their ability to solve problems is by asking open-ended questions.  It also helps them to develop healthy personalities .

There are no right or wrong answers to these questions.  In addition, the solution requires more than a simple “yes” or “no” answer.  Furthermore, it allows kids to put some extra thought into their responses. 

Here are some examples of open-ended questions you may want to ask. 

• What did this experience teach you?
• Was this easy?  What was easy about it?
• What this difficult?  What is complicated about it?
• What may happen next in this situation?
• How did you come to this solution?
• What, if anything, would you do differently next time?
• What can we do to make things more fun next time?

14. Build Various Structures with Toys

Whether wooden blocks, LEGO blocks, or engineering blocks… giving your kid blocks to build whatever their minds can dream up is fun.  In addition, it requires them to think about how they will make a structure, put the pieces together, and creatively ensure the building's function and design. 

You may also want to challenge them to build something more complicated and watch them use their brain power to make it happen. 

15. Acting Out Skits

Impromptu activities like acting out skits help kids identify problems, develop solutions, and execute them.  This process works with multiple kids being divided into teams. 

First, you will want to write down different situations, such as resolving a disagreement between siblings or dealing with bullying on the playground on a piece of paper.  Second, you will fold the paper and place it in a hat or bowl.  

Third, each team will pick a scenario out of the hat.  Finally, you can give the kids a few minutes to discuss their solution and act out. 

16. Solving Moral Dilemmas   

In this simple game, you will help your kids solve simple dilemmas they may find themselves in.  You could write down a situation your child may find themselves in and help them learn the moral way to solve the problem.   

For instance, “The cashier gave them an additional $5 change back on my purchase.  What should they do?”  Another scenario could be, “I saw my friend cheating on a test.  Should I tell on them or let it go?”  A third one could be, “I caught my friends stealing some gum from the store.  What should I do?” 

After writing down the dilemmas and placing them in a bowl, get each child to select one and read it aloud.  Finally, you will help them devise morally correct solutions to the moral dilemma. 

17. Animal Pairing Game  

This is a fun and creative game to help your kids with focus, critical thinking, and team building skills .  In addition, this activity requires an even number of players to participate (4, 6, 8, etc.) 

Before starting the game, you will want to write the names of different animals twice, each on a separate slip of paper.  Then pass out the slips of paper to each individual or team member, instructing them not to share with anyone the name of the animal they received. 

Then the children will perform activities the animals might do without talking or making sounds.  Some of these activities might include:

• The way the animal cleans or grooms itself
• The way the animal sleeps
• The way the animal fights
• The way the animal eats or drinks
• The way the animal walks or runs

The goal is for each child to successfully pair up with the other child who has selected the same animal.

How Problem Solving in Childhood Helps in Adulthood

Children are not born with problem-solving skills. It is something that needs to be learned and developed over time .

From babies who learn how to communicate their needs to toddlers who figure out how to get what they want, to children who are starting to understand the consequences of their actions – problem-solving is a process that begins in childhood and continues into adulthood.

Some of the benefits of teaching problem-solving skills to children include:

• Improved critical thinking skills
• Better decision-making skills
• Enhanced creativity
• Improved communication and collaboration skills
• Increased confidence

There are many ways to teach problem-solving skills to children. The activities mentioned above are just a few examples. It is important to find activities that are appropriate for the age and abilities of the child.

With practice, children will develop these skills and be better prepared to face challenges in both childhood and adulthood.

Final Thoughts About Fun Problem Solving Activities For Kids

These are just a few ideas to get you started on teaching your child crucial problem solving skills. Perhaps they’ve inspired to come with some of your own, or seek out others? The important thing is to make sure the activity is age-appropriate and challenging enough to engage the kids.

Problem-solving skills are important for kids to learn because they can be applied to various situations in life. These skills also promote critical thinking, which is an important life skill.

There are many other problem-solving activities for kids out there. In time, you’ll find the ones that work best for your child.  And be sure not to forget about your own needs and self-improvement, both of which will make you a better parent and mentor. Here are some useful activities for adults to get your started.

Finally, if you want to level up your parenting skills, then check out this resource that will show you how to get your kids to listen WITHOUT yelling, nagging, or losing control .

50 No Prep Youth Group Games

by Alexis Waid | Jul 7, 2018 | Ministry Resources , Youth Group Games , Youth Ministry | 0 comments

• Recent Posts

• Ideas For Youth Group Fundraisers - October 13, 2022
• The Best Bible Verses For Youth - September 29, 2022
• Valentine’s Weekend 1999 - February 14, 2022

Don’t you absolutely hate it when you’re looking for youth group games, but all you find are games for huge youth groups or ones that take a ton of prep? Well, if you have a small youth group and you didn’t have time to plan out a game for your youth group meeting that starts in an hour, this list is for you! This is the list I always wished I had for my youth groups, but never had. That’s why I made it!

These youth group games are perfect if your group is:

• A small youth group or in a small gathering. Some of our games listed below only need 3 people to play!
• If you have little time to prep for a game.
• If you have little funds to buy items for games.
• If you need a game to play right now.
• If you’re sick of playing the same old games at youth group.
• If you need other ideas than dodgeball 🙂

Don’t forget – if you have a small youth group, make sure you are playing these games with the teens, they might need the extra body to play!

It should be noted that these are just games and not theologically-based. If you’re looking for specifically Christian/Bible games, there are none on this list, well maybe one or two 🙂

Without further ado, here are the 50 no prep youth group games:

Oh and if you are running short on ideas for youth sermons check out our massive, epic, organized list of 450 topics for youth sermons . We also have a big list of small group questions for youth group that can get your students really talking.

Participants needed: 5 or more.

Game Instructions

My personal favorite and a standard default game I played with my youth groups.  

Equipment: Just need a ball and an open space.

2.  Crab Soccer

Participants needed: 10 or more.

Playing soccer in a crab position.

Equipment: Open space, ball, and something to distinguish goals.

3. Zip and Bong

Participants needed: 3 or more.

“An elimination game involving funny noises and not showing one’s teeth.” A note I would change the word bong to something else for obvious connotations.  

Equipment: None.

4. Psychiatrist

“The psychiatrist has to figure out what’s wrong with the group.”

5. 21 Football

Participants needed: 6 or more.

“The object of the game is for teams to score 21 points by completing passes in different areas of the field.”

Equipment needed: Football, open space, and something to distinguish boundaries.

6. 60 Second Objects

Small groups form an object like breakfast, a car, a washing machine, a fire, etc. They have only 60 seconds to work as a team to replicate the item. You modify this game to be like group charades and have the opposite teams write down objects for the other teams to act out.

Equipment needed: none.

7. Who’s In Charge Here?

Participants needed: 5 or more.

“A hilarious copycat game in which people try to imitate one leader’s actions, and the person in the center attempts to identify who is the originator of the actions (the leader).”

Participants needed:  10 or more

“The goal of the game is for a team to be the first team to capture 9-10 balls from the other team.” Youth will love the strategy this game brings.  

Equipment needed: 2 hula hoops and 10 balls.

9. Walk Together

Participants needed:  5 or more.

Your group will learn to read cues to silently walk and stop together. Could be a great activity for bonding!

10. Screaming Vikings

Participants needed: 8 or more.

“A stationary game in which players are seated in a circle, and one person points to someone in the circle and instructs them to act out a “screaming viking”, a “fighter jet”, a “quarter-back”, among other humorous things.”

More No Prep Youth Group Games

11. defenders of the cones.

Participants needed:  10 or more.

Each team tries to knock over the other team’s cone by throwing a ball.

Equipment needed: hula hoops, cones, and balls.

12. Giants, Wizards, and Elves

Participants needed:  10 or more.

“Giants, Wizards, and Elves is an icebreaker that is similar to Rock, Paper, Scissors — except more hilarious!”

13. Two Truths and One Not

Participants needed: 3 or more. This can be done in pairs or with the whole group.

A game to figure out which of three statements is a lie.

14. Grandma’s Footsteps

Participants needed:  3 or more.

One person is trying to catch the others before they tap their back.

15. Dragon Tail

Participants needed: 8  or more.

“Dragon Tag is an action-based game that is like tag, but with a twist! Teams of 4-8 people form “dragons” by linking elbows and attempt to grab the “tail” of another team’s dragon. Last team remaining wins.”

16. Whoosh Ball

An imaginary ball is passed around a circle using different words and motions.  

17. Human Knot

“A good icebreaker or teambuilding activity for new people to learn to work together – in close physical proximity! The goal is to figure out how to untangle the human knot without letting go of hands.”

18. I Was Walking Down The Street…

Game Instruction

A game where you have one person start by finishing the statement I was walking down the street. The point is for the person to begin crafting an imaginative story of their walk down the street and what the see or experience.

19. Alligator Swamp

A game where players try to get across the playing field without touching the lava.

Equipment needed: an open area for playing, potato sacks or towels/sheets or cardboard.

20. Manhunt

Hide and go seek in reverse. Where everyone goes and hides and there is one seeker. A current favorite of our youth group!

21. Human Sculptures

Participants needed: groups of 3, so at least 6 people minimum.

“Human Sculptures (also known as Human Clay) is an icebreaker group game that involves posing people into large human sculptures based on predefined topics. Two versions exist: a competitive version based on a guessing game, and a version that is more about coming up with a creative interpretation.” It should be noted, it would be a good idea to gender-based groups due to the placement of body parts in this game.

22. Pass The Emotion

A game where everyone passes the same emotion around the circle.  

Participants needed:  6 or more.

“A secretly-selected player is able to “kill” others by winking at them while surviving players try to identify the killer.”  

24. Ultimate Ninja

“An action-packed, fast-paced, hilarious game in which the object is to become the “ultimate ninja” — the person with the quickest reflexes! Dodge the other player’s attacks and get the others out.”

25. Poop Deck

A fast-paced game where youth run to different parts of the “ship” as fast as they can to avoid elimination.  

A personal favorite of mine for middle school youth because they love yelling out poop deck! It’s a good game for high school students too.

Equipment needed: open space and boundaries markers.

26. Change Places If …

“Test the listening skills of your group while getting to know more about them.”

27. Trust Walk

Great game for building unity and trust in a group.

Equipment needed: blindfolds.

28. 4 Square

Participants needed: 4 or more.

Okay, if you’re in youth ministry and have not played this epic game, you have been depriving your students of this beloved game! Not only will you love it, so will they. I think it’s in their DNA or something. All you need is some chalk or tape to make your court and a ball. Get ready to create a new tradition and a game that will be requested all the time!

Equipment needed: open space, boundary markers such as tape or chalk, a ball.

29. Back-to-Back Get Up

Youth work in groups of two and try to cooperatively sit down together and stand up with their backs pressed together.

A massive growing blob is coming and t’s trying to catch every youth in the group! 

Equipment needed: open space.

31. Sardines

A twist on hide-and-go seek where one person hides and everyone seeks. When someone finds the hider they then hide with them. This continues until the last one seeking finds the whole youth group hiding in one place. This is a beloved game of many youth!

32. Penny Chinny

Everyone gets a penny and they must balance the penny on their chin, but there’s a catch!

Equipment needed: pennies.

Youth have to find a disassembled flashlight that’s been hidden in various places in the church.

Equipment needed: Flashlight and a dark area.

34. Telephone Game

This is a great game for how gossip spreads or how we can often misunderstand or mishear things told to us.

35. Laughing Game

One person is the jokester and they try to make each person in the circle laugh. They can tell jokes, make funny faces, and so forth. Set a time limit for each person. The winner is the one who made the most people laugh.

36. Who Am I

Participants needed: at least 5.

A great game for your youth group to know each other better.

Equipment needed: Paper and pens.

37. Boppity-Bop-Bop

A fun and no prep game where youth will be challenged to be alert and ready to respond!

“The objective is for the “faker” to run past the “tagger” and reach the opposite baseline without getting tagged.”

Equipment needed: cones for boundaries and an open space.

39. Charades Relay

“Teams compete against each other trying to be the first to guess all of the items on the list.”

40. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John

A fun follow the leader type game.

Equipment needed:  chairs for each person playing.

41. Red Rover

A classic game that youth always enjoy!

Equipment needed: an open area.

42. Seven-up

Participants needed: At least 14.

This game is beloved and youth beg to play it. It’s a great guessing game!

43. Musical Chairs

Participants needed: at least 6.

Okay, I know what you might be thinking, this is too juvenile for youth, but you’d be mistaken. They absolutely love this game. The boys get super into it, trying so hard to get that last seat. It’s a sure winner.

Equipment needed: Music, you could play some contemporary Christian music like Toby Mac and some chairs.

44. Kick The Can

Not your standard kick the can game!

Equipment needed: open area and a can.

45. Capture The Flag

Participants needed: enough to form two teams.

A great game involving strategy and teamwork.

Equipment needed: two flags and an outdoor play area.

46. The Floor Is Lava

This is like the game above, alligator swamp, but has a twist.

47. Split The Difference

Participants needed: at least 4.

Split The Difference is a must-know, need-to-have game in your activity arsenal! This game requires no preparation, no materials, can be played anywhere, and is sure to lead to lots of great conversation, laughter and fun.

48. Hit The Door

This is a version of Ghosts in the Graveyard.

Equipment needed: open area, best played at night.

49. Rock, Paper, Scissors Tournament

Participants needed:  8 or more

Rock Paper Scissors Tournament is a fast-paced game that is easy to pull off, and your youth will want to play this one over and over again!

50. Sherlock

Your youth will have a blast playing this detective game that requires no prep, no materials, and can be played anywhere. This is a flexible game that can be used as an ice breaker or in multiple rounds as a full-featured game.

That’s all of the youth group games I have for you. I hope you found some new games to play with your group. Remember youth love to have fun and they love to be silly, whether they let on or not.

Additional Resources

Are you looking for some great topics for youth sermons? Well, we got your back, check out these 450 ideas for youth sermons . Organized, relevant, and filled with inspiration!

We also have a big list of small group questions for youth group that can get your students really talking.

About Spiritually Hungry

Spiritually Hungry is a Christian website developed to encourage and guide you into a closer relationship with God by focusing on breaking down barriers to a deeper spiritual life.

Ministry Answers

“Innovative Icebreakers And Games For Youth Group Bonding And Team Building”

14 Best Team Building Problem Solving Group Activities For 2024

The best teams see solutions where others see problems. A great company culture is built around a collaborative spirit and the type of unity it takes to find answers to the big business questions.

So how can you get team members working together?

How can you develop a mentality that will help them overcome obstacles they have yet to encounter?

One of the best ways to improve your teams’ problem solving skills is through team building problem solving activities .

“86% of employees and executives cite lack of collaboration or ineffective communication for workplace failures.” — Bit.AI

These activities can simulate true-to-life scenarios they’ll find themselves in, or the scenarios can call on your employees or coworkers to dig deep and get creative in a more general sense.

The truth is, on a day-to-day basis, you have to prepare for the unexpected. It just happens that team building activities help with that, but are so fun that they don’t have to feel like work ( consider how you don’t even feel like you’re working out when you’re playing your favorite sport or doing an exercise you actually enjoy! )

What are the benefits of group problem-solving activities?

The benefits of group problem-solving activities for team building include:

• Better communication
• Improved collaboration and teamwork
• More flexible thinking
• Faster problem-solving
• Better proactivity and decision making

Without further ado, check out this list of the 14 best team-building problem-solving group activities for 2024!

Page Contents (Click To Jump)

Popular Problem Solving Activities

1. virtual team challenge.

Virtual Team Challenges are popular problem-solving activities that involve a group of people working together to solve an issue. The challenge generally involves members of the team brainstorming, discussing, and creating solutions for a given problem.

Participants work both individually and collaboratively to come up with ideas and strategies that will help them reach their goals.

Why this is a fun problem-solving activity: Participants can interact and communicate with each other in a virtual environment while simultaneously engaging with the problem-solving activities. This makes it an enjoyable experience that allows people to use their creative thinking skills, build team spirit, and gain valuable insights into the issue at hand.

Problem-solving activities such as Virtual Team Challenges offer a great way for teams to come together, collaborate, and develop creative solutions to complex problems.

2. Problem-Solving Templates

Problem-Solving Templates are popular problem-solving activities that involve a group of people working together to solve an issue. The challenge generally involves members of the team utilizing pre-made templates and creating solutions for a given problem with the help of visual aids.

This activity is great for teams that need assistance in getting started on their problem-solving journey.

Why this is a fun problem-solving activity: Problem-Solving Templates offer teams an easy and stress-free way to get the creative juices flowing. The visual aids that come with the templates help team members better understand the issue at hand and easily come up with solutions together.

This activity is great for teams that need assistance in getting started on their problem-solving journey, as it provides an easy and stress-free way to get the creative juices flowing.

Problem Solving Group Activities & Games For Team Building

3. coworker feud, “it’s all fun and games”.

Coworker Feud is a twist on the classic Family Feud game show! This multiple rapid round game keeps the action flowing and the questions going. You can choose from a variety of customizations, including picking the teams yourself, randomized teams, custom themes, and custom rounds.

Best for: Hybrid teams

Why this is an effective problem solving group activity: Coworker Feud comes with digital game materials, a digital buzzer, an expert host, and a zoom link to get the participants ready for action! Teams compete with each other to correctly answer the survey questions. At the end of the game, the team with the most competitive answers is declared the winner of the Feud.

How to get started:

• Sign up for Coworker Feud
• Break into teams of 4 to 10 people
• Get the competitive juices flowing and let the games begin!

Learn more here: Coworker Feud

4. Crack The Case

“who’s a bad mamma jamma”.

Crack The Case is a classic WhoDoneIt game that forces employees to depend on their collective wit to stop a deadly murderer dead in his tracks! Remote employees and office commuters can join forces to end this crime spree.

Best for: Remote teams

Why this is an effective problem solving group activity: The Virtual Clue Murder Mystery is an online problem solving activity that uses a proprietary videoconferencing platform to offer the chance for employees and coworkers to study case files, analyze clues, and race to find the motive, the method, and the individual behind the murder of Neil Davidson.

• Get a custom quote here
• Download the app
• Let the mystery-solving collaboration begin!

Learn more here: Crack The Case

5. Catch Meme If You Can

“can’t touch this”.

Purposefully created to enhance leadership skills and team bonding , Catch Meme If You Can is a hybrid between a scavenger hunt and an escape room . Teammates join together to search for clues, solve riddles, and get out — just in time!

Best for: Small teams

Why this is an effective problem solving group activity: Catch Meme If You Can is an adventure with a backstory. Each team has to submit their answer to the puzzle in order to continue to the next part of the sequence. May the best team escape!

• The teams will be given instructions and the full storyline
• Teams will be split into a handful of people each
• The moderator will kick off the action!

Learn more here: Catch Meme If You Can

6. Puzzle Games

“just something to puzzle over”.

Puzzle Games is the fresh trivia game to test your employees and blow their minds with puzzles, jokes , and fun facts!

Best for: In-person teams

Why this is an effective problem solving group activity: Eight mini brain teaser and trivia style games include word puzzles, name that nonsense, name that tune, and much more. Plus, the points each team earns will go towards planting trees in the precious ecosystems and forests of Uganda

• Get a free consultation for your team
• Get a custom designed invitation for your members
• Use the game link
• Dedicated support will help your team enjoy Puzzle Games to the fullest!

Learn more here: Puzzle Games

7. Virtual Code Break

“for virtual teams”.

Virtual Code Break is a virtual team building activity designed for remote participants around the globe. Using a smart video conferencing solution, virtual teams compete against each other to complete challenges, answer trivia questions, and solve brain-busters!

Why this is an effective problem solving group activity: Virtual Code Break can be played by groups as small as 4 people all the way up to more than 1,000 people at once. However, every team will improve their communication and problem-solving skills as they race against the clock and depend on each other’s strengths to win!

• Reach out for a free consultation to align the needs of your team
• An event facilitator will be assigned to handle all of the set-up and logistics
• They will also provide you with logins and a play-by-play of what to expect
• Sign into the Outback video conferencing platform and join your pre-assigned team
• Lastly, let the games begin!

Learn more here: Virtual Code Break

8. Stranded

“survivor: office edition”.

Stranded is the perfect scenario-based problem solving group activity. The doors of the office are locked and obviously your team can’t just knock them down or break the windows.

Why this is an effective problem solving group activity: Your team has less than half an hour to choose 10 items around the office that will help them survive. They then rank the items in order of importance. It’s a bit like the classic game of being lost at sea without a lifeboat.

• Get everyone together in the office
• Lock the doors
• Let them start working together to plan their survival

Learn more here: Stranded

9. Letting Go Game

“for conscious healing”.

The Letting Go Game is a game of meditation and mindfulness training for helping teammates thrive under pressure and reduce stress in the process. The tasks of the Letting Go Game boost resiliency, attentiveness, and collaboration.

Why this is an effective problem solving group activity: Expert-guided activities and awareness exercises encourage team members to think altruistically and demonstrate acts of kindness. Between yoga, face painting, and fun photography, your employees or coworkers will have more than enough to keep them laughing and growing together with this mindfulness activity!

• Reach out for a free consultation
• A guide will then help lead the exercises
• Let the funny videos, pictures, and playing begin!

Learn more here: Letting Go Game

10. Wild Goose Chase

“city time”.

Wild Goose Chase is the creative problem solving activity that will take teams all around your city and bring them together as a group! This scavenger hunt works for teams as small as 10 up to groups of over 5000 people.

Best for: Large teams

Why this is an effective group problem solving activity: As employees and group members are coming back to the office, there are going to be times that they’re itching to get outside. Wild Goose Chase is the perfect excuse to satisfy the desire to go out-of-office every now and then. Plus, having things to look at and see around the city will get employees talking in ways they never have before.

• Download the Outback app to access the Wild Goose Chase
• Take photos and videos from around the city
• The most successful team at completing challenges on time is the champ!

Learn more here: Wild Goose Chase

11. Human Knot

“for a knotty good time”.

The Human Knot is one of the best icebreaker team building activities! In fact, there’s a decent chance you played it in grade school. It’s fun, silly, and best of all — free!

Why this is an effective group problem solving activity: Participants start in a circle and connect hands with two other people in the group to form a human knot. The team then has to work together and focus on clear communication to unravel the human knot by maneuvering their way out of this hands-on conundrum. But there’s a catch — they can’t let go of each other’s hands in this team building exercise.

• Form a circle
• Tell each person to grab a random hand until all hands are holding another
• They can’t hold anyone’s hand who is directly next to them
• Now they have to get to untangling
• If the chain breaks before everyone is untangled, they have to start over again

Learn more here: Human Knot

12. What Would You Do?

“because it’s fun to imagine”.

What Would You Do? Is the hypothetical question game that gets your team talking and brainstorming about what they’d do in a variety of fun, intriguing, and sometimes, whacky scenarios.

Best for: Distributed teams

Why this is an effective group problem solving activity: After employees or coworkers start talking about their What Would You Do? responses, they won’t be able to stop. That’s what makes this such an incredible team building activity . For example, you could ask questions like “If you could live forever, what would you do with your time?” or “If you never had to sleep, what would you do?”

• In addition to hypothetical questions, you could also give teammates some optional answers to get them started
• After that, let them do the talking — then they’ll be laughing and thinking and dreaming, too!

13. Crossing The River

“quite the conundrum”.

Crossing The River is a river-crossing challenge with one correct answer. Your team gets five essential elements — a chicken, a fox, a rowboat, a woman, and a bag of corn. You see, the woman has a bit of a problem, you tell them. She has to get the fox, the bag of corn, and the chicken to the other side of the river as efficiently as possible.

Why this is an effective group problem solving activity: She has a rowboat, but it can only carry her and one other item at a time. She cannot leave the chicken and the fox alone — for obvious reasons. And she can’t leave the chicken with the corn because it will gobble it right up. So the question for your team is how does the woman get all five elements to the other side of the river safely in this fun activity?

• Form teams of 2 to 5 people
• Each team has to solve the imaginary riddle
• Just make sure that each group understands that the rowboat can only carry one animal and one item at a time; the fox and chicken can’t be alone; and the bag of corn and the chicken cannot be left alone
• Give the verbal instructions for getting everything over to the other side

14. End-Hunger Games

“philanthropic fun”.

Does anything bond people quite like acts of kindness and compassion? The End-Hunger Games will get your team to rally around solving the serious problem of hunger.

Best for: Medium-sized teams

Why this is an effective problem solving group activity: Teams join forces to complete challenges based around non-perishable food items in the End-Hunger Games. Groups can range in size from 25 to more than 2000 people, who will all work together to collect food for the local food bank.

• Split into teams and compete to earn boxes and cans of non-perishable food
• Each team attempts to build the most impressive food item construction
• Donate all of the non-perishable foods to a local food bank

Learn more here: End-Hunger Games

People Also Ask These Questions About Team Building Problem Solving Group Activities

Q: what are some problem solving group activities.

• A: Some problem solving group activities can include riddles, egg drop, reverse pyramid, tallest tower, trivia, and other moderator-led activities.

Q: What kind of skills do group problem solving activities & games improve?

• A: Group problem solving activities and games improve collaboration, leadership, and communication skills.

Q: What are problem solving based team building activities & games?

• A: Problem solving based team building activities and games are activities that challenge teams to work together in order to complete them.

Q: What are some fun free problem solving games for groups?

• A: Some fun free problem solving games for groups are kinesthetic puzzles like the human knot game, which you can read more about in this article. You can also use all sorts of random items like whiteboards, straws, building blocks, sticky notes, blindfolds, rubber bands, and legos to invent a game that will get the whole team involved.

Q: How do I choose the most effective problem solving exercise for my team?

• A: The most effective problem solving exercise for your team is one that will challenge them to be their best selves and expand their creative thinking.

Q: How do I know if my group problem solving activity was successful?

• A: In the short-term, you’ll know if your group problem solving activity was successful because your team will bond over it; however, that should also translate to more productivity in the mid to long-term.

Interested in a content partnership? Let’s chat!

Get Started

About SnackNation

SnackNation is a healthy office snack delivery service that makes healthy snacking fun, life more productive, and workplaces awesome. We provide a monthly, curated selection of healthy snacks from the hottest, most innovative natural food brands in the industry, giving our members a hassle-free experience and delivering joy to their offices.

Popular Posts

Want to become a better professional in just 5 minutes?

You May Also Like

🥙 Effortless Remote Team Lunch Delivery for Productive Workdays [2024]

✅ The Ultimate Guide to Employee Templates That Will Supercharge Your Workflow [2024]

Leave a reply cancel reply.

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

SnackNation About Careers Blog Tech Blog Contact Us Privacy Policy Online Accessibility Statement

Pricing How It Works Member Reviews Take the Quiz Guides and Resources FAQ Terms and Conditions Website Accessibility Policy

Exciting Employee Engagement Ideas Employee Wellness Program Ideas Thoughtful Employee Appreciation Ideas Best ATS Software Fun Office Games & Activities for Employees Best Employee Engagement Software Platforms For High Performing Teams [HR Approved] Insanely Fun Team Building Activities for Work

Fun Virtual Team Building Activities The Best Employee Recognition Software Platforms Seriously Awesome Gifts For Coworkers Company Swag Ideas Employees Really Want Unique Gifts For Employees Corporate Gift Ideas Your Clients and Customers Will Love

© 2024 SnackNation. Handcrafted in Los Angeles

• Recipient Choice Gifts
• Free Work Personality Assessment
• Happy Hour & Lunches
• Group eCards
• Office Snacks
• Employee Recognition Software
• Join Our Newsletter
• Partner With Us
• SnackNation Blog
• Employee Template Directory
• Gifts For Remote Employees
• ATS Software Guide
• Best Swag Vendors
• Top HR Tools
• Ways To Reward Employees
• Employee Appreciation Gift Guide
• More Networks

• Privacy Overview
• Strictly Necessary Cookies
• 3rd Party Cookies

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.

If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.

This website uses Google Analytics to collect anonymous information such as the number of visitors to the site, and the most popular pages.

Keeping this cookie enabled helps us to improve our website.

Please enable Strictly Necessary Cookies first so that we can save your preferences!

• Stewardship

Fun and Engaging Youth Group Devotions with Games

• by Gregory Gaines
• December 10, 2023 December 10, 2023

Key Takeaways:

• Youth group devotions can be made more enjoyable and memorable by incorporating games into the sessions.
• Interactive and creative devotions with games promote spiritual growth and foster relationships among young participants.
• Active participation in youth group devotions enhances the overall experience and encourages deeper engagement.
• Devotional activities for youth groups should be fun and meaningful, catering to the diverse needs and interests of the participants.
• Dynamic devotions in a youth ministry create a positive and inclusive environment, nurturing the spiritual growth of individuals.

Engaging Youth Group Activities to Foster Connection and Growth

Engaging youth group activities play a crucial role in creating a vibrant and inclusive environment for young participants. These activities not only provide an opportunity for fun and entertainment but also foster meaningful connections and promote personal and spiritual growth. By incorporating interactive games into youth group devotions, leaders can create an engaging space that encourages active participation and builds relationships.

Interactive games for youth group devotions provide a dynamic and creative way for participants to explore their faith and connect with their peers. These games often involve teamwork, problem-solving, and critical thinking, allowing young people to develop valuable skills while deepening their understanding of spiritual concepts. By engaging in these activities, youth group members learn to trust and rely on one another, fostering a sense of unity and cooperation within the group.

“Engaging youth group activities not only provide an opportunity for fun and entertainment but also foster meaningful connections and promote personal and spiritual growth.”

Moreover, creative youth group activities further enhance the overall experience by providing a platform for self-expression and artistic exploration. These activities encourage young participants to tap into their creativity and use their talents to glorify God. By engaging in art-based projects, such as crafts or visual representations of faith, participants deepen their understanding of spiritual truths while expressing themselves in a unique and meaningful way.

Dynamic activities for youth groups provide a platform for young people to actively engage with their faith and explore their beliefs in a hands-on way. These activities may include discussions, Bible studies, or reflective exercises that prompt participants to think deeply about their spirituality. By incorporating spiritual activities into youth group devotions, leaders create opportunities for personal reflection, growth, and a deeper relationship with God.

Meaningful Activities for Youth: A Path to Spiritual Growth

Meaningful activities for youth go beyond surface-level engagement, providing impactful experiences that nurture spiritual growth. These activities may involve service projects, community outreach, or engagement with social justice issues. By encouraging young participants to actively make a difference in the world, leaders inspire a compassionate and outward-focused faith that extends beyond the walls of the youth group.

Engaging youth group activities , including interactive games, creative projects, spiritual exercises, and meaningful experiences, offer a holistic approach to youth ministry. By creating a space that combines fun, connection, and spiritual growth, youth group leaders can inspire and empower young participants on their journey of faith.

Fun Icebreaker Games for Youth Group Devotions

Interactive icebreaker games.

Interactive icebreaker games engage participants in fun and engaging activities that promote interaction and teamwork. They create a positive and energetic environment that encourages active participation and builds camaraderie within the group. Some popular interactive icebreaker games for youth group devotions include:

• M&M Roulette: Participants take turns selecting M&M candies from a bowl and answering a corresponding question or sharing a personal experience based on the color of the candy.
• Dice and Dare: Each participant rolls a dice and must complete a dare or answer a question based on the number rolled.
• This or That: Participants are given a choice between two options and must choose one, explaining their reasoning behind their choice.

These interactive icebreaker games encourage open communication, promote self-expression, and create a relaxed atmosphere where participants feel comfortable sharing their thoughts and experiences with others.

Engaging Icebreaker Activities

In addition to interactive games, there are several engaging icebreaker activities that can be incorporated into youth group devotions. These activities provide opportunities for participants to learn more about each other, share common interests, and discover shared experiences. Some fun icebreaker activities for youth group devotions include:

• Get-to-Know-You Bingo: Participants fill in a bingo card with various facts about themselves. They then interact with others, trying to find someone who matches each fact to complete a line or a full card.
• Two Truths and a Lie: Each participant shares three statements about themselves, two of which are true and one that is false. The rest of the group tries to guess which statement is the lie.
• Human Knot: Participants stand in a circle, reach across and hold hands with two different people across the circle. The group must then work together to untangle themselves without letting go of each other’s hands.

These engaging icebreaker activities encourage teamwork, active listening, and a deeper understanding of each participant’s background and experiences. They create a sense of unity within the group and lay the foundation for meaningful discussions and connections during youth group devotions.

Incorporating icebreaker games into youth group devotions sets the stage for meaningful interactions, fosters connections, and creates an inclusive and engaging atmosphere. These activities not only break the ice but also promote active participation, teamwork, and self-expression. By starting with icebreaker games, youth group leaders can create a positive and welcoming environment that encourages participants to open up, share their experiences, and build lasting relationships.

Physical Activities for Dynamic Youth Group Devotions

Youth group devotions can benefit from incorporating physical activities that engage and energize participants. These active games for youth groups not only promote physical fitness but also foster teamwork, cooperation, and a sense of adventure. By stepping away from traditional discussion-based activities and introducing physical challenges, youth leaders can create a dynamic and exciting environment that encourages active participation and spiritual growth.

Outdoor games for youth are an excellent way to take advantage of open spaces and enjoy fresh air. These energetic youth group activities can include games like Capture the Flag, where participants work together in teams to strategize, communicate, and accomplish a common goal. Additionally, active games for youth groups such as Crab Soccer can be a fun way to get everyone moving and laughing while building cooperation and teamwork skills.

Not all physical activities for youth group devotions need to be outdoor-based. Indoor games like Life-Size Tic Tac Toe or Bank Robbery can be just as engaging and promote physical activity in a controlled environment. These games require participants to strategize, communicate, and think on their feet, fostering critical thinking skills and encouraging collaboration.

Table: Recommended Physical Activities for Youth Group Devotions

By incorporating physical activities into youth group devotions, leaders can create an environment that appeals to a broader range of participants and encourages active involvement. These active games for youth group not only promote physical fitness but also instill valuable life skills such as teamwork, communication, and problem-solving. Whether indoors or outdoors, the inclusion of dynamic physical activities can enhance the overall experience and create lasting memories for young participants.

Creative Activities for Inspiring Youth Group Devotions

Creative activities are an excellent way to inspire and engage youth group participants during devotional time. By incorporating art-based devotional activities and craft projects, leaders can create a space for young individuals to explore their faith in a unique and expressive way. These creative activities not only provide a hands-on experience but also serve as powerful tools for spiritual growth and self-reflection.

One idea for a creative youth group devotion is to have participants create their own visual representations of a Bible verse or spiritual concept. Provide art supplies such as paints, markers, and canvases, and encourage the youth to let their imaginations run wild. This activity allows them to use their artistic talents to engage with the scripture on a deeper level and express their personal interpretation.

“Creativity takes courage.” – Henri Matisse

Another creative activity for youth group devotions is to organize a group craft project that symbolizes a specific theme or message. For example, participants can work together to create a collaborative mural that represents unity, love, or forgiveness. This hands-on activity not only encourages teamwork and cooperation but also provides a visual reminder of the values and principles that the youth group holds dear.

“Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time.” – Thomas Merton

Artistic youth group activities can be powerful and transformative experiences that encourage participants to think outside the box, express themselves, and deepen their understanding of faith. By incorporating creative games and craft activities into youth group devotions, leaders can create a space that ignites inspiration, fosters self-expression, and brings participants closer to their spiritual journey.

Spiritual Activities for Deepening Youth Group Devotions

In order to create deep and meaningful connections with their faith, young participants in youth group devotions can engage in a variety of spiritual activities. These activities encourage thoughtful reflection, promote Bible study, foster prayer, and facilitate discussion-based devotions . By incorporating these activities into youth group sessions, leaders can guide participants in their spiritual journey and create a space for authentic growth and exploration.

Bible Study Activities for Youth

Prayer activities for youth.

Prayer activities offer young participants a chance to connect with their spirituality on a personal level. Prayer stations, where different prayer prompts or topics are presented, can be set up for participants to engage in individual or group prayer. Leaders can also incorporate group prayer activities such as praying in small circles or using prayer journals to document personal reflections and intentions. Providing a variety of prayer activities allows participants to explore different prayer styles and find ways to express their thoughts and emotions to God.

Discussion-Based Devotions

Passive Activities for Thought-provoking Youth Group Devotions

1. movie discussions for youth group.

Movies are a powerful medium for storytelling and can serve as a catalyst for deep conversations. Choose a thought-provoking movie that explores themes related to faith, morality, or personal growth. After watching the movie together, facilitate a group discussion where participants share their thoughts, emotions, and insights. Encourage them to reflect on how the movie aligns with their own beliefs and experiences. This activity not only encourages critical thinking but also helps young participants connect their faith with real-life situations portrayed in the movie.

2. YouTube Clip Discussions

3. news discussions for youth.

Current events can be a springboard for meaningful discussions about faith and social issues. Assign young participants to research and present news articles that touch on topics relevant to their lives or the world around them. Facilitate a group discussion where participants share their findings, analyze different perspectives, and consider the ethical and moral implications of the news stories. This activity fosters critical thinking, encourages empathy, and helps young participants develop a Christian worldview that engages with the realities of the world.

Fun Christmas-Themed Youth Group Games

The holiday season is a time of joy, celebration, and togetherness. It’s also the perfect opportunity to engage your youth group with fun and festive games that bring the Christmas spirit to life. These Christmas-themed youth group games are not only entertaining but also encourage teamwork, creativity, and meaningful connections among participants. Whether you’re planning a youth group Christmas party or looking for activities to incorporate into your devotional time, these games are sure to create lasting memories and foster a sense of holiday cheer.

One exciting game that is guaranteed to get everyone laughing and bonding is the Giftwrap a Youth Leader Relay Race. Divide your youth group into teams and provide them with rolls of wrapping paper, bows, tape, and scissors. The goal of the game is for each team to work together and wrap their assigned youth leader from head to toe in the most creative and festive way possible. This game not only encourages teamwork but also sparks creativity as participants transform their leaders into works of art.

Another fun Christmas-themed game is the Fun Facts Paper Snowball Fight. Create a list of Christmas-related trivia questions and write each question on a small slip of paper. Crumple each slip up to form snowballs. Divide your youth group into teams and start the snowball fight. Once the snowball fight is over, each team takes turns answering the trivia questions. The team with the most correct answers wins. This game not only tests participants’ knowledge of Christmas facts but also fosters friendly competition and teamwork as they strategize and work together to answer the questions.

Christmas devotion activities are a great way to combine the festive holiday season with spiritual growth. Consider organizing a Christmas-themed scavenger hunt where participants search for different symbols of Christmas around your church or community. Each symbol can represent a different aspect of the Christmas story or a spiritual lesson. As participants find each symbol, they can reflect on its significance and share how it relates to their faith. This activity not only engages participants in the Christmas story but also encourages them to explore the deeper meaning behind the holiday.

Table: Festive Youth Group Games

• Encourages teamwork and creativity
• Tests participants’ knowledge of Christmas facts
• Combines the holiday season with spiritual growth
• Fosters friendly competition and cooperation

These festive youth group games are just a few examples of the many creative ways you can engage your youth group during the Christmas season. Remember to customize these games according to the size of your group, the available space, and the resources you have. By incorporating these games into your youth group devotions, you can create a fun and meaningful experience that connects participants with the joy and wonder of Christmas.

Engaging Outdoor Games for Youth Group Devotions

Engaging in outdoor activities can bring a refreshing change of pace to youth group devotions, providing opportunities for physical activity, teamwork, and collaboration. Outdoor games offer the chance for young participants to connect with nature while strengthening their relationships with their peers. These interactive experiences foster a sense of adventure and excitement, creating memorable moments in their faith journey.

Active Games for Outdoor Youth Group

Outdoor activities for youth groups can include a wide range of active games that promote physical fitness and teamwork. Capture the Flag is a classic game that encourages strategy, problem-solving, and cooperation. Dividing the group into two teams, each with the goal of capturing the opposing team’s flag, fosters healthy competition and collaboration.

Another popular game is Crab Soccer, which combines soccer with a unique twist. Instead of using their feet, participants must move around on all fours like crabs, adding an element of fun and challenge to the game. This activity promotes coordination, teamwork, and laughter, creating a lighthearted atmosphere.

Team-Building Activities for Outdoor Youth Group

Outdoor environments provide the perfect backdrop for team-building activities that encourage trust, communication, and problem-solving. Human Knot is an excellent activity that requires participants to stand in a circle, reach across, and hold hands with two different people. The group then tries to untangle themselves without letting go of each other’s hands, requiring effective communication and collaboration.

Another team-building game is Egg Drop, where each team is given limited materials to construct a protective casing for an egg. The goal is to drop the egg from a height without it breaking. This activity fosters problem-solving skills, creativity, and teamwork, as participants work together to design and build a successful contraption.

Engaging outdoor games for youth group devotions provide opportunities for physical activity, teamwork, and personal growth. These activities create a sense of adventure, foster lasting friendships, and reinforce the values and teachings of the faith. By incorporating outdoor games into youth group devotions, leaders can create a dynamic and engaging environment that encourages active participation and spiritual growth.

Exciting Team-Building Youth Group Games

Team-building activities are essential for fostering a sense of unity, trust, and cooperation within a youth group. These activities not only promote collaboration but also provide opportunities for problem-solving, developing leadership skills, and building strong relationships among group members. By engaging in team challenges, youth participants can learn to work together effectively, overcome obstacles, and achieve common goals.

Collaboration activities for youth groups can take various forms, such as scavenger hunts, escape room challenges, or obstacle courses. These games require participants to communicate, strategize, and rely on each other’s strengths to succeed. Through problem-solving games, young individuals can sharpen their critical thinking skills, learn to approach challenges from different perspectives, and develop creative solutions.

Trust-building activities play a crucial role in youth group dynamics. These games encourage participants to trust their peers, step outside their comfort zones, and establish a safe and supportive environment. Activities such as blindfolded trust walks, trust falls, and partner mirroring promote trust, empathy, and effective communication among group members. By engaging in trust-building games, youth participants can develop stronger bonds and gain a deeper understanding of the importance of trust in their friendships and spiritual journey.

In conclusion, team-building activities are an integral part of youth group devotions. These games not only promote collaboration, problem-solving, and trust but also create a fun and engaging environment for young participants to grow spiritually and develop meaningful relationships. By incorporating team challenges into youth group devotions, leaders can nurture a sense of unity, foster leadership skills, and empower young individuals to become effective members of their communities.

Engaging youth group activities not only create lasting memories but also serve as powerful tools for spiritual growth and self-discovery. By incorporating icebreaker games, outdoor activities, and team-building challenges, leaders can cultivate a sense of unity, trust, and cooperation within the youth group. Additionally, creative and passive activities spark insightful discussions and encourage critical thinking, while Christmas-themed games add a festive touch to devotional time during the holiday season. Through a variety of interactive and dynamic activities, youth group leaders can inspire young participants to deepen their faith, develop meaningful connections, and embrace the joy of community.

Whether it’s through games, creative projects, or spiritual discussions, youth group devotions have the potential to transform the lives of young participants. These devotional activities provide a platform for self-expression, encouragement, and exploration of faith. From icebreaker games that break down barriers to physical activities that channel energy, each interactive element contributes to a positive and inclusive environment where young individuals can grow spiritually and build lasting friendships. With a careful balance of fun, engagement, and spiritual depth, youth group devotions become a powerful catalyst for personal transformation and collective inspiration.

What are youth group devotions with games?

Youth group devotions with games are interactive and creative activities incorporated into devotional time to make it more enjoyable and memorable for young participants.

Why are engaging youth group activities important?

Engaging youth group activities foster a sense of belonging, encourage participation, and build relationships within a youth group, allowing young participants to connect with their peers on a deeper level.

What are some fun icebreaker games for youth group devotions?

Some fun icebreaker games for youth group devotions include M&M Roulette, Dice and Dare, and This or That. These games prompt participants to share personal experiences and preferences, promoting meaningful connections among participants.

What physical activities can be incorporated into youth group devotions?

Physical activities such as Life-Size Tic Tac Toe, Bank Robbery, and The Worm Olympics can be incorporated into youth group devotions to promote teamwork, cooperation, and healthy physical activity.

What are some creative activities for inspiring youth group devotions?

Some creative activities for inspiring youth group devotions include Yarn-Wrapped Cardboard Letters and Woolen Heart, which allow participants to engage in hands-on projects that showcase their creative talents while reinforcing spiritual messages.

What spiritual activities can be included in youth group devotions?

Spiritual activities such as One-Verse Bible Study, Quick Prayer Meeting, and “Last Week’s Sermon” Discussion provide opportunities for participants to engage in meaningful discussions, share personal insights, and apply biblical teachings to their own lives.

What are some passive activities for thought-provoking youth group devotions?

Some passive activities for thought-provoking youth group devotions include Movie Night , YouTube Clip Discussion, and Latest News Discussion, which provide opportunities for participants to analyze and discuss various topics, media content, and news events through a spiritual lens.

What are some fun Christmas-themed youth group games?

Some fun Christmas-themed youth group games include Giftwrap a Youth Leader Relay Race and Fun Facts Paper Snowball Fight, which provide a fun and lighthearted atmosphere while encouraging teamwork, creativity, and holiday cheer.

What are some engaging outdoor games for youth group devotions?

Some engaging outdoor games for youth group devotions include Crab Soccer and Capture the Flag, which can be adapted for outdoor settings and promote physical fitness, team dynamics, and a sense of adventure.

What are some exciting team-building youth group games?

Some exciting team-building youth group games include Costume Relay and Human Knot, which encourage teamwork, problem-solving skills, and effective communication among group members.

Source Links

• https://get.tithe.ly/blog/youth-group-activities
• https://pushpay.com/blog/youth-group-activities/
• https://www.vancopayments.com/egiving/blog/church-youth-group-games

Father / Grandfather / Minister / Missionary / Deacon / Elder / Author / Digital Missionary / Foster Parents / Welcome to our Family

View all posts

Related Posts:

• Meet Our Church Youth Pastor: Guiding Future Leaders
• Find Your Calling: Church Youth Pastor Jobs near You
• Fun and Engaging Icebreaker Games and Activities for…
• Engaging Church Youth Skits for Spiritual Growth
• Church Youth Director Job Role Overview
• Uncover the Power of Digital Sermons and Preaching Today

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Frugal Coupon Living

Stretching Your Pennies, Saving Your Dollars

Bible Minute to Win it Youth Group Games

February 1, 2024 by Ashley at Frugal Coupon Living Filed Under: Facebook , Games , Instagram , Kids , Party , Pinterest , Printable , Social Media , Sunday School Leave a Comment published date: August 22, 2023 modified datt: February 01,2024

• Pinterest 321

Teamwork, Bible knowledge, or icebreakers? Whatever the reason, these youth group games are fun and easy to play. Enjoy Minute to Win It games for kids, Bible trivia, fun challenges, and engaging activities for teens!

Youth group games are an important aspect of any youth program. They provide a fun and engaging way for young people to connect with each other, build relationships, and develop important life skills. Youth group games can be used to teach teamwork, communication, problem-solving, and leadership, among other things.

There are many different types of youth ministry games, ranging from classic outdoor games like Capture the Flag and Dodgeball to more complex team-building activities and problem-solving challenges like 5-second Bible trivia . The best youth group games are those that are inclusive, easy to learn, and adaptable to different group sizes and skill levels. They should also be age-appropriate and aligned with the goals and values of the youth program, the Bible, and of course, Jesus!

Whether you are a youth leader looking to plan a fun and engaging activity for your group, or a parent looking for ideas to keep your kids entertained and connected with their peers, youth group games are a great option to consider. With the right games and activities, you can create a positive and supportive environment that encourages young people to learn, grow, and thrive.

Understanding Youth Group Games

Youth group games are a popular way to engage and entertain young people in a group setting. These games can be used as icebreakers, team-building exercises, or just for fun. Understanding the basics of youth group games can help leaders plan successful events that will keep participants engaged and excited.

One important aspect of youth ministry games is that they should be inclusive and accessible to all participants. This means that the games should be designed to accommodate different skill levels and physical abilities. When games become challenging, consider pairing younger kids and older kids together. This creates teamwork and a mix of skill levels.

Another important consideration is the purpose of the game. Is it meant to encourage teamwork and cooperation, or is it just for fun? Are you creating a game to summarize a bible chapter or lesson? Understanding the goal of the game can help leaders select appropriate activities and ensure that participants are engaged and motivated. In most cases, traditional Minute to Win It Games can be adapted to fit biblical themes and Sunday school lessons .

When selecting games, it is also important to consider the size of the group and the available space. Some group games may require a large open space (like an auditorium or an outdoor field), while others can be played in a smaller space (like a classroom.) Leaders should also consider the age range of the participants and select games that are appropriate for their developmental level.

Let’s look at some examples of the best youth group games you might want to bring to your ministry.

Choosing the Right Game

When it comes to organizing games for a youth group, choosing the right game is crucial for a successful event. Here are some tips to help you select the right game for your group:

Consider the Age Group and Interests of Participants

The age group of your youth group will play a significant role in the type of game you choose. Younger children may not have the attention span for complicated games, while older teenagers may be more interested in games that involve strategy and competition. Additionally, consider the interests of your participants. If your group is full of sports enthusiasts, games that involve physical activity may be a hit. If your group is more creative, consider games that involve art or music.

Determine the Group Size and Space Available

The size of your group and the space available will also impact the type of game you choose. Games that require a lot of space may not be suitable for smaller groups or indoor game locations. Similarly, games that require a lot of equipment may not be feasible if you have a limited budget or space.

Keep Safety in Mind

Safety should always be a top priority when selecting games for a youth group. Avoid games that may be dangerous or involve physical contact that could lead to injury. Make sure to provide proper supervision and equipment for any games that involve physical activity.

Fun youth group games are an excellent way to promote teamwork, build relationships, and have fun. With a wide variety of games available, it’s easy to find one that fits your group’s interests and needs. One popular game that’s liked by all kids of different ages and genders is one-minute games. Minute to Win It Games have taken over the population and they can easily be adapted to holidays, special occasions, and more.

Minute to Win It Youth Group Games: Fun and Engaging Activities for All Ages

Minute to Win It Bible games are a fun and engaging way to teach children and adults about popular Bible stories including Woman at the Well, Daniel in the Lion’s Den, Adam & Eve, and more. These Christian games are designed to be completed in one minute or less, making them perfect for use in Sunday school classes, youth groups, vacation Bible school, or family game nights. They can be adapted to suit any age group or skill level and can be played with minimal equipment.

One-minute Bible games can be tailored to fit any lesson or theme. For example, a game could be designed around the story of David and Goliath, where participants have to knock down a tower of cups with a sling in under a minute. Or a game could be designed around the story of Noah’s Ark, where participants have to stack plastic animals in under a minute. These games can be played individually, in teams, or as a whole group. They can be used as icebreakers, warm-ups, or as a way to reinforce a lesson. Minute to Win It Bible games are a versatile tool that can be used in a variety of settings and with different age groups.

One of the great things about Minute to Win It games for kids’ ministry is that they are easy to set up and require minimal preparation. Most of the games can be played with simple household items, such as straws, plastic cups cups, and ping pong balls. This makes them perfect for use in a variety of settings, including classrooms, homes, and community centers.

In addition to being fun and engaging, Bible Minute to Win It Bible can also be a powerful tool for teaching important biblical concepts. By incorporating elements of the Bible into the games, players can learn about important themes such as patience, kindness, and gentleness – aka teamwork and being a good sport. Whether you are a parent, teacher, or youth leader, Minute to Win It youth group games are a great way to bring the Bible to life in a fun and exciting way.

Popular Minute-to-Win It Bible Games

Ready to take a 60-second challenge? Here are some popular Minute to Win It Bible games that you can play at your next church event or youth group meeting. These twenty Bible games are adapted from classic Minute to Win it Games. If you find yourself finishing a Bibble lesson we didn’t include, adapt some of the most common Minute to Win It Group Games with props and accessories that fit your Sunday School Curriculum.

Rainbow Candy Sort

Don’t forget God’s promise of a rainbow! In this fast-paced challenge, contestants use one hand to sort 50 colorful Skittles into different containers based on their hues. Be the quickest to organize and win!

John’s Wild Honey

Build a honeycomb tower on your teammate’s face! Work in pairs as one team member lays down while the other delicately stacks honeycomb cereal on their face. The tallest tower wins.

Fruits of the Spirit Roll

Have you heard of a traditional Easter egg roll ? In the same manner, roll fruit from a starting line, then across the finish line. The first player to past that line gets declared the winner. Guess what, no hands!

Noah’s Ark Animal Drop

In this fun 60-second game, players will stand on a chair and attempt to drop a plastic animal in a jar. Don’t let those animals miss the boat!

Woman at the Well

Drop pennies in a jar – not much of a challenge in this one-minute game… only you are slowed by water because the penny must pass through a bucket of water and land in a jar inside the bucket. May the best man (or woman) win!

Adam & Eve Apple Stack

Who doesn’t love a classic apple stack Minute to Win It game? Play this traditional game and stack the highest tower of apples. Don’t let the sake knock over your stack!

Tower of Babel Cup Stack

This youth group game uses a very common Minute to Win It game supply, plastic cups! Grab your red SOLO cups and stack the highest tower in this cup stack game.

Goliath Ping Pong Bounce

In the same way, David knocked Goliath with a rock, sling those ping-pong balls across a table into a Goliath cup. Don’t worry, we will show you how to play Ping-Pong bounce with a fun twist.

Gather the Sheep Marshmallow Blow

Move all the sheep to the pen with a straw. Slowly transfer marshmallows from one plate to another with this fun marshmallow one-minute game.

Lazarus Mummy Wrap

Similar to the Halloween Minute to Win it Game , only with a Biblical twist. The winning team is the first team to wrap up Lazarus without breaking your toilet paper roll.

Knock down a pyramid of plastic cups using a rubberband in this one-minute game. The object of the game is to the be first to knock your pyramid down against a time limit.

Walls of Jericho

Just like Joshua, fight the walls of Jericho with the power of your lungs. Don’t let the walls fall of the table. (Friendly note: The walls are included in your purchase!)

Greatest Gift

Of course, the greatest gift is Jesus! Upwrap a present using your hands… oh, covered in oven mitts. See how can unwrap their gift the fastest in this fun twist of a Christmas Minute to Win it Game .

Daniel in the Lions’ Den Junk in the Trunk

Junk in the Trunk is a Minute to Win It game that tries to shake Ping Pong balls out of an empty tissue box. No hands involved, use your hips to shake those balls out.

Gospel Scramble

In this simple game, mix up the letter for all four gospels – Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. At the start of go, players will race to spell the four books of the Gospel. You can decide the number of players for each team.

Palm Sunday

In the Palm Sunday game, use palms (you can make your own) to wave a balloon across a room into the center of a Hula-Hoop.

Eye of a Needle Camel Thread

In this good game, you have one minute to thread needles through the needle. The fastest team/player to do this wins. This game is best for older kids middle school aged and up.

Stormy Seas

Fill a spray bottle in this Minute to Win It game with water . Use the bottle to guide a balloon across the room into a trash can.

Fishers of Men

Fill water balloons with air and display them all over the floor. At the start of go, participants will scoop up the balloons (fish) with a net and move them to a bucket or bag. The team that gets the most fish in 60 seconds wins.

Five Loaves & Two Fish

See how fast you can eat five loaves and two fish – aka five saltine crackers and two Swedish fish in this one-minute eating contest.

Did you love these hilarious youth group games? These 20 Minute to Win It youth ministry games are fun and engaging ways to learn more about the word of God and have a good time with friends. Playing these games can be an effective way to learn about Jesus while having fun. These games can be used to teach Bible stories, Bible verses, and important biblical concepts. By incorporating games into Bible lessons, teachers can engage students in a way that is both enjoyable and educational.

All the games come with instructions, scorecards, and a Minute to Win it Card tent with a Bible verse. (Buy in the Frugal Coupon Living Shop or on Etsy .)

Grab the Bible Minute To Win It Youth Group Games Printable

Setting Up the Games

When planning to play Minute to Win It games, it’s important to set up the group games properly.

Required Materials

Before setting up the games, it’s important to gather all the required materials. The materials needed will depend on the specific games being played, but some common materials include:

• Minute to Win It Bible-Themed Games
• Stopwatches or timers
• Stationery items such as pencils, pens, and paper
• Household items such as cups, plates, and balloons
• Props such as toy animals, fruit, or pennies.
• … and more!

A full list of Bible Game supplies is included in our Bible-Themed Minute to Win It Games PDF .

Make sure to have enough materials for each player or team to play the game. It’s also a good idea to have extra materials on hand in case of any mishaps.

Setting Up the Space

The space where the games will be played should be set up with safety in mind. Make sure the space is free of any tripping hazards and that there is enough room for players to move around.

Depending on the games being played, tables or chairs may need to be set up to hold props or provide a surface for writing. It’s also essential to have a designated area for contestants to stand or sit during the games.

In the printable Bible Game Set , we included table tents for each game. This includes the Minute To Win It Game Title and an accompanying Bible verse. This scripture verse will tie the game and Bible together.

Timing and Scoring

Timing and scoring are important aspects of one-minute Bible-Themed games for youth groups. Make sure to have a reliable timer or stopwatch to time each game. You can use an online clock and project it as a fun countdown.  It’s also important to have a clear scoring system in place, whether it’s based on time, accuracy, or a combination of both.

It’s a good idea to have a designated scorekeeper to keep track of points and ensure that the games are played fairly. Make sure to explain the rules, boundaries, and scoring system to all teams before starting the games. We include a Minute to Win It scorecard in the printable Bible games set.

By following these tips for setting up Minute to Win It ministry games, players can enjoy a fun and safe experience while learning more about Jesus and some of the Bible’s most popular stories.

Minute to Win It ministry games for kids can be a valuable tool for teaching, team building, and spiritual growth. By incorporating these games into Bible lessons and activities, teachers can create a fun and engaging learning experience for their students.

More Indoor Youth Group Games

Indoor youth group games are a great way to keep young people entertained and engaged when the weather is bad or when you don’t have access to outdoor space. Of course, we find Bible Minute to Win It Games to be quite amazing, but of course, you might want to try something else. Here are some popular indoor games that are perfect for kids’ and teens’ youth group ministry.

Team Building Games

Team building games are great for promoting cooperation and communication among youth group members.

Popular team-building games for youth groups might include:

• Blindfolded Obstacle Course : Players are blindfolded and must navigate an obstacle course with the help of their teammates’ voices.
• Bible 5-Second Game : Discover the thrill of rapid-fire Bible trivia with our Bible 5-Second Game Card  printable pack. This digital download includes 188 carefully crafted cards with thought-provoking questions covering various aspects of the Bible.
• Rainy Day Games : Stuck inside. These rainy-day games include many of our popular indoor games and some outdoors for those that are brave to adventure out.
• Mall Scavenger Hunt : Sometimes indoor activities can be a little outside the box. Like a mall scavenger hun t . Find quirky and unequal things at the mall. The first team to complete the challenge wins.

Ice Breaker Games

Great Icebreaker games will help youth group members get to know each other and feel more comfortable around each other. They are great for the beginning of a new year, a change in students or to welcome new students. They can also be used at the beginning of every meeting as a warm-up.

Here are some popular icebreaker games for youth groups:

• Two Truths and a Lie : Players take turns sharing three statements about themselves, two of which are true and one of which is false. The rest of the group must guess which statement is the lie.
• Mafia : A role-playing game in which players are assigned secret roles as either townspeople or members of the mafia. The townspeople must work together to identify and eliminate the mafia members.
• Would You Rather : Players take turns asking each other “would you rather” questions, such as “Would you rather be able to fly or be invisible?” The rest of the group must choose which option they would prefer and explain why.
• Human Knot : Players stand in a circle and hold hands with two people who are not next to them. The group must then work together to untangle the knot without letting go of each other’s hands.

Christian Holiday Games

Christian holidays and other major holidays are great time to have themed games. From scavenger hunts to party games, to everyone’s favorite 60-second challenge, take a look at these fun holiday party games.

Here are some fun holiday games for youth groups:

• Easter Trivia: Ready for a challenge? Go through Easter Trivia with these fun Bible games.
• Easter Minute to Win it:   Minute to Win it Games can be played year around.  We especially love these 60-second challenges, Minute To Win it Easter Games . (Also check out Easter Party Games .)
• Christmas Minute to Win it : Of course when it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, you want all things reindeer, snow, and Jesus related. Look at these fun Minute to Win It Christmas Games . (Also check out Christmas Party Games .)
• Friendsgiving Scavenger Hunt : Scavenger hunts can get really competitive. This editable Friendsgiving Scavenger Hunt for the Thanksgiving season is so fun for a youth group. Add whatever ideas fit your church, venue, or party. (Also check out Thanksgiving Party Games and Thanksgiving Minute to Win It Games .)

Outdoor Youth Group Games

Youth group games are a great way to build teamwork, foster friendships, and have fun. Outdoor games, in particular, offer a chance for participants to get some fresh air and exercise while enjoying the company of their peers. Here are some popular outdoor youth group games:

Physical Activity Games

Physical activity games are a great way to get everyone moving and energized. These games can be adapted for different age groups and skill levels. Here are a few examples:

• Capture the Flag – This classic game involves dividing players into two teams. Each team has a flag that they must protect while trying to capture the other team’s flag. The game is won when one team successfully captures the other team’s flag and brings it back to the team’s base.
• Ultimate Frisbee  – This fast-paced game is similar to soccer or football but played with a frisbee. The objective is to pass the frisbee down the field and score points by catching it in the opposing team’s end zone.
• Obstacle Course  – An obstacle course can be set up with various challenges such as crawling under ropes, jumping over cones, and balancing on beams. This game can be timed for an added challenge.

If some of these games excite you, take a look at our numerous lists of outdoor games that can be used a field, in the pool, at a lake or even after the sun goes down.

• Outdoor Minute to Win It Games
• Minute to Win It Games with Water
• Backyard Games
• Outdoor Night Games

Adventure Games

Adventure games offer a chance for participants to explore and test their limits. These games can be especially exciting for older youth groups.

Examples include:

• Scavenger Hunt – A scavenger hunt can be set up with clues that lead participants to different locations. The final clue can lead to a prize or reward. These can include mall scavenger hunt , nature scavenger hunt , virtual scavenger hunt , or selfie scavenger hunts .
• Survival Game – In this game, participants are given a set of challenges to complete in a wilderness setting. Challenges can include building a shelter, starting a fire, and finding food and water. They are great for summer camps.
• Geocaching  – Geocaching involves using GPS coordinates to find hidden treasures. Participants can work in teams to find as many caches as possible within a set time frame.

Overall, outdoor youth group games offer a chance for participants to have fun, build relationships, and develop important life skills.

Whatever the season, these party games for kids are perfect for a youth group. Unless stated, they are kid-friendly, and in our mind, kid-friendly means church approved.

Benefits of Youth Group Games

If you were wondering, Youth group games offer a variety of benefits that help young people grow and develop in various ways. While you might realize many of the benefits of games for kids, there are a few reasons you might not have considered.

1. Socialization

Games for youth groups provide an opportunity for young people to interact with others and develop social skills. They learn how to communicate, cooperate, and work together towards a common goal. This helps them build relationships and friendships that can last a lifetime.

2. Physical Activity

Many youth ministry games involve physical activity, which is beneficial for young people’s health and well-being. Physical activity helps them stay active and healthy, and it also helps them develop coordination and motor skills. They can release endorphins for mental wellness.

3. Mental Stimulation

Small group games can also provide mental stimulation, which is important for young people’s cognitive development. They learn problem-solving skills, critical thinking, and decision-making, which can help them in other areas of their lives.

4. Emotional Development

Youth group games can also help young people develop emotionally. They learn how to deal with winning and losing, how to handle frustration and disappointment, and how to manage their emotions in a healthy way.

5. Fun and Enjoyment

Finally, games for ministry offer young people a chance to have fun and enjoy themselves. This is important for their overall well-being and helps them develop a positive attitude towards life.

It’s clear why we need games in addition to lessons. Overall, youth group games can be a fun and effective way to engage young people in a group setting. They are great as icebreakers or lesson summaries. By understanding the basics of game selection and design, leaders can create successful events that are enjoyable and engaging for all participants. Bring the fun to your youth group! With so many game options available, there’s sure to be a game that’s perfect for your kids’ group.

Our Pinterest community and I would love to see how this worked out for you. Share your youth group game ideas.  Leave a comment here or on Pinterest !

Not ready to buy? Give these free printables a try. Subscribe and look for a link and password in your inbox . The password allows you to access and download all of our free printables.

By downloading digital downloads you are accepting the copyright terms and permissions that this is for personal, non-commercial use. Please contact Frugal Coupon Living with any questions.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed .

Turn Your Curiosity Into Discovery

Latest facts.

Tips and Tricks to Help You Create a HIPAA Compliant Email

How to Stop Facial Hair Growth in Females Naturally

40 facts about elektrostal.

Written by Lanette Mayes

Modified & Updated: 02 Mar 2024

Reviewed by Jessica Corbett

Elektrostal is a vibrant city located in the Moscow Oblast region of Russia. With a rich history, stunning architecture, and a thriving community, Elektrostal is a city that has much to offer. Whether you are a history buff, nature enthusiast, or simply curious about different cultures, Elektrostal is sure to captivate you.

This article will provide you with 40 fascinating facts about Elektrostal, giving you a better understanding of why this city is worth exploring. From its origins as an industrial hub to its modern-day charm, we will delve into the various aspects that make Elektrostal a unique and must-visit destination.

So, join us as we uncover the hidden treasures of Elektrostal and discover what makes this city a true gem in the heart of Russia.

Key Takeaways:

• Elektrostal, known as the “Motor City of Russia,” is a vibrant and growing city with a rich industrial history, offering diverse cultural experiences and a strong commitment to environmental sustainability.
• With its convenient location near Moscow, Elektrostal provides a picturesque landscape, vibrant nightlife, and a range of recreational activities, making it an ideal destination for residents and visitors alike.

Known as the “Motor City of Russia.”

Elektrostal, a city located in the Moscow Oblast region of Russia, earned the nickname “Motor City” due to its significant involvement in the automotive industry.

Home to the Elektrostal Metallurgical Plant.

Elektrostal is renowned for its metallurgical plant, which has been producing high-quality steel and alloys since its establishment in 1916.

Boasts a rich industrial heritage.

Elektrostal has a long history of industrial development, contributing to the growth and progress of the region.

Founded in 1916.

The city of Elektrostal was founded in 1916 as a result of the construction of the Elektrostal Metallurgical Plant.

Located approximately 50 kilometers east of Moscow.

Elektrostal is situated in close proximity to the Russian capital, making it easily accessible for both residents and visitors.

Known for its vibrant cultural scene.

Elektrostal is home to several cultural institutions, including museums, theaters, and art galleries that showcase the city’s rich artistic heritage.

A popular destination for nature lovers.

Surrounded by picturesque landscapes and forests, Elektrostal offers ample opportunities for outdoor activities such as hiking, camping, and birdwatching.

Hosts the annual Elektrostal City Day celebrations.

Every year, Elektrostal organizes festive events and activities to celebrate its founding, bringing together residents and visitors in a spirit of unity and joy.

Has a population of approximately 160,000 people.

Elektrostal is home to a diverse and vibrant community of around 160,000 residents, contributing to its dynamic atmosphere.

Boasts excellent education facilities.

The city is known for its well-established educational institutions, providing quality education to students of all ages.

A center for scientific research and innovation.

Elektrostal serves as an important hub for scientific research, particularly in the fields of metallurgy, materials science, and engineering.

Surrounded by picturesque lakes.

The city is blessed with numerous beautiful lakes, offering scenic views and recreational opportunities for locals and visitors alike.

Well-connected transportation system.

Elektrostal benefits from an efficient transportation network, including highways, railways, and public transportation options, ensuring convenient travel within and beyond the city.

Famous for its traditional Russian cuisine.

Food enthusiasts can indulge in authentic Russian dishes at numerous restaurants and cafes scattered throughout Elektrostal.

Home to notable architectural landmarks.

Elektrostal boasts impressive architecture, including the Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord and the Elektrostal Palace of Culture.

Offers a wide range of recreational facilities.

Residents and visitors can enjoy various recreational activities, such as sports complexes, swimming pools, and fitness centers, enhancing the overall quality of life.

Provides a high standard of healthcare.

Elektrostal is equipped with modern medical facilities, ensuring residents have access to quality healthcare services.

Home to the Elektrostal History Museum.

The Elektrostal History Museum showcases the city’s fascinating past through exhibitions and displays.

A hub for sports enthusiasts.

Elektrostal is passionate about sports, with numerous stadiums, arenas, and sports clubs offering opportunities for athletes and spectators.

Celebrates diverse cultural festivals.

Throughout the year, Elektrostal hosts a variety of cultural festivals, celebrating different ethnicities, traditions, and art forms.

Electric power played a significant role in its early development.

Elektrostal owes its name and initial growth to the establishment of electric power stations and the utilization of electricity in the industrial sector.

Boasts a thriving economy.

The city’s strong industrial base, coupled with its strategic location near Moscow, has contributed to Elektrostal’s prosperous economic status.

Houses the Elektrostal Drama Theater.

The Elektrostal Drama Theater is a cultural centerpiece, attracting theater enthusiasts from far and wide.

Popular destination for winter sports.

Elektrostal’s proximity to ski resorts and winter sport facilities makes it a favorite destination for skiing, snowboarding, and other winter activities.

Promotes environmental sustainability.

Elektrostal prioritizes environmental protection and sustainability, implementing initiatives to reduce pollution and preserve natural resources.

Home to renowned educational institutions.

Elektrostal is known for its prestigious schools and universities, offering a wide range of academic programs to students.

Committed to cultural preservation.

The city values its cultural heritage and takes active steps to preserve and promote traditional customs, crafts, and arts.

Hosts an annual International Film Festival.

The Elektrostal International Film Festival attracts filmmakers and cinema enthusiasts from around the world, showcasing a diverse range of films.

Encourages entrepreneurship and innovation.

Elektrostal supports aspiring entrepreneurs and fosters a culture of innovation, providing opportunities for startups and business development.

Offers a range of housing options.

Elektrostal provides diverse housing options, including apartments, houses, and residential complexes, catering to different lifestyles and budgets.

Home to notable sports teams.

Elektrostal is proud of its sports legacy, with several successful sports teams competing at regional and national levels.

Boasts a vibrant nightlife scene.

Residents and visitors can enjoy a lively nightlife in Elektrostal, with numerous bars, clubs, and entertainment venues.

Promotes cultural exchange and international relations.

Elektrostal actively engages in international partnerships, cultural exchanges, and diplomatic collaborations to foster global connections.

Surrounded by beautiful nature reserves.

Nearby nature reserves, such as the Barybino Forest and Luchinskoye Lake, offer opportunities for nature enthusiasts to explore and appreciate the region’s biodiversity.

Commemorates historical events.

The city pays tribute to significant historical events through memorials, monuments, and exhibitions, ensuring the preservation of collective memory.

Promotes sports and youth development.

Elektrostal invests in sports infrastructure and programs to encourage youth participation, health, and physical fitness.

Hosts annual cultural and artistic festivals.

Throughout the year, Elektrostal celebrates its cultural diversity through festivals dedicated to music, dance, art, and theater.

Provides a picturesque landscape for photography enthusiasts.

The city’s scenic beauty, architectural landmarks, and natural surroundings make it a paradise for photographers.

Connects to Moscow via a direct train line.

The convenient train connection between Elektrostal and Moscow makes commuting between the two cities effortless.

A city with a bright future.

Elektrostal continues to grow and develop, aiming to become a model city in terms of infrastructure, sustainability, and quality of life for its residents.

In conclusion, Elektrostal is a fascinating city with a rich history and a vibrant present. From its origins as a center of steel production to its modern-day status as a hub for education and industry, Elektrostal has plenty to offer both residents and visitors. With its beautiful parks, cultural attractions, and proximity to Moscow, there is no shortage of things to see and do in this dynamic city. Whether you’re interested in exploring its historical landmarks, enjoying outdoor activities, or immersing yourself in the local culture, Elektrostal has something for everyone. So, next time you find yourself in the Moscow region, don’t miss the opportunity to discover the hidden gems of Elektrostal.

Q: What is the population of Elektrostal?

A: As of the latest data, the population of Elektrostal is approximately XXXX.

Q: How far is Elektrostal from Moscow?

A: Elektrostal is located approximately XX kilometers away from Moscow.

Q: Are there any famous landmarks in Elektrostal?

A: Yes, Elektrostal is home to several notable landmarks, including XXXX and XXXX.

Q: What industries are prominent in Elektrostal?

A: Elektrostal is known for its steel production industry and is also a center for engineering and manufacturing.

Q: Are there any universities or educational institutions in Elektrostal?

A: Yes, Elektrostal is home to XXXX University and several other educational institutions.

Q: What are some popular outdoor activities in Elektrostal?

A: Elektrostal offers several outdoor activities, such as hiking, cycling, and picnicking in its beautiful parks.

Q: Is Elektrostal well-connected in terms of transportation?

A: Yes, Elektrostal has good transportation links, including trains and buses, making it easily accessible from nearby cities.

Q: Are there any annual events or festivals in Elektrostal?

A: Yes, Elektrostal hosts various events and festivals throughout the year, including XXXX and XXXX.

Was this page helpful?

Our commitment to delivering trustworthy and engaging content is at the heart of what we do. Each fact on our site is contributed by real users like you, bringing a wealth of diverse insights and information. To ensure the highest standards of accuracy and reliability, our dedicated editors meticulously review each submission. This process guarantees that the facts we share are not only fascinating but also credible. Trust in our commitment to quality and authenticity as you explore and learn with us.

Share this Fact:

Mathematical Foundations of the Golden Rule. II. Dynamic Case

• Mathematical Game Theory and Applications
• Published: 12 October 2018
• Volume 79 , pages 1929–1952, ( 2018 )

Cite this article

• V. I. Zhukovskiy 1 ,
• L. V. Smirnova 2 &
• A. S. Gorbatov 1  

32 Accesses

Explore all metrics

This paper extends the earlier research of the Golden Rule in the static case [2] to the dynamic one. The main idea is to use the Germeier convolution of the payoff functions of players within the framework of antagonistic positional differential games in quasi motions and guiding control.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price includes VAT (Russian Federation)

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Rent this article via DeepDyve

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Solving the Problem of Approach of Controlled Objects in Dynamic Game Problems

I. S. Rappoport

Differential games for neutral-type systems: An approximation model

N. Yu. Lukoyanov & A. R. Plaksin

Method of Resolving Functions in the Theory of Conflict—Controlled Processes

Germeier, Yu.B., Vvedenie v teoriyu issledovaniya operatsii (Introduction to the Theory of Operations Research), Moscow: Nauka, 1971.

Google Scholar  

Zhukovskiy, V.I. and Kudryavtsev, K.N., Mathematical Foundations of the Golden Rule. I. Static Case, Autom. Remote Control , 2017, vol. 78, no. 10, pp. 1920–1940.

Article   MathSciNet   MATH   Google Scholar  

Zhukovskiy, V.I. and Salukvadze, M.E., Optimizatsiya garantii v mnogokriterial’nykh zadachakh upravleniya (Optimization of Guarantees in Multicriteria Control Problems), Tbilisi: Metsniereba, 1996.

Zhukovskiy, V.I. and Salukvadze, M.E., Nekotorye igrovye zadachi upravleniya i ikh prilozheniya (Some Games of Control and Their Applications), Tbilisi: Metsniereba, 1998.

Kononenko, A.F., Structure of Optimal Strategy in Dynamic Controlled Systems, Zh. Vychisl. Mat. Mat. Fiz. , 1980, no. 5, pp. 1105–1116.

MATH   Google Scholar  

Krasovskii, N.N., Upravlenie dinamicheskoi sistemoi (Control of a Dynamic System), Moscow: Nauka, 1985.

Krasovskii, N.N. and Subbotin, A.I., Pozitsionnye differentsial’nye igry (Positional Differential Games), Moscow: Nauka, 1985.

Morozov, V.V., Sukharev, A.G., and Fedorov, V.V., Issledovanie operatsii v zadachakh i uprazhneniyakh (Operations Research in Problems and Exercises), Moscow: Vysshaya Shkola, 1986.

Subbotin, A.I. and Chentsov, A.G., Optimizatsiya garantii v zadachakh upravleniya (Optimization of Guarantee in Control Problems), Moscow: Nauka, 1981.

Download references

Author information

Authors and affiliations.

Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia

V. I. Zhukovskiy & A. S. Gorbatov

Razumovsky State University of Technologies and Management (the First Cossack University), Moscow, Russia

L. V. Smirnova

You can also search for this author in PubMed   Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to V. I. Zhukovskiy .

Additional information

Original Russian Text © V.I. Zhukovskiy, L.V. Smirnova, A.S. Gorbatov, 2016, published in Matematicheskaya Teoriya Igr i Ee Prilozheniya, 2016, No. 1, pp. 27–62.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Zhukovskiy, V.I., Smirnova, L.V. & Gorbatov, A.S. Mathematical Foundations of the Golden Rule. II. Dynamic Case. Autom Remote Control 79 , 1929–1952 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1134/S0005117918100156

Download citation

Received : 11 November 2015

Published : 12 October 2018

Issue Date : October 2018

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1134/S0005117918100156

Share this article

Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content:

Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article.

Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative

• non-cooperative games
• positional strategy
• saddle point
• Berge equilibrium
• Find a journal
• Publish with us
• Track your research

• Victor Mukhin

Victor M. Mukhin was born in 1946 in the town of Orsk, Russia. In 1970 he graduated the Technological Institute in Leningrad. Victor M. Mukhin was directed to work to the scientific-industrial organization "Neorganika" (Elektrostal, Moscow region) where he is working during 47 years, at present as the head of the laboratory of carbon sorbents.     Victor M. Mukhin defended a Ph. D. thesis and a doctoral thesis at the Mendeleev University of Chemical Technology of Russia (in 1979 and 1997 accordingly). Professor of Mendeleev University of Chemical Technology of Russia. Scientific interests: production, investigation and application of active carbons, technological and ecological carbon-adsorptive processes, environmental protection, production of ecologically clean food.   

Title : Active carbons as nanoporous materials for solving of environmental problems

Quick links.

• Conference Brochure
• Tentative Program